“Hang one, warn a thousand”

That’s the title of T.J. Rodgers’ excellent piece about Dartmouth College’s decision to boot his fellow trustee Todd Zywicki off of the Board of Trustees. As Rodgers puts it: “the Dartmouth Board of Trustees hanged Todd Zywicki ’88, thus warning the petition trustees — and any others tempted to express independent views — not to cross the party line.”

Dartmouth students don’t seem to think much of the Board’s decision either, if this symposium is representative.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth’s Association of Alumni Executive Committee, the hand-maiden of the Board, has proposed a constitutional amendment to change the rules for electing trustees in a way that it thinks will make it more difficult for petition candidates like Zywicki and Rodgers to be elected in the future.

The Dartmouth power elite has already violated its agreement to have half of the trustees elected by alums (a move currently being challenged in court). And it has just taken the extraordinary step of removing one of the elected trustees. But apparently those who run Dartmouth believe the deck is still stacked against them.

I have voted against the proposed amendment. I will set forth my reasons in a few days. I hope those alums who have not yet voted will be interested in reading them

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