Hamilton College Alumni for Governance Reform

The cue to Spectator “Archives” led me to read the 2nd and 3rd articles in the current posting. Please don’t forget that while the incidents were racist, they were also (and perhaps primarily) acts of violence. It’s not hard to imagine someone who couldn’t cut it for college life feeling a little revenge was in order. The incidents of intolerance are a shame, and it’s sad to learn of them, but many other campuses are in far worse condition. I recall reading long ago about Yale keeping a violent incident map up to date, warning students of the dangerous off campus locations and of keeping a security patrol working 24/7 on campus. Not nice to see, but... ”Welcome, Hamilton, to the NFL!”
With the Social Justice Initiative” article I need help. Can someone help me with specific ills which meed to be “cured”? What are the working definitions of racism, sexism and homophobia? Does one explore why these exist, what’s behind such thinking, and what it will take to change someone’s mind? Any good explanation will be greatly appreciated.

Detente?

https://my.hamilton.edu/magazine/2007/fall/hamiltoninstitute.html

Hamilton alums should check out the latest issue of the Spectator. President Stewart published a statement on diversity. If you want to know where the College is headed, she tells you.

Congrats to the students. They pressured. She folded like a cheap tent.

I went to the Spectator's site & the article is not to be found.

Nor is President Stewart's statement on diversity on the HC website. Student Reporter can you please provide excerpts?
Was anything said about the AHI?

They removed the op-ed section from the online version.

The little Kremlin on the Hill

The Spec website issues continue to frustrate involved alumni. It would be great if a generous alum could convince the Spec to accept some website help (no strings attached). In order to get current news on campus I've resorted to contacting students and employees I know.

Most college newspapers use *free* software to produce very professional internet editions. Not sure why Hamilton is a technological laggard. I assume Spectator staff has not gotten permission from College. Compare Spectator to Trinity Tripod:

http://www.trinitytripod.com/

Despite all the protestations that there is nothing untoward about the selective availability of the Spec online, they sure are good at making things look bad. Strange how it is the op-ed section that has 'randomly' disappeared, and not the Arts & Entertainment section.

My source on campus informs me that instead of a standard editorial last week in the Spec there was a letter to the Hamilton community from JHS. Since when does she trump the editorial board? I suspect it's the statement on diversity that "student reporter" referred to. If I can get some text I'll post it.

Let me get this straight: the president writes a letter on an important topic to communicate with the Hamilton community, and in that context the letter is omitted from the web site?

Omitted because the letter was of no interest to students & alumni? Irrelevant to campus life? Or because it would be of interest to students & alumni?

And by the way, Former Spec Sports Writer the offer was made some time ago to buy web capacity & technology to the Spectator. It was declined in light of the then pending approval 'enhancements' to the web site by the administration.

I'm posting JHS' email to the community that went out today. It comes on the heels of last week's longer letter in the Spec. The Spec hasn't posted any sections of last week's issue online. I have a hard copy of last week's letter and will post part of it.



From: Joan Hinde Stewart
Date: Dec 4, 2007 9:41 AM
Subject: Diversity actions
To: ALLSTUDENTS-A@listserv.hamilton.edu



To the Campus Community,

As I wrote in last week's Spectator, I am initiating actions that will, I hope, improve our community's embrace of difference. They include the following:

Dean Thompson is meeting with students, faculty and staff to plan for upgrading the ALCC to make the building better suited to the activities it supports.

Dean Inzer and Vice President Smallen will work with others to assess our Web site with respect to its representation of multicultural students, activities and academic programs.

Deans Thompson and Urgo will meet with Associate Deans Harrison and Yao and clarify the appropriate lines of reporting for concerns of affected groups.

Dean Yao will work with Gordon Hewitt, Director of Institutional Research, to establish an "equity scorecard," which should help give us an evolving picture of our successes and shortcomings.

Dean Thompson is evaluating the advisability of engaging the National Coalition Building Institute (www.ncbi.org) to work with us in support of diversity.

Finally, Dean Thompson is reviewing the role of new student orientation in teaching and supporting tolerance and understanding, and Dean Urgo will charge the strategic planning subcommittees on academic program, faculty and staff recruitment and retention, and student recruitment and retention with initiating improvements in our diversity and inclusivity missions.

If you would like to collaborate on any of these efforts, please contact the person in charge or let me know.

Later this week, I will report to the campus at greater length on goals, progress and challenges in this area.

Sincerely yours,
Joan Hinde Stewart

I'm aghast. If any alum has any doubts that Hamilton College has sold out to political correctness, this statement is it. The usual suspects cannot now go into denial. Here it is for every Hamilton alum to digest, a letter from the President herself.
I've had it. Take your money elsewhere everybody. This college no longer deserves it.

Excellence divided by political correctness equals mediocrity

If Wikipedia is to believed, President Stewart's diversity initiative will bring Dianetics to Hamilton College. Who needs Shakespeare and Aristotle when we've got L. Ron Hubbard!

Should we laugh or cry?

Look here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Coalition_Building_Institute

From today's Newark Stra-Ledger. Nope, this is not the Hamilton College I went to.

"While the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition lists 29 U.S. campuses that provide gender-neutral housing, the list of those with gender-neutral bathrooms is longer than 140.

Those are typically single-stall and lockable. Not only do people with gender identity issues like them, Adams said, they also are popular for visiting families and people with certain health conditions.

Hamilton College is one of the rare schools where coed bathrooms are common in the dorms."

Dismaying.

Does anyone know if ONE Republican or conservative speaker appeared at Hamilton during the fall semester?

I don't recall any.

Student reporter's probably right, unfortunately. Check out this story about some wonderful students from the Hamilton website.




Hamilton Employee and Platoon in Iraq to Benefit from Student-Organized Care Packages

December 4, 2007


Tamar Nobel '08 originally contacted Americans Supporting Americans (ASA), an organization that connects cities and schools with units to "foster" and "adopt." She said that after she sent out an all-campus e-mail about the collection effort she received a response from Grounds Services Manager Don Croft, who notified her about Sgt. Gates. "Through him, I contacted Sgt. Gates in regard to fostering his unit specifically," Nobel said. "The fact that this drive will benefit a member of the Hamilton community makes it a bit more personal, since it is a way to show appreciation and support for one of our own," she added. The other officers of HCSTT include Caroline Greenberg '11, Mackenzie Pelletier '10 and Caitlin McGilley '08.

The students are holding a campus-wide collection of care package items that will take place on Tuesday-Wednesday, Dec. 4-5, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Beinecke. HCSTT is seeking donations of magazines (recent or new), personal care items such as shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, eye drops, chapstick, soap, telephone cards, pre-packaged non-perishable snacks or candy, DVDs, and free time materials such as books, puzzles, playing cards and board games.

"Regardless of people's opinions regarding the war itself, supporting our peers serving abroad is a cause that everyone can believe in," Nobel said. "I've gotten a very positive response to the e-mails I have sent about this drive, expressing interest and support in this cause. I think people in our community want to do something to show support for the troops, but previously may not have had an avenue through which to do so."

Gates, in an e-mail from Iraq, described his experience there. "My company is located in Balad, Iraq at LSA Anaconda, but my platoon (a smaller piece of the company of about 30-40 men) is located in Camp Warhorse Baquba, Iraq. We are working as a heavy engineer company, but we are trained as combat engineers. Forward Operating Base Warhorse is much smaller, we live in tents, the roads are dirt, but it has its bonuses. It has a M.A.S.H. feeling to it."

Gates has been in the Army Reserves for more than seven years and will be in Iraq for about nine months. He said his work experience at Hamilton has provided good experience for his work in Iraq. "I work with heavy equipment at Hamilton, and this equipment is what most of our mission revolves around here," Gates explained. "I also do preventative maintenance on equipment 'on the Hill.' This is something we must do over here daily to ensure that our equipment does not fail us in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

Gates expressed his appreciation to the students and members of the Hamilton community who are contributing to the care package collection. "I know many students at Hamilton are upset with the war, the current state of affairs and the administration. I want them to know that many people over here have the same opinions. It fills me with great joy when I realize they can look past this and help support the soldiers who are following orders," Gates wrote. "On behalf of the solders of the 680th Engineer Company I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart."