To the Dartmouth Community:





The 2015 Palaeopitus Delegation recently discussed our experience and involvement with the Steering Committee and wanted to share some of our thoughts on the committee's process. We have outlined those thoughts in a letter to the committee, written in consultation with a diverse set of student leaders. The letter is attached and also included below.



We are continuing to gather signatures in support of this letter. For an updated list, please see this docu​ment<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x2xGK5xp-3TeJnc5H0tNt5r_HK6Wk5UkB2QWPqVEcyM/edit>.



Sincerely,

Palaeopitus





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To the Moving Dartmouth Forward Steering Committee and the Dartmouth Community:





The Palaeopitus Senior Society*, along with student leaders across campus, would like to highlight areas of meaningful reform that the student body has raised regarding the Steering Committee process.





We would first like to thank the Steering Committee for championing the Moving Dartmouth Forward (MDF) initiative. The Steering Committee has put an immense amount of time and effort into conducting research and collecting feedback from students in order to address the issues of binge drinking, exclusivity, and sexual violence on Dartmouth’s campus, and we appreciate this data-­driven approach to problem solving.





However, we believe there are two areas where the Steering Committee can engage more meaningfully with the student body, which will ultimately result in a set of recommendations tailored to the specific challenges faced by the Dartmouth community.





First, the Steering Committee should be substantially more transparent in the recommendation development process.



  1.  In discussions with students across Dartmouth, representatives from the Steering Committee have only shared a small subset of their research. Publicly releasing the comprehensive dataset collected on Dartmouth and other peer institutions will enable more productive student dialogue with the Committee.



  2.  While MDF’s website makes the process more transparent, information about the feedback shared from student groups is limited and outdated. Keeping this information updated and readily accessible would only improve the website as a resource for students.



  3.  The Committee’s timeline has repeatedly changed with little notice to the students. In the future, the Committee should publicize a clear timeline and notify the student body directly when it is altered so feedback can be contributed in a timely manner.



  4.  The lack of transparency in the selection process of the four student representatives created distrust of how the student body’s voice is being directly represented to the Steering Committee. The Committee can mitigate this problem by engaging more substantially with students as recommendations are formulated.



  5.  Finally, the Board of Trustees and the faculty have received detailed updates on the Committee’s findings. The Committee should release the contents of these presentations to the student body in order to facilitate a more open relationship.



Second, we believe the student body should be provided an opportunity to engage with preliminary recommendations and provide constructive feedback prior to their implementation.



  1.  This is common practice outside of Dartmouth: regulations in federal and state governments require a lengthy comment period to allow stakeholders the opportunity to voice their opinions.



  2.  There exist structural and cultural challenges unique to Dartmouth, making it difficult to simply import successful practices from peer institutions. The student body best understands the lived experiences of students at Dartmouth, and is well equipped to provide cogent feedback on the potential success or failure of proposed recommendations. Releasing preliminary recommendations to students, and giving students the opportunity to provide feedback, would ensure that the final recommendations are tailored to successful implementation.



  3.  A top­down implementation of recommendations without increased student engagement will create a more distrustful campus climate, ultimately undermining what we hope to be a seamless implementation process. By releasing preliminary recommendations, the Steering Committee can build trust and credibility within the student body and increase its likelihood for success.



We understand that in the past, the Steering Committee has tried to meet with students and has not always received strong responses. However, we believe that this is a direct result of the lack of transparency of the process. We have asked leaders from across campus to sign on to this letter to illustrate the range of student communities that have felt that the process has not incorporated or represented their perspectives or opinions. We urge the Steering Committee and the Administration to consider our suggestions as they move forward with the final steps of this process.





Sincerely,



The 2015 Palaeopitus Delegation





Dario Aharpour • Murylo Batista • Janelle Bullock • Casey Dennis • Lindsay Ellis • Rachel Funk • Ashneil Jain • Jamie Mercado • Chase Mertz • Lily Michelson • Sam Parker • Matt Ross • Shoshana Silverstein • Noah Smith • Rianna Starheim • Monica Stretten • Aylin Woodward • Ian Woon • Carla Yoon • Valerie Zhao





The following is a list of student leaders in support of this letter:

Abby Fucigna, Captain of Women’s Alpine Ski Team

Aditi Kirtikar, President of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority

Adria Brown, Co­President of Native Americans at Dartmouth (NAD) and President of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO)



Alexa Dixon, Captain of Varsity Equestrian Team

Allison Brouckman and Diana Wise, Co­Captains of Women’s Rugby

Anabelle Ferguson, Manager of the Jonathan Belden Daniels Climbing Gym

Andrew Li, Editor­in­Chief of the Dartmouth Law Journal

Anka Tezcan, President of Tri­Kappa Fraternity

Annie Gardner, President of Sigma Delta Sorority and Co­Captain of Women’s Crew Aylin Woodward, President of Phi Tau coeducational fraternity

Bay ByrneSim, President of Kappa Delta Sorority

Bazille Owen­Reese, President of Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc.

Bennie Niles, President of the Afro­American Society

Camila Vigdor, President of Delta Delta Delta Sorority

Carly Carlin, Co­Director of Fusion Dance Ensemble

Chiara Santiago, President of Panarchy



Connie Gong, President of Tabard

Courtney Wong, President of Alpha Phi Sorority

Cristy Altamirano, President of Alpha Theta

Delia O’Shea, Co­Director of First Year Peer Mentors

Elana Folbe, President of Dartmouth College Hillel

Eli Derrow, President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Chair of the Undergraduate Finance Committee

Emily Reeves, President of Epsilon Kappa Theta Sorority

Emily Uniman, President of Kappa Delta Epsilon Sorority

Emma Orme, Glee Club President and Director of the Dartmouth Rockapellas

Gabrielius Maldunas, Co­captain of Men’s Basketball

Hersh Trivedi, Director of Ujima Dance Troupe

Hunter Black, Co­Captain of Men’s Alpine Ski Team

Hunter van Adelsberg, Dartmouth Outing Club President

Inviolata Chami, President of Dartmouth African Student Association

Joshua Rivers, President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated

Julia Kannam, President of Students Fighting Hunger

Kelsey Stimson, President of Link­Up

Kendall Kraus, Co­captain of Women's Soccer

Kevin Francfort, President of Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering

Kevin Gillespie, President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Kishan Ughreja, Co­President of Milan and Co­Coordinator of Nathan Smith Society

Konrad von Moltke, Co­captain of Men's Swimming and Diving

Margo Cox, Co­Captain of Women’s Crew

Mary Peng, Co­President of The Dandelion Project

Max Gottschall, Director of the Dartmouth Aires

Meredith Shaw, President of the Dartmouth Rockapellas

Myrel Iturrey, President of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority

Natasha Maldi, Director of Dartmouth on Purpose

Nicole Castillo, Member of the Latin@ Community

Noah Cramer, President of Gender Inclusive Greek Council

Noah Reichblum, President of Alpha Chi Alpha Fraternity

Perla Sibaja, Member of the Latin@ Community

Robert Osgood, Co­Captain of Men’s Lacrosse Team

Sheya Jabouin, Director of SHEBA Dance Troupe

Siobhan Hengemuhle, Co­captain of Women's Swimming and Diving

Steve Dazzo, Co­Captain of Football

Steven Chen, Editor­in­Chief of The Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science

Taylor Cathcart, President of Phi Delta Alpha Fraternity

Wilson Chockley, IFC President

Zachary Queen, President of Chi Gamma Epsilon Fraternity





*Founded in 1899, Palaeopitus is a senior society comprised of individuals selected based on their demonstrated dedication and commitment to building a better future for Dartmouth.