Verbum Ultimum: Sensationalizing the Truth
By The Dartmouth Editorial Board
Published on Friday, October 5, 2012
In January, a column published in these pages about fraternity culture and hazing not only sparked a campus-wide discussion about hazing, but also fueled a media firestorm focused on the College’s social ills. In the column, former Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member Andrew Lohse ’12 described the hazing he allegedly endured as a pledge at the fraternity (“Telling the Truth,” Jan. 25). In late March, Lohse was featured in a Rolling Stone article that sensationalized Dartmouth’s Greek culture and pushed the school further into the national media spotlight (“Rolling Stone article targets College culture,” March 29).
Although many members of the Dartmouth community, including current students and alumni, were quick to criticize Lohse — an undeniably controversial figure to lead the crusade against hazing — and denounce his allegations, the column sparked a substantive discussion on campus about new member activities. The widespread scrutiny and conversations about our social culture caused some fraternities to reevaluate their pledge terms and forced the administration to establish more serious policies that directly address dangerous hazing. Lohse framed his initial column as a criticism of the administration for failing to address hazing on campus, and the administration has certainly taken an increased interest in hazing since the column’s publication.
However, while Lohse’s original article was presented as an attempt to foment an honest discussion about the reality of hazing, the leaked proposal of his upcoming book “Party at the End of the World” indicates his desire to run a smear campaign against the College (“Lohse book proposal leaks online,” Oct. 4). The document leaves text redacted that presumably will include students’ names and appears to take substantial liberties in its accounts of Lohse’s “coke-addled” time at Dartmouth. What supposedly began as an effort to “tell the truth” about a serious issue at Dartmouth and effect meaningful change has been bastardized into an effort by Lohse to draw attention to his sensationalist, ludicrous memoir.
While students, administrators, alumni and Hanover Police may legitimately disagree about what activities constitute hazing and how hazing should be addressed at Dartmouth, few would deny that serious hazing in some form has taken place consistently at many Dartmouth Greek organizations throughout recent College history. Any student would be correct to publicly criticize that culture. However, we have little hope that a sensationalist, self-serving book like the one that has been proposed will achieve the kind of change that Lohse once claimed to desire. If anything, such a book will only solidify divisions within our community about this important topic, encourage defensiveness on the part of students and displace the substantive discussion taking place with a renewed focus on criticizing the individual who brought these topics to the forefront of discussion.
You forgot to write that one member of the board, Jsy Webster, is a brother of SAE.
By jay? on Oct 5 | 2:14 am
Why has there not been a full investigation about who actually leaked the book? Who is the powerful secret society behind Goldman Snacks????!!!!!
By Wants the truth on Oct 5 | 1:03 pm
I think Dartmouth College coming is coming to the gradual realization that Goldman Snacks is much larger than it seemed at first. It’s like those Amazon tribesmen who throw spears at passing airplanes, then come to realize those planes are the seeds of a much larger civilization that is coming down on them.
By The Sad Truth on Oct 5 | 4:31 pm
lohse’s memoir is still ludicrous, sensationalized BS regardless of who is on the D’s editorial board
By big picture on Oct 6 | 12:22 pm
Whadya mean the hazing that Lohse “allegedly endured”? The D said that it fact-checked Lohse’s article last January. Once you guys have fact-checked something, doesn’t that mean that the paper certifies that the events in question really, not allegedly, occurred?
By Here Here on Oct 6 | 4:24 pm
Sure, the leaked proposal is a bit ludicrous, but it is a proposal for a book deal, after all. We all tend to exaggerate our experiences when we’re trying to get a job. I’m sure most, if not all, Dartmouth students know what I’m talking about.
By Jonathan Lohse on Oct 6 | 4:31 pm
But to actually address the content of the editorial, I disagree that the book, once it’s released, will “only solidify divisions within our community about [hazing].” In my opinion, the book will likely spark the conversation about hazing that this campus needed to have last year, but avoided. Anyone who thinks Dartmouth College has fully and completely addressed its hazing addiction is a fool. The deeper threats posed by hazing at Dartmouth — that it diminishes the College’s credibility as an institution dedicated to promoting humanistic principles, that it subjects students who may be prone to alcoholism and addiction to a “crash course” in substance abuse, and then rewards them for becoming alcoholics; that it distracts and diverts the attention of the student body away from meaningful intellectual pursuits and towards a black hole of ritualized substance abuse; that it turns otherwise decent young men into philandering misogynists — these realities will be exposed completely and irrevocably by Andrew’s book. I, for one, am excited to read it, and you should be too.
By Jonathan Lohse on Oct 6 | 4:44 pm
Also, I take umbrage at the suggestion that the book’s publication will “encourage defensiveness on the part of students and displace the substantive discussion taking place with a renewed focus on criticizing the individual who brought these topics to the forefront of discussion.” The book will not do that; this negative projection will only become manifest if the Dartmouth community chooses to react negatively to the truth as it is presented to them. If Dartmouth chooses to react defensively and arrogantly, blaming the messenger for its own problems, it will have extinguished the enduring flame of humanism that has lingered in this campus for so long, and despite so much. Dartmouth has a problem, but so do we all, and for that reason we should not be afraid to confront it, and hopefully find the strength and collective willpower to imagine something better, not just for us, but for the thousands of young men and women in future classes who will be forced to live with the toxic culture we have built.
By Jonathan Lohse on Oct 6 | 5:45 pm
In the leaked proposal, Andrew Lohse claims to be a changed man who has embraced Christian virtues. And yet he continues to do and say things designed to hurt others, including friends who tried to help him. It is hard to accept that Lohse’s motives are constructive when he continues these destructive patterns.
By Webster on Oct 6 | 10:00 pm
Even if there are some elements of truth, the fact that anything is exaggerated is slanderous and libelous. The fact that lohse is willing to slander people gives doubt to the whole story.
By Concerned on Oct 8 | 3:55 am
http://www.ivygateblog.com/2012/10/rolling-stone-andrew-lohse-fabricated-anecdote-for-book-proposal/
If he fabricates mundane things, what about the other stuff? Lohse is a demonstrated liar and attention seeker. Its not ad hominem if he does it to himself…
By Also concerned on Oct 8 | 6:04 pm