The “Dartmouth Bubble” is real. Although it’s impossible to say what exactly causes it, I think geographic isolation and rigorous courses of study often prevent students from engaging with the world beyond our campus. Right now though, things are different. It feels like the world is coming to Dartmouth in a way that it almost never does, frantically waving its arms and begging us to notice.
If you don’t feel like the bubble has popped, ask any international student about their experience right now. There is only one way to describe the collective feeling among this group — utter terror. Recent reporting by our news section demonstrated this, with quote after quote from foreign students expressing their fears about the Trump administration’s attacks on students across the country, and some frustration with the College’s response to the situation. We’ve also felt the heat in our newsroom at The Dartmouth. Late one night last week, a student came into the office pleading with us to take down their previously published material, for fear that it might affect their visa status. We’ve received countless other requests just like this, all from international students who are terrified.
In light of these developments, Dartmouth Student Government considered creating an emergency immigration fund to support international students with unexpected legal fees and other related expenses. They killed the proposal in a closed session, 2-3-14. I find it interesting that they decided to do this vote anonymously. Were they too afraid to put their names behind their votes?
When The Dartmouth asked why they didn’t support it, senators gave two primary reasons. One said that it might draw unwanted attention and prosecution from the federal government, while another said that there was a lack of oversight on how the money could be spent.
First, the content specific criticism of the proposal. If there was a lack of an oversight mechanism, why couldn’t senators propose an amendment to add one instead of dismissing the idea wholesale? If there aren’t any other more serious, ideological objections to the idea, this seems like a poor and frankly lazy reason not to create the fund.
Second, on the larger concern about drawing undue attention to Dartmouth. Being afraid of a bully is not a valid reason to vote down a measure meant to protect fellow students. We are at a juncture where every organization that has any opportunity must stand up to the threats from the Trump administration. DSG is capitulating to the Dartmouth administration’s culture of silence and shameful strategy of hiding in the shadows when threats to democracy and the world as we know it continue to grow. By voting against a measure that would support international students, the students who represent us on campus send a message to the world: We don’t care about what’s happening, or we’re too afraid to do anything about it.
Although I’m not necessarily shocked by Dartmouth administration’s lack of any response to Trump’s attacks, I’m more disturbed by the apathy of our student government. These are our friends and classmates, connected with the student body in a way that administrators aren’t. If they can’t acknowledge that the international community needs a strong and public show of support right now, they are ignoring the needs of their constituents.
If Dartmouth comes into the crosshairs because of its refusal to sit down and capitulate to the Trump administration’s demands, so be it. We have billions of dollars, some of the brightest minds in the country and a fierce alumni network that when channeled properly could put up a fight against these attacks. Harvard has already taken this step, and it’s our turn to join them. We must draw a line somewhere, and we should’ve done it a long time ago.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
Eli Moyse ’27 is an opinion editor and columnist for The Dartmouth. He is from Connecticut, and studies government and creative writing.
On campus, Eli is an active member of the Dartmouth Political Union and Dartmouth Army ROTC. He attends Dartmouth on an ROTC scholarship, and upon graduation, he will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He has been an active writer and political organizer from a young age, working on over 15 political campaigns varying from local to presidential races, and publishing both fiction and nonfiction on various platforms.
First and foremost, Eli loves to write, and he intends to make some form of it his full time career after his time in the Army.
