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Monday, February 21, 2005

Dartmouth’s Campaign Against Write-In Candidates

Todd Zywicki ‘88 informs me of a minor (but telling) indication that Dartmouth is actively campaigning against the two write-in candidates for trustee. In this post at The Volokh Conspiracy, Prof. Zywicki explains what’s going on and where things stand:

Of course, as with students as well, it appears that the College does not apply its restrictions on free speech in an even-handed manner. I notified the College last week that I had garnered sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot. Nonetheless, at the end of last week—after I notified them, and less than one week before the close of the deadline for candidates to qualify (Feb. 23)—the College sent out its electronic newsletter “Speaking of Dartmouth”, which contained an advertisement for alumni to follow a link to “meet” the four candidates named by the Alumni Council.

Although petty, this little episode seems all too typical of the College’s uneven attitude toward free speech on campus and efforts to manipulate the information provided to alumni. This is one of the reasons that my goals for Dartmouth include restoring the rights of free speech on campus and increasing the openness and transparency of College governance.

I have asked for an explanation from alumni affairs about this premature communication and will request equal time from the College, but of course, this is a uniquely detrimental and one-sided communication to an independent candidate like myself, in that any future announcements that include me will direct alumni to a website that will include all of the qualified candidates. Many of those who clicked through last week will have little interest in clicking through to the alumni candidate web page again. Would it have killed them to just hold off one more week to see if any other candidates qualified for the ballot before they sent their communication?

No, certainly not. In other news, Power Liner Scott Johnson has an article in the Weekly Standard: Bucking the Deans at Dartmouth.

UPDATE: Prof. Zywicki has submitted a letter to Dartmouth, ending with this:

I believe this is a serious breach of the promise of a fair and open Trustee Election. If the College is going to impose speech restraints on Trustee candidates, it is imperative that those rules be applied in an even-handed manner and do not favor some candidates at the expense of others.

I agree entirely. This move by the College, though, speaks to the electability of the independent candidates. T.J. Rodgers ‘70 was elected last year, also as an independent candidate. Right now, he is something of a lone ranger on the board- as all of the other members are, or seem to be, darlings of the administration.

Viva la revolution!

Posted on February 21, 2005 08:20 AM. Permalink