Sottile '64 / My Dartmouth / Mascot

Dartmouth Since The Indian Symbol

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Dartmouth Since The Indian Symbol
A College Community Searching For A Culture
 
Colleges exist to develop leaders. 
Dartmouth's leadership on this matter has been missing?
 
Hopefully, no longer.
 
1.
While there are colleges that do not need a culture behind their mascot... or even need to make them official, Dartmouth College, a land grant has ALWAYS had a need for a purpose and a culture about it.
 
2.
Currently there are more women in The College. Why would a slightly predominately women's school want a MALE mascot, such as a BULL Moose which in strict biological terms is a male in heat where size (of antlers) counts.
 
3.
Discarding the Native American symbol did not require The College to discarding of a native culture.
 
4.
Quite the opposite.  For decades The College has had an Artic Studies program which was/is associated with University of Alaska and which now is run through the former College President, John Sloane Dickey Institute.  Yet, it did not adopt the animal which is the most significant "crop" of those people.
 
5.
There is a PRESSING NEED for the best minds to address a native people and their herds which are disappearing through global warming.  These people are no strangers to Dartmouth College.  They are the Sami tribes of the artic & sub artic and their reindeer / caribou (basically the same animals different name) in which specie, unlike all other antlered species save for one) the female grow antlers as well. 
 
Okay let's say it. 
Both sexes have a rack! 
And both sexes have racks when they are in heat!
Now that's the equality in mascot that I would want were I a female.
 
8.
So let's wrap it up.  There is a
pressing need to help a native people, their culture which ties back to Dartmouths native-based charter and its animals.  Further, their culture provides the right symbols and animals.
 
 
The decision to drop the Indian imagery is of no issue to me or this effort.
 
It's over. It's done. 
 
 Nonetheless, I believe that The College dismisses the loss of the symbol
without understanding that for 50 or more classes durings its use
the symbol was more than an icon; it was a culture
respectfully woven into ceremonies
which The College adopted and
made official via the concept
of implied consent.
 
For some families,
that's three generations of graduates!
 
Everyone knows that corporate culture emanates from the head-shed.
And the shed on College Row has failed to restructure a new culture
throughout numerous Presidential & Trustee regimes.
 
 Observation valids this statement.
 
In fairness, efforts have been made by several parties.
The failures of these efforts varies.  The result remains;
No "official" mascots or symbols.
 
When I begain this website in 2004 I was angry at The College,
for it had exploited the indians idea/ore and then when they felt the heat
they threw it back to the sportswriter -- as if he has forced over The College.
 
To me is was pardoxical for The College to be sensitive to one culture,
while not having enough empathy and courage to reconstruct
the culture which was expunged by its first decision,
regardless of that decision's noble merits.
 
Since 2004 I have followed mascots intensely.  Ditto for the NCAA's position. In truth, I have learned many very interesting things which range from state legislations wanting to demand the keeping of mascots to the other extreme.
MOST INTERESTING, I have learned that in many schools mascot are made NEVER OFFICIAL; rather, they just exist they way the Indian did at Dartmouth.
  
 
Therefore there are legions of students, alums, and others still searching
for not only a mascot, but a tangible culture, not just a color, or a tree.
 
 
 
The responsibility and obligation to reconstruct this college culture
rest soley with The College.  After all, it co-opted the moniker
of regional sportswriters to "trademark" Dartmouth
and its now lost -- banned -- culture.
 
CULTURE 
 
Was it not The College's honoring culture which was the essence
of the renewed emphasis on Native American Studies?
Did it not then seem logical that determining and
nurturing a new overall Dartmouth community
culture to be as important? 
 
Apparently Not!
 
Regrettably, ironically, and other appropriate adverbs,
it has not been important enough for The College
to do so during the past 30 plus years.

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