In a live telecast from the Hanover Inn, senior College officials presented the steering committee recommendations to Dartmouth alumni across the world last night, with over thirty alumni clubs from Boston to Honolulu viewing the presentation, but little new information on the report or the Initiative was transmitted.
Stressing the importance of alumni input on the recommendations in the coming months, College President James Wright, Dean of the College James Larimore, College Provost Susan Prager, Chairman of the Board of Trustees William H. King Jr. '63 and Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Stanley Colla Jr. answered questions on a wide range of issues from first-year housing to changes in the Greek system.
Alumni interviewed by The Dartmouth after the presentation expressed satisfaction at the recommendations and their presentation but said they've adopted a "wait and see" attitude on what overall impact the recommendations will have on the College's future.
Pleased with the comments of the steering committee report, Edward Scheu Jr. '46 said, "There ought to be a lot of satisfied alumni out there." However, the implementation of the recommendations still remains to be seen, Scheu added.
The major changes recommended for the Coed Fraternity Sorority system was a main focus of the discussion last night, with college officials appearing confident that the organizations will be able to meet the high standards.
Larimore said he is confident that with strong leadership, focused attention and alumni help the Greek organizations will be able to enact the changes.
Although the panel of administrators did not give any guarantees that the system will not be eventually eliminated as CFS leaders have recently requested, King assured the alumni that the Board of Trustees has "no preconceived notions" about the future of the College's Greek system.
Referring to ideas about the elimination of the single-sex Greek system that had originated last February when the Five Principles were released, King repeatedly expressed regret at how some members of the Dartmouth community had "misconceptions about the goals we were seeking."
During the presentation and question-and-answer session that followed, college officials explained the first-year housing plan to alumni around the world. Larimore described it as an experiment to provide greater continuity in housing to freshmen.
Defending the experiment, Prager said students living in only first-year housing will also form meaningful relationships with upperclassmen through their extracurricular activities on campus.
The panel assured the alumni that the College has discussed the funding for implementing the recommendations. Calling the Initiative a "significant financial commitment," King said, "the long-term funding issues is something the board is very concerned with."
Prager said she has been trying to assess how to make the changes as cost-effective as possible. Emphasizing that the Centerbrook architects know the College campus and students well, Prager added the entire effort would be consistent with Dartmouth's traditional environment.
The College officials told the alumni that the Board of Trustees target is to act this Spring term, but added that no formal date has been set.
