It was with no lack of dismay that I read Joe Asch’s latest (and, it is said, last) post on Dartblog today:
After much reflection here in the quiet of our New Zealand valley, I have decided that in the future I will be devoting my time and energy to things other than Dartmouth College. To those of you who have spent time reading my posts on Dartblog over the past eight and a half months, thank you so much for your attention. I enjoyed writing my sincere perception of the truth for you.
To Joe, I can only say that those of us at the Review who have enjoyed following his incisive commentary and unparalleled reporting of trends and events at Dartmouth College will urge him to reconsider this pledge, given the results his campus involvement has yielded, not least of which was his prophetic clarion call for fiscal discipline at the College, long before that was a fashionable position to take.
Joe has been nothing but sincere since the beginning of his time as a Dartmouth gadfly, and like all who inhabit that role, he has earned the bitter vitriol of many of his fellow alumni. That vitriol became particularly pronounced during his campaign for the Board of Trustees. Given the sort of invective that was thrown at him – nonsensical, ugly, and deceitful epithets – it’s not altogether surprising that he would want some time away from Dartmouth.
But, in view of the valuable role he’s played for the last few years, and in view of his wholly unique institutional knowledge of Dartmouth (indeed, what other alumnus or alumna has audited 30+ classes?), we cannot help but hope that Asch will go back on this promise to curtail his involvement at Dartmouth. The College has had the benefit of a passionate watchdog for the past eight years; it would be a shame for Dartmouth to lose that watchdog altogether now.
Noli nothis permittere te terere, Joe.
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