Cinderella Story (2 conservative underdogs victorious in Dartmouth's alumni trustee elections.)

THE PETITION CANDIDATES DID IT. In a stunning--at least to their critics--upset, Peter Robinson and Todd Zywicki each won an alumni seat on Dartmouth College's board of trustees. The results were made public yesterday afternoon, following two months of electronic and mail-in voting.

Chalk up another victory for the "New Media"--namely, for the conservative blogosphere. Robinson and Zywicki relied heavily on the Internet to publicize their efforts. They had been the insurgents in the race: the grassroots nominees who worked their way onto the ballot by garnering 500 signatures apiece. They entered a field with four other candidates handpicked by the school's alumni council.

Dartmouth trustee rules bar candidates from electioneering--but only once they've been certified. So as they labored to acquire the requisite 500 petitions, Robinson and Zywicki were free to tout their platforms on personal websites and friendly blogs. They called chiefly for ending Dartmouth's de facto campus speech code and improving the undergraduate experience.

Since Robinson and Zywicki are well-known conservatives--Robinson is a Hoover fellow and former Reagan speechwriter ("Tear Down This Wall" came from his pen), while Zywicki teaches law at George Mason University and blogs at the Volokh Conspiracy site--the race had political overtones. But both stressed that their principal issues--protecting free speech and renewing Dartmouth's commitment to its undergrads--were nonpartisan.

Yet almost overnight, blogs sprang up to denounce them. Concerned alums--including such groups as "Alumni for a Strong Dartmouth" and "Dartmouth Alumni for Social Change"--zinged Robinson and Zywicki for their "reactionary" politics and criticism of Dartmouth president James Wright.

They had a good reason to be startled by the two outsiders. In 2004, another petition candidate, Silicon Valley tycoon T.J. Rodgers, won election to the board of trustees--the first to do so since 1980. Rodgers, a self-described libertarian, ran on a platform similar to those of Robinson and Zywicki.

Now, thanks to the petition process, three center-right alums in two years have gained positions on the board by campaigning against the Dartmouth administration and against politically correct speech codes. To say this has raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers in Hanover would be an understatement. Robinson and Zywicki--like Rodgers before them--challenged the reigning academic establishment head-on and emerged victorious. They join the board officially in June, following Dartmouth's commencement exercises.

Robinson spoke to The Daily Standard Friday morning about the significance of his win. He emphasized the Internet angle above all. "The victory represents a victory for alumni participation in the governance of Dartmouth College," Robinson said. "What made that possible was the blogosphere." Blogs "made it possible for me to reach alums" and "keep up reporting and interest in the campaign."

More broadly, he added, blogs offer a novel way for graduates to stay in touch with their alma mater. "I learned more in three months of reading these blogs about the actual state of affairs in Hanover, New Hampshire, than [I did] in 25 years of reading the alumni magazine." Blogs thus pose a mortal threat to the "propaganda machines" of major universities, Robinson said. "That strikes me as a sea change."

So, let's blame the oldsters, esp. that so-called greatest generation. Esp. in the suburbs they should have held the line on some of this stuff, and they didn't.

Not quite sure what you mean here, but I still consider the greatest generation to be just that. It's the people after them that didn't hold on to those values. It seems like we complain so much about petty stuff nowadays, despite having probably more choices and posessions than ever before. There is an emphasis on the negative and a tendency to blame others. We also tend to not be content with the things we have or to be thankful for the good things in life that we enjoy. A lot of times we don't want to take responsibility for our actions or do what we can to get gain for ourselves (me,me,me thinking) at the expense of others (NEWSWEEK ANYONE?). I imagine some oldsters are up in heaven just shaking their heads. Yes, a lot of this applies to liberals, but people on both sides of the coin sometimes do these things, ESPECIALLY ME. I do try hard to improve myself each day though. I hope we can look BACK to the greatest generation and be thankful for the sacrifices they made for us and the freedoms they fought for that we enjoy now.

Oh I agree, and not just parents, ALL TAXPAYERS, they are footing the bill.
I'll tell you, this is one area where I think pretty swift progress might be made. Make that MIGHT be made.
Schools are not run by teachers unions, if I not mistaken they are not even run by local gov'ts directly, they get some standards from the states, and control, but most schools have local school boards that control them. As I say, this is true in the Northeast, not sure about other areas.
I do NOT understand why the conservatives (just the plain old conservatives, not the super religious ones, they're are gone from the public schools for the most part) don't start taking over the local school boards. It should be fairly easy to do, hardly nobody votes in those elections as it is.
Well, I'll shut up now, before I make a total fool of myself, but I think you get my gist.

You made some WONDERFUL points. Yes, at least in my state, it is the government that controls the community schools. The teacher unions do not even set the curriculum, it's the government.

I think, rather than sit on the fence and complain, that we should go down to the nearest school and ask how we can help. We should also recognize those students, volunteers, teachers, etc. doing positive things in education and for the community, not just emphasize the negative or blame teachers for all the wrongs of the world. I would like to see less government regulations and more community involvement in schools myself.

I too agree that true conservatives should run for school boards. No, I don't mean those with some political agenda against public schools, but those who truly think education is important and seek to truly improve it in positive ways. I would take it even further and say that conservatives should become teachers as well.

That's why this "old" conservative became a teacher and I put my ideas that parents, teachers, anc students should work together into practice in my own classroom. I REALLY enjoy associating and working with parents. I am fortunate to live in the area I teach so the parents become my friends and neighbors too to an extent. I enjoy going to things my students are involved in at times, including (especially actually) religious ceremonies. I love seeing my students improve or get excited about learning (esp. when they get excited about how well they are doing in reading). I think that I have an educator's dream job at times. It takes a LOT of extra work that others don't see, but it is all worth it if I help make a positive difference in the life of at least one child.

I was moved to tears the other day. A mom had taken the time to go around to different parents, past and present. She put together a little book with letters from these parents detailing ways how I had supposedly helped their children. There were about 30 letters. I was touched that someone would do something like that for me. It was worth a whole year of salary to me, no wait, it was priceless. Only one thing, it was not me doing anything, it was the parents and the man upstairs. I don't know why God blesses a person like me with so many faults and weaknesses so much each year.

All in all, what does this mean?? You have NOT made a fool of yourself, you have made some very valid points. You seem to be the kind of parent and person any child would like to have and any person would like to know.

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