When the Trustees first introduced the term "Student Life Initiative," the debate revolved almost entirely around the elimination of the single-sex Greek system. Since then, the social aspect of the issue has become the creation of new options that would co-exist with -- and not replace -- fraternities and sororities.
This laissez-faire attitude has placed the burden of change mostly on places such as Collis and the Student Activities Office, which is partially responsible for campus programming.
"I think the campus reaction centered on the Greek system in the beginning, but that all along the SLI was about creating more vibrant and broadly constructed social opportunities for students," Linda Kennedy, director of student activities, said.
With increased funding and additional staff, the College has been trying hard to ignite student interest in non-Greek social options, even playing with the idea of including alcohol at events.
The fruits of this labor include subsidized performance and sports tickets, the "Bigger, Better and Later" program, the rarely used "Poison Ivy" dance hall, new television in Collis lounges and new outdoor basketball courts.
In general, few believe that the social life here has gone through the drastic changes promised by the Trustees, although many expressed approval with the direction of change and recognized the limitations on Dartmouth's location.
Compared to other schools, Dartmouth may be making a better effort to offer options available elsewhere, but one of the most important challenges remains one of the most difficult to conquer -- gaining support from a student body capable of creating their own programming.
Student Reactions
Students contacted by The Dartmouth were largely oblivious to the new social options created by Kennedy and her office.
However, when reminded of the new social spaces and reduced ticket prices, most said they were pleased with the direction of the change.
Subsidized sporting events tickets, especially, were met with unanimous approval.
"That definitely encourages a lot more school spirit and creates another venue in which students can gather together," Michael Sinha '03 said.
He added that he wished to see more off-campus social options such as a late night diner.
A senior male who wished to remain anonymous said that although he thought there should be more social options on campus, he was indifferent to the progress already made because he did not plan to utilize the new social facilities.
"A lot of the new activities do not appeal to me as much as a lot of the things in place before hand," he said.
Making Comparisons
Finding social options that do appeal to students is something that Dartmouth -- along with many other schools -- has a difficult time doing.
Recently returning from the annual National Association of Campus Activities in Nashville, Tenn., Kennedy said that Dartmouth is offering almost everything found at other schools, short of access to a beach and a city.
"Of course, other schools have opportunities that we will never have such as an ocean beach. On the other hand, we have things that other schools will never have such as the Skiway," she said.
Places like Williams College, situated in a rural atmosphere not unlike Dartmouth, face many of the same challenges as Dartmouth, although with the key difference of not having a fraternity system.
"We don't have a lot of choice -- we're in the middle of nowhere," said Williams Activities Coordinator Richard Kelley, who adds that there exists a strong student sentiment that "there's not enough going on."
At Williams, student groups organize all of the programming on campus, including rock concerts and performances, receiving less administrative support than the members of the Programming Board at Dartmouth.
In fact, when asked what social changes she would like to see, Sharifa Wright, a Williams sophomore, answered, "An initiative to do things differently."
The volume of activities was adequate, Wright said, but she would like to see the nature of the activities become more varied. "Stuff that is going on becomes very monotonous."
Student organizations and residential hall leaders organize at least two parties every weekend and one late night party that goes from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. The parties range from overcrowded to empty depending on the week.
Thursday nights the campus pub called "The Log" holds a popular dance party.
Future Plans
For now, Kennedy continues her efforts to compete for bodies with fraternity parties, and "a variety of other things," including academics, community service, sports and employment, she said.
She also heads the Extended Social Options Committee, which is currently meeting to help do just that.
"We've been working really hard in the past few years to have on-going social activities," she said, noting that there are events every single night that students can attend.
Particular attention has been paid to social spaces that will be available all the time, as opposed to special one-time events such as hypnotists or comedians.
Poison Ivy, Hovey Grill and Eight-ball Hall are a few of the fruits of these efforts, although student response has been less than enthusiastic.
Kennedy is hoping to open Lone Pine Tavern seven nights a week and advertise Collis social spaces as reservable places for student organizations.
"It's challenging to keep things fresh. It's a delicate balance because we love tradition but we can't do things that are boring," she said.
