Aaahh, the expansive green lawns, the sturdy brick buildings with columned porticoes, the long tradition of the ivy league. Dartmouth College, genteel, liberal arts, sports, a high-class education. This is, after all, a college with its own foundation, the Tucker Foundation, dedicated to instilling “moral leadership” in its students.

That foundation seems to have had trouble executing its mission, except for a double handful of students who had the courage to speak out against the racism, sexism, incidence of rape, and gay bashing on campus last spring. Those who spoke out experienced something more like one continuous hell-week, with threats of bodily harm.

The comments offered streams of profanity-laced insults about the protesters’ ostensible sexual orientations and appearance, and included calls for physical violence against them involving razor blades and other weapons.

“Why do we even admit minorities if they’re just going to whine?” one commenter asked. “Wish I had a shotgun. Would have blown those [expletive] hippies away,” wrote another.

And now, the Tucker Foundation has chosen to hire as its new dean James Tengatenga, Anglican Bishop of Southern Malawi. (The previous dean announced his retirement a year ago and has stayed on until his replacement arrives.)

It just so happens that Bishop Tengatenga was among the most outspoken African bishops condemning the New Hampshire diocese’s election of openly gay Bishop V. Gene Robinson.

“I come from an angry people. I come from a very frustrated church, a church that feels it has been betrayed by its brothers and sisters,” [Tengatenga] said, referring to the dispute with the Americans.

He has said that his church condemns homosexuality. He rejects same-sex marriage. He has publicly supported anti-gay legislation in his own country. So much for moral leadership in civil equality – any gay, lesbian, queer, or transgender student at Dartmouth had better look somewhere else for “moral leadership,” or even simple acceptance.

[The Rev. James Liberatore, who hosted Tengatenga in Texas during his seminary years] added that Tengatenga’s traditional values make him a good fit for a service position at the College.

Given that one of the new dean’s duties is assisting with fundraising, I’m sure his views on the exclusion of gays and lesbians will go over well with Dartmouth’s ruling-class funders.

[…] Tengatenga will also serve as the College’s moral spokesperson.

Perfect.

8 thoughts on “Dartmouth College’s Concept of “Moral Leadership””

Dartmouth may never realize what they lose with this choice, especially coming after their dreadful response to the women who protested the rape culture there earlier this year. How awful to see intolerance gain yet another foothold. Mr. Tengatenga doesn’t begin until January — time enough to mount resistance – attention alums! Thanks for pointing this out.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was at UVM, involved in the issue of divestment from South Africa.

We got a lot of pushback from other students on campus. By pushback I mean insults, harsh criticism, thrown objects (including fireworks), a shot from an air rifle, attempted vehicular homicide, and a small firebomb.

The message wasn’t “Yay, South African apartheid.” It was more like a subtext of, “Don’t disturb the smooth surface of my mental pond.” People were angry that we raised any subject at all. Apparently they were at UVM for a beer and a career and didn’t want to be reminded of the moral demands of a larger world. People got absurdly angry over political expression outside the usual boundaries.

Now, at Dartmouth, same old same old. The cry of “Die, hippies!” is raised and those with opinions more controversial than “Have a nice day” are told to sit down and shut up. Sigh.

difficult to believe this is even happening esp at what I thought was a fairly liberal collegiate institution.

A message is clearly being sent here — this could not happen without some clout coming from somewhere.

This sounds like a story straight out of the 1950’s.

Dartmouth must have an academic death wish.

You want to talk about “angry people,” Bishop Robinson? You ain’t seen nothing yet.

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8 thoughts on “Dartmouth College’s Concept of “Moral Leadership””