Mr. Wright:

 

The first communication I received from you some two years ago, before my

daughter had fully unpacked her bags, was a plea for money. This was

shortly after I had written the first of many checks to Dartmouth at the

rate of nearly $40,000 per year. I suppose it was a little naïve of me to

expect a letter along the lines of "I'm glad your daughter has chosen

Dartmouth and I will do my humble best to live up to the trust you have

placed in my institution to see that she gets the best education possible."

I guess with a reputation and tradition that goes back as far as Dartmouth's

you don't have to spend too much time pandering to the parents and assuring

them that you know what you're doing. Well, that has changed.

 

One of the reasons I sent my daughter to Dartmouth is because I felt

confident that you had the resources to provide her with a full range of

opportunities for education and personal development. In addition to having

among the highest tuitions of any school in the country, you have one of the

largest endowments and strongest alumni organizations of any institution in

the world. Shame on me, I didn't do my due diligence properly or I would

have noticed Dartmouth teetering on the brink of insolvency. Now, you're

"forced" to eliminate a major athletic program to save $240,000 per year.

Sounds just like the standard government ploy; when revenue drops the only

option is to close schools and lay off police. Fortunately, taxpayers have

the option to replace politicians who waste their money-for parent it's more

difficult.

 

Of course we both know that hiding behind the budget is a bogus argument

otherwise we should be asking more serious questions about your stewardship.

Schools with far fewer resources are able to maintain their programs quite

nicely. It's really a question of choices-do you take aim at a popular

program like swimming or do cut back support for politically correct

programs that do little to enhance the educational process? I'm sure your

alumni would be eager to help you make these choices if given an

opportunity.

 

I can't think of any group of students who selflessly give more of

themselves with less external support than the athletes-particularly the

swimmers. Most of these kids work their tails off not because of the

prospect of a pro career or because of a big scholarship package but because

they want to make a difference and enjoy the challenge.

 

My daughter spent the fall quarter off-campus participating in the Sea

Semester program at Woods Hole. Her biggest concern about pursuing this

excellent educational opportunity was that she would miss part of the swim

season and would be letting down her team. To compensate, she took the

initiative to make arrangements to train with teams at the University of

Illinois while home on break and is training twice a day (at 5:30 am and

5:30 pm) six days per week until the winter training trip with the rest of

the team. As in the past, the winter training trip will take her away from

her family and friends for a large portion of the Christmas break-a

sacrifice she (and her family) is willing to make because she knows it is

important to her team and the school. How many non-athletes do you know who

are willing to give up so much of their holiday time, in addition to the 3+

hours per day they spend training, to support the greater interests of the

team and school? Now, your message to my daughter and the other athletes

is "this really isn't very important." I expect better of you.

 

It is unconscionable to make a decision like this in the proverbial smoke

filled room without any input of your constituencies. You have violated the

trust both of parents who send their children to Dartmouth and the athletes

who have worked so hard to support these programs. In addition you have

denigrated the image of Dartmouth among alumni and other groups throughout

the country. I think it is unfortunate that you have chosen to dig in your

heels over this issue and tried to slip it under the rug while everyone is

on holiday. You may have won the battle but this decision will backfire in

the end.

 

I have already counseled my daughter that she should channel her future

charitable donations to organizations that are capable of utilizing such

funds more wisely than Dartmouth. In addition, I will advise anyone

contemplating a gift to Dartmouth that they should only gift to a restricted

fund where they can know how the money will be used.

 

Yours truly,

 

Bart Cameron

father of Kelly Cameron '04, swimmer

Chicago, IL 60611