Very strong piece. As a white student, I’m glad you were able to show me just a bit of what you have gone through. Food for thought.

I hope things are better on the other side for you. Best of luck.

When you get beyond the sickening tone of this piece, what are McGrew’s specific complaints?

“another incident of racist vandalism” [a nasty word or two on a whiteboard]

“my peers outside of the classroom ignore me”

“moving aside as my white counterparts walk past me on the sidewalk”

“there is not one building on campus named after a black alumnus” [or alumna?]

If this is all McGrew can point to as factual examples of her “four-year struggle of torment,” let’s just wish her well in life — though we should be glad for her that her time in Hanover included the following:

“I have met some amazing people and I have been granted an education that is better than that of 99 percent of people in the world. I have been able to travel and grow and find myself.”

I’d weigh this statement against her description of awful suffering at the hands of the members of the Dartmouth community “who have no regard or remorse for their actions.”

This foolish girl is in for quite a surprise when she gets out into the real world. Does she think that the “torment” that she has suffered at Dartmouth will end once she goes to wherever she is going to go? There will still be graffiti, and there will still be some people who don’t talk to her. The world is a tough place. If she ever takes the time to “look back” in a few years, she might be surprised to conclude that she had it pretty good in Hanover.

It seems that the OPAL deans are still teaching Victimhood 101. How pathetic.

I’m puzzled why the D felt this piece was worthy of being run. Ms. McGrew fails to actually make any arguments. She tells of her feelings, of feeling like a second class citizen, of feeling ignored by her peers, of feeling unwelcome, etc., but she does not actually give any concrete examples, save feeling like white students force her to stand aside (and she gives no reason to think that it is anymore based on race than all the times I, as a white student, stand aside when faster people push through).

Harassed by the Financial Aid Office? That sounds important. But Ms. McGrew never says how. Mental abuse from fellow students? That’s terrible! (If it’s accurate.) But Ms. McGrew never says how.

The claims Ms. McGrew makes are not unimportant, quite the contrary, if campus is not welcoming to minority or less afluent students, it should be blared across the pages of the D on a regular basis. However, without support for claims, without real arguments, an opportunity for dialogue and changes turns into random venting.

The purpose of an op-ed is to persuade, or at minimum, to inform. Ms. McGrew’s piece failed to hit either mark.

Wow, I guess you can get anything published if you lead with “My name is ______, and I was hazed.”

If you have given up fighting and you are not going to look back…why did you submit this opinion article for publication? Do you have any guesses as to why this kind of racism or “hazing” occurs? Any ideas for a way to solve it? Any indication that this type of situation is unique to Dartmouth?

Now that “whine, whine, whine” has presciently identified the problem with this column — it’s a litany of grievances with essentially no specific examples or anecdotes to back them up — let’s dissect the examples the author does list.

“Another incident of racist vandalism”: This is the only place where you have a point, albeit minor. It’s a shame that anyone at Dartmouth would write such things targeting any group. But the fact that Dean Johnson sent a campus-wide email and the administration mobilized a robust institutional response to WORDS WRITTEN ON A WHITEBOARD should indicate to you that clearly Dartmouth takes this kind of situation seriously and that it is anomalous.

“My peers outside the classroom ignore me”: Have you made an effort to engage with them? Perhaps you’re not very interesting. I wouldn’t want to approach you if the tone of this article is any clue into your attitude toward everyday life.

“Moving aside as my white counterparts pass me on the sidewalk”: Walk faster? I tend to walk pretty quickly myself and if you’re holding up the flow of pedestrian traffic, of course I’m going to walk past you regardless of who you are.

“There is not one building on campus named after a black alumnus”: Well when you strike it rich, donate a large sum of money to the college and this will be remedied. Or, better yet, encourage some prominent, wealthy black alumni of today (Shonda Rhimes comes to mind) to donate.

I’m not unsympathetic to columns that point out Dartmouth’s flaws with specific, concrete examples and action plans to remedy them. This article does nothing of the sort and is worthy of the scorn it has received.

Thanks to Ms Mcgrew for speaking so candidly to the Dartmouth community. As a WASP member of the Class of 1955, I have fought as one of Dr Martin Luther King’s footsoldiers throughout my entire career.I agree that racism in America has not been entirely overcome,and I deplore whatever of it lingers at Dartmouth.While I’m sorry she feels she will not look back at the Green,I can say that four years at the Green is only a fraction of Dartmouth. I’ve returned every 5 years since 1955, and have come to appreciate many classmates I never knew. I can also say that anyone who graduates today has a heritage even richer than mine. Joe Herring,‘55

Way to go Jennifer. As a student of color I understand a lot of what you’re going through and this is something that has needed to be said for some time. I feel that the writings of those fortunate enough to be in a greek organization to be frivolous. This, on the other hand, is something we did not choose but must live with everyday regardless of any real choice we had at Dartmouth. If anyone believes this is Victimhood 101 they probably have never been discriminated against and cannot understand the toll it takes on you day after day. Jennifer I applaud your bravery.

As a white male on campus, I’m not surprised you feel this way, but it’s also hard not to question your self-victimization, and I always want to support open conversations on campus, so here’s what I’m thinking: I have a few black friends, each with intense motivation and bright, friendly personalities, and I can’t imagine any of them stepping off the sidewalk when passing someone. There’s no reason for that. I see people of all races and genders, usually with their heads down, who step off the sidewalk every time they approach someone, and I want to tell them, and you, to have some pride; stand up straight and walk straight down the right side of the sidewalk. People will move! If they look like they’re not going to, slow down, but don’t move aside, and maybe even stop, but don’t look shy or hesitant. Make it clear that you expect to keep walking straight, and they won’t just walk into you- they’ll realize they need to move. Maybe smile, maybe say “excuse me”, and people will probably smile back, and maybe apologize as they realize they’re in your way. To me it’s a simple exercise in exerting confidence. But maybe I’m just white.

The problem with op-eds like this is that they mention how bad somebody feels and how upset they are with Dartmouth, but only present a few examples. I sympathize with the author as a fellow minority, but as the commenter before said, there aren’t enough examples here. I feel like there’s something being left out for the sake of PCness or what have you. Hold your ground next time you’re on the sidewalk.

“I am a black woman from a poor background. Therefore, all of my problems exist because I am a black woman from a poor background.”

I dunno bro ‘82, real world is pretty awesome compared to the generally artificial atmosphere that has remained propped up for some reason after all these years. There is great diversity and enlightenment to be experienced out there, believe me. The differences are subtle, but the effects are very much profound. You actually have to be pretty cognizant to notice them, but this place has a very distinct character that no other environment can really emulate, for better or for worse.

However, things here are changing due to external pressures, and while most students can only see incremental changes, all it takes is for the larger circle of prestige to finally give you the finger before you realize that the jig is up. Bro.

Heck man, we even have to rent out Yale’s pad already in New York. Not cool man.

To Whine, whine, whine and D'82: You clearly do not understand the courage it takes for someone to tell their story in their own words. To have it surrendered to print and to the masses. And to have cowards like you who hide behind screen names and pseudonyms dissect it line by line searching for ways to make her and her feelings invalid. Clearly what you have done to this piece is just a small reflection of what the piece is trying to convey: a feeling of second-classness and not belonging. OPAL does not teach Victimhood 101…at least not when I was there two years ago and to assume that the author even utilized OPAL because she is a woman of color is just another glaring point to your seat of privilege and ability to make assumptions based on nothing. Instead of always looking for ways to invalidate someone based on whatever insecurities or entitlements you feel you have/deserve, why don’t you try to take the words for face value? This is just a snapshot of a four-year panoramic that we will never see. Kudos to you Jennifer for sharing a perspective that not many may see nor even realize. Yes D'82 the real world can make you feel isolated and stepped on and maybe she will write another piece about that and hopefully that piece will inspire someone in the “real world” to consider her perspective as a woman of color and think about their own place of privilege and actions. You certainly haven’t thought about yours. I’ve attached my real name to this and if anyone has any critics about my comment please feel free to Google me.

This is Dean Johnson’s Dartmouth for you.

I don’t remember people ever writing editorials like this when Sylvia Spears was here, or even Dean Crady.

Dean Johnson, JD has let Dartmouth slip into a pit of hatred, racism, and constant hazing. The students suffer while the administration drinks cappuccino and wastes $41 million on the Hanover Inn. It’s all just the cost of doing business for the Dean’s office as students are pushed aside and ignored, harassed by bureaucrats, and hazed in the name of a Dartmouth education.

I’m a minority male who’s experienced a number of the same things as the author. That said, I always assumed it was because I was walking slow and that the reason people ignore me is that I hadn’t introduced myself to them yet. People here can be A-Holes, sure, but for the most part it’s just how things work. You might be angry that they want you to conform to their world and are ignoring you because you don’t, but I’m not sure how the solution is “they should conform to mine instead.”

(White) Privilege. This word manifests in many behaviors, thoughts, and places. Though it is not perfect, my main issues are not with McGrew’s piece, but with so many of the comments that followed.

You all ask for examples, and that is understandable. Simple. But when you fail to see “adequate” justifications for the concerns McGrew described in her piece, so many of you are quick to invalidate her experience, shout “self-victimization,” and look down upon her for doing what she can to have some kind of voice. That, everyone, is yet another example of the patriarchal white privilege that so many of the students (and numerous alums) at the College exude. Just because the clearest examples are not present does not mean that this person’s experiences are not something we should be concerned about.

White privilege is having the luxury to be able to ASK for examples of what it’s like to be discriminated against. It’s being able to tell “people of all races and genders” to smile and put their heads up without truly understanding why they don’t feel they can do that in the first place. I’m not saying we should be ashamed of this privilege – but I am definitely saying it’s something we should be aware of.

So please, when reading this piece (and others) try your best to look past your own need for concrete examples and try to hear what the writer is actually trying to say. Thank you.

@D'82 Just because racism is pervasive in our society still, why should we at Dartmouth not work to free our small portion of society from ignorance and intolerance?

This story makes me sad for many reasons. That the author feels so dejected and made worthless by a place I love, is indeed sad. That she offers no indication that she attempted to improve or remedy the situation, other than writing this article that appears too little too late to make things better for herself – or others possibly going through the same thing – is even sadder.

Here is my response to Ms. McGrew: Dartmouth is an institution of diversity, and I don’t mean specifically racial diversity. There are artists, scientists, introverts, extroverts, drinkers, non-drinkers, lovers of the outdoors, urbanites, eccentrics, traditionalists and everything in between. The trick to maximizing your undergraduate experience is finding the sweet spot for yourself, meeting new people, trying different experiences, putting yourself “out there until you do.

That there are also bigots, should not be surprising, there are bigots outside of Dartmouth too, you’ll likely encounter them. You can’t control others' actions only your own, and if you blame the external for your problems, you are in for a lifetime of frustration and sorrow. I would bet my last dollar there are more compassionate and kindly people at Dartmouth than there are bigots and jerks– why are you choosing to focus on the latter? Or are you as well caught up in a spiral of judgment of which you proclaim to be the victim?

Maybe your issue of being ignored, as you put it, is not one of race at all, maybe you are acting as a judgmental introvert.

While I’m not neccesarily in total agreement with all of the points, I think this is an incredibly important op-ed and topic that Dartmouth, as a community, really needs to address.

However, one of the biggest reasons Dartmouth ISN’T progressing as a college is because people who go here and don’t have the classic frat/sorority/mainstream experience, and come out feeling angry at the institution, do exactly what you plan on doing: leave and don’t donate a dime. Instead, (mostly) the frat guys donate huge sums of money, and nothing changes. That will continue unless people like you who can identify the incredible academic instiution Dartmouth is, step forward after graduation to really try to change things for future students, that way 50 years from now, women of color aren’t still feeling the same way. Things won’t change unless someone enacts it.