Conservatives in control of an Ivy League school? This dream might become a reality as conservative alumni fight for their rights to be candidates for the Board of Trustees at Dartmouth.
This battle began two years ago when two candidates who were endorsed by the Alumni Association were defeated by two “outsider” candidates. Another independent candidate also won a position on the board. Since that time, the University has tried to rewrite the Board’s constitution and bylaws to prevent such a thing from occurring ever again.
The conservative blogs and media caught wind of this and since then the Battle of Dartmouth has raged on publicly. Earlier in the month, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), whose members have included Lynne Cheney and Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman as well as William Bennett, spoke out against Dartmouth’s failure to uphold their current bylaws by postponing the new elections.
“What is so radical about holding an election when it is scheduled?” asked ACTA president Anne D. Neal.
On June 1st, ACTA sent the Alumni Association a letter arguing their points about the unfairness of the association’s actions. The Alumni Association responded by saying, “We are indeed honoring our current constitution. Further, we are surprised that you appear to be trying to interfere with the lawful operation of this Association by its duly elected leadership.”
But not all of the elected leaders are happy with how the elections are being handled. These “reform” candidates are a result of a growing number of alumni fed up with how the school is currently run.
One of the three current elected outside candidates, T.J. Rodgers, told the International Herald Tribune that his focus was not on the politics of the issue, but rather getting a budget increase to help pay for teacher salaries and protecting Dartmouth’s legacy as an undergraduate institution
Supporters of a new constitution argue that the university is in dire need of it, not because of independent candidates, but as a result of declining alumni support over the past twenty years. They say that the reason for the vote postponement is to allow a vote on the constitution to take place before electing new officers.
Opponents, including the editors of The Dartmouth Review and The Dartmouth Free Press, which are conservative and liberal publications on campus call the idea of a new constitution “a mockery of the spirit of dissent and free speech.”
Those in power at Dartmouth are clearly intent on discouraging diverse voices on the Board of Trustees [….] and they are using this blatant power grab to make sure none are elected ever again.” Anne Neal argued.
Dartmouth is not the only school trying to change who is on the Board of Trustees. At Colgate University and Hamilton College, conservative alumni have also tried to win seats on the Board via petition. Sadly, their attempts have failed at both schools.
Conservative alumni of all schools can find their hope of one day taking back academia from the inside by looking at the hard work and efforts of ACTA and the independent members of the Dartmouth Alumni Association.
Matthew Murphy is an intern at Accuracy in Academia.
