Beginning with the inauguration of College President Phil Hanlon, 2013-14 was an eventful year for the College with a series of transformations. As Hanlon settled into his new role and began to institute his vision, the year was defined by new initiatives, administrative departures and student protests.
Before Hanlon’s arrival, the College has faced protest and media scrutiny. In April 2012, Rolling Stone magazine published an article “Confessions of an Ivy League Frat boy,” covering hazing at Dartmouth, particularly in the Greek system. The article chiefly focused on the experiences of former Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member Andrew Lohse ’12, who alleged that the Greek system cultivates “pervasive hazing, substance abuse and sexual assault.” The exposé brought national attention to the College and to the impact of hazing in fraternities and sororities across the country.
In April 2013, a group of students held a protest, arguing that Dartmouth has problems such as sexual assault and racism, during Dimensions weekend. After the Dimensions protest, the protestors were reportedly harassed and threatened by name on Bored at Baker, an online message board that hosts anonymous comments by Dartmouth students and alumni. This campus-wide backlash led to class cancellation for a day of reflection and discussion.
Hanlon clarifies his vision
After serving as College President since July 2013, Hanlon’s official inauguration took place in September, during which he stressed the importance of strengthening undergraduate education and expanding global impact. During the speech, Hanlon introduced the Society of Fellows program, an initiative to bring postdoctoral scholars to campus, and the creation of an innovation center to develop an entrepreneurial spirit in students.
In November, Hanlon clarified his academic vision for the College. In a speech to the faculty, he expressed his commitment to creating an experiential learning environment and proposed to restructure the College’s graduate program to be more independent. Hanlon also spoke of his intent to decelerate the tuition increases, keeping tuition flat with inflation. Later in the year, the College announced a tuition increase of 2.9 percent for 2014-15 academic year, while inflation was 2.1 percent during the 12 months ending in June 2014.
In the spring of 2014, Dartmouth received an anonymous donation of $100 million, the largest amount in College history, which will be used for academic initiatives and cross-disciplinary programs.
The first year of Hanlon’s tenure also coincided with significant administrative changes. From the start of his presidency, six senior positions in the College’s administration have undergone personnel changes, including College provost, executive vice president and chief financial officer and Dean of the College.
In May 2014, Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson announced that she would depart the College to become vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Scripps College, and Inge-Lise Ameer assumed the role of interim Dean in August. Previously, the College also hired Richard Mills to serve as the CFO and executive vice president and Carolyn Dever as provost.
Student life changes
At the start of the school year, the Greek Leadership Council prohibited first-year students from entering the premises of fraternities and sororities for the first six weeks of fall term, to lower high -risk drinking and sexual assault among freshmen.
While the policy was rarely violated outright, its impact on high-risk drinking and other behaviors remains uncertain. The policy will continue this year.
The College’s residential system is transforming into a “neighborhood” model. The office of residential life expanded the scope of themed living learning communities and, for the first time, opened up these community-based living spaces to incoming freshmen. The College is also building the Triangle House, an affinity house for LGBTQ students and allies.
Student activism
A group of students released an eight-page document in February, “The Plan for Dartmouth’s Freedom Budget.” The proposal outlined more than 70 specific ideas to improve campus life and “eradicate systems of oppression” on campus, including sexism, classism, racism and ableism. The document’s authors also demanded a public response to the “Freedom Budget” from College administrators by March 24.
Although Hanlon and Interim Provost Martin Wybourne released a statement in response to the document on March 6, the proposal’s authors criticized the response for not addressing each demand point-by-point.
On April 1, about 35 students entered Hanlon’s office during his open office hours, demanding a point-by-point response to the document. About a dozen students engaged in a two-day sit-in of Hanlon’s personal office.
A series of six meetings between members of the “Freedom Budget” collective and certain College administrators took place in April and May on topics including faculty recruitment, support for undocumented students and undergraduate curricula. These meetings were a stipulation of the students’ departure from the office.
Hanlon responds
In a spring summit to discuss harmful behavior, including high-risk drinking and sexual violence, Hanlon condemned racism, sexism, sexual assault and hazing at Dartmouth. He also announced the creation of a steering committee of administrators, professors, students and alumni to address issues of sexual assault and unhealthy behaviors.
While gathering input from students and the larger community, the committee began to meet in the summer and will deliver a report to Hanlon in six months. Hanlon plans on presenting the committee’s final recommendations to the Board of Trustees by this November.
