Library Sex Scandal

by James Haskell

Last Friday night, a female friend of mine was quietly minding her own business when she was assaulted by a document far more offensive and vulgar than anything contained in Zeta Psi’s infamous "sex papers," the most recent in a series scandals to hit the school.

Upon noticing this document, this female student proceeded to inspect its horrific content. One of the obscenities was a command imploring her to "Eat a dick." Understandably, she felt offended and harassed by this lewd command. Among other threatening entries was one stating "my penis is hard." Another anonymous entry read "I love to lick the monkey." Whatever this student was referring to by "monkey," whether an actual monkey or a merely a metaphorical one, she knew this statement implied something dirty and offensive. So she was very offended.

In another entry, a student explained that he loves "crackwhores." Classy. Even worse, however, was the fact that the creators of this malicious document felt the need to include the names of specific students. One entry simply generalized an entire sorority, saying "Epsilon Kappa Theta? I prefer my hand," in a rather tasteless reference to self-love. But the hate did not stop here. Oh, no. Not only did one line read "[female student] has big titties," but another read "[male student] has a small penis." Perhaps the cruelest entries on this document were the top 10 lists. There were lists for the "top 10 man-whores," "top 10 boners," and "top 10 girls that get [obscene sexual act]," among others, all of which named specific students. Clearly, this document is every bit as horrible as the one retrieved from boot and urine at Zeta Psi.

So at which frat did my friend find such a demeaning document, you ask? It will shock you that she did not find it at a fraternity at all. Nor did she find it at a sorority, coed house, or even a dorm room. Instead, this document verbally diminished her in one of the places you would least expect: Baker Library.

Found in the reserve corridor, this document consists of the second table from the western door. Sadly, this is not an isolated table. The others are just as disgusting, and have offended many a student as well. Says Chris Choi ’01, "When I saw my name on the list of ‘best-dressed guys’ I felt violated and objectified. Why can’t women see me for the person I am on the inside. It’s just not right."

These "sex tables" are just another piece in the growing pile of evidence of the institutionalized sexism and misogyny that exists at Dartmouth. But its implications are far-reaching. With such a large-scale example of this problem cropping up in a locale other than a Greek house, we are forced to confront certain realities, as painful as this may be. The Greek system is not the cause of this problem. The library system is.

By allowing these "sex tables" to exist for years without the tables being erased or being repainted, Baker Library is at the very least tacitly supporting them. Some would even say the threatening tables have even become an institution at Baker. Students, we must not tolerate a library system that condones misogyny, as its effects are detrimental to our community.

Unlike Zeta Psi’s silly papers, the lewd publications of Baker Library reach the entire student body. While one fraternity is lynched for condoning misogyny to its members, Baker Library quietly goes about its daily business of brainwashing the masses into sexists and misogynists. Thus, any sexism in the Greek system or elsewhere must ultimately be traced to its roots in the reserve corridor.

Hence, I call for the hasty derecognition of Baker Library. If we are to rid this campus of horribly misguided misogynistic action and thought, we must attack the source of the problem. We must not rest until Baker Library is fully derecognized and we are outside celebrating the dawning of a new era around a bonfire made from the former contents of a dirty, dirty building, a building that will never harass a member of our community again.