Why Does <i>Dartblog</i> Restrict Free Speech by Alumni/ae?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Why Does Dartblog Restrict Free Speech by Alumni/ae?

The daily postings by the Dartblog authors are becoming increasingly inflammatory and hostile towards the administration of President Kim. In some respects, they are shockingly controversial. Yet the Dartblog authors doggedly refuse to allow alumni/ae comments expressing any disagreement whatsoever with the content of their posts. It looks to me like they are clearly afraid of alumni/ae free speech.

Both this AoA blog and The Dartmouth daily online edition allow alumni/ae to speak freely and to make unedited, unrestricted comments often in violent disagreement with the content of our posts. But not at Dartblog, where the opposite is true: No alumni/ae disagreement allowed!

Petition trustee candidates have in the past successfully run their campaigns on now discredited platforms deploring non-existent "speech codes" at Dartmouth and otherwise purporting to be champions of alumni/ae free speech. Where are they now on this blatant repression of alumni/ae speech and opinion, where an employee of a sitting trustee operates a blog which unfairly slams one aspect or another of the College on an almost daily basis?

So how about it, Dartblog authors? Why not start allowing alumni/ae to comment on your controversial posts?

44 Comments:

I think Joe Asch has gone beyond the pale, posting photographs of College employees' license plates and identifying their owners.

By Scott, at 7/21/2010 11:09 AM
FOR SALE: 2007 Mercedes SLK 55 AMG. 55,000 miles. Garaged one NH winter. Loaded. One owner. All maintenance records. Must sell. $32K OBO. Call Steve at work.

By DartBored, at 7/21/2010 8:37 PM
You don't think it's a little creepy that he's driving around a privately-owned parking lot taking snapshots of cars and publishing their license numbers and owners' names on the web?

I hope the police don't misinterpret his weird reference to "the little gray bomb."

By Scott, at 7/21/2010 10:11 PM
Why would employees be regularly parking in visitor spots?

Why would Mr. Asch be driving across a pedestrian campus when he lives adjacent to it?

Why has the president of our alumni association made the comment policy of a private blog the business of alumni? His motivation? Nothing more important to do?

DartBored: Welcome back... at least pay a visit now and then.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/22/2010 8:21 AM
This topic was suggested by David Gale. I think it is a worthy one, since Dartblog has a "regulation or policy that prohibits expression that would be protected by the First Amendment in society at large." That's a FIRE "speech code."

I wonder why an admitted member of The Caucus is still posting comments here.

I wonder why DartBored has never identified himself, even when this blog had a policy of requiring identification.

-Scott Meacham '95

By Scott, at 7/22/2010 9:34 AM
Tim: I thought the purpose of the AoA Executive Committee was limited to running elections for trustees and itself. It seems that this blog has become Dartmouth Undying's.

By DartBored, at 7/22/2010 9:35 AM
It’s instructive to see both who is leaping to the defense of the strict speech limitations imposed by the Dartblog authors and what their best arguments are. Mr. Dreisbach leads with the always persuasive: “Why don’t you mind your own business!” His only apparent substantive defense is to assert that Dartblog is a “private” blog--whatever that means. Dartmouth is a private college. So what does that have to do with speech restrictions? I don’t know how to take the mysterious Dartbored’s defense, except that it looks like another one of those insinuations that I lack personal or intellectual integrity. But that stuff doesn’t bother me, as I’ve grown used to it over the past three years.

The Dartblog authors have turned their blog into a platform for Dartmouth alumni trustee petition candidacy. Fair enough. They publish their opinions, accusations, insinuations, personal attacks, misrepresentations, provocations, and self aggrandizements publicly. Again, fair enough. But to refuse any opportunity of response to those good people whom they malign, whose integrity they impugn, whose careers and jobs they try to upset, whose private lives they snoop upon, whose situations and families are affected by the purported factual representations they make, whose votes they are trying to influence in alumni trustee elections, that’s just not fair, and that’s square in the middle of my business.

All of my life’s experience teaches me that bullies do not like fair fights, and that unless someone stands up to them, they will continue to bully. This blog allows everyone to comment freely regarding the content of any post. We are not afraid of the competition of ideas. In fact, we welcome it.

By John Mathias, at 7/22/2010 10:59 AM
John: I am glad you find my argument persuasive.

You write that DartBlog is a platform for petition trustee candidacies; the same is true for the Dartmouth UnDying website, which also does not allow open commenting.

If your concern was truly free speech and felt it was being somehow restricted by various blog policies, you should be addressing your questions to both. But you do not. My conclusion is that your true aim is to discredit (and thus limit) DartBlog's speech because you find it objectionable.

Please do not accuse me of defending the editorial content of DartBlog. I am not. I merely ask that you be more honest in your motiviations. Challenge DartBlog on the content of its postings, not on its format.

If you really welcome the competition of ideas, why not address the specifics of David Gale's proposal (on the prior thread) to allow more alumni to become candidates without depending on the resources of third parties or the Administration, the latter of which do come with strings attached. (I know somewhat of the strings you as Ballot Committee chair attempted to wrap around the last petition slate in the preparation of their campaign messages for the Vox website.)

But go ahead... any more time spent here arguing based upon principle is wasted by the pettiness that the entire endeavor of alumni governance has been reduced to.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/22/2010 10:04 PM
I wonder how we are supposed to "challenge Dartblog on the content of its postings, not on its format" when its format is designed to prohibit the airing of just such a challenge.

Perhaps one day Dartblog will drop its onerous and undemocratic speech code.

Every human being has a right to hear what other wise human beings have spoken to him. It is one of the Rights of Men; a very cruel injustice if you deny it to a man!

--Thomas Carlyle

Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.

--Justice Potter Stewart

By Scott, at 7/23/2010 9:27 AM
Round two from Mr. Dreisbach is even emptier, if that’s possible, than round one. This time he accuses me of dishonesty of motive (his signature non-argument), insinuates that I tried to place improper restrictions on the campaign messages of the last petition slate (a complete fabrication), and concludes that my “true aim is to discredit (and thus limit) DartBlog’s speech.” That’s right. He’s contending that I’m actually trying to impose speech restrictions upon the DartBlog authors. In so doing, Mr. Dreisbach blindly continues to advance the now thoroughly discredited petition candidates’ old campaign contentions that the College or the AoA is trying to stifle alumni/ae free speech, while at the same time he ardently defends the conduct of the DartBlog authors in overtly repressing any kind of speech responding to their inflammatory and often insulting posts.

No one here is suggesting the DartBlog authors are not free to do whatever they want with their own blog. Of course they are. I’m just calling them out for their obvious fear of alumni/ae free speech. But I have no doubt that they will continue in their ways, charmed by the sound of their own voices and completely unwilling to let anyone else speak.

This AoA blog allows alumni/ae to comment freely without restrictions. We have no fear of free speech like they do at DartBlog. That’s why Mr. Dreisbach continues to be the number one all time leader by a longshot in total number of comments!

By John Mathias, at 7/23/2010 10:45 AM
"...aim is to discredit... That's right."

Consensus.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/23/2010 6:05 PM
"a complete fabrication":

"the Ballot Committee has decided we may not use the descriptive line we had put in all of our statements: "Dartmouth United Petition Slate Candidate for..."

"We used a similar line two years ago and met with no objection."

Not my words.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/23/2010 7:46 PM
Joe Asch has his blog and John Mathias has his. Joe's doesn't allow comments, but John's does. Joe's blog was created by Joe Malchow. John's was created by Dartmouth College. I'm not sure how free speech figures in here, but complaining about it always sounds good. It looks like five people read John's blog and many more read Joe's.

Let's keep the status quo, as John predicts, until something better comes along. In the end, it's all about money, isn't it?

It seems to me that TJ has been defeated. Tant pis.

By DartBored, at 7/23/2010 8:22 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.

By chinese character, at 7/23/2010 9:08 PM
i am sad that my words are deleted - i have much respect for dartmouth – i think mr john is boss – he has many problems – mr tim is never wright – mr david is very smart but says too many words – mr dart is spammer like me – mr scott is smart man like computer– you should always follow mr scott – he will lead you

By chinese character, at 7/23/2010 9:26 PM
I've often felt a little frustrated by the lack of comments at DartBlog. Although the posts can be amusing, I wonder how true they really are. But plenty of blogs don't allow comments, an aesthetic decision as much as an "authoritarian" one. If it's that important to counter Joe Asch and anyone else who posts at DartBlog, then why not start up a site that links to (or simply reprints) their posts, but which does allow comments? I'd certainly read it.

By John, at 7/29/2010 10:36 AM
Or failing that, write to Asch directly. You've noticed how he will often post an update to a post, with some new information he has received? He doesn't completely lack integrity...

By John, at 7/29/2010 2:02 PM
An excellent suggestion:

If the Dartblog post regarding the Dean of Faculty search is "shockingly controversial" in a way that makes it the business of the Association of Alumni, then let's have the moderator of this forum create a new thread specific to that topic, where alumni can express their disagreement (or concurrence) with that post's content. In fairness, maybe it should also include a reference to another Dartblog post praising the search for a new AD.

Further, while Dartblog's policy does not include general commentary, I am guessing arrangements could be made for a specific comment by this AoA blog's moderator, on what he finds shocking, to be repeated to Dartblog's wider audience.

I am guessing that Joe Asch would be happy to post a comment, unedited and in full, coming from the elected president of the Association, no matter how critical it was.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/29/2010 4:24 PM
From my in-box:

Dear Mr. Tim: I appreciate your help forwarding message to Chinese Character. He very wright. Mr. John have many problems but he also have friend in high place, other Mr. David. He make problems go away. Now one big happy family. Thank you.
Fortunate Cookie

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/29/2010 4:38 PM
About the Dean of Facutly search, Dartblog wrote:

And future search committees? Well, we might see principled professors shy away from participation in them, out of an understandable reluctance to waste time in empty procedures. But the toadies and shills will flock to these positions, eager to score brownie points with Hanover’s new Big Man. We might also see the departure from Dartmouth of some of our high achievers, ethical folks turned off by yet more dishonesty in the administration of the College.

Nice. The author does not hesitate to accuse others of personal and intellectual dishonesty. Those are fighting words in most places, but bullies don't like fair fights.

Today, Dartblog with evident residual bitterness writes about President Kim, effectively accusing him of lying in connection with the author's failed campaign for alumni trustee, with no other point to the entire post:

President Kim will speak in Moore Theater on Thursday on the habits of mind that are “essential for your success as students and for a lifetime of leadership.” I wonder if he will address the subject of veracity?

Again, nice. It's this kind of cheapshot posting that shows deep fear of alumni/ae free speech in response.

This blog allows unrestricted comments by alumni/ae. We do not fear free speech, even if it sinks to the infantile levels demonstrated by commenters who think it's funny to use insulting pidgin English when affecting a Chinese persona.

By John Mathias, at 7/29/2010 5:59 PM
As my immigrant grandmother would say in her pidgin English, "lighten up".

Any thoughts by others on Mr. Asch's current reporting of the various searches? My own on-campus connections indicate some faculty uncomfortableness with President Kim's style (more business-like?) and some staff displeasure with his perceived bias to faculty over staff in job retention and benefits. Agree with his vision or not, one must respect the President's execution. If all parties were happy, we'd have a bigger problem.

That complement aside, the case as presented by Asch about Kim's election comments is hard to disgree with. I have no doubt about his preferences in the last election, as his words made this clear to all alumni. The actions are controversial more than the followup blog posting, or should be.

We would have a more honest system if the President were able to speak his mind rather than falsely claim neutrality. This would make the biases of the Administration a factor on the table rather than under it. This is would be OK if alumni conducted their elections independently, without support (and the related influence and control) currently provided and held by the administration.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/29/2010 8:49 PM
Shame on you , Tim. But at least you got Spalding's attention.

But, as I keep saying, it's a lost cause for now.

The Ivy League is big business. Dartmouth needs to get used to being in the spotlight, for better or worse. DartBlog is small potatoes compared with what's coming.

By DartBored, at 7/29/2010 9:01 PM
In a recent post on July 26 slamming DHMC management and apparently advocating that certain unnamed administrators be fired, Dartblog’s author gives himself this tellingly immodest tribute:

People want to work at a place that they value for its intelligence, efficiency, and effectiveness in making the lives of its customers better.
Want proof? At my own business, I have several former employees from the College and DHMC. They left those places despite receiving salaries and benefits in their new jobs that are a fraction of what they would have received from Dartmouth.

That's right, the author brags about paying his employees a fraction of what they were paid at DHMC and says they are much happier for it because they now work for an intelligent, efficient, and effective boss. No wonder he doesn’t allow comments!

As for Mr. Dreisbach, he apparently still thinks he is being funny with his juvenile ethnic jokes. Free speech can reveal a lot about a person that you might not otherwise know.

By John Mathias, at 7/30/2010 6:31 PM
Just to keep John M. correct on his facts, someone other than I posted as Chinese Character, not that this will stop the personal attacks. My Polish grandparents did know a thing about ethnic jokes.

I have just returned from a dinner with some long-time DHMC employees who made the same comment about the management there that Asch did.

And maybe he pays people less than the College because the latter was overpaying in some cases!!

This is indicated by the fact that the new management at the Inn, experienced with running many university-town hotels, only took over with a deal that allows them to pay lower salaries, demand higher insurance co-pays, and offer fewer personal days than the College did. The union is accepting of this transition because the College has agreed to continue to pay the difference for some period of time. Tell me if these facts, as reported in the D, are wrong.

I would certainly brag about paying employees a wage they are apparently happy to work for, versus paying more than that rate for the same work. Maybe high-priced lawyers operate differently.

This thread was begun with the purpose of selectively attacking some alumni (DartBlog's authors) while not asking the same question of others (UnDying). With such an auspicious start, no wonder it had no where to go but down hill.

DartBored: Once again, time to get off the bus? In your words, this is all "small potatoes". Still it is hard to resist not putting up facts ("complete fabrications" as others may term them) that keep getting in the way of the spin. Alumni should expect less pettiness, especially from their elected officials, no matter who else posts what here.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 7/30/2010 11:55 PM
Sigh. I said that I wouldn't post on such a silly, pointless thread, but I just can't resist.

Google's official blog doesn't allow comments. How evil!
Then again, neither does Microsoft. Well, we all knew they were evil.

Ok, so what about Dartmouth blogs? Well, the College provides us with a nice list; let's see...hrm, while most of them do, Rauner library and the Women's and Gender Studies Program don't allow comments. Inquiring minds want to know: why are the special collections librarians and the WGS administrators trying to suppress free speech?

(Note that I only did a quick eyeball search for the ability to comment; I didn't check the comment policies, or whether or not people had actually left comments.)

In doing research for this, I found that there's actually a fairly sizable debate on whether a site that doesn't allow comments can truly be termed a "blog". There doesn't seem to be any sort of consensus (those in favor of comments echo much of what Mr. Mathias has stated; those against tend to point to the frequency of spam, the low signal-to-noise ratio, the lack of standards for commenting systems, the inability of most comment systems to facilitate a conversation, and so on, as valid reasons for a blogger to not allow comments), but even the blogger who was most adamant about it said that once a site reaches a certain size, the signal-to-noise ratio is so low that disallowing comments is understandable. I believe Dartblog has a slightly higher readership than this blog...

By David Gale, at 8/02/2010 12:41 PM
I don't think Mr. Mathias is saying Dartblog must allow comments in order to count as a blog, I think he's saying that it's unfair of Dartblog to publish misrepresentations and personal attacks without allowing comments, especially when the comment feature is technically easy to add.

By Scott, at 8/02/2010 4:04 PM
Scott,

Is it technically easy to add? Certainly, if he's using one of the usual blog systems like Drupal or Wordpress, it is. (There's nothing in the HTML to indicate what system generated the pages, though they are generated by PHP, which limits the possibilities somewhat.) But for some reason, I was under the impression that Joe had rolled his own blog code, in which case it could be much harder (technically) to add a comments feature--especially one that would be robust enough to handle the volume he'd be likely to get. Do you happen to know what system he uses?

By David Gale, at 8/02/2010 4:17 PM
I don't know what system Joe Malchow uses, but I doubt he left comments off Dartblog for technical reasons. I've always assumed -- without checking -- that the same system underlies Power Line. I think Joe set up that blog, or at least one version of it, and helped maintain it.

By Scott, at 8/02/2010 5:18 PM
Dartlog's author is sinking to new lows in his attacks on President Kim. Now he is gossiping about the President's spouse. Again, it's little wonder he doesn't allow comments. Someone might start gossiping about him. Hanover is a small community, and unkind words can really sting.

By John Mathias, at 8/09/2010 7:46 PM
I thought I read somewhere that Mrs. Asch runs in bare feet.

By DartBored, at 8/10/2010 8:43 AM
Ever since Carol Folt refused several years ago to go along with his ridiculous proposal that Dartmouth College take over funding his crackpot plan to have high school teachers tutor English writing skills to minority students, it is no secret in Hanover that Dartblog's author has done everything in his power to malign her. Now he accuses her of dissembling and levels other assorted personal insults against her .

It's this kind of nastiness that has earned him the enmity of so many in Hanover. There are hundreds of alums living in the Upper Valley. They mostly treat each other with respect, and almost all of them know more about Dartmouth and Hanover than this guy does.

Again, no wonder he doesn't allow comments on his blog.

By John Mathias, at 8/16/2010 5:07 PM
John,

Do you really think your latest comment is truly worthy of someone who has been elected to be the representative of all alumni? It strikes me as fairly petty, one-sided, and blatantly misleading in at least one important point.

As to the pettiness and one-sidedness: you use the term "idea" to describe a program that operated for almost a decade; there've been many companies whose entire existences were smaller than that (and many, during the dot-com bubble, were very successful before getting bought up). You also don't mention that he sank roughly half a million of his own dollars into the program. And that's not even mentioning your use of "crackpot" to describe the suggestion that the college put some money towards a program that helped Dartmouth students.

As to misleading: here I'm referring to your comment about Joe not allowing comments "on his blog". The author of the post that you're objecting to is Joe Asch '79; Dartblog was started by Joe Malchow '08, and is the only single person who could be said to "own" Dartblog. The no-comments policy dates, as far as I know, to the blog's founding, in late 2004. Joe Asch didn't start posting there until 2009. Your imputation of a motive for barring comments would have some merit if comments had been allowed prior to Mr. Asch's arrival, or if he were the only author to disallow comments, but neither is true. (If you want to speculate on Mr. Malchow's motives for not allowing comments, feel free; unfortunately, most of the early posts seem to exist solely in summary form at this point. I checked a few, and all links seem to be broken. Which I'd point to as further evidence that the blog's software was probably home-grown, as I suggested above--Joe M. may have updated the code base without fixing old posts, which a professional blog tool would've--which would provide the simplest explanation for the lack of a comment feature.)

Now, if we're all done acting like five year olds, can we get back to the questions of how alumni and the college should relate to each other?

By David Gale, at 8/16/2010 11:28 PM
And now he's linking to the obituary of some bagpiper who survived D-Day! Who does he think he is?

By John, at 8/19/2010 5:10 PM
I am tired of Joe Ashe's daily attacks on Jim Kim and his administration. Can't someone stand up and say enough is enough. If someone from the Hanover area tries, he will literally destroy them. Isn't there someone who can create a blog that will counter this guy?
John Fitzpatrick

By John Fitzpatrick, at 8/23/2010 12:07 PM
John Fitzpatrick:

In answer to your questions: If someone could, don't you think they would?

By DartBored, at 8/24/2010 8:49 PM
DartBlog has become a joke. It is now nothing more than a cheap gossip column authored by a senior alumnus with a grudge. His daily attacks on President Kim have sunk so low that he thinks it's okay to disparage the President's spouse, to invade the privacy of his home, and then to accuse the President of arrogance. What a laugh.

There's no chance, Mr. Fitzpatrick, that its author will allow anything except the sound of his own voice to resonate on DartBlog. These guys can't stand alumni/ae free speech when it is in the slightest bit critical of their ways. I couldn't agree more with you on the importance of standing up to them.

By John Mathias, at 8/24/2010 10:35 PM
John Mathias,

Rather than spending your time reading the College's press releases, you might learn something from talking to faculty and students in Hanover. All is not well there.

As to my writing program, I would be happy to send you the evaluations authored in the name of all of the professors of the Art History, Religion and Math departments. They do not refer to the nine-year DEP program as "crackpot"; au contraire, it was effective, innovative and popular.

Why don't you take some time to put forward even a single substantive criticism of Dartblog's content - rather than just voicing generalized personal smears. If Dartblog were so inaccurate, it would not have the readership that it commands.

Finally, if you want to counter Dartblog, set up a "Not-Dartblog" blog and let's see how many readers you get. This is the meaning of free speech and I am not restraining you from doing so in any way at all. Just the opposite: I am sure your views would be entertaining to many people; sadly they don't measure up to what we are looking for on Dartblog.

In the meantime, keep reading, and please tell as many people as you can how awful Dartblog is. People want to hear your opinion.

Joe Asch '79

By Joseph, at 8/26/2010 12:53 AM
Joe: The AoA Blog has become a joke. It is now nothing more than a cheap gossip column initiated by an alumni president with a grudge. His regular attacks on you have sunk so low because he thinks it's okay to disparage fellow alumni, since he is unable to counter the factual data behind your DartBlog columns. What a laugh. If he believes that the information you present is embarassing to Dartmouth, he should spend more of his time encouraging the Administration to address the concerns being raised.

There's no chance, Mr. Asch, that this blog's author will allow alumni to initiate discussion threads here that might resonate contrary to OAR PR. These guys [copying the approach of including others] can't stand alumni/ae free speech when it is in the slightest bit critical of their ways; they know they must allow it, but they hate it with a blinding passion. I couldn't agree more with you on the importance of standing up to them, but will only do so when alumni figure this out.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 8/26/2010 8:28 AM
Parents Who Read This Blog:

Your tuition dollars are partially used to fund sexual abuse awareness. Your tuition dollars are also used, under the guise of sexual abuse awareness, to fund students who wish to promote dildo tossing and lubricant tasting to their classmates, in particular new incoming freshmen. Ask your son or daughter to wear their "Consensual Sex is Hot" tee-shirt to the neighborhood barbecue when they come home on break; you helped pay for it.

Alumni:

Of course college-age students engage in sex. The questions are when does education cross the line to promotion, and is such promotion a part of Dartmouth's educational mission? Obviously the new administration still believes it is. The amount of money is trivial, but enough to make a clear statement that this is considered an important part of how students are "programmed" during their first weeks at Dartmouth.

If you believe blogging about such things raises awareness that diminishes your school's image, attacking the messenger is not the answer.

John M:

Interested if you have a reply to Mr. Asch.

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 8/26/2010 12:48 PM
Actually, I kind of like the fact that the college is now promoting sex, or at least acknowledging the positive possibilities of it. It sure beats the humorless P.C. atmosphere of the early 90s, when the only sex that got any serious public attention was sex that went wrong.

Of course, why the college can't stick to academics, and let the students arrange their own social lives like the adults they ostensibly are, is a separate issue entirely....

By John, at 8/26/2010 1:57 PM
John: Whatever happened to masturbation?

John Mathias: It looks like you've been left alone to defend this remote outpost. Where are your supporters? Will you run for a fourth term?

Joseph: Any chance the faculty will express their opinions in a more public way?

Gotta like the espresso machine. He should have put it where others could use it though. Uno stretto, per piacere.

By DartBored, at 8/27/2010 9:51 PM
Dartbored: Good question, and the subject of an upcoming post.

By Joseph, at 8/28/2010 1:02 PM
Tim Dreisbach '71: I forgot you in my message last night. My friend, chinese character, gives his regards to you friend, fortunate cookie.

How does the alumni leave this ground (John Mathias's blog) and move to a place where it can help Joseph, the faculty, a few trustees, and many others make changes that will have a meaningful effect without offending our many loyal alumni?

By DartBored, at 8/28/2010 9:20 PM
DartBored: Another good question. In fact, with its qualifiers, an excellent one!!

The Association was once in a position to do so, but the lawsuit, no matter its principled merits, did offend alumni (or 60% of those that voted), so that door is closed for now.

I am at a loss. Any suggestions?

By Tim Dreisbach '71, at 8/28/2010 10:31 PM

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Why Does Dartblog Restrict Free Speech by Alumni/ae?

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