January 30, 2001: Letter to the Dartmouth community from President James Wright

Posted 01/30/01

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

I would like to thank all of you who came to the President's House yesterday afternoon. Susan and I found it comforting to be with such good friends during this terrible time. We are all in a period of grief and mourning, which is made even harder given the uncertainties.

We all have questions and concerns that have not been answered. The State Attorney General's Office, with assistance from local law enforcement, is conducting the investigation into the Zantops' deaths. In order to preserve the integrity of their investigation they have released very few details regarding the circumstances of this crime or the leads they are following. I do not have any more details than those released by the Attorney General's Office. While I wish I knew more and that I could share such information with you, I ask for your patience as the Attorney General continues this investigation.

The College is cooperating fully with the Attorney General's Office. Members of the Dartmouth community have been and will be contacted by State investigators for an interview. We recommend that you give the authorities your complete cooperation. Should you have any questions or concerns about this process, please contact our General Counsel Robert Donin in Dartmouth's Legal Office at 646-2444. If you believe you may have any information pertinent to the investigation, please contact the Hanover Police Department directly at 643-2222.

You will be aware of people being interviewed by the investigating authorities and of specific evidence or areas being examined. These are in a broader context, and we need to resist speculating on what these activities may or may not mean. Yesterday afternoon, for example, police investigators conducted a search of the basement of the Mid Mass residence hall. This led to some obvious concerns, but the Attorney General has since announced that this was not relevant to his investigation.

The Attorney General has said that he does not believe there is any special danger in Hanover, but we are working hard to ensure the safety and security of our community and are asking everyone to help us with this effort and to remain vigilant. The Department of Safety and Security has increased its visibility and presence on campus and has expanded its outreach efforts to provide reassurance to the campus community. Safety and Security continues to patrol the campus and provide transportation to those who desire a ride from one part of campus to another. This service is now available 24 hours a day for the time being. The campus is also served by a campus-wide "blue-light" emergency call system that provides instant access to Safety and Security. As always, we encourage students to lock their individual room doors and to notify Safety and Security (646-2234) or the Hanover Police Department (643-2222) if they are concerned about any suspicious behavior. To learn about the services of Dartmouth's Safety and Security Office, please refer to their web page at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~security/services/.

I hope you will take advantage of the variety of support staff available to offer their assistance to you during this time. They include: Student Counseling Services (650-1442), Upper Class Deans Office (646-2243), First Year Office (646-2681), Office of Residential Life (646-2399), Tucker Foundation (646-3350), Graduate Office (646-2106), or the Faculty and Employee Assistance Program (646-1165).

Special meetings with Dartmouth counselors have been and are being scheduled in order to offer support to students, faculty, and staff. Discussions are also taking place in our undergraduate residence halls to provide an opportunity for all students to gather and to discuss this tragedy and the impact it's having on students. For more information on these, students should contact either their UGA or community director. The Graduate Office is also organizing support for graduate students.

This Thursday, from noon to 1:30 in Collis Common Ground, we have scheduled a special Community Hour that will focus on our community loss, to consider how we can support one another, and to try to answer questions people may have about community safety.

A memorial service is being planned and more information will be forthcoming. For those students who knew the Zantops, you may wish to write a few words about them and leave the messages at the front desk of the Collis Center, where they will be collected and given to the Zantop family. Faculty and staff may leave messages with Margaret Robinson in the German Department.

Students might want to forward this message to their parents, family members, and friends who are no doubt concerned about their safety and well being. We have established a campus resource information line number for those people seeking further information about resources available to members of our community (1-866-288-8386 or 603-646-1010).

This is a very difficult time for the campus. Half and Susanne Zantop were wonderful colleagues, teachers, and friends. We need to grieve our loss in the face of our other concerns and questions.

Sincerely,

James Wright