New Hampshire is a very white state and I'm not referring to the snow that covers the ground in the winter. As of 2009, Vermont, Maine, West Virginia and New Hampshire (in that order) had the highest percentages of white non-Hispanics in the nation, all hovering at or above 90 percent of the state population. Even in Hanover, the racial breakdown isn't remarkably more diverse than the state average the town of Hanover is about 80 percent white, according to the latest Census Bureau data. But if you stroll from Dirt Cowboy to Collis, crossing the subtle but very real divide between the town and the College, you've entered a new demographic realm. At 49 percent white, 14 percent Asian, 8 percent black, 8 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Native American, according to the Common Data Set, the College's undergraduate population is notably more diverse.
To put these numbers in context, compare them to the two Ivies with the closest number of total students. Demographically, Princeton (49 percent white, 17 percent Asian, 7.5 percent black, 8 percent Hispanic and less than 1 percent Native American) and Yale (42 percent white, 14 percent Asian, 8.5 percent black, 8.5 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Native American) reflect statistics very similar to Dartmouth's, an interesting observation since Princeton and Dartmouth have always been, in my mind, the more conservative, "whiter" Ivies. In contrast, Yale, widely seen as a more liberal, "free-spirited" Ivy, rides on that reputation while enrolling only 7 percent fewer white students than either Princeton or Dartmouth and only marginally larger populations of black and Hispanic students. (If you're wondering, the bulk of Yale's remaining students report their race/ethnicity as "unknown" a surprisingly large 17 percent, compared to Dartmouth's 7.5 percent and Princeton's 3 percent of "unknown" students.)
Looking at these numbers, it becomes clear that Dartmouth's racial breakdown is fairly well in line with comparable institutions. So why do feelings of racial division and tension persist on campus and on the pages of The Dartmouth to the extent that they do? The past few weeks have seen a number of complaints about the failure of the College to provide a welcoming environment for minority students and retain sufficient numbers of minority faculty ("Kim reacts to student criticism of diversity," Feb. 8, "Faculty, staff minority retention remains low," Feb. 11).
What fosters these feelings of tension? Recently-announced resignations of prominent minority administrators do not instill faith, but the alleged unwelcoming attitude that contributed to at least one of these resignations seems symptomatic of deeper issues. So what's the problem? The overwhelmingly white community of Hanover surely plays a role. Though the College itself actively admits and consistently enrolls a diverse, racially mixed group of undergraduates, one does not live solely within the confines of the College. Whether walking through town to Yama, strolling across the Green to the gym or shopping at the Co-op, the pervasive whiteness of Hanover, first noticed by the incoming student, is subconsciously tossed into the general pot of "Dartmouth" and over time fully integrated into one's general racial perceptions of the College.
This is, at least, how I developed my view that Dartmouth is largely white. I was surprised to see that our numbers are actually quite analogous to our peer institutions, that there is no overbearing preponderance of white students and that we actually possess a strikingly diverse student body. Looking at the data for Amherst College, the school I transferred from (which frequently attempts to present itself as eminently racially equitable), the numbers don't look all that different either 41 percent white, 11 percent black, 11 percent Hispanic and 10.5 percent Asian. (Amherst, like Yale, has that almost suspiciously large "unknown" population 21 percent which prompts one to question the category's significance, if there is any, and whether it possibly serves as a convenient attic to store stats that would otherwise conflict with a school's advertised diversity.)
Although Amherst does have a slightly larger minority population than we do, it seems to me that the greatest difference between Amherst and Dartmouth lies not in the numbers, nor in the overall diversity of the surrounding area, but in the administration's words and actions. During my time at Amherst, it was clear to me that Amherst administrators made a point of emphasizing (nearly incessantly) the diversity of its student body resulting from the institution's progressive ideals. Nearing the end of my second year at Dartmouth, I have yet to discern the same clear, resounding message from College's administrators. This isn't necessarily a bad thing the gripes of Amherst students and administrators definitely grated on the nerves at times. But the tendency of Amherst to toot its own diversity-horn spoke to a deeper sentiment a core desire to aggressively foster the same feeling in students. To a freshman not particularly knowledgeable about the inner-workings of his school, Amherst administrators gave the strong impression of being committed to diversity, be it racial, geographic, socioeconomic or experiential.
I don't mean to downplay the work of College administrators College President Jim Yong Kim did very well to attend the Feb. 7 Afro-American Society meeting and hear out student concerns. But if President Kim hopes to effect substantive change in both perception and reality, as I believe he does, he must continue to act and this is key actively market his actions to students and the greater world outside of Hanover. If we've been energetically pursuing initiatives to make this campus more socioeconomically, racially and experientially equitable, then I've heard little about it. This is a problem.
Highly visible inclusive actions to boost minority faculty and staff retention, among other things, will go far to assuage student concerns. Yet these will mean nothing without an accompanying push at the collegiate top to instill the tolerance at the basest level of this school, i.e., the students themselves.
Inter-Community Council co-chair Maya Granit '11 described a "disconnect between the highest level of the administration and the information that goes down to the student level," The Dartmouth previously reported. I agree with Granit, and further argue that, just looking at the hard numbers, the issue is not an egregious lack of student diversity. Rather, Kim and other administrators must truly emphasize that the College is a welcoming place, that there is no room for intolerance whether overt or confined to the basement that the College is working for all of us to make each of our college experiences as meaningful as possible and that diversity is absolutely key to reaching that goal.
