tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384575.post8035149446733010348..comments2024-01-02T17:48:07.739-05:00Comments on The Little Green Blog: Trustee VotingNathan Bruschihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335558831525808820noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384575.post-25115500022793120502007-04-01T16:51:00.000-04:002007-04-01T16:51:00.000-04:00Anonymous2, Wright really is not a lousy leader. ...Anonymous2, Wright really is not a lousy leader. You might disagree with his policies, but none of Smith's points or pseudo-points addresses lousy leadership. Smith and the Phrygians are not trying to improve the place per se (although they would describe their proposals as improvements), they are trying to replace the leadership in order to see different policies implemented. It's a political argument, not an argument about effectiveness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384575.post-86078072632192437652007-03-31T13:42:00.000-04:002007-03-31T13:42:00.000-04:00Anonymous 2: I fail to see the basis for the kind ...Anonymous 2: I fail to see the basis for the kind of crisis mentality you believe justifies voting for Smith. Smith's campaign platform is built on weak or rotten planks—the free speech issue foremost; but also athletics (the state of Dartmouth athletics is pretty darn good right now--unless the only metric you're using is the football team, and I don't think that is in any way a fair standard); the ballyhooed threat to the Greek system (which has only grown stronger during the past four years); the threat of 'bigness' (which is built on nostalgia rather than facts--consider that the most vehement arguments against 'bigness' are about not losing our identity and not being Harvard); administrative bloat (addressed inconsistently and unclearly <A HREF="http://thelittlegreenblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/mega-versity-meme.html" REL="nofollow">as I covered here</A>); COS reform (necessary, but hardly a case of the administration being out to get students). <BR/><BR/>I don't think he has a clear or informed read of the situation at Dartmouth; what he does have a clear view of is what he can say to drum up support among alums. I realize that a number of alums seriously dislike Wright; I simply don't think that justifies voting for whomever outspokenly condemns him without also looking at the facts of the matter and what the candidates say about them.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819056627072965519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384575.post-9408553814251273612007-03-31T04:26:00.000-04:002007-03-31T04:26:00.000-04:00At some point, we all have to admit that Wright is...At some point, we all have to admit that Wright is a pretty lousy leader. Alderson was quoted in the D as follows:<BR/><BR/>"I think in many respects, if not most respects, the College is in great shape and headed in the direction," he said. "I've known [College President] Jim Wright for a considerable amount of time -- he is one of the reasons that I got involved in the College again in the late 1980s. I have a lot of respect for what he has accomplished during his tenure."<BR/><BR/>Sheesh! Unlike Alderson, Smith seems to believe that the College faces several serious challenges. No progress will be made w/o recognizing this fact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384575.post-39654161611066887732007-03-30T10:41:00.000-04:002007-03-30T10:41:00.000-04:00I got a mailing from Smith this week, and I'm incl...I got a mailing from Smith this week, and I'm inclined to vote for him. <BR/><BR/>I wish he'd speak in more specific terms about the free speech issue, but I'm not too concerned about that. The administration's record has been mixed on that, and Wright's rhetoric isn't perfectly consistent with the rest of what he does, so any sort of response to what he says is likely to be mixed as well. It's not inconsistent to say that you agree with Wright's speech and support the improvements that have been made, but still think that there's a free speech problem on campus. Also, no other candidate has put any sort of view out there. Comparatively, Smith is sticking his neck out and I wouldn't fault him for it, even if he "plays the race card." He also plays the "no one else has expressed an opinion or been challenged like I have" card, which works for me.<BR/><BR/>The mailing I got (which I don't have in front of me) addressed the faculty bureaucracy issue with a lot more nuance than the Dreisbach op-ed you mentioned. He puts out some global numbers, compares the growth of the administration with the growth of the faculty over the last few years, criticizes the number of adjunct faculty (as opposed to permanent faculty), and asserts that the result of this is oversubscribed classes. I'm sure I'm not doing his argument total justice, but it reflects a thoughtful concern for the lives of the undergrads rather than a dressed-up hostility to the "diversity deans," in my view.<BR/><BR/>There's more there, but suffice it to say that I'm voting for Smith and the only debate in my head is whether to vote for other candidates as well. I've read your blog, and while I think your criticisms are thoughtful, many of them amount to being creeped out by the people who support Smith or who associate with him. It's a legitimate concern, but it's not one I share.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com