Conservative Heavyweights Weigh In

Two of the most well known conservative syndicated columnists in the country have weighed in on the Trustee Election. First, on April 6, George F. Will, of the Washington Post, endorsed Sandy Alderson. The endorsement is somewhat convoluted, but it boils down to Mr. Alderson’s proven track record of “constantly refreshed thinking” concerning venerable institutions, i.e. Major League Baseball. He would, so the argument goes, apply this same spirit to the Board of Trustees.

Four days later on April 10, William F. Buckley Jr., founder and editor-at-large of National Review, responded with an endorsement of Stephen Smith—the article is reprinted in the newest edition of The Dartmouth Review. The venerable Mr. Buckley sets Smith’s campaign into the wider context of the past few Trustee Elections:

Smith’s candidacy is backed by members of the Dartmouth community who several years ago resolved to observe closely the development of their college, and to protest trends deemed inimical to its welfare. One of these is the expansion of the administration, which in the last ten years has grown much faster than the Dartmouth faculty. Professor Smith believes that Dartmouth should work diligently to renew its traditional commitment to having students taught in small classes by energetic and learned professors.

Mr. Smith, he argues, would further aid the petition trustees already on the Board, in preserving Dartmouth’s old traditions. Mr. Buckley’s interest in the school, while flattering, is anything but new; however, many speculate that Mr. Will’s new-found interest has more to do with personal allegiances and baseball than with the welfare of the College.