To the Dartmouth Community,

The Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault (SPCSA) stands in solidarity with the First-Year Trips director, assistant director, and entire directorate in response to the op-ed published in The Dartmouth attacking their credentials and the legitimacy of the directorate selection process.

This article’s hateful sexism and racism attacks marginalized identities who are already discriminated against at Dartmouth on a daily basis. Furthermore, this ad hominem attack promotes the vicious idea that marginalized people, women and people of color, can not earn positions of power on merit alone. SPCSA condemns this attack and the rest of the article, which displays a fundamental misunderstanding of systematic oppression, power, and privilege on this campus.

We are confident that each member of the First-Year Trips directorate is objectively qualified for their role. Moreover, we firmly believe the refreshing breadth of diversity and inclusivity captured by this directorate was selected with every best intention for the Dartmouth Class of 2022 and the Dartmouth community. While we are saddened that such rhetoric and ideas continue to exist at Dartmouth, we hope this article sparks conversations and reminds everyone that we must continue to be better.

In Solidarity,

SPCSA