MIR ROR
HALFWAY CHECKUP // 2 THE DARTMOUTH X // 3 HEY EXPECTATIONS: MEET REALITY // 4 THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME // 4
REBECCA XU // THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
2// MIRROR
EDITOR’S NOTE I emailed Mindy Kaling the other day, asking (truthfully, it was more along the lines of pleading) if I could work for her. I guess it was one of those just-go-for-it moments, when you abandon all doubt and remind yourself that you simply have nothing to lose. Yet after sending my creepy celebrity blitz and treating myself to a celebratory meal out on the town, I came to the sad realization that I hadn’t taken any other real risks this term. Feelings of frustration squeezed into my every pore. How could I let such precious time float by me? What had I been waiting for? I think we were all convinced that the summer was meant to be ripe with these carpe-diem moments, in which we would constantly embark on adventures and escapades that would go down in history. But as the days grow shorter and the summer air crisper, I wish I could assert with confidence I made a significant dent in my bucket list. Unfortunately I can’t, but that’s okay. Rather than bore you with a catalog of lessons I’ve gleaned from the summer, I instead encourage you to take a moment and pause. Consider who you have become in the past two years and how you wish to grow before you leave the College on the hill. At least that’s what I’m trying to do, instead of hoping to become the superwoman I had envisioned. I’m not quite ready to let go of Camp Dartmouth, and more than that, I do not want to accept the more daunting implications of what it means to be halfway done with college. So I will continue to take the risks that will inspire, transform, and improve who I am, and I hope you all do as well. This week we explore what Dartmouth would be like in a different state, compare the realities of the summer with our expectations, question the infamous Dartmouth X, and reflect on what it means to be halfway there — wherever there may be.
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MIR ROR MIRROR EDITOR ELIZABETH TRAGER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JENNY CHE PUBLISHER GARDINER KREGLOW EXECUTIVE EDITOR MADISON PAULY GRAPHICS EDITOR REBECCA XU
OVER HEARDS
Halfway Checkup
ANNA DAVIES // THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
By SARA KASSIR
One of my standout memories of Dimensions is sitting on the Green with a bunch of prospies when a group of ’11 guys came up to us. They asked if we were ’15s, and when we said yes, they eagerly asked if we wanted “the underground tour” of campus. My future classmates and I followed them around as they showed us the coolest places to hang out, explained how to send a flitz and told us that sophomore summer would be the time of our lives. It was a funny, spontaneous and surprisingly informative experience - but more than that, the tour was my first and most profound exposure to the unapologetic, incomprehensible, over-thetop love students often have for the College. It sounds a little too scripted and nostalgic now, but I remember how right before these soon-to-be graduates left to go to their African drumming class, they all looked at us for a minute. “You guys just don’t know how jealous we are of you,” one of them said. It’s been over two years since those ’11s left the College, and I think it’s fair to say that we’ve finally started to get a sense of what they meant about being envious of the classes below us. But consider all the lessons, progress and changes we’ve experienced over our past five to seven terms here - if you could go back and start freshman year from the beginning, would you really want to? With half our time at Dartmouth under our belts, much about the way we act has changed. As freshmen trying to find a place in a social scene we didn’t fully understand, we might have tried too hard to become best friends with everyone we met. We interacted with the Greek scene based not on the perceived image of the houses but on how much fun we had at them. We hung out with our floormates and roommates because they were there, and if we were lucky,
they ended up becoming our first close friends. But as we continued through the terms, we also learned some things about peers that we might not have foreseen during orientation. Acquaintances, classes and clubs introduced us to people who surprised, challenged and supported us in ways we didn’t expect. Superficiality faded quickly; our best friends stopped being the people who were the loudest and most fun, and started being the people who delivered us caffeine during all-nighters and could tell when we were having a rough day. As freshmen, we were also so much more afraid of being judged. We studied in large groups, refused to walk to places alone and worried about looking awkward while getting dinner to-go. Spending a few terms on this campus teaches you that no one cares that much - we all have busy schedules and go about our days however we can. That’s not to say people stop judging—the parameters just change. How you choose to assess people is reflected in who you surround yourself with and the choices you make. Without the anonymity of freshman year, people are more likely to notice. Since we are technically here for school, we’ve hopefully undergone some changes in the realm of academics. We’ve gone from being pre-med engineers with passions for economics to reasonable human beings with slightly more realistic expectations. We’ve had our first experiences in the 1902 Room at 4 a.m. after not leaving enough time for a paper, and our grade might have shown us that office hours matter. We’ve learned that lay-ups are seldom lay-ups, and sometimes it’s just better to take something we’re actually interested in. We’ve become painfully aware of the D-Plan, a system that seemed only tangentially relevant
Camper entering FoCo: “I can’t believe it’s our last meal here. I’m going to miss all the good food!”
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freshman year. It has both blessed us with opportunities to do awesome things and visit new places and cursed us with estranged friendships and trying periods away from the campus we love. At the beginning of the term, we saw some of our closest friends for the first time in months, knowing we’ll have to say goodbye again come the end of the summer. Learning that every term will be different has taught us we always have something to look forward to, and counting down the days until the next big thing is no way to go through college. More than that, it’s no way to go through life. My own first half of Dartmouth was colored with its fair share of ups and downs - I had one roommate transfer while the other became one of my closest friends. By rushing twice, I saw a lot of the negative and positive aspects of the Greek system and am still unsure of my final opinion. The majors I declared on my Common Application are still the ones I plan to graduate with thanks to classes that have genuinely fascinated and inspired me, as well as a few that haven’t. Watching my school be celebrated for some things and criticized for others, I’ve come to understand that Dartmouth isn’t perfect and that attempting to claim otherwise directly hinders progress. Seven terms later, I haven’t always been happy, and it hasn’t always been easy, yet I feel even luckier to be here than the day I set foot on campus. It’s hard to say if all the lessons we’ve acquired over the course of the past two years are because of Dartmouth. Maybe they’re just a normal part of living away from home and growing up. Either way, there’s one good thing about us being halfway done with the college we’ve come to call home - we still have two more years.
Gov Prof: “I’m still wondering about the difference between hip-hop and rap. What does it mean to be more lyrical? Maybe it has something to do with rhyming rich and bitch?”
’15 Girl: “I might as well start dating myself at this rate.”
Gov Prof: “I can’t really focus for more than 10 minutes at a time”
’15 boy: “Snookie has really pretty lips.
The Dartmouth X: Fact or Fiction?
MIRROR //3
TRENDING
By MARIAN LURIO
@ Dartmouth OFF CAMPUS DINING Maybe you believe it, maybe you don’t, but for those who are unfamiliar with the terminology, the Dartmouth X refers to the two opposing trajectories experienced by males and females in our hookup culture. Legend has it that girls begin their Dartmouth career at the top of the X and then lose their sexual appeal until they hit rock bottom senior year. Boys experience the reverse, starting at the bottom (hello, Drake) and working their way up. If there is any truth in the concept, these two paths cross over sophomore summer. So at this very moment, males and females alike should all be equally desirable. Whether we are proud of it or not, the concepts behind the Dartmouth X guide our behavior. I’ve listened to countless girls complain about their alleged fall toward sexual and social irrelevance, and seen freshmen boys eagerly anticipate the arrival of their machismo come junior year. But I have my doubts. I think the hierarchy is less of an X and more of a system where older students disproportionately hold power. Upperclassmen have acquired social capital - they’re older, arguably wiser and many are affiliated, so maybe our social system is just one where older equates to better. Entertain me as my mind harkens back to the socially ignorant outings of freshman fall. Many nights are dominated by incessant quests for older students who can buy you alcohol, invite you to pregames and maybe even get you on table. Relying on older people is a natural way for us to find our footing in the social scene, while they also tangibly supply what we “need” to create the going-out experience. Usually, freshman girls rely on older guys for this. “I have a strong feeling it’s mostly freshmen that dwell on the X at all,” Sahil Seekond ’15 said, adding that the extent to which older guys hook up with first-year women is also dependent upon their affiliation, for freshmen tend to flock to certain Greek houses. In contrast, we have senior girls. By their final year, women are in much more control of their own social experiences, no longer dependent on older students to provide the necessary ingredients. They can often get alcohol from their sororities, buy it themselves or have
a glass of wine at dinner in town. Besides the use of fraternity basements, junior and senior women no longer believe they need the help of men to go out and have fun. Maybe the concept of a washedout senior female at the bottom of the X was created by bitter men, frustrated that their days as hot commodities were coming to a close. At such a small, insular school, many of us will have probably hooked up with most of the more realistic crushes on our bucket lists by the time we are upperclassmen. For all its charm, downtown Hanover fails to provide the same nightlife and abundance of 20-somethings offered in cities. The novelty of “fresh meat” provides both upperclassmen guys and girls with the opportunity for casual hookups that might not be available other wise. By the time us sophomores are seniors, any other ’15 we may be interested in will probably be marked. It is highly likely that this hypothetical someone will have hooked up, grinded, flitzed with or even dated one of our friends - a breeding ground for awkward situations. We then must consider that at the root of this peculiar social construction is an issue of supply-
and-demand, based on the fact that we are simply running out of eligible lovers. “By the time many girls are juniors or seniors they’ve already hooked up with people they’re interested in in their class, and the guys are probably a little offended and want to protect their ego and call the girls ‘washed up’ to make themselves feel better,” Taylor Magnuson ’15 explained. No one really understands the origins or complete implications for the Dartmouth X, regarding it as a confusing aspect of the social scene at the College. “I don’t understand the whole hookup culture here anyway,” Florence Gonsalves ’15 said. “I do think, though, that it’s much easier now to befriend guys, and maybe that means the X is true.” The qualities that older guys at the top possess are the same qualities older girls possess. But, when older girls hook up with freshman boys, known as “cougaring,” it’s somehow different. Is this a symptom of the Dartmouth X, or a basic quality of Dartmouth culture? “I don’t think it’s so much an X,” Gonsalves said. “While girls can be seen as attractive and indemand throughout their time at Dartmouth, guys become so much more respected and grow up during those four years.” In glorifying men as they get
older, the X simultaneously harms the image of women. Having experienced the midpoint of our Dartmouth careers, we should endeavor to cast aside this infamous concept and enjoy each other regardless of our years or ages. “I think if you buy into it, it’s self-fulfilling,” Wills Russell ’15 said. “But I feel like there’s enough people that don’t really care or don’t recognize the social constructs that the X entails.” It’s the novelty of freshmen more than anything that drives this system, Russell said. New students have ver y different ideas about the social scene than those who have been here for a while. So maybe the Dartmouth X is really just a state of mind, and it’s only true for those who subscribe to it. Perhaps it’s because we’re still in that crossover stage, but many of us remain optimistic that this hierarchy won’t define the rest of our social experience at Dartmouth. But if we are going to let the legend of the Dartmouth X become reality, then at least the new GLC policies will temporarily halt our movement through the crossover. Since freshmen will not be allowed in Greek houses until after Homecoming, it seems like we’ll have to put up with each other for that much longer.
Collis and FoCo are really getting old.
STREAKING THE GREEN When did this become a thing, and why is it so fun?
FLAIRABUSE Seizing our last opand go wild.
CLASS PARTICIPATION Guess people just remembered that we actually get grades this term...
BUG BITES
NUSHY GOLRIZ // THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
4// MIRROR
Hey Expectations: Meet Reality By LINDSAY ELLIS
KATHERINE PUJOL// THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Earlier this week, I got an exclamation pointfilled blitz from a recent graduate: “I hope your sophomore summer is going even better than anticipated!” That’s a tall order. I drove up from Boston (fine, yes, after tweeting “13X bound!” and a Mayfair-filtered picture of my stuffed car) with extraordinarily high hopes for this term. I’m living off-campus with three freshman floormates. I somehow hit the jackpot and found three classes that not only filled distribs but also seemed interesting. I was finally going to discover the outdoorsy side I’d been imagining ever I since I pushed submit on my early decision application. The lore of sophomore summer is passed down from admissions officers and UGAs alike. The term’s fun-filled reputation remained pristine even after Rolling Stone’s exposé, as the magazine threw DOC First-Year trips under the bus yet didn’t touch upon the X terms. Last summer, we stalked the ’14s’ muploads and enviously watched as they completed their bucket lists. When we migrated north this June, we had to make extra room in the trunk
for our heavy expectations. Two words bubble up each time you ask someone about his or her sophomore summer expectations: Camp Dartmouth. “Reputation-wise, you characterize it as good weather, outdoor activities and lots of free time,” Mojin Chen ’15 said. This camp comparison makes perfect sense — we’re right by a beautiful river and have magnificent day hikes at our disposal. But the reputation of sophomore summer extends beyond hot weather and a deep-seated desire to run back that color war victory from our camp glory days. This summer is the first at Dartmouth for many, and by the end of sophomore year, this newness may feel like a fresh way to break patterns and explore new activities. But how does coming to Dartmouth with these expectations change the actual experience of a term? Undergraduate dean June Chu said excitement about sophomore summer sometimes stems from the beautiful weather, classes in new fields and a chance to try leadership positions in organizations and Greek house. Chu said she cautioned students to keep expectations in check.
from freshman year to his mentality entering 13X. At the beginning of his freshman year, he expected nothing but amazing classes and immediate connections. “That expectation led me to not having a great year - I thought everyone else was having a perfect time,” he said. “Why wasn’t I?” For the summer, then, he tried to temper his expectations and avoid the hype. “Even though I’m taking the normal course load and still doing the same activities, I have more time in the day,” he said. “It’s been a great term so far because I went into it without the idea that everything was going to be magical and amazing.” Chu said that if a student is disappointed that expectations haven’t been fulfilled, she asks him or her to reflect on the experience’s realities. “I don’t view any experience as a mistake or a regret,” she said. “It’s a learning experience. If your expectations are high because friends recommended you take these classes or do these things, you should look for other recommendations as well in the future.” Guzman-Buchness said she expects ’15s to approach the final two weeks of term with a positive outlook. “In a 10-week term, two weeks is a lot of time,” Guzman-Buchness said. “I can still discover new things about sophomore summer.” And though Hanover has the uncanny ability to speed up the weeks, with summer comes more daylight hours. There’s more time to fit in social activities, coursework or simply read and relax on a porch. I wonder if I’ll look back on sophomore summer and replace heavy expectations with golden-tinted memories. The bubble that surrounds the College may soon seal behind my packed-up car, leaving within the actual sophomore summer experience. Maybe your expectations for 13X overshot reality, or maybe you used high expectations to make
“While it’s summer and beautiful, it’s still Dartmouth,” Chu said. For Deby Guzman-Buchness ’15, it was meeting new people that built up this summer. A rainy June followed by a humid July, however, meant that students spent time during summer’s earlier weeks inside, literally and figuratively clouding some of our more optimistic sophomore summer aspirations. “If there are people in the library, I don’t want to interrupt them,” Guzman-Buchness said. “A large chunk of meeting people comes out of doing activities.” Yet sophomores have found new experiences despite the regular academic classes and the less-than-pristine weather, especially after moving out of College housing for the first time. Molly Chodakewitz ’15, who lives offcampus this term, said her housemates have weekly dinners, sharing stories over fried rice or macaroni and cheese. Last week, Guzman-Buchness came home to find several members of this fall’s Lodj Croo siting in her off-campus apartment, playing cards. “There’s nothing like coming home to a full house,” she said. “This has this really nice energy, it feels like the freshman floor.” High expectations inevitably color our perceptions of the term. Though unrealistic dreams of 13X glory can make the 10 summer weeks feel tame, for some, high expectations benefit a term’s outcome. “I’m challenging myself to say yes to more things,” Chodakewitz said. “If people are blitzing out going to the Lodj for dinner, I’ll go. Having expectations forces me to be accountable.” Some ’15s had more foresight than I did - they tempered steep sophomore summer lore with realistic expectations of the weeks ahead. Chen said he knew 13X would be a busier term due to corporate recruiting and his Econ 26 class, notorious for its frequent problem sets and cold calls in class. Cody Bell ’15 said he applied tough lessons
these last two months extraordinary, but with two weeks left, we have hot afternoons and clear nights to check off your last bucket-list boxes.
our Hanover-nestled campus. At DePaul University, with two of its campuses located in the heart of downtown Chicago, there are limited on-campus housing options. Students frequently move off campus between their freshman and sophomore years, transitioning from college community members to Chicago residents. Rising senior Sarah Rens moved into an apartment, got a job with the State Department and began taking night classes during her sophomore year. “It is an immediate plunge into adulthood,” Rens said. “My friends back home are always saying they’re worried about starting a life, living alone and having a job, but for me, in a way, I am already doing that.” In contrast, many argue that the insularity of the College, the safety of campus and adjacent areas and the primarily Greek-based social scene stunts the development of Dartmouth students’ social awareness and overall maturity. For Rens, social life is centered on house parties hosted by friends all over Chicago. As most of her friends have jobs around town, another aspect of their social life involves accompanying each other to corporate events and other professional social affairs. Living in the nation’s third-largest city, social life also centers around concerts, theater and bars, providing students more culture than that offered in Hanover. Despite the perks of city living, there are some less forgiving policies regarding underage drinking. Without a centralized campus and campus security on every corner, students and their drinking habits are regulated by state and city laws. But don’t worry, there’s a loophole — students enrolled in a culinary program on the side may taste alcohol if they are under 21. Of course! As evidenced by the more rigid drinking
regulations at other schools, it’s easy for us to take for granted the relatively lenient College policies that try to keep us out of trouble. One of the criticisms that Dartmouth often receives, especially from its big-city cohorts, is the isolation of rural New Hampshire. Sebastian Villarereal-Levy ’15, however, said he found a strong network around the country, making unexpected connections with alumni and students. While on previous family trips to Nantucket, Mass., this Texan did not know anyone on the island, he has recently met a lot of people connected with the College. Despite Dartmouth’s remote location, maybe the insularity of the College fuels a cultish mentality, helping to facilitate widespread connections. Villarreal-Levy said the lack of bars around campus leads students to stay in fraternity basements and focus too much on pong, often to the detriment of personal connections and relationships. The lack of variety in social outlets, coupled with the many constraints placed by the College on the types of venues used to host events, also limits social options. A less rural setting may not impose such limitations. Still, the natural environment around Hanover offers its own unique college experience. Villarreal-Levy said he spent a weekend this summer in Rye, N.H., with 10 of his friends, So for the hiker, the swimmer or the adventurer who jumps from ridges into cool New Hampshire waters, the rural state and all of its quaint laws might beat the perks of a bigger university in an urban setting. Whether you are just a small town girl or just a city boy, we can all recognize the beautifully symbiotic relationship between our college and the state in which it is embedded. Anywhere else just wouldn’t feel right.
There’s No Place Like Home By ESTER CROSS
As one of the original 13 colonies to form the United States, the “live free or die” state is teeming with obsolete laws and regulations. With so much of Dartmouth’s identity intertwined with that of New Hampshire, it is also subject to the peculiar laws remaining from times when more rigid regulation was deemed necessary. Some of the stranger ones prohibit citizens from collecting and removing seaweed from the seashore at night, selling the clothes on their back to pay off gambling debts and relieving themselves while looking up on Sundays. While the list goes on, laws more pertinent to the Dartmouth student regulate housing and nudity. A Hanover town ordinance sets the maximum occupancy limit to no more than three unrelated people in a dwelling. Landlords who rent out property with greater capacity register additional residents as “frequent overnight guests,” a status possessed by a surprising amount of students. State laws regarding indecent exposure and lewdness make the Ledyard challenge an especially difficult endeavor for countless adventurous souls — but isn’t that part of the fun? Despite these legal constraints, students experience far greater freedom than those at, for instance, the University of Alabama. This begs the question — how would Dartmouth be different if it wasn’t located in New Hampshire, or was a bit bigger? Comparing our beloved college to other universities sheds light on some of this hypothetical musing. The drinking habits of students at the University of Alabama are regulated through a “hierarchy” of rules, senior Rebecca Hails said. At fraternity events, security officers stand guard and students must bring their own drinks,
minimizing liability for affiliated members. In addition to university police, students have to watch out for both the Tuscaloosa city police and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, affectionately referred to as the ABC. “It’s very common for people to get arrested and receive minor in possession charges here,” Hails said. Students caught by the police or ABC are arrested and can also face adjudication through the university’s citation process, which entails a judicial hearing and community service. Incurring three of these citations necessitates expulsion. The “Strip,” a row of late night bars and restaurants along University Drive, serves as a late night hot spot for students of legal age or those with fake IDs. Wednesdays and Thursdays in particular are considered week-day going out nights (hello Thirsty Thursday), so many students structure their schedules to avoid classes on Fridays, Hails said. Those lucky Crimson Tide kids — incessant three-day weekends during sophomore summer would be quite a blessing. Alabama residents are also plagued by their share of interesting laws. For example, drivers cannot operate their vehicles when blindfolded, preferably not when blindfolded and fleeing the ABC. Additionally, when students are considering their getup for themed fraternity parties, they must consider an Alabama law prohibiting them from impersonating members of the clergy in public places. The idea of any sort of legal regulation imposed on our beloved flair is a frightening one, so let’s take a moment to thank our forefathers for granting us with that liberty. Moment done. Universities in cities also differ greatly from