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TO EDUCATION, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Dartmouth President Calls for End of "High-Risk and Harmful Behaviors"
that Stand in the Way of College's Future
HANOVER, N.H., April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The president
of Dartmouth College has called for an end to high-risk and harmful
behavior on campus that is hurting students, dividing the community,
distracting the College from its core mission, and compromising its
vision for the future.
President Philip J. Hanlon '77, echoing what Board of Trustees
Chairman Steve Mandel '78 wrote to the community in March, said
"enough is enough," and asked the community to come together to move
Dartmouth forward.
At a rare presidential summit with dozens of student leaders, as well
as faculty, staff, and alumni, President Hanlon laid out a process of
reform, critical to the success of his wide-reaching initiative known
as Moving Dartmouth Forward. The effort will promote change in every
place on campus where social activities take place, including
residence halls, greek and affinity houses, and senior societies.
Efforts to date have included important steps such as: a new sexual
assault policy to be enforced in June that includes mandatory
expulsion and an external investigatory process; a new center focused
on violence prevention and community mobilization; training for
students to recognize and prevent potential sexual assaults; and
high-risk, binge drinking initiatives that have demonstrated progress
over the past three years.
"We have taken important steps forward over the last several years,
but progress does not equal success," Hanlon said. "We need to move
faster. Risky and harmful behaviors stand between us and realizing
Dartmouth's amazing promise and potential. We cannot let that happen."
He announced the formation of a Presidential Steering Committee to
focus on three critical areas: sexual assault, high-risk drinking, and
lack of inclusion. The Steering Committee will comprise representation
of students, faculty, administrators, and alumni. The members of the
Steering Committee will be named in the coming days.
"This is not a mandate from the top. To be successful, every member of
the community-especially students-must be part of the solution,"
emphasized Hanlon.
Hanlon outlined a set of actions, and charged the Steering Committee
to work together from now through November to crowd-source the
community's ideas and vet the best solutions to move Dartmouth
forward. The Steering Committee will submit its recommendations to the
president and his senior team, in time for Board of Trustees approval
this fall.
"This is a chance to combine collective wisdom, creativity, and shared
commitment to envision this College at its very best. This is a time
to engage the community and build momentum. Working together, with the
courage of our convictions, Dartmouth will move forward," said Dean of
the College Charlotte Johnson.
Hanlon stressed that solving this set of challenges is integral to
helping Dartmouth realize its full potential, painting a vision of "a
campus where students are formed into leaders through rigorous
academic training and shared efforts to make a difference in the world
where Dartmouth's footprint has never been greater."
"There are some in higher education who say that this set of problems
cannot be solved," he said. "But I say Dartmouth will prove them
wrong. High-risk and harmful behavior will not be tolerated. We will
move Dartmouth forward."
About Dartmouth Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy
League and consistently ranks among the world's greatest academic
institutions. Dartmouth has forged a singular identity for combining
its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate liberal arts and
graduate education with distinguished research and scholarship in the
Arts & Sciences and its three leading professional schools-the Geisel
School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School
of Business.
Broadcast studios Dartmouth has TV and radio studios available for
interviews. For more information, visit:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~opa/radio-tv-studios/
SOURCE Dartmouth
-0- 04/17/2014
/CONTACT: Amy Olson | amy.olson@dartmouth.edu | 603-646-3274
/Web Site: http://www.dartmouth.edu
CO: Dartmouth
ST: New Hampshire
IN: EDU HED
SU: PSF
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0000 04/17/2014 04:18:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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