The Dartmouth Freshman Issue 2021 by The Dartmouth Newspaper

ANNIE QIU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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Table of Contents

EDITORS’ NOTE

Dear Class of 2025, We are at the start of yet another academic year at Dartmouth, and we are beyond thrilled that you all are here to experience it with us. It’s safe to say that all of you are in for an interesting first year at Dartmouth. As a student body, we are currently battling a duality of “normals”: On the one hand, members of the Classes of 2022 and 2023 long for a return to Dartmouth’s “normal,” the way things were before March 2020. But on the other hand, there are many ways in which that “normal” is now out of reach or even undesirable. The Class of 2024 is stuck in the middle, having never known what a “normal” Dartmouth looks like and having to defend the new norms and traditions they created without the guidance of older classes. All of us are eyewitnesses and agents of change in the struggle to both return to that normal and define a new one. You, the Class of 2025, are at the heart of that change. With that in mind, we want this special issue to both welcome you to campus and remind your older peers — the ’22s, ’23s and ’24s — what Dartmouth was, is and will be. Hence this year’s theme: “(Re)introduction.” In the physical or virtual pages that follow, the talented writers who contributed to this issue walk you through the ins and outs of Dartmouth institutions and debunk deeply held myths about them. They summarize what life is like outside the classroom and describe in vivid detail the fun that can be had here. They offer advice to set your roots and strengthen your ties while you are here. And they do so much more. Every person who reads this issue will take with them something different. Regardless of what among these pages impacts you most, we hope each of you finds yourself in this new year. Welcome home, ’25s. With love, Lauren, Mia, Spencer and Thomas

Join Us at The Dartmouth! Located on the second floor of Robinson Hall — affectionately known as Robo — The Dartmouth’s offices buzz with reporters typing stories, business staff selling advertisements, photographers editing shots and editors providing guidance and banter. As America’s oldest college newspaper — founded in 1799 — we have undergone many changes over the past two centuries, and we continue to iterate upon and improve our practices every day. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, The D published daily, and now, we’re back in person, writing articles, producing videos, and posting regularly to social media accounts. Our website draws tens of thousands of visitors monthly, and with over 200 students on staff, The Dartmouth is one of the largest organizations on campus. We take pride in seeking the truth, and we are fully independent from the College. Both the business and editorial staff offer a wide range of learning opportunities to build valuable skills and to work alongside diligent and creative peers. Mentorship is an invaluable component of working at The D, and you can often find upperclassmen giving advice to underclassmen on classes, job interviews, campus social life and everything in between. We pride ourselves on our learning environment — many members of our editorial board had their first experience in journalism at The D, going on to develop real-world skills in communication, management and editing. With a great network on campus and beyond, the D is a great place to gain practical skills while building lasting relationships. Our alumni have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes, write for publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and hold positions at elite finance and consulting firms. If you have questions about the Editorial staff, feel free to email our editor-in-chief at editor@thedartmouth. com. If you have questions about the Business staff, please reach out to our publisher at publisher@thedartmouth. com. The Dartmouth welcomes you to Hanover, and we hope to see you in our offices soon enough! Keep an eye on your blitz for information about our inperson open houses and our applications,

available online now at thedartmouth. com on the “Join Us” page and due Friday, Sept. 17 at 11:59 p.m. EDITORIAL

News The news section keeps up with the pulse of our community, informing campus and our broader audience with happenings from all corners of the College. When news happens at Dartmouth, the community looks to The D for the important details. In recent months, we’ve covered topics such as the impacts of COVID-19 policies and outbreaks on students and staff, the effects of national politics and events on the lives of students and the evolution of sexual assault and misconduct policies at the College. More investigative pieces, on topics such as the cutting of study abroad programs and analyses of the College’s budget, allow us to dig deeper into campus issues and incorporate innovative techniques such as data visualization in the process. Sports Covering both club and varsity sports, the sports section keeps the Dartmouth community up to date with Big Green athletics. In the past year, we’ve ramped up our sports news coverage, showcasing profiles of players and teams, coverage of Dartmouth Athletics controversies and a number of regular columns by dedicated student journalists who also happen to be sports aficionados. Now that sports are truly back, we’re excited to get back on the field with players and provide topnotch coverage of Dartmouth teams. Arts The D’s arts and entertainment section highlights creative endeavors at the College, covering everything from performances and exhibitions at the Hopkins Center for the Arts to new movie reviews. Arts also features profiles on the College’s own artistic talent — such as student playwrights, musicians and painters — and features student reviews of albums, books, films and more! Opinion + Cartoon Our opinion section gives columnists and community members a platform for lively debate on relevant campus

KYLE MULLINS, Editor-in-Chief REILLY OLINGER, News Executive Editor COALTER PALMER, PALMER, Production Executive Editor

PRODUCTION EDITORS

“It’s all right not to be okay”: mental health resources on campus

Q&A with Interim Provost David Kotz ’86

Delta variant raises concerns about a new phase of the pandemic

As students vie for voting power, a history of the Board of Trustees

Class of 2025 subject to frat ban this fall, but not Class of 2024

Dartmouth affinity groups provide support, community

Dartmouth UGAs adapt to challenges posed by COVID-19

Q&A with outgoing Hanover town clerk Betsy McClain

An overview: Hidden gems of the Hopkins Center for the Arts

The Sound of Music: A look at Dartmouth’s ensemble groups

Hood Museum encourages students to take ownership of space

Mobley: About That Restraining Order...

Arrington: The Art of Saying Yes

Harrison: Save Yourself the Stress

de Wolff: The Spirit of This College

Teszler: Change is in the Air & Peters: Advice from a ’24

A guide to Dartmouth’s lesser-known libraries

Dorm access restrictions to loosen compared to pre-pandemic

Varsity sports set to resume despite possible campus restrictions

Club and intramural sports allow new and former athletes to play

Reflection: If I’m Not the Best, Who Am I?

Mirror 2

Lest Old Traditions Fail: Reflections on Pressure to ‘Buy In’

Mirror 2

The Night Before 21F: A Poetic Guide to Dartmouth’s Lingo Mirror 3 The Ultimate Fall Upper Valley Bucket List

Mirror 4

Carving a Niche: How an Idea Becomes a Club

Mirror 4

Advice to ’25s: The Shortcomings of the D-Plan

Mirror 5

A Delectable Dartmouth Dining Directory

Mirror 5

and nationwide issues. Recent pieces have taken a stance on the College’s COVID-19 policies, climate change and the severe housing shortage on campus. Opinion also encompasses our comic section, where student cartoonists can use art as an avenue to comment on campus and popular culture. (Check out the “Badly Drawn Girl” series by Mindy Kaling ’01 for a notable example.) The opinion section is also the home of Verbum Ultimum — weekly in-house editorials published by The Dartmouth Editorial Board. The Editorial Board consists of several opinion columnists, the opinion editors, the executive editors and the editor-in-chief.

featuring them in print as well as online through our website and social media. Our design staff works to create visually appealing illustrations, covers, and infographics for all our sections, especially Mirror and Arts.

Mirror The Mirror, our weekly magazine published every Wednesday, takes a critical look at campus culture through both long-form features and more lighthearted pieces. In addition to photo essays, regular senior columns and “Through the Looking Glass” reflection pieces, some of the Mirror’s recent work includes examinations of taboos, dating culture and religion at Dartmouth.

Data Visualization From conducting original surveys to visualizing data to complement our reporting, the data visualization team works with a variety of programs, including Qualtrics, R and Stata, to bring numbers to life.

Multimedia The Multimedia team takes journalism and storytelling off the page to engage our viewers. We deliver content through various media formats, including a mix of graphics, sound and video content. Our approach is continually evolving, but the Multimedia section currently produces video interviews, spotlights, live streams, podcasts and even a news broadcast show. Whether you’re an aspiring designer, an experienced video editor or a budding newscaster, the Multimedia section has a place for you! Photo + Design Editorial isn’t just about the written word. Our reporting would not be complete without the hard work of our photographers and graphic designers, whose visuals complement each story we publish. Photographers at The Dartmouth give our readers a visual perspective on campus news, capturing events and scenes across campus and

OLIVIA GOMEZ, Publisher

LAUREN ADLER, SPENCER ALLEN, THOMAS BROWN & MIA RUSSO Issue Editors

SOPHIE BAILEY, BAILEY Design Editor

Dartmouth’s first women reflect on 50 years of coeducation

BUSINESS DIRECTORS EMILY GAO & BRIAN WANG, WANG, Advertising and Finance Directors

NAINA BHALLA & ANGELINA SCARLOTTA, SCARLOTTA Photography Editors GRANT PINKSTON, PINKSTON Templating Editor

SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College, and should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.

Templating + Layout The D’s weekly print schedule means that Thursday nights are an especially exciting time in Robo. Members of our layout staff learn and use InDesign software — no prior experience necessary! — and work directly with the executive editors to arrange stories and visuals into the print version of the paper you can pick up and read every Friday.

Engagement Engagement is the newest section of The Dartmouth, created in 2019 to respond to the ever-evolving landscape of journalism and media. Our engagement team works to package and deliver our content on a variety of different online social media platforms, translating print stories for online viewership and working to consider how digital mediums can serve as platforms for storytelling. Interested in building our social media presence or newsletter writing? Join Engagement! BUSINESS People are often surprised to learn that The Dartmouth is entirely studentrun and fully independent, receiving no funding from the College. In fact, The D is the largest student-run business in Hanover, offering students an unparalleled level of real-world experience. The business side of our staff works to ensure that the paper’s editorial content can reach its intended audience and remain an independent, unbiased source of information. Students with a wide range of interests can find a place in one of the various sections comprising the business staff. Technology Our growing technology staff support the paper’s online presence. The team has recently coded and developed a mobile app for the paper, available now on the Apple and Android app stores. Tech staff at The D troubleshoot issues with our website, maintain our mobile app, and work on projects such as the creation of websites for Special Issues

to centralize our content and highlight exceptional work. Advertising and Finance The advertising and finance section is the main source of revenue generation for the paper. The staff is in charge of selling ads across the variety of advertising channels the newspaper has to offer. Students build long-term client relationships to create mutually beneficial advertising packages and plans. The team works closely together to develop forward-looking strategies and promotions. This staff is currently working on expanding beyond the Upper Valley and exploring national partnerships to advertise in The Dartmouth, presenting an exciting opportunity for students to engage with national businesses and partners. Business Development The business development staff works closely with the Publisher of the paper to deal with a diverse array of business initiatives. These involve brainstorming and implementing alternative revenue streams such as creating and selling a coffee table book of the newspaper’s archives, building a fundraising campaign, pursuing new strategic partnerships for the paper and exploring ways to increase our online footprint as the paper emphasizes its virtual formats. Students who are interested in economics or finance and are willing to learn quickly about a variety of business-related endeavors will be a good fit for this section. Strategy The strategy staff works in teams to solve the paper’s most pressing problems and serves as the internal consultants for The Dartmouth. Where should we be distributing the paper every week? How should we redesign the website? How do we effectively recruit and retain talented staff? The strategy team is a great place to work closely with peers to unpack the big picture questions involved in managing and developing a business. Marketing and Analytics The marketing and analytics staff focuses on the paper’s social media and online presence as well as inter-staff events and relations. The social media team develops and implements social media strategy on all platforms, while the analytics team works on boosting the readership of the paper and internal development through data and analytics-focused research and surveys. More UI/UX inclined staff members brainstorm changes to make our website more aesthetic and interactive.

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

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Dartmouth’s first women reflect on 50 years of coeducation BY EMILY LU

The Dartmouth Staff

Fifty years ago, a cohort of 150 women students arrived at the all-male institution of Dartmouth College. This would be the last academic year of exchange programs that allowed women to attend the College before the Board of Trustees voted in November 1971 to officially institute coeducation. Prior to the fall of 1972, when women students first matriculated at the College, Dartmouth hosted various co-educational weeks and academic exchanges that allowed women to explore campus. The first women accepted by Dartmouth in an exchange were a group of seven drama students in the 1968-1969 academic year, though they were not allowed to live in the dormitories. In th e follow in g two year s, approximately 70 upperclassmen women were accepted through exchange programs with other institutions. The last year of the exchange program, academic year 1971-1972, saw 150 women students enroll at Dartmouth. Campus Life The exchange year provided new opportunities for academic challenge and socialization. Most students participated through the 12-college exchange, a program that originally consisted of 10 colleges, addressed the national push for coeducation and allowed students from other northeastern single-sex institutions to attend a different school for a year, according to College archivist Peter Carini. “It was magical to me — it was something new and exciting, and I needed it,” Alice Malone ’71, who decided to attend Dartmouth on an exchange program after learning about the opportunity on a bulletin board at Occidental College, said. “Dartmouth was what you made it, and it was an opportunity that most of us felt we shouldn’t miss.” Women exchange students — known as “co-eds” at the time — were all housed in Cohen Hall and later North Massachusetts Hall, according to Malone. During the 1970–1971 academic year, male students outnumbered the women 46 to 1. Gabrielle Handler ’70 said that even as a member of one of the first cohorts of women at the College, she was very enthusiastic about attending. “There was a certain kind of thrill and excitement in being in the vanguard,” Handler said. “It was an opening up of opportunities. That was the whole era — opportunities being widened and opened and broadened for women.” Sarah Marter ’72, who participated in the exchange program from Wellesley College, described the reactions of the male students as “varied,” adding that the location of Cohen — directly behind fraternity row — was not optimal. According to F loran Fowkes ’71, while upperclassmen in particular were not “necessarily warm and welcoming,” freshmen and sophomores were mostly excited to have women on campus. Similarly, in classrooms, women students had mixed experiences with professors. Amy Sabrin ’72 said she was warned to avoid a certain art class due to the professor’s views. “Some of the guys [told me] that the teacher was a misogynist, and he didn’t think women could be serious artists, and I would never get a good grade — and they were right,” Sabrin said. While the ratio of male to female

students often meant there was rarely more than one woman in any given class, Fowkes said that did not deter their participation and willingness to learn. She added that women students often took advantage of office hours to reach out to professors and develop mentoring relationships. “We were pretty assertive as a group,” Fowkes said. “We weren’t going to sit and not answer questions or were cowed by the fact that we were the only woman in the class, and I think that speaks volumes to who we were as people.” According to a Rauner Collection timeline, in 1970, 83% of the student body favored coeducation. A vocal proponent was David Aylward ’71, who said that he was heavily involved in lobbying for coeducation because he believed that women students would make Dartmouth a much better place. “Dartmouth was a very toxic environment,” Aylward said. “It was an alcohol-fueled, intolerant, homogenous, misog ynistic, disrespectful student culture … Having a normal relationship with a woman was almost impossible.”

A Separate School Despite support from the majority of students, faculty and alumni for coeducation, the form it would take at the College was undetermined — especially as Title IX discussions entered the picture. Plans for coeducation at Dartmouth were originally focused on a target enrollment of 1,000 women across the College and maintaining the number of male undergraduate students at 3,000. Under Title IX, however, coeducational institutions would be required to admit men and women on a non-discriminatory basis. The proposed law at the time — which would not be enacted until June 1972 — contained an exception that allowed single-sex institutions to maintain their admissions process. As a result, discussion emerged of creating a separate, “coordinate” all-female school, essentially a sister school. The associated school would share Dartmouth’s campus to create the effect of coeducation, but would be legally treated as a different institution. According to Carini, other options included making Colby Sawyer College, located in New London, N.H., a sister institution or creating a separate school located in Norwich. “The idea that women had separate education needs was offensive,” Sabrin said. “... Even then, I understood that it was a proposal to try to circumvent what was about to become law: Title IX.” Sabrin, who was the first female editor at The Dartmouth, said she expressed her “outrage” at the time by penning a column in the paper. This was met with some backlash from students, including offensive notes taped to the door of her dorm room. Still, Sabrin organized with other women students and staff to issue a statement opposing an associated school for women at the College and asking for a meeting with thenCollege President John Kemeny. After receiving a petition signed by almost 50 women students and hearing feedback from faculty, Sabrin said that Kemeny dropped the idea.

coeducation — 81% of the Classes of 1960 to 1969 favored coeducation — while in the Classes of 1893 to 1925, the approval rate was a mere 46%. History and women’s, gender and sexuality studies professor Annelise Orleck said that among powerful donors to the College, there was a sizable minority of opponents to coeducation. These alumni held onto Dartmouth’s history of “hypermasculinity,” Orleck said. In order to address the alumni who had qualms about coeducation, Fowkes said that professors often organized groups of women students to speak at alumni events, particularly students who were interested in pursuing graduate school or specific professions. “There was a little bit of hostility [from the alums],” Fowkes said. “Some of the alums were convinced that the only reason you wanted to go to Dartmouth was to find a Dartmouth husband.” Some students therefore felt that the exchange programs were treated as a metric of how successful coeducation would be at Dartmouth. Marter said there was pressure on women students to perform at their best and recalled when her advisor spoke to her about improving her grades after she received a C+ in a class. “We did feel like we had to represent, be good students and contributing members of the community,” Sabrin said. Reuniting with Dartmouth Despite the role of these women in facilitating Dartmouth’s transition to coeducation, the College kept virtually no records of these students. Only in the past few years, Sabrin said, have these women been invited to alumni events and adopted by the Classes of 1969 through 1972. “I don’t think the administration actually ever thought of us as real Dartmouth students, and that was further borne out by the fact that it took 40 years for us to get invited to a reunion,” Sabrin said. Aylward, who managed his class’s 45th reunion book, said he made it a mission to find the women exchange students who shared time on campus with the Class of 1971. Frustrated that the College kept no documentation of this history, Aylward worked with Malone to track down many of the other women students by emailing the schools that had participated in the exchange. Fowkes said that class adoptions have served as a way to connect with some exchange students she may not have met while at the College, as there were few activities that promoted a sense of unity within the cohort of

COURTESY OF FLORAN FOWKES ’71

Few records were kept of the women who participated in exchange programs.

women. “It has really been a treat to meet these other women who have gone on to do great things,” Fowkes said. According to Aylward, in the past five years, more than 30 women have reconnected with the College through adoptions by their respective graduating classes.

“Those women are personally responsible for Dartmouth becoming co-educational,” Aylward said. “If as a group they had not contributed the way they contributed, that would have been the end of coeducation … They were real pioneers. They got a lot of arrows in the back, but they really changed the place.”

Interested in art or material culture? Want to learn more about museums?

JOIN THE MUSEUM CLUB Students from all class years and majors are invited to • Plan and host fun, student-only “Hood After 5” events • Get museum merch and behind-the-scenes opportunities • Gain experience working in a museum setting To apply, email look.at.the.hood@dartmouth.edu and briefly explain your interest (150 words max) by September 19. Museum Club members explore Class of 1967 Gallery. Photo by Rob Strong.

Pressure on the Program According to an alumni poll conducted in 1970, 59% of alumni approved of increasing the number of women students at Dartmouth. Within this majority, classes that had graduated within the past decade were more strongly in favor of

You are not alone. dating violence • sexual assault • stalking every hour, every day 866-348-WISE or chat online at wiseuv.org

We’re here for you.

For 50 years, WISE has supported survivors in times of stress and crisis. WISE advocates are here for the Dartmouth community every hour, every day. We are completely confidential and survivor-centered. We can answer your questions, help you find resources, navigate systems, and support you as you think through what you want next for your life. We work with all people who have experienced gender-based violence, regardless of age, race, orientation, gender, or identity. Call the crisis line or chat with us online. You do not need to be in crisis to reach out to us.

wiseuv.org/dartmouth campus@wiseuv.org Campus: 213 Wilson Hall

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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“It’s all right to not be okay”: mental health resources on campus By Sydney Wuu

The Dartmouth Staff

The transition to college can be stressful, and many students may find that they struggle with their mental health during their adjustment. But from student-led groups to nonprofits and professional campus divisions, there are a variety of resources available on campus for students seeking mental health support. Associate dean of student support services Anne Hudak said her best piece of advice for freshmen is to always reach out — early and often — for support when they need it. Whether it be from the Undergraduate Deans Office, an undergraduate advisor, the Student Wellness Center or a roommate, taking care of one’s mental health should be a priority. “I think of the Undergraduate Deans Office as a resource students can come to when something just seems off, something just doesn’t seem right,” Hudak said. “We can talk students through that and suggest some resources they might be able to reach out to.” Another major resource is Dick’s House Health Services, which offers short-term individual counseling, group therapy, Dartmouth Cares Suicide Prevention, psychiatric m e d i c at i o n eva l u at i o n s a n d medication management, ADHD assessments, consultation and referral and nutrition and wellness services. Dick’s House associate director Dr. Alex Lenzen said there are “so many misconceptions” about the Counseling Center at Dick’s House, especially around wait times and what students can say without fear of being punished. Lenzen stressed that Dick’s House has a counselor on call 24/7, every day of the year — including holidays. “I often hear students saying they can’t get in for weeks, but the average wait time for a first appointment is two to three days,” Lenzen said. “We always have crisis services available, so we have a counselor on call 24/7, every day of the year, holidays, breaks, we’re always here. If students need support urgently, they can always come to us, there’s not that couple of weeks’ wait.” Lenzen noted that many students fear what might happen with the information that they share in the Counseling Center, but their privacy is much more protected than students might realize. “I think a really big misconception

is that if somebody talks about suicidal thoughts or feelings they will be sent home, and that’s just not true,” Lenzen said. “I would say about 50% of the students we see — and we see about a fourth of the student body — talk about suicidal thoughts and feelings, and we hardly ever send students home without their choice; that happens maybe once every three years.” An investigation into mental health resources on campus by The Dartmouth, released in July, found that the College had made some changes over the course of the pandemic to make care more accessible, including hiring more counselors, but that there are also several major areas for improvement in the school’s mental health infrastructure — including mental health leave policy and a lack of long-term care options. According to Lenzen, Dick’s House and the Student Wellness Center are both complementary resources. While Dick’s House offers clinical counseling services, the Student Wellness Center offers proactive, preventative wellbeing support. Student Wellness Center director Caitlin Barthelmes emphasized the importance of early intervention, noting a general tendency to wait until stress, anxiety and other unpleasant emotions build up and cause barriers to students’ productivity and mental health. “If we wait until that boilover point, it may involve needing a higher level of professional support” said Barthelemes. “Whereas, if we’re able to create a daily practice of pausing to check in with ourselves and how we’re feeling, it allows for an increase in our ability to know ourselves and to take action to improve our emotional health.” According to Barthelmes, the mission of the SWC is to “empower the student community to thrive while at the College and beyond.” Barthelmes identified four evidencebased processes that can help students: self-reflection, connection with others, intention and commitment and drawing on values to inform actions One of the SWC’s goals for this year, Barthelmes said, is to “focus on normalizing tending to mental and emotional health as a daily practice in the student community.” Well-being and mindfulness specialist Laura White said that the SWC will continue their weekly, free-flowing mindfulness drop-ins this fall to encourage this practice. Mindfulness drop-ins are open to all

ANGELINA SCARLOTTA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

The Student Wellness Center, located on the third floor of Robinson Hall, is just one potential resource for students.

undergraduates to come and go as they please, as well as another fourweek, free Koru mindfulness course that will take place in a group cohort and meet once a week. White stressed the importance of eliminating money, time and location as obstacles to learning mindfulness. According to White, the SWC’s SoundCloud and YouTube pages contain over fifty different meditations and yoga practices of varying lengths and styles. “We have a huge library of virtual resources,” White said. “Students who can’t get to a drop-in or don’t have time for a fourweek class might be able to just try a three-minute practice on their own, or a 15-minute practice on their own. Whatever they’re looking for, we’re trying to really create a lot of different entry points.” Barthelems emphasized the importance of finding a caring listener, and noted the availability of SWC’s wellness check-ins, which she described as one-on-one, studentscheduled conversations in a nonjudgemental place to discuss anything somebody may be going through with either a professional SWC staff member or in a co-facilitated session with a graduate student. Mental Health Union peer support program director Felicia Ragucci

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EXPLORE YOUR CAMPUS ART MUSEUM For information on upcoming events and student involvement opportunities, visit our website. Installation view of Drawing Lines. Photo by Rob Strong

’22 said that she found the SWC’s 45-minute to one-hour wellness check-ins helpful as a freshman and continues to utilize this resource. “I think that [the wellness checkins] are a really great resource available to students because it’s not a full-time commitment where you have to go through counseling and that sort of process,” Ragucci said. “It’s just something that you can do when you want someone to talk to and you just want someone to listen.” Another conversation-based resource is MHU’s peer support program, a student-led, private mental health resource available to all undergraduates. Since its launch in spring of 2019, the peer support program has expanded from operating two nights a week to every night. Ragucci encouraged freshmen to join the peer support volunteer and mental health ambassador training starting this fall. “We definitely encourage and would love to have ’25s apply to become peer support volunteers,” Ragucci said. “Also, we have students in student groups all across campus who can become mental health ambassadors for whatever that student group is. They’re in touch with us and we provide them with resources, updates and information that they can then funnel to their group.” MHU ambassador program vice president Audrey Herrald ’23 used peer support during her freshman year and described it as a “really great, easily accessible, very low stress type of environment.” Another peer-led resource is the Sexual Assault Peer Alliance, which according to SAPA advisor Brandon Zhou ’22 provides a “survivorcentered approach to how students support their peers.” Trained peer advisors talk through issues to whatever extent an individual feels comfortable with and can connect them to resources such as the Title IX Office or WISE, a local organization that supports survivors of genderbased violence. Zhou said he believes that SAPA occupies a “unique space” in that the organization consists of students who have been trained by the Counseling Center on how to best support survivors and people who have experienced sexual abuse or sexual or gender-based violence. “One thing that I might just stress is that we are a peer resource,” Zhou said. “We are students’ peers, and I think that we’re a great resource especially if you’re not really sure what you want to do. We are able to connect you to different resources and support structures from around campus and also off campus.” Eva Yao ’23 is the CEO of FORT, a nonprofit student-run organization that also provides on- and off-campus support to students and works to destigmatize mental health on campus and reduce financial barriers to obtaining care. “I came up with this idea because I felt that throughout my Dartmouth experience, the College has lacked in mental health support,” Yao said. “Especially with what the ’24s went through with the consecutive suicides, I felt like the school was not doing nearly enough and the students felt really unsupported. I genuinely care about our community and really wanted to do something to make a difference.” According to Yao, FORT has raised around $10,000 this summer through fundraising events, alumni donations and large corporation matching to be used in a pilot program in the fall geared toward supporting students in their mental health pursuits.

To make the process of searching for providers easier, FORT has partnered with numerous College alumni and nearby resources such as Hanover Psychiatry, although students are free to choose from whichever providers they would like. The organization plans to allocate funds on a first come, first served basis and provide up to $350 a month to cover the costs of an individual’s mental health appointments. FORT also hosts a bimonthly speaker series to tackle the stigmatization of mental health issues, which is open for students to candidly share their experiences. “We’re very open for ’24s and ’25s to come and just listen to our experiences, or if they want to speak, that’s also awesome,” Yao said. “I think that can be another outlet for them to feel supported in the community. It’s going to be a very safe space and we’re hoping to have it on campus this fall.” The Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Life offers students that feel more comfortable in a faith-based space a place for conversation and reflection. The Center hosts weekly multifaith conversations — spaces where students can receive mutual comfort from talking openly about how faith and spirituality affects their lives and campus experiences with other people also interested in this idea. “People can come from a variety of faith backgrounds or no faith backg round, just people who have some sort of tangential interest or connection to faith and spirituality,” Tucker Center major events coordinator Attiya Khan ’22 said. “We sometimes touch on mental health topics, [and] sometimes we talk about specific experiences that can be tough at Dartmouth, like balancing being in a new environment and how faith and spirituality can help.” Khan noted that the Tucker Center is an an “interesting transitory stage” because of former Tucker Center chaplain Daveen Litwin’s recent departure from the College, but if students would like to have a more specific conversation with someone who shares the same faith as them, the Center offers access to student advisors and staff of different religious backgrounds. Academic Skills Center interim director Karen Afre said that all of the ASC’s programs consider how to incorporate other campus resources, such as the SWC and the counseling center. “I always work with my students in academic coaching and let them know that your number one priority is your health and wellness,” Afre said. “In close second, if you want it to be, is your academics, and then you get to really rank your priorities.” Afre emphasized that students need to know their mental health should never be sabotaged at the expense of their academics, and there are both academic and emotional support systems in place to make sure this does not happen. “If ’25s feel overwhelmed by the initial experience, there are people here who’ve been through it, and we’re more than willing to talk about it and work with them through it,” Khan said. “If you’re comfortable with more formal counseling go to Dick’s House or if you’re somebody who’s very into their faith, you can come to Tucker Center. There’s also the Student Wellness Center, so there [are] lots of different approaches and ways people can seek help. The important thing is it’s all right to not be okay.”

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Q&A with Interim Provost David Kotz ’86 By ANDREW SASSER The Dartmouth Staff

Interim Provost David Kotz ’86 has worked at Dartmouth for almost 40 years, having served as a computer science professor and the associate dean of sciences. More recently, he served as interim provost during the 2017-18 academic year. Kotz was recently re-appointed as interim provost following former Provost Joseph Helble’s departure to become the new president of Lehigh University in August. The Dartmouth sat down with Kotz in late August to discuss his role as interim provost, the College’s return to full operations and the time he’s spent at Dartmouth. Not everyone is familiar with what a provost does. Can you explain what your role as Provost is and what your primary responsibilities are? DK: I think of the provost as sort of two things — the chief academic officer and the chief budget officer of the school. The simplest analogy for many people is a CEO or chief operating officer, although even that’s not quite a good fit, because Dartmouth also has an executive vice president who handles a lot of the operational aspects. I oversee all of the deans, everything in academics — so the Dean of the Faculty, the Dean of the College, the deans of the professional schools, and the graduate school. I also oversee a lot of the academic units — like the Hopkins Center for the Arts, the Hood Museum of Art, the libraries — and I also jointly oversee admissions and financial aid. I also oversee many of the smaller units like the Montgomery Fellowship Program, the Rassias Center, the sustainability group, and so forth, so a lot of academic and some student affairs groups. As a chief budget officer, I coordinate the construction and approval of the budget every year, working with everybody across campus. What are your primary goals for your time in the interim provost position? DK: I’m in the interim, so I don’t come in with a particular strict vision or agenda. I came in relatively late in the year with the goal of just helping the College operate successfully, helping each of the schools and deans and units achieve their goals. And in this particular time, of course, we’re returning to campus in many ways — we’re returning to in-person teaching, staff and faculty returning to work on campus. So a big part of my goal there is to make that transition successful. You’re both a computer science professor and a Dartmouth alumnus. How will those prior experiences influence how you make decisions in your new role as interim provost? DK: I have had to wear several different hats over the years. I’ve been a professor for almost 30 years. I was also an interim provost three years ago, and I served in that role for a year. And I was also an associate Dean of the Faculty for six years, overseeing the science division faculty. Those two roles in particular gave me a lot of experience, connections and awareness of how things work on campus that are helping me in this role. My role as a faculty member, I think, helps me to better understand the perspectives of faculty — and in some ways the perspectives of students, both undergraduate and graduate students. I’m also an alum, and I inevitably bring my own experience and love of Dartmouth to this job. I am also happy to be a parent of a Dartmouth student.

You served as interim provost during the 2017-18 academic year. What did you learn from your time in the position that you hope to apply during your time as interim provost now? DK: At a minimum, it certainly helped me understand the landscape, what is involved in doing this job. It will also be helpful for me that many of the people in key positions are still in their positions. Most of the deans are the same, most of the unit heads are the same. It’s really helpful that I already know these people and have a good working relationship with them. The lesson that I learned then, that I’m keenly aware of now, is the need to consult broadly. To think carefully when a decision needs to be made about who I need to consult. Who should I ask for input or advice? I can collect advice from many different people with different perspectives, and hopefully, I can make better choices.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL VERES

What do you anticipate campus will look like in this upcoming year? And how are you prepared to adapt to the changing situation with COVID-19? DK: I anticipate that campus will look reasonably normal in the sense that students are on campus, fully densified classes are operating with teachers and students in the classroom, laboratory, studios, etc. Student activities, including athletics and arts and extracurriculars, are proceeding as usual. I anticipate that we’ll continue to do testing according to some schedule. I also anticipate that we may be masking some times and not masking other times. Right now we’re masking as a precaution, given the Delta variant. My hope is that that will blow through as that wave passes, and hopefully we’ll be able to drop the masks. All of us have been learning to adapt, so our goal is to plan and prepare so that we can adapt quickly enough so that the consequences of an externally imposed change — like the arrival of Delta — will be minimized. If we can’t adapt reasonably quickly, then things can get bad enough that we have to impose worse kinds of constraints, right? In no way do I want to go back to remote learning, or for students to go home. We all want to be here. We all want to be together in person. And that’s actually one of the key reasons why I’m asking people to wear masks now, because if we do this now, I’m really hopeful that we can have a safe return to fall. I can’t guarantee anything — nobody can — but that’s the goal. For many students, this fall will be the first mostly normal term they’ve experienced on campus in over a year. What steps is Dartmouth taking to rebuild the sense of community on campus? DK: We’re pitching this year as the year of homecomings. We will not just have one event in October — the homecoming bonfire — which we’re planning to do, but a whole series of events, some of which we do anyway. We’re kind of wrapping them all up like we did for the 250th anniversary. We take a set of events we do, and some new events as well, to have a special celebratory atmosphere. That’s a work in progress. For the students — undergraduate students, in particular — the Dean of the College’s office is working on their own set of plans that are aimed specifically at building community. Again, that’s a work in progress. They’re working on it, but I know they’re really keen to develop activities and infrastructure to help students rebuild that sense of community.

Kotz said that he anticipated intermittent masking and mostly normal campus operations this fall.

W h a t wo u l d s t u d e n t s b e surprised to learn about you? DK: I was an undergrad here, of course, and I was really involved in First-Year Trips in the Dartmouth Outing Club and Cabin and Trail, in particular. I was First-Year Trips director in 1985, for the Class of 1989. I’m still really fond of that program, and I’m looking forward to First-Year Trips running successfully this year. I’m still very much an outdoors person — rowing, hiking, that kind of thing. I love to travel. I lived in India for a year, back in 2008. I lived in Switzerland last year during my sabbatical. I really enjoy the cultural experience from living in very different places. I’m also a photographer and I enjoy nature photography. You’ve been involved with the College in one capacity or another for well over 30 years at this point. What is it about Dartmouth in particular that you love? DK: It’s been almost 40 years actually, as of last month — 40 years since I came as a prospie. It’s a cliche, but I really love the sense of place. We exist here in the wilderness, and I think we embrace that in our campus ethos, allowing us to connect the natural world. And I feel that, for many of us, that gives us not just a sense of place, but a sense of peace. In stressful times, having that ability to connect with nature, I find that very, very cool. We are right on the river and on the Appalachian Trail.

And we have a lot of students and staff who enjoy everything there is to offer here. What advice would you give members of the Class of 2025 as they arrive on campus for the first time? DK: I would say to embrace the opportunities that Dartmouth offers. I think a lot of people don’t realize, until they’ve graduated and left college for a couple of years, the special things that we have here. You come in, and you are surrounded by resources — human resources, like the expertise of the faculty and the

diversity of experiences drawn from your classmates, but also the physical resources of research facilities or athletic facilities that enable you to basically go try anything you want to do, whether it be intellectual or physical or recreational. And when you get out in the real world — you’ve got a job, you’ve got a house, mortgage payment, you’ve got kids, whatever — you have to pay to go to the gym, you have to pay to sign up for some class. At Dartmouth, these are all parts of the package. This is an amazing opportunity. So embrace the opportunities, try new things. Don’t hesitate to get involved.

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Delta variant raises concerns about a new phase of the pandemic By BEN FAGELL

The Dartmouth Staff

At the beginning of summer term, Hanover’s suspension of its universal masking mandate, followed by Dartmouth’s removal of nearly all COVID-19 restrictions, seemed to usher in a return to normalcy after nearly a year and a half of strict public health measures. But the risk of increased cases of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant — a mutated, doubly contagious strain of the original Alpha variant — has triggered the reinstatement of an indoor mask mandate and hindered that return as the fall term draws near. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Delta variant accounted for over 99% of new COVID-19 infections nationwide by Aug. 28. In Grafton County — where Dartmouth is located — cases have risen to a seven-day daily average of 20 as of Sept. 1; the rate was as low as one per day in late July, the New York Times reported. The Times data also showed that the number of hospitalizations recently began to climb, but deaths have remained low. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy policy fellow Anne Sosin emphasized the new challenges posed by the Delta variant, especially in campus environments. “Here we are with a very transmissible variant that’s upending our thinking about how to approach this phase of the pandemic,” Sosin said. “I think we’re just beginning to grapple with what this means … and it forces us to ask some really hard questions without great answers.” Associate Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center epidemiologist and medicine professor Jose Mercado said that a “proactive” approach is needed to put an end to the pandemic, saying that widespread community vaccination and preventative measures like mask wearing are “steps one and two” of a multi-step solution. At Dartmouth, former chair of the COVID-19 Task Force Lisa Adams wrote in an emailed statement that vaccination is the “most important defense in the pandemic,” but said that the College will also continue to use both PCR and antigen testing, along with isolation for infected

individuals and contact tracing. She also wrote that in the case of exposure, the College will require quarantine and a test for unvaccinated individuals or masking and a test for the vaccinated. Public Health Council of the Upper Valley director Alice Ely said that the COVID-19 vaccines are necessary to protect the community but noted that vaccinated individuals can still carry and spread the virus. Currently, 66% of Grafton County is fully vaccinated, according to The New York Times; 90% of residents over 65 are fully vaccinated and 73% over 12 are. At Dartmouth, 89% of the total Dartmouth community and 94% of the on-campus community are fully immunized, according to the College’s COVID-19 Dashboard. Despite high regional vaccination rates in the Upper Valley, associate Geisel epidemiologist Annie Hoen stressed the importance of preventing further spread of disease through a multi-layered mitigation approach. “When we see transmission happening in spite of a large proportion of our population being vaccinated, and we see cases increasing both locally … and in the U.S. more broadly, that is an indication that we need more layers,” Hoen said. “...Epidemiologists are starting to converge on this notion that the vaccine is not going to get [disease transmission] under control on its own.” Sosin, however, noted the difficulties in attempting to impose preventative measures on college campuses where students live in close proximity to one another. “A layered mitigation approach is hard to implement in a setting where students are living, dining [and] attending classes in such close quarters,” Sosin said. “The ancestral strain of the virus is really difficult to control in a campus environment, and the Delta variant is twice as transmissible. Even with a mask mandate in place, it’s going to be very difficult to control.” Sosin said that colleges must appropriately consider the goal and duration of their response in this next phase of the pandemic, noting that most experts have now come to the conclusion that the total elimination of COVID-19 is an unattainable and

OLIVER DE JONGHE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Masking is required again in most indoor public areas on campus — a change from the early summer.

unrealistic goal. “I’m not sure what we’re after at this point,” Sosin said. “We need to reframe our thinking, and we’re just beginning to do that, from pandemic thinking to endemic thinking. There’s a paradigm shift that will need to happen.” In Sosin’s view, testing and indoor mask mandates should remain in place on campus until children under the age of 12 become eligible for the vaccine, given the many professors who have young children and the many points of contact between the College and the broader Hanover community. Although most children recover from the short-term symptoms of COVID-19 — at rates much higher than that of older adults, for example — Ely noted the still-extant risk of long-term complications and ramifications of contracting the virus. “While most children are pretty healthy and strong … we don’t always know which children have an underlying health condition,” Ely said. “A COVID infection could be very, very serious. [When I was] talking to a local primary care physician, she described seeing long-term problems with anxiety, mental health issues and

other concerns popping up in kids that have recovered from COVID.” According to Sosin, both the physical and mental health of the Dartmouth student body are important factors when determining sweeping policy changes. She said that a “human approach” is needed to support students and mitigate the effects of any restrictions. “I think we need to be really mindful of what we’re putting in place and think about … how to support students,” Sosin said. “We need to ensure the health of our communities, but health is more than the absence of COVID, and this means supporting our students in every way possible, both physically and mentally.” Adams wrote that both students’ physical and mental health are key considerations in all of the College’s COVID-19 response decisions, adding that the two are “inextricably linked.” Responding to a question about any upcoming College health policies, Adams wrote that testing modality and frequency are currently being discussed. According to Adams, the College’s policy decisions rely on both regional and national level data. “It is so difficult to make predictions,

but we are watching the emerging data and federal [and] state guidance and listening to a range of constituents and trying to adapt it to our environment as a congregate setting with a high vaccination coverage rate in a rural setting,” Adams wrote. “Policies are constantly being reviewed and revised, and the goal is to be as nimble as possible with decision making.” On Aug. 5, the College reimposed its indoor mask mandate after having previously removed all mandates at the start of the summer term. Hoen noted that the increase in cases at the College prior to the mask mandate signaled the “need to take some action.” According to the College’s COVID-19 dashboard, there are currently 13 active cases among students and faculty as of Sept. 1. Sosin posited that although the College is responsible for its policy decisions, the federal government should shepherd universities through this next phase of the pandemic. “Really, we need federal leadership laying out some guidance for campuses,” Sosin said. “This shouldn’t fall on individual institutions to make these decisions. We really need good policy thinking at the federal level around some of these questions.”

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As students vie for voting power, a history of the Board of Trustees By Lorraine Liu The Dartmouth Senior Staff

Dartmouth has had a Board of Trustees since its founding in 1769 — as stipulated by the College’s Charter — to act as a fiduciary of the College. As the Board grew in size and operational complexity over the past two centuries, it has also gone through changes in its membership and representation. While policies regarding the Board’s operation are constantly in flux, its responsibilities remain largely unchanged: to tend to the long-term interests of the College. History, responsibilities and structure At Dartmouth’s founding, the College’s Charter mandated that the number of trustees be limited to 12, including the Governor of New Hampshire as a trustee ex officio and the founder and first President of the College Eleazer Wheelock. The Charter also outlines the “capacities and powers” of the Board, which at the time included buying lands, building facilities, managing donations, paying the College’s faculty and staff and electing the President of the College. Trustees had the authority to elect new members if current members on the Board died or were “unfit or incapable to serve the interests” of the College, according to the Charter. Today, however, the Board is tasked with three main responsibilities. According to current Board chair Elizabeth Cahill Lempres ’83 Th’84, the first is ensuring that the College is “well managed” in terms of its senior administrative staffing, which includes hiring the President of the College. Additionally, the Board is tasked with overseeing the human capital and financial resources of the College, such as approving the annual changes in the College’s tuition. Its third responsibility involves ensuring “the continued high quality reputation of the institution,” such as managing risks and considering the College’s long-term interests. Lempres added that the Board currently has two long-term strategic focuses that transcend the three responsibilities. The first is to adapt Dartmouth’s education model to the future of higher education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; the second is to create a “more welcoming environment” as it pertains to diversity and equity. Overall, Lempres contrasted the roles of the Board with the responsibilities of the College’s senior administration, which focuses more directly on the on-the-ground management of the College. “Our focus is, in general, much more on the longer-term health — financial and otherwise — of the institution as opposed to day-to-day operational issues,” Lempres said. Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a national non-profit organization that provides consulting and training services to the boards of trustees of U.S. universities, pointed out that boards of trustees usually perform different functions than senior administrators. “Trustees are the fiduciaries of institutions,” Poliakoff said. “In an ideal world, they are above the fray. They listen to every constituency but are not beholden to any constituency.” Board member S. Caroline Kerr ’05 added that in addition to thinking about Dartmouth’s longterm interests, the Board also tries to take into account the College’s global impact. “When we’re collaborating on things, we’re thinking really broadly about Dartmouth in terms of the long term, but also how does Dartmouth fit into the national [and] international context on some of the things that we’re doing,” Kerr said. Poliakoff also emphasized that the Board’s responsibilities might not be limited to tending to the wellbeing of the institution, but also to expanding to create benefits for the country, since private institutions like Dartmouth receive a “significant amount” of federal taxpayer dollars. In addition to experiencing changes in its roles, the Board has also evolved in its operational complexity over centuries. Today, the Board consists of 26 members in total: the President of the College, the Governor of New Hampshire as an ex officio member and 24 others. Board members are assigned to serve on one or more of the 10 standing committees that oversee different aspects of the College’s operations and development, ranging from student experience to campus planning and facilities. Different standing committees advise the work of different senior administrative leaders, who present

their recommendations during the Board’s meetings and hear Board members’ perspectives. According to Lempres, the standing committee structure helps the Board identify key areas of interest that it wants to work on. “The subcommittees are the decision of the Board in terms of what its priorities are and how best they can focus smaller groups to get real work done,” she said. Decision-making and voting According to Lempres, the Board passes formal votes by a simple majority among the trustees present in session. She added that reaching a quorum for effective voting to take place has not been a technicality that influences the Board’s decision-making since she became a trustee, as the Board has very strong participation and it is rare for any Board member to miss NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF a meeting. The Board has 26 members, including the President of the College and the governor of New Hampshire. Lempres also noted that prior to formal votes, Board members would alumni can either be nominated by candidate Joe Asch ’79 lost a lectures that trustees give to students discuss and debate on issues that the Alumni Council — a branch race against Council-nominated in class or discussions they have with require voting at length and have of the Association of Alumni that businessman John Replogle ’88. The students at campus organizations. “very constructive disagreements” represents alumni of different class election garnered significant alumni Additionally, the SLC is intended to about them. After the process, almost years — or enter the ballot by attention — breaking a turnout complement the existing channels of no voting is split along the simple petitioning. In order to enter the record, according to then-College communication that students have majority line, Lempres added. ballot by petitioning, candidates need president Jim Yong Kim — and with the President and deans. Qian and Johnston said that prior “We don’t move forward until to gather at least 500 signatures from Asch came under criticism during everyone is in a position where they’re alumni “within a specified time” after the campaign after an investigation to the SLC’s upcoming fall meeting very supportive,” she said. the Alumni Council announces its by The Dartmouth revealed that he with the Board — which is expected According slate of nominees, had been investigated for tax fraud to take place in late October or November, according to Kerr — to Lempres, the according to the in France. More than 100 years after SA plans to send out surveys to Board undertakes “When we’re Alumni Trustee four categories of collaborating on n o m i n a t i o n Dartmouth alumni acquired seats on Dartmouth students to ask for their votes. The first is a n d b a l l o t i n g the Board, the Dartmouth student input. At the moment, SA anticipates about academic things, we’re thinking g u i d e l i n e s body is trying to push for more say the primary issues at the meeting to promotions, which really broadly about adopted by the on the Board. In April, Student be mental health policies, housing, include approving Association of Assembly members met with the COVID-19 protocols and the search Dartmouth in terms Student Experience Committee, a for a permanent Dean of the College meritized statuses Alumni in 2014. and tenureship of the long term, Lempres noted standing committee of the Board, to following Kathryn Lively’s recent for professors and but also how does that becoming an discuss the creation of the Student departure from the position. Qian and Johnston wrote that conferring degrees Alumni Trustee Liaison Committee, which seeks to t o g r a d u a t i n g Dartmouth fit into c a n d i d a t e b y increase communication between although the SLC is “still figuring students. In these the national [and] p e t i t i o n i n g students and the Board through out the exact operational details,” i n s t a n c e s, t h e is “an unusual twice-yearly meetings with the they anticipate that the Committee will draw from surveys conducted by Board simply votes international context c i r c u m s t a n c e Board. According to SA president SA to guide its conversations with the to approve the on some of the things that [the Board recommendations that we’re doing.” h a s ] n o t s e e n Jennifer Qian ’22 and vice president Board. It is unclear whether Dartmouth from the faculty in a number of Maggie Johnston ’22, while SA has and student deans; years,” adding been pushing for a student seat with students will ever acquire a voting seat Lempres noted -BOARD MEMBER S. that the election voting rights on the Board for many on the Board. However, according that the Board is for candidates for years, the SLC is “a good step in the to Poliakoff, if trustees set up not “in the spirit CAROLINE KERR ’05 alumni trustees right direction for students ultimately mechanisms that allow all relevant constituencies to submit their input, of disputing t o d a y i s n o t having voting power.” “Essentially, we hope that this constituents might not need voting any individual necessarily “a candidate” from receiving academic competition among candidates for will allow students to preemptively power in order to influence the communicate with the Board Board’s decision-making. statuses or diplomas. the alumni seats.” “There’s no perfect structure that The second vote category is “[The election] is in some ways about issues instead of having to changes in the statuses of the a ratification or an endorsement retroactively respond,” they wrote will guarantee that the decisions will be the most judicious,” he said. “But College’s academic programs, such in that vote” she said. “There’s in an emailed statement. Kerr, who chairs the Student at [the] very least, the Board needs to as the creation and elimination of the opportunity to vote against the departments. For example, the Board candidate, but you’re not choosing Experience Committee, wrote in make sure that it is hearing those key an emailed statement that one goal voices — student body and faculty — recently approved the decision to between or among candidates.” promote three academic programs In 2010, there was a contested of the SLC is to supplement the and that could be achieved by having — environmental studies, linguistics alumni trustee election: Businessman, existing interactions between Board a voting or a non-voting member. It and Native American studies — to controversial blogger and petition members and students, such as guest really depends on the context.” departments and to disband the education department. The third vote category involves the College’s financial decisions, such as approving tuition changes and construction projects, the latter of which usually needs to go through a process to ensure that there are funds available at each stage to successfully continue and complete the project. The last vote category encompasses policy changes regarding the governance of the Board. Board membership and representation When Dartmouth was founded back in 1769, the Charter required that among the 12 Board members, eight of them must be New Hampshire residents and seven must be “laymen.” The number of trustees required to be New Hampshire residents on the Board decreased over time, until the requirement was eliminated in 1967. Today, the 24 seats not occupied by the College president and the governor of New Hampshire consist of sixteen Charter trustees — positions that are nominated and elected by the Board itself — and eight alumni trustees — positions that are nominated by Dartmouth’s Alumni Council and elected by the Board. In “2000s: The Sea of Politics,” a podcast episode on Dartmouth’s history created for the College’s 250th anniversary, College archivist Peter Carini recounted the origin of alumni trustees. The distinction between Charter trustees and alumni trustees dates back to 1869, when the Association of Alumni — or Dartmouth’s alumni body — requested that they be able to elect members among themselves to sit on the Board. However, the Board rejected the request, positing that its approval would “cast the College onto the sea of politics.” It wasn’t until 1891 that the Board resolved to elect five trustees from candidates nominated by the alumni. To become a candidate for alumni trustee positions today, Dartmouth

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Class of 2025 subject to frat ban this fall, but not Class of 2024 way to “promote” events outside of Greek life, including more dry events. The Dartmouth Staff “I think that [the frat ban] is a After a long year characterized beneficial policy that gives first-year by virtual classes and COVID-19 students the space that they need gathering limits, the fall term will mark — a safe and comfortable space for the return to a more traditional college them — as they’re transitioning into college,” he said. “I think that this experience — and social spaces. Among the most popular spaces policy allows first-year students to that students will return to in the fall form a community, especially with are the basements of Webster Avenue. members of their own class, outside Greek houses held virtual rush during of the social pressures that exist in the the winter term, but the pandemic Greek system.” Furthermore, the frat ban aims impacted Greek life in other ways as well, including sororities’ financial to address the safety of freshmen, especially during difficulties due their first term t o i n s u r a n c e “I think that [the frat on campus. premiums and In an emailed increased calls ban] is a beneficial statement, Title for diversity and policy that gives IX coordinator inclusion. Kristi Clemens One aspect of first-year students wrote that Greek life that the space that they although the Title was absent during need — a safe and IX office does not the pandemic was have any data on the Greek First- comfortable space for the policy’s effect Year Safety and them — as they’re at the College, the Risk Reduction frat ban policy Policy — more transitioning into is “consistent” c o m m o n l y college.” with a “student known as the frat affairs approach ban. The policy based in years creates a period - BRANDON ZHOU ’22, o f re s e a rch . ” d u r i n g wh i ch GREEK LEADERSHIP She highlighted f re s h m e n a re an article from prohibited from COUNCIL CHAIR A n t h o l o g y, a entering and higher education attending events at Greek houses until either after solutions company, stating that the Homecoming or the seventh Monday first six weeks on campus for firstof the fall term — whichever occurs year students present “the potential for high-risk alcohol consumption, later. According to Greek Leadership drug use, hazing, sexual assault and Council chair Brandon Zhou ’22, suicidal ideation.” According to Zhou, the frat ban the frat ban, originally implemented by the GLC, dates back to 2013 as a was technically in place for the

By Daniel Modesto

KYLE SPENCER/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The freshman frat ban was originally instituted in 2013.

Class of 2024 last year — although redundantly, as Greek spaces were out of reach for most students due to COVID-19 guidelines — and there will not be a frat ban for members of the Class of 2024 during the upcoming fall term, as the ban is only intended for freshmen. Marissa Gourd ’24 said she “definitely” felt like she missed out on a typical college experience last year, adding that “basically all of last year felt like the frat ban.” “I feel like I’m still in my first year with [regular college] experiences just because last year only gave us academic experiences,” she said. “We didn’t have as many social experiences as other [class] years.”

Trace Hilbun ’24 said that despite the limited social spaces in the fall, he felt that he and many in the Class of 2024 were able to make “pretty good friends.” Furthermore, he was able to meet affiliated upperclassmen through virtual pre-rush events during the spring term. In the past, freshmen under the frat ban have found alternative social spaces to Greek ones. During the fall of 2013 — the year the frat ban was first instituted — the Collis Center introduced Collis After Dark as a substance-free alternative to Greek life, which remained popular even after the frat ban for freshmen ended. Furthermore, Zhou noted that certain Greek house events, if dry and approved by the GLC, are open to freshmen even during the frat ban. According to Gender-Inclusive Greek Council chair Tanvir Islam ’22, GIGC houses such as Phi Tau coed fraternity and Alpha Theta coed fraternity offer dry events such as “Milk and Cookies” and “Mellows” that are open to campus and offer an alternative social space to traditional Greek parties. Islam, a member of Alpha Theta, said that he “didn’t mind” the frat ban during his freshman fall because the transition from high school to college was already an “overwhelming” one, and he didn’t go to Greek houses until the following winter term. Other upperclassmen echoed similar sentiments in support of the frat ban. Ian Stiehl ’22 said he believes that the frat ban is a “positive” policy for freshmen, as it allows them to build connections within their class. “By the time you actually get to go to Greek spaces,” Stiehl said, “you have a better understanding of what they’re like and have friends that you can be with in those spaces, which is important for safety.” Tanner Randall ’23 said that the frat ban “does a lot of good” in that freshmen get to know their class, noting that he “enjoyed the social scene of purely [’23s]” that the frat ban period encourages. However, he noted that he sees having less interactions with upperclassmen as a downside of the ban. Further more, according to Randall, the frat ban gives rise to parties in residence halls, which may not be as safe for activities like drinking. “From my personal experience, you don’t know where someone’s coming from, how many dorms they’ve stopped off at, and what they’ve been doing,” he said. “And so it’s interesting because I definitely heard more horror stories from the first six weeks in the dorms than I did for frats later on.” In an email statement, Office of Greek Life program coordinator

Jessica Barloga said that for the upcoming term, OGL will continue to offer training programs such as the Alcohol Management Program and Sexual Violence Prevention and Response workshops for Greek house presidents and other executive board members. In light of the lack of a frat ban for members of the Class of 2024, Zhou recognized that many have a “lack of experience” with Greek life. He added that the GLC has had “discussions” about how to introduce sophomores to Greek life in a way that is “meaningful for them, meaningful for their peers and also safe for everyone involved.” For sophomores and freshmen alike, many of whom will enter Greek spaces for the first time in the near future, there are many aspects of Greek life unknown to them. Islam said that sophomores should “prioritize what [they] want to do,” noting that “FOMO [the “fear of missing out”] is very big here, and it really shouldn’t be as big as it is.” Since many sophomores haven’t had much experience with Greek life, Randall said they should “go in with a blank slate when [they’re] judging fraternities,” but also urged caution due to “a sexual assault problem in Greek spaces.” This summer, all eight Dartmouth sororities implemented “mandatory, non-negotiable” requirements for Greek houses hosting social events, designed to be a first step to combatting sexual assault on campus and making Greek spaces safer. For example, under the new policies, hosting organizations must provide non-alcoholic drinks and post the contact information of house risk managers and resources such as Title IX throughout the house. Addressing the freshmen, Stiehl said that it’s important to recognize that “the social scene at Dartmouth does not have to be exclusively defined by Greek life, [which is] sort of what the frat ban is getting at.” He added that first-years should “enjoy” the time with their classmates outside of Greek spaces. “It shouldn’t be the objective every night to violate the frat ban and get into a Greek house,” he said. “The frat ban is not a set of rules meant to be broken, and there will be so many nights that [you] will be able to get to Greek spaces when [you] want to later on.” Interfraternity Council president Danny Gold ’22 and Inter-Sorority Council president Molly Katarincic ’22 did not respond to requests for comments. Chapter presidents of Bones Gate and Sigma Nu fraternities and Alpha Phi and Epsilon Kappa Theta sororities did not respond to requests for comments.

PAINTING STUDIO ART SCULPTURE PRINTMAKING DRAWING ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY AUDITION FOR Welcomes the Class of 2025!

*SART 15 *SART 16 *SART 17

Drawing I Sculpture I Special Topics

*SART 29 *SART 27 *SART 65

Photography I Printmaking I Architecture I

A CAPPELLA!

Welcome to the Class of 2025! It’s not too early to start thinking about participating in research with Dartmouth faculty. Students who engage in undergraduate research consistently rank this as one of the most rewarding and impactful elements of their Dartmouth experience. Check out the UGAR website for information on some of the resources available: https://students.dartmouth.edu/ugar/ • Information about undergraduate research programs • Guidelines and information about applying for research funding • Database of faculty research projects WISP encourages women to pursue interests in the sciences, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM disciplines) by providing mentoring, early hands-on research experiences, role models, and a sense of community. • Research Internship Program • Peer Mentor Program • Meetings with Women Scientists Mark your calendar (locations/format TBD): • What is WISP? (Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, 5-6pm) • WISP Internship Information Session (Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, 4-5pm)

AUDITIONS: SEPTEMBER 18&19 ALL WELCOME!

THE AIRES, BROVERTONES, CORDS, DECIBELLES, DODECAPHONICS, ROCKAPELLAS, SINGS, & SUBTLETIES HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! MORE INFO TO COME!

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

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Dartmouth affinity groups provide support, community By Sabrina Eager & Pierce Wilson The Dartmouth Staff

Even with Dartmouth’s relatively small student population, the diversity on campus is reflected in the number of affinity groups available for students to join. Affinity groups on campus range from residential communities and Greek organizations to interest- and identity-based groups. Some of these communities are based on finding mutual support or forming social connections, while others provide professional resources and focus on networking. Residential Affinity Groups At Dartmouth, identity-based residential life can be found through Living Learning Communities. There are LLCs for various interests, including those centered on identity and language. Triangle House is a standalone LLC located near the East Wheelock residential cluster that provides a community for students who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Residents and other community members — including allies of the LGBTQ+ community — attend meals together, such as the annual National Coming Out Day BBQ hosted on the Triangle House lawn and dinners hosted in conjunction with the Office of Pluralism and Leadership. One such student, a member of the Class of 2023 who requested anonymity to maintain her privacy among family, lived in Triangle House her freshman year. She said that some of the highlights of the community included the live-in advisors and the connections she was able to make with upperclassmen, though she acknowledged that there were only three freshmen living in the house. “It’s not the end-all, be-all of finding other LGBT people on campus, but it was a good place to start,” she said. “It was very positive to have a space that I didn’t have to come out in.” The Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry is another standalone LLC. Shabazz, which is affiliated with Dartmouth’s African and African American Studies Program, offers a space for Black students from a variety of backgrounds to live together and provoke intellectual dialogue on campus. Students living in the LLC also gather for weekly dinners, where residents come together in small groups to cook for each other. Denzel Davis ’23 decided to live in Shabazz after staying in the center during Dimensions, Dartmouth’s admitted students program that usually runs in the month of April. “I got the opportunity to just be submerged in the area even before coming to Dartmouth,” Davis said. “It was a space that I wanted to be a part of.” Davis said that Shabazz eased his transition to the College, which he noted is a predominantly white institution, by alleviating some of the “culture shock” he felt when he arrived. “It helped me a lot,” he said. “It gave me the confidence to move around this campus. Just knowing that there are people who look like me, that can relate to the things that I’ve dealt with, it helped a lot.” Another residential affinity group

is La Casa, an immersive Spanish language environment located near the McLaughlin dorm cluster that houses students and live-in advisors. Students not living in the house can join residents for “El Cafecito,” a weekly event at which coffee and tea are served and students at all levels of Spanish proficiency can sharpen their skills through conversation with other community members. While not LLCs, Greek organizations can also offer a space for those seeking a live-in community of individuals with common identities. This is particularly true of gender-inclusive Greek houses, explained Brandon Hill ’23, a member of the gender-inclusive Greek house Alpha Theta and treasurer of the Gender Inclusive Greek Council. The three GIGC organizations are Alpha Theta, The Tabard co-ed fraternity, and Phi Tau co-ed fraternity. “I wouldn’t say that Alpha Theta or Tabard or Phi Tau are the ‘gay house,’” Hill said. “I would just say that by virtue of the culture that we try to foster — one that is just nice and accepting of people and valuing other people — we tend to attract people of more diverse backgrounds.” The National Panhellenic Council is a group of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities that have chapters at colleges and universities all over the country; it’s common to hear these houses referred to as “‘the Divine Nine.”’ There are three NPHC chapters currently active at Dartmouth: the Theta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Pi Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Former NPHC president and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Miles Battle ’21 said that he did not intend to join Greek life when he arrived at Dartmouth. “As a football player, I was around members of [Gamma Delta Chi fraternity], which is predominantly white,” Battle said. “It didn’t seem to have much of a purpose other than social life and drinking. I wasn’t really into drinking and I felt like I could socialize with people on my own.” Battle said that he learned about Alpha Phi Alpha at the end of his freshman year, and that he appreciated its emphasis on building the leadership capabilities of its members and its strong code of conduct. Interest-Related Groups Aside from residential life, some students form communities through shared passions and identities. Students with pre-professional interests who want to find resources and networking connections can join organizations such as the Dartmouth Minority PreLaw Association. Several campus affinity groups also focus on the performing arts. These include theater groups, such as the Black Underground Theatre & Arts Association, and affinity-based dance groups, like Dartmouth Asian Dance Troupe, which performs traditional Chinese dances and K-pop covers; Raaz, a South Asian fusion dance team and SOYEYA, an African dance troupe. People of Color Outdoors is another interest-based affinity group on

LILA HOVEY/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

campus. POCO is one of the sub-clubs of the Dartmouth Outing Club, and aims to provide access to the outdoors for people who have been historically or systematically excluded from activities such as camping and climbing or who otherwise feel uncomfortable in other DOC sub-clubs. Daniel Lin ’23, a member of POCO and a certified leader for the group, said he appreciates the accessibility of POCO. “I get to lead hikes for people who have never been in the outdoors before,” Lin said. “It is not even like they haven’t been on hikes at Dartmouth, they just have never been hiking. I think [leading those trips is] a very, very rewarding experience. Not only to expand those resources around, but also to communicate that they can do this too.” Even though Lin only became heavily involved in POCO this past spring, he appreciates the connections he has already made through the group. “POCO has really provided a lot of upperclassmen for me that I really look up to, even though I’ve only known them for one term,” he said. Religious Organizations Other groups on campus allow students to form connections with peers who practice the same religion. Hillel is one of the College’s faithbased groups that connects people of Jewish faith on campus. The group is located at the Roth Center for Jewish Life at the northwest corner of campus near the Choates residential cluster. Hillel hosts various events for Dartmouth students including weekly meetings, Shabbat dinners and celebrations for each of the Jewish holidays. Emma Briskin ’23, who has been involved with Hillel since her freshman year and has held various positions on the executive board, said that she found community at Hillel during her first term on campus. “When I came to Dartmouth, it was the first time that I didn’t feel the same community that I had felt at home in terms of being around other Jewish people,” Briskin said. “I realized that it was comforting to be in that space, to

be around people who had had similar upbringings as I did. Being able to celebrate Shabbat and the holidays gave me a grounding presence in my life.” Many of the community-building events offered at Hillel — such as Jew Crew, a weekly dinner open exclusively to freshmen — involve bonding over meals. “Every Thursday, the freshmen would go to Hillel, and one of them would order a bunch of food from somewhere in town,” Briskin said. She noted that she bonded with other freshmen over eating takeout at Jew Crew dinners as well as the easy access to the supply of cookie dough in the freezer at the Roth Center. Al-Nur is another religiously affiliated group on campus that offers a space for Muslim students. They host weekly events such as lectures on religious practice and history of stigma and inclusivity within the Muslim community. Al-Nur also hosts events to celebrate holidays — for example, Aleemah Williams ’24, who has held multiple positions in Al-Nur, said that students made s’mores together in front of Collis for Ramadan last year. Williams also spoke about the religious aspect of the organization and had a word of advice to freshmen planning to join organizations such as Al-Nur. “Definitely make sure you stay grounded in what you believe in, even when joining these groups, and remember how important it is that you continue to build that connection of your own,” she said. In ter ms of Christian life at Dartmouth, there are various organizations, including the Christian Union. Tulio Huggins ’23 said he joined CU his freshman fall after learning about the organization through his Dimensions host. “It was really nice to have a spot to hang out either for Bible study or just hanging out with other Christians,” Higgins said. CU, along with other Christian groups on campus, hosts a weekly “Christian Waffles” event during weekend nights when students can come to the Rockefeller Center overhang for free, freshly-made waffles. Huggins said that helping to run the event has helped him connect with students in other campus religious organizations. “It’s nice to have friends in CU who are also doing waffles with me, and it’s just a nice time every week to see a bunch of my friends while also having other friends from different Christian groups on campus join in,” Huggins said. Jonathan Lim ’23, on the other hand, is part of Agape, a Christian organization that primarily provides

space for Asian students, which he describes as his “primary source of community” on campus. He said the organization has “really helped [him] lean into [his] Asian identity.” “It’s allowed me to dive deeper into my faith,” Lim said. “Being able to talk with peers about some more difficult issues — people that are wiser than me, people who are still new to the faith, people with differing levels of experience with Christianity — has been really just fruitful for me.” Cultural Affinity Groups Aside from religious groups, there are also identity-specific clubs to connect individuals with similar cultural backgrounds. Some of these groups include the Dartmouth Brazilian Society, the Korean Students Association and the Dartmouth Chinese Culture Society. Native Americans at Dartmouth, another one of these groups, connects Indigenous students to each other, to alums and to faculty and staff affiliated with the Native American Studies department. The group hosts community events each term and invites students and faculty affiliated with NAS and their families. These include community dinners and an annual student-run Powwow on the Green, the second largest Powwow in the Northeast. Ahnili Johnson-Jennings ’23, an active member of NAD who has also been a member of the group’s leadership, discovered the community years before becoming a student. Her father and sister both went to Dartmouth, and the Indigenous community they found on campus inspired her, she said. “My dad was actually the whole reason I came to Dartmouth,” JohnsonJennings said. “So upon arrival, I knew I was going to be a part of the group. I did the Indigenous Fly-In Program and then immediately fell in love with [the College] and the community. I attended the Dartmouth Native American preorientation before freshmen fall, and then from there, I just always saw this as a home community, as a home base.” Many students who find home within their affinity groups have similar advice for incoming students. “Dartmouth is a really diverse place, and it can be really exciting to meet people who are very different from you and have been raised in very different situations,” Briskin said. “But it is perfectly okay to embrace the culture, religion and space you come from and are a part of independently. You can look for and have groups of people that can relate to you while also getting to meet so many diverse people and learn about new things.”

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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Dartmouth UGAs adapt to challenges posed by COVID-19 By Kristin Chapman The Dartmouth Staff

Eachyear,Dartmouthundergraduate advisors play an important role within the Dartmouth community as resources to other students. According to the Office of Residential Life website, UGAs, who are assigned to live on a floor with students in their own housing community or in a Living Learning Community, facilitate a sense of community and work to maintain the health and wellbeing of their residents by acting as a support resource and organizing social events. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought additional responsibilities to the position, such as enforcing health and safety guidelines, organizing and facilitating virtual events and attempting to foster a sense of community through a period of increased social isolation for many. Amina Zoklat ’23 said that the opportunity to build community, as well as the guaranteed housing and monetary benefits, inspired her to become a UGA. Zoklat worked as a UGA for all four terms this past year and noted how changing COVID-19 guidelines made each term different from the next. “I think the fall was tough because mask mandates were really strict, and number guidelines –– like room limit numbers –– were really strict, so it was hard to be someone who’s enforcing the rules ... but it was also something that had to happen for everyone’s safety,” she said. Grace Lu ’23, who was also a UGA last fall, said that she and some other UGAs felt “uncomfortable” enforcing certain COVID-19 guidelines, especially

when they thought the rules were unclear. According to Lu, there were also discrepancies between how strictly individual UGAs enforced pandemicrelated health policies. “I know some UGAs would write people up if they were eating by themselves outside unmasked, and then other UGAs would write five people up [for eating outside unmasked] ... so it was very unstandardized,” she said, adding, “I remember some of the UGAs — including me –– we wrote a collective letter to [former] Dean [of the College Kathryn] Lively to get that sorted out.” Lu added that even after the group wrote the letter, many of their concerns were left unaddressed. “I think [Lively] wrote back saying, ‘Oh, we hear you guys.’ But I also don’t think she really acted on anything that we tried to tell her about,” she said. Andy Bean ’23 said that when he was a UGA in the fall and winter, he occasionally encountered the same problem of students violating campus policies outside or in the tent in front of his building, adding that he felt uncertain whether it fell within his responsibilities to enforce COVID-19 guidelines in these locations. “It was just a little silly and poorly communicated as to how that should be done and why,” Bean said. While Zoklat said she did not face many issues in terms of enforcing COVID-19 rules, she noted the difficulty of building community relationships in the virtual format. “We had a budget for prizes and the events we could do virtually, and even with all of that incentive, it was really hard to get people to show up to those events,” Zoklat said. “On a floor where I

The Office of Residential Life is located in Robinson Hall.

might have 30 or 40 residents, like three or four showed up. It’s not the greatest turnout.” Bean said he also saw a low turnout for a virtual pop culture bracket competition that he organized during winter term. Out of over 500 Allen House residents, no more than 15 students participated in any given round of the competition. “On the other hand, I do know that playing mafia on Zoom was quite popular with the Allen House ’24s,” he added. “I think there were more people at those, probably because they knew it worked really well in the virtual format, and you could have a large group.”

Bean found that in-person events, such as an outdoor “ghost tour around campus” and a “pizza and games evening” often led to greater turnout and engagement among students. Kevin Le ’23, a UGA in the spring, said he organized similar outdoor “Boba hangouts” that were attended by groups of 10 to 12 students from East Wheelock House. Molly McQuoid ’23 recalled having a positive experience with her freshman year UGA prior to the pandemic. “He made sure to grab a meal each term with every person, so we got to know him one-on-one,” she said. “We had a really big hallway on our floor, and a lot of the time, he would just sit in the hallway and anyone could go over and chat with him. We would all wind up hanging out on the floor and really just sitting in the hallway for hours.” When classes eventually moved to the remote format for the spring 2020 term, McQuoid said her UGA helped her through the transition, despite the challenges of the virtual format. “One day, I think we did an online game, which was really fun,” McQuoid said. “I remember texting him about stuff, and even though we weren’t in person, I still felt like he was there for me and helping me finish up my freshman year.” David Katz ’24 also shared positive experiences with a UGA from winter term and spring term 2021. When Katz’s close friend, Elizabeth Reimer ’24, died in May, his UGA, Kos Twum ’21, provided a shoulder for him to lean on. “When Elizabeth died, that night, [Twum] was with me the whole night, and she was just so comforting, and just

MADDIE DOERR/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

so friendly those next few days,” he said. Katz said he was “struck” by Twum’s support and kindness through a difficult time. “Obviously, this was a deep loss to her, too, but yet, she was still finding the strength in her to be there for me and the other people in the building,” he said. As a UGA for freshmen in the spring, Le said he was especially concerned about the effects of social isolation on his residents’ mental health. “I think a lot of the freshmen I had were still concerned about really being connected to what Dartmouth really is because of all the restrictions,” he said. “I was hypervigilant [about] making sure ... people just feel like they are supported and wanted in the community.” Zoklat, who plans to be a UGA again next spring, said she is looking forward to being able to work with residents in person. “I’ve always loved the way [UGAs] can create communities and be a part of communities,” she said. “I’m excited that we’re hopefully transitioning back to a more normal time with more interactions and more in-person events that we can do.” Deputy director of residential education Jeffrey DeWitt wrote in an emailed statement that UGAs’ fundamental role — to foster a sense of community — will remain constant during the coming year. “UGAs will welcome all students as the new year begins and help connect or reconnect them to the sense of community that typifies the Dartmouth experience, and they will be responsive and supportive to resident needs, just as they were last year and have been every year,” he wrote.

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

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Q&A with outgoing Hanover town clerk Betsy McClain By Soleil Gaylord The Dartmouth Staff

Hanover town clerk Betsy McClain, an institution in Hanover town governance, retired from her full-time role as Hanover’s administrative services director — a position she held for 20 years — on Aug. 31. At the end of August, McClain sat down with The Dartmouth to talk about her time working at the College and as town clerk of Hanover, where she oversaw several prominent primaries and presidential elections in a politically crucial swing state. You previously worked as financial administrator of the College. What initially led you to Dartmouth? BM: Wow, you’re taking me way back. My husband and I lived in Washington, D.C. and had been married a few years, and we were just ready for a different pace of life. We actually thought we were going to be relocating to Burlington, Vt. and subscribed to the Burlington paper, and in 1989, I saw an assistant controller position posted at Dartmouth College. And at the time, it was when the shanty towns were being constructed on the Green — I don’t know if that’s something that new students are aware of, but it was an anti-apartheid protest. A lot of my friends were like, “Why would you want to go up there?” And I said, “Well, it sounds like a beautiful area, and the school is really renowned.” I was chosen to be interviewed and they flew my husband and me up, and we just fell in love with the area.

What compelled you to work as finance director and town clerk after 12 years at the College? BM: I had a very, very rewarding career at the College, and my kids were at the time very active in sports and other activities. I’d been on a building committee for the elementary school and also the town’s Finance Committee, and so had orbited around municipal finance affairs, and I was just ready to engage more in my kids’ extracurricular activities. I didn’t initially apply for the position of finance director when it was vacant because, as I said, I had a very rewarding career at Dartmouth. But then it remained vacant for a while, and it just intrigued me in terms of what it would be like to work for the community in which I live. So I said, well, I should just find out more about this. I met with my boss — the current town manager, Julia Griffin — and she was very supportive of work-life balance, so she said it would be fine to cut out of here and make it to my kid’s games and activities. Basically, it was time for a change — I had been at the College for over 10 years, and this was just a nice plug-in to learn more about the community in which I live.

the table listening to the headaches that town governance was creating for the building project, just because there’s a process and there’s lots of rules and regulations. So I was sitting around the table hearing, “Oh, they’re putting up roadblocks” — you know, all of that. So then I transitioned over to the town, and then I hear on this side of the table, “Oh gosh, the College, they’re so big, they don’t understand that they need to do some things on a different scale,” and all that kind of good stuff. So it’s just interesting hearing around the work table the different impressions over time. I know that there are great working relationships between the College and Hanover, but I just remember thinking, “Wow, I’m seeing it from both sides.” Another difference is, I just remember my life at Dartmouth was a lot of meetings and it’s just formal collaborative work, whereas the town tends to be more informal — and there’s a lot of collaboration, but it happens more on the fly. It’s more responsive — as opposed to having meetings to talk about how we’re going to work together, the town is generally more reactive to issues that come up and how are we going to respond to those.

How would you contrast working at a college with working in a college town? BM: My last position at the College was in computing services, and at the time, the College was knee-deep in the expansion of Baker Library where they were integrating computing services. There was much discussion about that, and so I ended up being involved in some of the building planning committees. I remember sitting around

You have witnessed a number of important primary elections in New Hampshire during your time as a town clerk. What stands out as a particularly memorable primary season? BM: I remember when former President Barack Obama was running and that cycle. As it got closer to the general election, there was lots of enthusiasm. Up and down the street,

COURTESY OF BETSY MCCLAIN

McClain worked for the Town and College for decades.

people really wanting to engage in the electoral process. And I remember trying to get the student body to help at the elections. It was funny — because you all are so busy, of the folks that responded to my inquiries, I had several international students who weren’t registered voters because of their citizenship status, so they couldn’t perform any official election duties. But we had several international students help, just with basically schlepping boxes here and there and making copies and that kind of stuff, and it was so rewarding in my position to hear them compare our process many years ago to the process in their own countries. It was just so fascinating. A couple of students came from countries where there were elections where you had to vote or you would be fined, or from countries where it was really hard to vote, and so it was just really heartening to hear how our voting process was really standing out as being exemplary to these international students. Another memory for me certainly has been this latest cycle where, you know, the national messaging is very much about not trusting our local voting processes and not understanding that it’s really local citizens and registered voters of the town that are responsible and running these elections. There’s the suspicion and cynicism around there being fraud and there being mismanagement, and it’s really disheartening to me because it can only discourage folks from even thinking about becoming an election volunteer — and that’s when we need them the most. We were able to engage many undergrads and graduate students to help at the polls, and that was just a fabulous experience — to actually have the ballot clerks or the people that you first see when you enter the polling place look like our community. Usually, they’re all like me — going to be retired and older — and so it was just beautiful to see. In a different vein, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your job and the most challenging? BM: Certainly the most rewarding aspect of my job here has been just really understanding the incredible effort and dedication of not only town staff, but also our citizenry, in how things get done. I remember the power of one person just blew me over when I first started here. He lived on Harvey Lane and he was sick of cut-through traffic. He almost single-handedly rounded up his neighbors and attended many Selectboard meetings and was able to institute changes that slowed traffic on a street. I remember thinking, “Wow, what they say is really true. One person can really make a difference.” That said, one of the more frustrating parts of my position is, basically, the town just passed the $26 million budget at our July town meeting, and we think it’s a big crowd if we have three or four people attend our public hearings, and that’s where the Selectboard is considering the proposed budget. I understand everybody is busy and there’s no perfect solution to this, but we as a town are fortunate enough to have resources that not everybody has. I’ve oftentimes been frustrated that more people don’t become actively involved in understanding how those priority decisions are made and actively involved themselves in helping to influence those decisions. We certainly hear in my office — where we collect taxes — how exasperated everybody is by their increased tax levy, but then we don’t see people attending and helping shape the budget that ultimately is put before us for a vote.

Many students have registered as residents of the town and exercise their right to vote here. What has your experience been with student voters and recent policies of the New Hampshire government that have made it harder for students to vote? BM: It is the voter registration process and the unfolding legislative changes that have been one of the most frustrating aspects of my position as town clerk. Oftentimes, legislative changes are made with little concept of the practical reality of enacting these changes; plus, the rationale for the need for these changes — such as to “combat fraud” — is largely unsubstantiated. Many times, these legislative changes are enjoined directly prior to an important voting contest and are then either overturned or upheld — many times on the eve of the next important voting contest. As these legislative changes are being litigated, it is difficult for our office to be able to provide straightforward and understandable guidance to our citizens. This confusion was most recently demonstrated when the legislature eliminated the distinction between voting domicile and residence. As such, the distilled and confusing message to many of the students was that if you wanted to register to vote in New Hampshire, you needed to obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license. This is not necessarily true; however, it was a powerful message that created a lot of churn in our office and many confused students. In an age where so many are doubting the integrity of our local election processes, such unneeded confusion can make folks even more suspect of the overall process. What advice would you give to an incoming Dartmouth freshman? BM: Certainly I would say, “Don’t just stay on campus. Get into the woods, get down the street, get into neighboring towns, check out Advanced Transit bus service.” I mean, just become a member of the community. Obviously the campus has brought you here, but there are so many nearby adventures that can be had while you’re here, and then certainly one of those adventures is to involve yourself or not with New Hampshire politics. As a resident college student, incoming students have the opportunity to consider making New Hampshire their state of residence, and so I would encourage folks to consider what that means for them — whether or not engaging in local New Hampshire politics is something that they would like to consider, because we are a smaller state where it may be easier to get one’s hands around the issues. What are your plans for the future and what has the past year — with the turbulent election and global pandemic — shaped the way that you view the future? BM: My husband and I just became grandparents three and a half weeks ago, which is so exciting, but my daughter’s family is in Australia, so we’re going to just take stock for a little bit. My husband will continue working, but he can work remotely, and we hope to be able to travel extensively. We’re going to hopefully continue to try to take advantage of the real estate market to rent our house out — and could travel, hopefully, around Australia and New Zealand for several months. Hopefully, I’ll meet my grandchild sometime soon if COVID-19 ever cooperates. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

PAGE 12

An overview: Hidden gems of the Hopkins Center for the Arts By Julia Robitaille The Dartmouth Staff

The arts at Dartmouth expand beyond the scope of a traditional high school curriculum. For those incoming members of the Class of 2025 and those in the Class of 2024 who may be experiencing their first in-person term in Hanover this fall, the Hopkins Center for the Arts — or as it’s colloquially known, “the Hop” — serves as the campus hub for all things arts-related, hosting a wide variety of performances over the course of a typical term and offering students of every skill level the chance to get involved in music, dance, theater and other artistic endeavors. During Orientation Week, the Hop’s first major event for firstyear students, “Explore the Arts,” a invites incoming students to walk through booths and meet members and directors of student groups, clubs and ensembles, as well as directors of student workshops and professors from academic art departments such as music, studio art and film and media studies. The open-house style event, slated to take place on Sept. 9, will serve as an introduction to the Arts at Dartmouth, and will give students the opportunity to translate their personal interests to groups at the Hop. Additionally, students will be able to learn about the woodworking, jewelry making and ceramics studios as well as the variety of student employment opportunities in the Center. Live Performances: Film, Music, Theater & Dance Several dance and musical performances, varying from small chamber works to larger ensembles, are currently on the docket for this fall. On Oct. 30, Mali Obomsawin ’18 will be performing with the Coast Jazz Orchestra, a Hop-sponsored student ensemble, for a show titled ‘Sweet Tooth,’ which showcases themes of love, indigenous identity and the blood politics of colonized land. The Ragamala Dance Company, a mother-daughter-run IndianAmerican dance company, will perform “Fires of Varanasi” on Sept. 17-18. The show has been developed over the past few years while the artists were in residency, according to Hop curator of academic programming Samantha Lazar. This fall, the Ragamala Dance Company will be paired with religion professor Sara Swenson in a Hop initiative titled Big Move. This program, which began last spring, matches choreographers from visiting dance companies with scholars and

professors from a discipline that is seemingly unrelated to dance. Professor Swenson will work closely with the Dance Company throughout the term, blending the rituals of dance and religion together to demonstrate the intersection of the arts and humanities — a project which will culminate in a joint workshop and conversation, according to the Hop website. Starting in November, a New Yorkbased performance ensemble called Urban Bush Women will begin their residency at the Hop. The 37-yearold group aims to project the voices of underrepresented minorities and people of color in dance, shed light on issues of inequity in dance and provide an outlet for artistic experimentation in their craft. “They are rooted in African American tradition and culture in the modern contemporary sense,” said Lazar. “They’re really devoted to telling undertold, underrepresented stories.” Urban Bush Women will be developing their show, which is based on African American rituals, especially from the South, this fall. Lazar said that there will be “a cool insider track opportunity” for students to give feedback at various stages of the work’s development and become a part of the creative process. The group will then return to campus in January to premiere their finished project. The Hop Film program offers students screenings of films for free and reduced ticket prices. Additionally, during the first week of classes in September, the Hop sponsors a miniature version of the Colorado classic Telluride Film Festival dubbed “Telluride at Dartmouth,” in which the Hop premieres advanced screenings of six films that have not yet been released to the public. Lazar said that students should “keep [their] eyes and ears open for events,” as fall programming is still in the works and new opportunities may crop up. Workshops The student workshops — including woodworking, jewelry and ceramics — are located in the basement of the Hopkins Center. These spaces both provide a creative outlet and offer students the opportunity to learn a new skill, continue a passion or de-stress with friends in whichever realm of hands-on art interests them most. The Donald Claflin Jewelry Studio will be open this fall for students to design their own unique jewelry pieces or experiment with precious metals. All students are invited to explore the studio at any point in their Dartmouth career, and are welcomed by peer

LILA HOVEY/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

instructors as well as studio director Jeffrey Georgantes, who brings years of work as a goldsmith and fifteen years of college and workshop teaching experience to the classes. Ceramics studio director Jennifer Swanson said that she does not know the precise details of fall programming yet, but that the studio will be open to students in the fall and will offer general instruction as well as skill-specific classes such as hand building and wheel throwing. “We don’t require any experience at all,” Swanson said. “I think we specialize in starting out novices. The classes are loosely structured and particularly encourage creativity and exploring what you can do with the ceramic medium. We take students through all parts of the process.” In addition to the extrinsic reward of being able to make your own gifts or kitchen items, Swanson describes the process as “relaxing and fun” and encourages students to explore ceramics in their free time. Since most classes are run in small groups, she has high hopes that things will continue normally despite any reinstated pandemic restrictions. “One of the things we really enjoy is when people are gathered around the table from different years, [including] grad students, [getting] to know each other in a different way when they are working on something,” Swanson said. The woodworking studio is the third of the Hop student workshops and offers opportunities for students curious about furniture design, cabinetmaking, wood turning, carving or any other aspects

of woodworking. Students receive personalized, hands-on instruction while in the studio, according to studio director Greg Elder. Elder noted that during a regular term, the studio sees between 400 and 500 students — most of whom come into the workshop with no prior experience. After taking a brief orientation class, students can start working on a project of their own or get guidance from instructors by simply walking in — no appointment necessary. For those seeking more structured learning experiences, classes offered throughout the term usually include bowl turning, cutting board making and chip and letter woodcarving. The workshop is open to any and all ideas, though “traditionally, the shop has been for students’ independent creative works,” according to Elder. Students can garner inspiration for personal use or course projects from the idea books in the studio library or through exploring previous student works on the Hop website — including handmade guitars, custom signs and hand-carved stamps. “It’s a fairly rare opportunity at any college to have open studios, to have a student be able to walk in and do creative work,” said Elder. The shop provides students a wide range of tools and machinery — including a computer-controlled router that cuts digitally designed images — in addition to holding a variety of different species, types and sizes of lumber fit for any project. The studio also offers a diamond-tip tool for etching and a fully furnished finishing room where

students can finish their projects with paint or varnish. Employment Opportunities

and

Other

The Hop hopes to establish an Artsbased mentorship program called Hop Connections this year. Launching in the fall, the program will connect freshmen and sophomores interested in the arts with an upperclassman mentor. Other goals of the program include facilitating connections between students and faculty and professionals in the Arts and providing underclassmen with guidance and advisors. There are other opportunities to get involved with the Hop besides organized arts programs. The Hop houses a variety of rehearsal and collaboration spaces and practice rooms for students to use, which can be reserved in advance. These are used frequently by student musicians and bands who wish to practice on their own schedule, as well as for those members of Hop ensembles seeking to rehearse outside of their dorm. Additionally, students looking to make some extra money can get involved with the Hop through their variety of student employment opportunities. Hop assistant director of strategic initiatives Brandea Turner said that the Hop usually employs 200 or more students each term in jobs ranging from monitoring the various arts galleries in the Center to “ushering for events, selling tickets in the box office and assisting in the workshops.”

The Sound of Music: A look at Dartmouth’s ensemble groups BY Veronica Winham The Dartmouth Staff

For those looking to perform for the community and pursue the arts during their time at Dartmouth, ensemble groups based at the Hopkins Center for the Arts — including the Coast Jazz Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Glee Club, Handel Society, Dance Ensemble, Marching Band and Gospel Choir — offer a wide range of opportunities. As the fall term begins, all of these groups are looking forward to new opportunities in the year ahead, including more guest artists, regional performances, a global summit and a world tour. Each group meets twice a week, with most participating in large culminating performances at the end of the fall, winter and spring quarters, according to Coast Jazz Orchestra director Taylor Bynum. “All of the Hop ensembles are similar structures and similar commitments, even if they’re sort of different communities [and] different aesthetics,” Bynum said. Though most ensembles practice in The Hop, the marching band practices on the football field once a week during fall term in addition to their indoor rehearsals. The marching band plays for the football team in the fall and the basketball and hockey teams in the winter. In addition to playing at home games, the marching band also travels with teams to away games once per season. This fall, they are hoping to travel to the Dartmouth-Harvard football game. “Two years ago, last time we had a football season, we played at

Yankee Stadium as part of the 250th celebration homecoming game against Princeton,” director of the marching band Brian Messier said. “That was pretty exciting, to play on [the Yankees’] field.” As far as the ensembles go, the marching band doesn’t require much technical ability, Messier said, which he hopes will encourage students of varying musical backgrounds to join. “It’s an access point for any Dartmouth student to develop skills, regardless of experience,” Messier said. “It’s a very socially oriented group; it has its own social culture.” The gospel choir is another group on campus that emphasizes social connection. Under director Walt Cunninghman, the gospel choir performs with a 12-piece band each fall and spring in Spaulding Auditorium. For the gospel choir, students and Upper Valley community members from diverse backgrounds come together to perform spirituals and gospel hits. The Wind Ensemble also connects Dartmouth students with the larger vocalist community. According to the Hop’s website, the group serves as a “melting pot for the students of Dartmouth College and the residents of the Upper Valley.” Messier, who also directs the Wind Ensemble, said he sees the group as an invaluable opportunity. “It’s an immediate way to join a social community of peers and to have a multi-class, multi-age, multi-level network of friends and colleagues,” Messier said. “It’s one of those things that can become really central to your experience at Dartmouth and getting involved with the Hopkins Center.”

As part of their experience in the Wind Ensemble, which performs music from the late 19th through the 21st centuries, students also engage in community outreach. This coming year, the ensemble will organize a “U.S.-Mexico Summit,” scheduled for May of 2022. Messier describes the “Mexican Repertoire Initiative” as “a collection of minds on U.S.-Mexican artistic, diplomatic [and] academic relations.” “A central piece of that summit will be the Wind Ensemble concert, where we will have three world premieres by Mexican composers, with the composers present,” Messier said. “That’s the large-scale musical diplomacy project that the Wind Ensemble is embarking on.” The Mexican tour in the spring of 2023 will bring the Wind Ensemble to Mexico City and Guadalajara, where they will collaborate academically, working on music with colleges there. The Coast Jazz Orchestra is also looking into more performance-based travel, in addition to their culminating performances. “I’m trying to change things up just a little bit so there’s more performances during the year, sort of regionally and in non-traditional venues,” Bynum said. The Coast Jazz Orchestra is composed like a traditional jazz band, with saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, bass and drums. “The repertoire fits the personalities of the musicians we have and the instruments we have,” Bynum said. Eli Hecht ’23, a member of the Coast Jazz Orchestra and a Hopkins Center for the Arts Fellow, said that non-traditional instruments, such as the bassoon, french horn, harp and a

steel pan, often are welcomed into the ensemble. Another important component of the Coast Jazz Orchestra is improvisation. Bynum said he looks for this skill in the audition process, adding that free-form soloing is emphasized in weekly rehearsals. Hecht described the skill of improvising as invaluable and something that can be carried beyond music. “There’s a lot of faith that is put in the students to bring the music that they love and would like to play and the spirit of improvisation,” Hecht said. “I think there’s something about improvisational music particularly that encourages an interesting creativity in group dynamics.” Another performance group at the Hop that relies on group dynamics is the Glee Club. The Glee Club is open for everyone to try out, although a few basic skills, such as reading music, are required, according to director Filippo Ciabatti. Ciabatti also directs the symphony orchestra. Ciabatti said that the Glee Club originates from a “long tradition” at Ivy League schools, adding that, historically, the Club would perform the school’s songs such as the alma mater. On top of cherished Dartmouth songs — which the Hop website says they perform at Homecoming and Commencement — the Glee Club also dabbles in works such as a cappella music and choral arrangements spanning back five centuries. In addition to the performances at the Hop — each of which Ciabatti describes as a project in itself — Glee Club offers the opportunity to perform around the world. In the past, the Glee

Club has toured Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Italy and Spain. In 2017, the group went on an American tour, performing across the South. They have also released five CDs and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. “I think that Glee Club offers something on campus that no other group can offer.” Ciabatti said. “In America, there’s a strong tradition of choral music. Everyone is interested in choral music, and experiences of companionship and comradery with other students really tie [it] together from a human point of view and a social point of view.” Ciabatti hopes the group will be able to return to large-scale live performances this year. “We need it and we miss it to make our lives more fulfilling. I really hope that Glee Club can be one of those places that will nurture live music,” Ciabatti said. The Hop’s ensembles offer a range of special experiences, including the chance to work with professional artists in an intimate setting. Bynum said that the Coast Jazz Orchestra gets a chance to work closely with the professional guests by learning from and performing alongside them. This is part of his mission, he said, to connect the band to the larger community of music. “In a place that has a lot of regimented academic pressures, [the ensemble] gives a community and an experience that’s about something else,” Bynum said. “It’s about trying to make some sound in the moment, and I feel like that’s something we cannot take for granted. The magic of creating new music in the moment with friends and peers and colleagues is one of the great joys of life, of college.”

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

PAGE 13

Hood Museum encourages students to take ownership of space By JESSICA LI The Dartmouth Staff

After over a year of being closed to the public, the Hood Museum of Art is opening its doors once again –– with a special welcome to the Class of 2025. This fall, the Hood has several new exhibitions and installations to share, ranging from paintings to pottery and covering a range of cultural backgrounds. There are a variety of ways for students to utilize the Hood throughout their time at the College, both inside and outside of the classroom. The Museum Club is one introduction to the space for anyone interested in learning the ways that museums operate. According to Hood director John Stomberg, the club is typically composed of 30 members who work on a variety of projects both within and outside of the Hood. Museum Collecting 101 — a non-credit course hosted once a week in either the winter or spring — offers students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience with the museum acquisitions process. Through this crash course, students learn about what goes into the process of acquiring pieces for museums and how to decide what pieces to buy, according to Stomberg. Students in the course take a weekend trip to New York City –– fully funded by the Hood –– to view some of the pieces that the Hood is looking to acquire. Afterwards, Stromberg said, the group returns to campus and argues over which piece to purchase. When a democratic decision is made, the Hood acquires the piece, giving students the chance to leave a lasting mark on Dartmouth through the Hood’s collection. “The credit line on the work of art that we buy says ‘Purchased by…’ and it’s a list of all of the students in the class,” Hood director John Stomberg said. “So we actually have the budget for this, and we actually buy a work of art.” The Hood also offers several inter nships, typically held by juniors and seniors. Some curatorial inter nships offer interns the opportunity to curate their own exhibition. There are also internships within the coin collection, programming and campus engagement segments of the museum. Abby Smith ’23 first got involved with the Hood through the Museum Club as a freshman, and her growing interest in art museums drew her to the Hood’s internship programs, under which she is now a curatorial intern. Even though her internship has been mostly remote, she goes to the museum several times a week and is making progress on her exhibition. “Every museum intern does their own exhibition, and mine will be in the winter this year,” Smith said. “I’ve

been working on picking my art pieces and writing labels and brochures, which has been really fun. That’s what I spend most of my time doing — and a lot, a lot of research, that’s what a lot of curatorial work is like.” Hood campus engagement coordinator Isadora Italia encouraged students to reach out even if they have nothing more than an idea of something they are interested in. “We love to collaborate with students and student groups to create unique in-gallery events and experiences,” Italia said. “If you have an idea or are part of a student group that wants to organize an event at the Hood Museum, please reach out and let us know!” According to academic programming coordinator Amelia Kahl, the Hood works with over 30 different departments and academic programs to supplement classes. For example, some classes assign students to walk around the galleries, either in class or on their own time. Other classes bring students to the Bernstein Center for Object Study, where pieces can be pulled from storage for closer observation. The Hood boasts a collection of 65,000 objects, and only a handful of them are on display at any given point in time. Whether or not a student is in a class that uses the BCOS, they

still have access to everything that is in storage. “If you’re an undergraduate and you’re interested in seeing something that’s not on view, you can send me an email, and we’ll find a time for you to see it,” Kahl said. “You all have access to that collection as Dartmouth students.” Even if a student does not study art or art history, the Hood’s staff strongly encourages all students to come as casual viewers. The Hood Museum is free for students, and it is as much an academic resource as it is a place to study, relax and enjoy a day off. “There are layers of academic practice embedded in museums, but one need not have that to enjoy the art,” Stomberg said. “Art isn’t about limitations — art is an invitation to think and feel.” As an art history major, Smith uses the Hood’s resources quite frequently. However, she has also enjoyed exploring works in the collection that pertain to her other classes. “I have an [African and African American Studies] class where we had a presentation from the Hood Museum, and we got to look at art that was related to what we were learning,” Smith said. “It was a really interesting way to contextualize the historical aspects of what we were

talking about [in class].” The Hood staff emphasized that students do not need to be experts on art in order to engage with it. According to Stomberg, some pieces may be more complex than others, but most works have a label next to them offering more details on the piece; he encouraged students to bring a friend and have a dialogue about the art as an introduction to the space. Exhibits on display this fall include “Form and Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics,” which Stomberg said “really defies expectations.” It includes conceptual art and video pieces centered around Native American ceramics, all of which challenge stereotypes about Native American art. Another is a video piece from Maori artist Shannon Te Ao entitled “My Life as a Tunnel.” The piece is centered around the relationships of two Maori men, and it discusses themes of Indigeneity, language and loss. Stomberg described the video as “beautiful in an evocative way.” Other exhibitions and pieces on display this fall include “A Legacy for Learning: The Jane and Raphael Bernstein Collection,” “Drawing Lines,” Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s “Trade Canoe: Forty Days and Forty Nights” and Thornton Dial’s “The Tiger Cat.”

Aside from exhibits, the Hood offers a wide range of public programs. Kahl explained that students and Upper Valley residents alike are invited to participate in these special events. “[There will be] a mix of artist talks, collaborative workshops, student talks, big lectures and small and intimate events” said Kahl. “We’re going to have a big lecture on traditional Japanese art with Melissa McCormick, who is a professor at Harvard, and we’re also going to have a big lecture with the contemporary artist Julie Mehretu.” At the end of the day, both Stomberg and Kahl reminded students that the museum, at its core, belongs to students. “The staff at the Hood works to take care of their museum,” said Stomberg. “We work to put their art on view. We work to keep their building open. We work with faculty to make their classes interesting. But this is an institution for students, and the students should feel absolute ownership of this place.” To welcome students back, the Hood will have a reopening party on Sept. 18. The museum will be open Wednesday through Saturday this fall, and though masking and distancing rules are still in place, Hood staff do not anticipate an attendance limit.

COURTESY OF THE HOOD MUSEUM OF ART

Visitors tour “Form and Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics,” currently on view through Jan. 2, 2022.

(OPINION) DOMINIQUE MOBLEY ’22: About That Restraining Order...

PAGE 14

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

STAFF COLUMNIST KATHERINE ARRINGTON ’24

The Art of Saying Yes

Don’t stop yourself from growing and experiencing new things. If you asked me if I knew who I was a year ago when I first came to Dartmouth, I would have said yes. I was wrong. Of course, I knew some things about myself: I love a good story, I tend to be introverted and I care about politics — especially relating to social change. Being so sure of who I was — perhaps for the first time in my life — was a phenomenal feeling. I was comfortable taking up space. And yet, what I knew about my identity then also meant that I had a lot of preconceived notions about who I would and would not be in college, what I would and would not study and how I would and would not spend my time. Here is the issue with that: knowing who you are does not equate to knowing who you are not. I was comfortable, especially when it came to saying no to opportunities that did not fit into my ideas about who I was. I remember sitting at my computer a few weeks before the start of my freshman year. I was convinced I was going to double major in government and sociology, so much so that I mapped out an entire year of courses to fulfill prerequisites and take introductory courses in those fields. I proceeded to follow that schedule exactly: I took three government courses and one sociology class throughout freshman year — and I loved all of them. I learned about the sociological imagination, studied social movements, read political philosophers and familiarized myself with dozens of theories. And yet, none of the courses I had so carefully selected were my favorite. In fact, my favorite class from that year was my firstyear writing seminar, part of the humanities sequence I signed up for on a whim to fulfill my first-year writing requirement. Before coming to Dartmouth, I would have said no to a class like that in favor of one that I felt aligned

more closely with my interests. But be as it may, I found so much solace in reading and discussing literature that I decided to swap out my intended government major for English. A few weeks into fall term, I was still very much adjusting to the rigor of Dartmouth classes, as well as the fast-paced nature of the school as a whole. At that point, I had joined the staff of The Dartmouth and made a few other minor commitments around campus. I remember hearing about the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact’s Foundations in Social Impact, a year-long program for firstyear students where they learn the basics about social impact and changemaking and consider their own leadership and communication styles. I was immediately drawn to the idea of growing my knowledge about social impact, something I had long been passionate about. And yet, the more I read about the program, the more I thought: I should definitely not apply. It was a significant time commitment, the application process looked competitive and it involved something called “consulting,” which seemed difficult and confusing. I came from a public school in Nowhere, Arkansas. In what world would it be a good idea for me to take on this commitment when I was still figuring out how to navigate the Ivy League? I recounted these qualms to my mother, and she listened but told me to at least apply, rather than ruling myself out. Following her advice, I ended up participating in the program — and it was the highlight of my freshman year. I met a host of interesting people, discovered more about myself and who I want to be, learned both hard and soft skills and realized how nuanced social impact really is. I even got the opportunity to work with the Norris Cotton Cancer Center on a project disseminating

information about lung cancer screening, which has the potential to save lives. I learned so much about the world and about myself, and I plan to stay involved with DCSI throughout the rest of my Dartmouth experience. Halfway through my freshman fall, Dartmouth began to feel like home. I felt content with my classes, my involvements and my connections around campus. I remember having dinner with a friend when I received a GroupMe message: A classmate asked if anyone was looking to live together off-campus in the winter. I had not really been looking, but the girl asking seemed interesting, so I responded. We set up a lunch to talk, but the day of, I felt completely overwhelmed. It was the middle of midterm season, I had a ton of homework I needed to catch up on and I did not feel up to making small talk for an hour. I got so far as to take out my phone to cancel, but she had already texted that she was on her way. I went, expecting nothing to come of it other than some casual conversation. That lunch, however, resulted in me meeting one of my best friends to date, and, indirectly, led to me meeting several incredible individuals, without whom I now cannot imagine my Dartmouth experience. As I am writing this, a year has passed since I was that nervous and excited incoming freshman. I still recognize the version of me I was a year ago, but I am also different in ways I never could have predicted. Reflecting on some of the most impactful experiences of the past four terms, I realize that so many of them almost never happened. I wanted to say no to taking a class in a different field, to trying something outside of my comfort zone, to meeting someone new. If I had, I would have remained unaware of a deep academic passion,

I would never have experienced the personal and professional improvement that I have over the past year and I would have missed out on meeting multiple individuals who have altered my life for the better. Without these experiences, I would be a lot more similar to who I was a year ago; having never opened myself to new opportunities, I would have limited my own growth as a person. Saying “no” is easy; that is probably why it is so often my default response to a new opportunity. Saying yes is more difficult. It challenges you, it forces you to ask difficult questions and it requires a lot of effort. Often, it means adventuring outside what is comfortable and exploring something different. However, saying yes is the most powerful tool for growth. I now know more about myself — more about what I am passionate about, more about what I love and more about what it is possible to do with life. Saying yes to new and sometimes scary opportunities brought me that knowledge, that much-needed change and growth. Of course, in saying yes to new experiences, there is always the potential for taking on too much and becoming overwhelmed. Finding a balance between commitments that works for you is absolutely essential. However, when saying yes or no to a new opportunity, consider your reasons. Don’t let not wanting to leave the comfortable be a reason for saying no. We only get four years at Dartmouth. Making the most of them means stepping outside the known. Try something new, be spontaneous and make decisions you wouldn’t have made before Dartmouth. Do not let being comfortable with the person you are now constrain who you might grow into. Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can — in other words, say yes.

STAFF COLUMNIST MICHAEL HARRISON ‘24

Save Yourself the Stress

In a world of trade-offs, don’t underestimate the value of taking time for yourself. In the Dartmouth bubble, students like myself are conditioned to believe that success is independent of character. What matters most is the outcome, not the effort that an individual student puts into their work and studies — or that outcome’s relation to a student’s potential. While my values, identity and personal satisfaction are just as important as the things I list on a resume, that is not always recognized by others. Students seem to be constantly chasing a prestigious internship, academic accolade or Greek house affiliation. And once they get one item checked off the list, it’s on to the next. But as we all emerge from the pandemic and the Class of 2025 acclimates to Dartmouth, we have the ability to resist the unnecessarily competitive nature of academic and social life. As a prospective economics major myself, I believe the concept of diminishing marginal returns best illustrates an important takeaway from my freshman year: At a certain point, the additional benefit derived from putting in an additional fixed amount of effort starts to fall off. From my perspective, many Dartmouth students seem to expend great amounts of effort to win “rewards” that offer additional social and academic benefits that just aren’t worth the trouble — and load themselves with tons of unnecessary stress in the process. In doing so, they run the risk of missing the forest for the trees, forgetting that there is an actual person behind their efforts, who needs free time to relax in order to enjoy the fruits of their labor. At a certain point, you are better off focusing your attention inward: spending more time with friends and family and doing things that might not win the praise of your classmates, but are more meaningful in the long run. So, if there’s one thing I want to stress, it’s the following: Don’t stress yourself out trying to “win” the competitive games that your time at Dartmouth will put in your path, because you can’t win at anything if stress consumes you. Before my freshman fall this past year, I was not truly aware of just how pervasive Dartmouth’s competitive social and academic pressures would be. Of course, I was aware of the stereotypes — that economics majors were cutthroat, that premed students did not have time for healthy social lives, that one cannot have good grades and adequate sleep and a social life, among others — however harmless and jocular they

may have seemed. But it wasn’t until I was thrown into the deep end of college that I realized how such stereotypes were not only based in reality, but were also quite harmful. Taking three major-level economics classes in my first year was hard enough, as was moving away from my younger brother, who struggles with several physical and mental disabilities. But having to perform at a rigorous academic standard while struggling to fit in as a queer, first-generation student brought me unhealthy amounts of stress that threatened to derail my social and academic efforts. As someone who shares the aforementioned identities, I am accustomed to having stressors in my life that others do not. But I’m afraid that even for those who arrive at Dartmouth without having experienced this type of stress in their lives, Dartmouth’s competitive pressures present obstacles to “thriving” and “fitting in.” It goes without saying that Hanover is remote, so finding camaraderie early on becomes essential to one’s success. But despite what I had in common with many of my classmates, I struggled to find my place for one main reason: a lack of time. I suppose I was so caught up studying for my econ midterms and trying to understand Dartmouth’s social hierarchy that I couldn’t dedicate enough time to less stressful — and more wholesome — endeavors. But, in all fairness, many of my peers were also pressed for time — which made genuine interactions even harder to come by. I must also recognize the tragedies of the past year when weighing the rewards with the risks of dedicating more time to yourself. The Dartmouth community was forced to mourn the unexpected losses of four undergraduate students this past year — including three freshmen who died by suicide, Beau DuBray, Connor Tiffany and Elizabeth Reimer, and Lamees Kareem, a member of the Class of 2022 who died of a medical condition unrelated to COVID-19. Speaking from personal experience — and the experiences of peers — Dartmouth’s fastpaced, competitive culture is not conducive to good mental health. Nor does the school have the adequate resources to assist students in need. As such, students ought to carefully consider the effects of trying to be “the best” at all costs. Imposter syndrome is also a very real phenomenon at Dartmouth, particularly for

students from marginalized backgrounds. Feelings of inadequacy — despite putting forth my best effort — and a sense that I didn’t belong at Dartmouth plagued me during my first two terms. While my confidence level did improve in the spring, it was only after two grueling terms of social isolation and lower-than-expected grades that I was able to see the value that my presence brought to those around me and to the College. To bring in another economic concept, there is a great opportunity cost to judging yourself by your accomplishments — especially those you plan to list on a resume. When the going gets tough, you’ll need to know that you have value, regardless of how stressful you decide to make your life. You belong at Dartmouth regardless of what grade you get in an individual class, the number of followers you have on Instagram or the prestige of the internship you’re lucky enough to have already lined up for next year. (Yes, that was meant sarcastically — only at schools like Dartmouth, it seems, do students regularly secure jobs and internships over a year in advance.) Put another way, the opportunity cost — what you forfeit by overstressing — may very well be your own sanity. Going into the next year, post-pandemic Dartmouth offers us all a chance to reintroduce ourselves as more genuine, compassionate and sensible people. And, just as reducing stress made spring term more pleasant for me, alleviating some of the pressures that consume our lives can help us get there. An important step in this direction is realizing everything is likely to work out just fine — no matter the sleepless nights, endless grinding and social anxiety. Many Dartmouth students care about their post-college standing in society. They worry about securing a decent-paying job, having a relatively high social status and perhaps one day sending their own kids to a school like Dartmouth. As the first in my family to go to college, I am guilty of this myself. For all of us, subscribing to this version of Dartmouth comes with the promise of unlocking these returns in due time. However, for all this and the concomitant stress, what’s missing is context. As a firstgeneration college student, I can appreciate the fact that the majority of American adults do not hold a college degree. Most Americans also don’t work on Wall Street, nor do they

live in the upscale suburbs of New York and Connecticut. In fact, just being at Dartmouth already places me well ahead of the average person. The marginal benefit that one derives from four stressful years at Dartmouth — as opposed to four more leisurely-paced years at another college — is nominal. On the other hand, the marginal benefit associated with taking time to unwind and finding a sense of community is great. I will admit that I came to Dartmouth believing that majoring in something “popular” like economics would allow me to fit in more easily, even if doing so might be stressful. I thought “following the crowd” might lead me to stability and security during my college years and beyond. I was sadly mistaken: It can never be that simple. Ultimately, fulfillment comes from within. While I still intend to major in economics, I can now appreciate the discipline for what it’s worth: not just as a stressful means to a professional end, but as a way of understanding the complexities of the world around us. There is no doubt a human element to the implementation of the kinds of economic theories and policies that are regularly thrown about in political discourse that I’d love to be more familiar with. I hope to concentrate in labor economics — rather than finance — and perhaps even get involved with research in the department this upcoming year. I hope that incoming freshmen will realize, as I have, that there is so much more to college than spending your time taking experiences and opportunities only for their outcomes. Each member of the Class of 2025 should carve out a niche role for themselves at Dartmouth that does not resolve around constant studying, performative social media posting or “yielding” to the competitive social pressures that are bound to accumulate down the road. I want to end by emphasizing that my identity as a queer, first-generation student matters to me not because it sets me apart from the crowd, but because it makes me a unique human being. It can be easy to lose one’s sense of identity in a sea of affluent, extremely motivated, almost “superhuman” Dartmouth classmates. But we must remember that for all the stress that goes into “keeping up” with those around us, we are moving farther away from our roots — the version of ourselves to whom we should remain loyal.

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STAFF COLUMNIST THOMAS DE WOLFF ’24

The Spirit of This College

How you approach your time at Dartmouth will determine what you get out of it. At a commencement address in 1906, thenCollege President William Jewett Tucker introduced the concept of “the spirit of this College” that he believed would “be one of the stimulating and restraining influences” in the lives of the assembled freshmen. What exactly constitutes “the spirit of this College,” however, may be unfamiliar to the freshfaced members of the Class of 2025. In fact, even to those of us who have been introduced to Dartmouth already, what this spirit signifies may be unclear. As a member of the Class of 2024 myself, this is often the case with many aspects of pre-pandemic Dartmouth – a looming issue I have written about before. While all classes will be on campus in the fall, the Class of 2022 will be the only one to have experienced an entire normal year at Dartmouth. Once they graduate, many traditions are at risk of dying out if not passed down. However, this year represents an opportunity for all of us to (re)discover what the Dartmouth spirit truly means. By the time they graduate, every Dartmouth student will have their own interpretation of what the College’s spirit symbolizes. After all, there are innumerable factors that draw prospective students here, such as the excellent undergraduate teaching or the flexibility of the D-Plan. These are institutional qualities associated with Dartmouth, rather than its students. But there are also a few constant qualities found in this student body across the generations. As we look to the year ahead of us, we can draw upon these qualities to bring new meaning to “the spirit of the College.” College is a time for exploring, trying new things and discovering oneself through the process. Alumnus John Ledyard — after whom the Ledyard Canoe Club is named — is someone who embodied that idea throughout all he did. While at Dartmouth, he canoed the length of the Connecticut River on a whim in the spring of 1773. Ledyard later roamed the world, voyaging alongside Captain Cook in the Pacific and traveling to Egypt on a quest to find the source of the Nile. Ledyard’s maiden voyage is honored every

spring by the Canoe Club’s “Trip to the Sea,” which recreates his journey down the Connecticut River. Students today take up the spirit of Ledyard’s travels throughout their time at the College, honoring his legacy wherever their studies abroad or off-terms take them. For example, Sen. Rob Portman ’78, R-OH, kayaked the entire length of the Rio Grande while at Dartmouth. Each year, students of all ages travel the world through study abroad programs such as the History and Government FSPs in London or the Spanish LSA in Buenos Aires. Other students spend their off terms exploring destinations including Russia, Australia and Vietnam. But you don’t have to explore the farthest corners of the globe to be adventurous; you can do that without leaving Hanover. It’s oft-repeated advice, but freshmen should still take heed: Try clubs or classes that you may not see yourself as being a perfect fit for. This applies to older students too — it’s never too late to join clubs that you may have previously considered. Anecdotally, I came into Dartmouth thinking with absolute certainty that I was going to be a government major. During freshman fall, I took a history class because its course description piqued my curiosity. I enjoyed it so much that I kept taking history classes, and soon, I realized I wanted to major in history instead. In the same vein, I will add that I am not a particularly “outdoorsy” guy, but carefree canoeing with friends on warm spring afternoons are still some of my most cherished memories. Of course, there is much more to Dartmouth than simply being adventurous. Explore interesting classes and clubs to your heart’s content, but what you get up to outside of Dartmouth’s organized activities will define your time here just as much — if not more — than what you do in a class or club. And if there’s one thing Dartmouth students know how to do, it’s making memorable mischief. Former chemistry professor Edwin J. Bartlett, himself a member of the Class of 1872, detailed some of the more outrageous episodes of his time. Once, students fired “a gun so heavily loaded as

to break 320 panes of glass.” Other rogues were described as “tarring and feathering a bad man” and “turning the occupants out of a dilapidated building and razing it to the ground.” It almost goes without saying that the misdeeds listed above, while entertainingly scandalous, would thoroughly offend modern sensibilities if committed today. But the attitude displayed here over 100 years ago remains very much alive on campus. Examples include the pranks played by Greek houses on one another, where composites and barbecue grills vanish for brief periods, or the Ledyard challenge, a tradition where students swim nude across the Connecticut River then run back to campus while evading police. Sometimes, this spirit takes on a more serious form during periods of increased activism on campus. In May 1969, students objecting to the Vietnam War occupied Parkhurst Hall and barricaded themselves in as a protest against Dartmouth’s ROTC programs. More recently, a considerable amount of graffiti appeared around campus in the dead of night protesting the administration’s woefully incompetent handling of the mental health crisis last year. Debates surrounding these and other issues involve all classes of students, and while they can be heated, they also reflect the passionate and free-thinking spirit that animates this community. At times, the Dartmouth spirit pushes the envelope, and students clash with the administration. But absorbing the untamed nature of one’s surroundings is a side effect of being in the woods of New Hampshire — a state whose motto is “Live Free or Die,” after all — for so long. The Dartmouth spirit can be frenetic — manic, even — but this is far better than the stilted, overly intellectual and careerist alternative that is the norm at many of our peer schools today. While certain clubs or activities may be more professionally-minded than others, the wide range of interests pursued by students lend Dartmouth a lively air at all times. Students can hike The Fifty one weekend, present award-winning

research the next, and interview with a consulting group the weekend after that. This lifestyle is full of vitality, and embodies what the Dartmouth spirit is all about. Despite some of the acts listed above, vandalism is not necessarily part of the Dartmouth spirit, but having firm convictions and being unafraid to express them most definitely is. Whether that’s in the opinion section of The Dartmouth, as many students do, or in the Supreme Court, like Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, did and Neal Katyal ’91 still does, Dartmouth students should not be afraid to stand up for what they believe in. The muchtouted liberal arts education you will receive here is meant to teach you how to think — but more importantly, how to think for yourself. Maybe you think the Dartmouth spirit means something else; if so, you’re already proving me right. But your experience will define the rest of that meaning for you. Adventurous, mischievous, free-thinking — these are positive qualities we see in Dartmouth students throughout the ages. When taken to extremes, they can land students in trouble, but those who master them, just as Ledyard or Webster did, will make history. To the freshmen reading this: welcome home! At the moment, you have more pressing concerns than making history. I’ll leave you — and any students from other classes reading this — one final thought to consider: Ernest Martin Hopkins, President of the College from 1916 to 1945, warned against those who demand “softness and self-indulgence from life.” Instead, he argued that those who demand much of themselves are the world’s greatest hope. Those who seek adventure, have a sense of humor, and think critically all at the same time are thus much better equipped for life than those who cannot. I advise you to heed Hopkins’ opinion and demand much of yourself during your time at Dartmouth. In doing so, you will fully absorb the spirit of the College, and prepare yourself for the lifelong adventure afterwards as well.

STAFF COLUMNIST MAX TESZLER ’23

Change is in the Air

It’s the responsibility of every Dartmouth student to push the institutions around them to cut emissions. On Aug. 9, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest and long-awaited report on global climate change. The verdict? A “code red” for humanity, in the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The report described how a 1.1 degree Celsius increase in the global average temperature since the pre-industrial era has already contributed to more extreme weather — including intense heat waves and hurricanes — and warned that, barring aggressive efforts to immediately reduce global emissions, the consequences of warming will only become more severe. The policy implication is clear: If we want to avert existential disaster, we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible, and Dartmouth and its students should play a part in that mission. Reducing the College’s carbon footprint should be a defining mission for every student over the course of their time here. That will involve taking a critical look at how Dartmouth as an institution can decarbonize — as well as pressuring the administration to achieve ambitious emission reductions. We are in an all-hands-on-deck moment when it comes to climate change, with less than a decade to hit the crucial benchmark of halving global emissions, according to a 2018 U.N. report. The newest IPCC report prompted dire headlines about a hotter, deadlier global climate — but the science is also clear that it is not yet too late to avoid the very worst outcomes. The IPCC’s summary of the full 2021 report described with “high confidence”

a “near-linear relationship” between cumulative CO2 emissions and total warming of the planet; that is, for every 1,000 gigatons of CO2 added to the atmosphere, the Earth’s surface warms by roughly 0.45 degrees Celsius, or 0.81 degrees Fahrenheit. Our current carbon emissions thus all steadily increase the global temperature as well as the frequency of storms, sea level rise and heat waves. But at the same time, every effort to reduce emissions can help halt these disturbing trends, preventing even worse outcomes. For instance, even at our current level of warming, 10-year droughts are 70% more frequent than the pre-industrial baseline — but such droughts will become four times more frequent if we let warming spiral to 4°C. Of course, there are steps we all can take at the individual level to reduce overall emissions, including the oft-mentioned reducing meat consumption. Replacing your devices less frequently is also helpful to the planet:With so much energy going into the production of phones and computers, simply holding onto them for a few more months or years is a worthwhile endeavor. But while individual efforts like these are important, they are not nearly sufficient; if we want to make any real headway in addressing the climate crisis, we need change at the institutional level. To the Dartmouth students reading this, you are part of a number of groups on campus which generate a significant amount of greenhouse gases — with fossil fuels currently underpinning so much of modern life, it’s almost impossible not to

MARLEIGH PETERS ’24: ADVICE FROM A ’24

be. For instance, I’m involved with the Dartmouth Outing Club. Arguably, the DOC’s most intense sources of carbon emissions is the First-Year Trips program — simply for its size — and our break trips, which travel to various locations around the country and sometimes internationally. FYT has already adopted an environmental focus, teaching students how to recycle and gifting Nalgenes. But as has become increasingly evident, air travel is an incredibly potent source of greenhouse gases, emitting carbon dioxide high into the atmosphere where it has an especially strong warming effect. We have taken steps like calculating the carbon footprint of our break trips and recognizing the impact of some particularly high-emissions trips. Given the latest evidence, however, recognition alone is not enough — it’s even more essential to take real steps to reduce emissions. The DOC can prioritize more local trips and institute a total carbon budget, while additionally supporting projects like reforestation to offset at least some portion of our travel-based emissions. Admittedly, some clubs have more ways than others to reduce their carbon footprint, but a complete analysis is still worthwhile. Some organizations might not have any single large source of carbon emissions, producing greenhouse gases in smaller and unavoidable ways like just using electricity. If you’re part of the Dartmouth Film Society, for instance, I can’t foresee any significant ways for you to change your emissions footprint. But there could be somewhere to start — even as simple as making sure snacks are low-carbon

intensity. That brings us to the most impactful organization of all — the College itself and its administration. The Sustainability Office, Sunrise and other groups have done tremendous work in ratcheting up pressure on Dartmouth to fulfill its own emissions goals. But we must make it clear that the College’s plans should go even further to decarbonize in light of the worsening scientific outlook. During Earth Week in April, Sunrise and other groups made strong and commendable efforts to hold Dartmouth accountable for its goals in the “Our Green Future” report, which outlines a path to reducing emissions by 80% by 2050. These goals aren’t terrible — they’re in line with prior targets to limit warming to two degrees Celsius or more — but Dartmouth can afford to go further. At even two degrees Celsius of warming, the consequences will be dire — when compared to the pre-warming baseline, the likelihood of 10-year floods is projected to increase more than twofold, heavy storms will become 1.7 times more likely and 50-year extreme temperature events a stunning 13.9 times more likely. The situation is dire enough, and the relationship between carbon emissions and global warming direct enough, to warrant every attempt to reduce the emissions of CO2 and other gases. In the words of the IPCC report, “every ton of CO2 emissions adds to global warming” — and so every institution must work as quickly as possible to reduce its emissions. Every fewer ton of carbon produced means less warming and less tragedy. At Dartmouth, the resources abound — for starters, our $6 billion endowment — to fully invest in rapidly decarbonizing the College. Some may criticize any decarbonization effort as futile and argue that the responsibility to solve climate change instead lies with national governments or the corporations that have polluted so much in the first place. I largely agree with this sentiment — given the sheer scope of global emissions, any effort we undertake is only part of the solution, a supplement to the sweeping changes required in national policy. But the need for federal changes does not obviate the need for changes on the local level, especially when there is a strong local source of emissions. As of 2018, the average U.S. citizen produces 15 metric tons of carbon emissions per year, according to the World Bank. The carbon emissions of just Dartmouth’s campus itself work out to 10 tons per student per year, not including travel or the rest of the emissions generated by Dartmouth students when elsewhere. Every institution — especially those responsible for a high intensity of emissions — must quickly examine its practices over the coming decade if we hope to limit the drastic effects of climate change. In tackling the impending climate crisis, Dartmouth has the opportunity to actually lead on an issue, rather than merely react. It’s high time for every student and group on this campus to embrace a campaign to reduce emissions — one endorsed and backed by an administration that finally takes a clear view on the science. Look around you, in the clubs and groups you’re part of, and think about how you can reduce emissions there. As a school, let’s set actual bold targets — carbon neutrality by 2035, the same year General Motors will stop making internal combustion engine cars, could be a good starting point. This will require an ambitious changeover. We will likely need to switch over college fleets to electric vehicles, change utilities to renewable sources and cut down on the tremendous amount of waste that this campus produces. But it is possible; we have the technology. The question is if we also have the willingness to do so. Max Teszler is the Vice President of the Dartmouth Outing Club.

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A guide to Dartmouth’s lesser-known libraries By Caitlin McCarthy The Dartmouth Staff

If you ask any group of students about their favorite study space on campus, chances are that each one will have a different answer. While BakerBerry Library might be one of the most prominent landmarks on campus, there are a variety of lesser-known library spaces that incoming students might not have discovered yet. As the Class of 2025 experiences campus life for the first time and returning students come back to libraries after a year of limited building access, here is an overview of some spots that you might not see on a campus tour. The Evans Map Room, located on the second floor of Berry Library next to the Jones Media Center, houses a collection of physical maps for students to use in their research. History majors make up a large portion of students who use the map room’s services, map specialist Peter Allen said. Students can request physical maps to look at, and Allen said that staff will work to find any maps digitally if the library does not have a physical copy. Writing classes that focus on the idea of “place” also frequently request maps from the map room, according to Allen. At Rauner Special Collections Library, located next to Baker-Berry, students can find not only reference and research materials, but also a quiet study space with lots of natural light and large windows. Rauner, which has two floors — a lower level

where special collections works can be accessed and an upper space where students can bring their backpacks and study — is often visited by Dartmouth classes, whether as an excursion or as a place for students to research primary sources. Special collections librarian for teaching and scholarly engagement Morgan Swan said that the space is appealing for students who are looking for a place to focus, since Rauner has less activity than Berry. Students are also able to speak with librarians at Rauner to find historical sources even if they don’t know what kind of information they are looking for, Swan said. Swan stressed the ease of access to historical documents at Rauner, saying that students are able to come in and, five minutes later, look at a medieval manuscript. While the above spaces have been open for some or all of the pandemic, others on campus have only recently re-opened for the first time since COVID-19 shut down campus in March 2020. The Sherman Art Library, for example, reopened on Aug. 2 after library services worked with the College to ensure that there was proper ventilation for students to study there, according to associate librarian for research and learning Jennifer Taxman. Chloe Jung ’23 said that as an art history major, Sherman’s location is perfect because it is attached to Carpenter Hall, which houses the art history department.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM REMP

Many of the libraries closed during the pandemic will be open again this fall.

“Sherman is nice and warm, and there’s a lot of natural light,” Jung said, noting that the library’s large windows provide a nice view of Silsby Hall. Jung added that the library gets her “into the headspace for studying” and that being “surrounded by books” helps her feel more “compelled to study” — in contrast to more openconcept libraries like Berry. Sanborn Library, which is run

by the English and creative writing department separately from the other libraries on campus, is another favorite study spot. English and creative writing department chair Andrew McCann described the “small, beautifully appointed” library as “one of the most atmospheric locations to study on campus.” The library is open to all students, not just those studying creative writing or English, McCann added, and he said that the space also doubles as a venue for department events, public readings and performances. Sanborn holds “mostly novels or poetry” books, which students are welcome to check out through the administrative assistant on the third floor of the library, English and creative writing department administrator Kate Gibbel said. Gibbel also said that the department “anticipate[s] that Sanborn Library will be open” this fall. The library’s windows will be open to aid in ventilation, though Gibbel said this decision may be revisited during the colder months of the year. She added that the usual weekday tea service offered in Sanborn might be replaced with other amenities, such as posters for students. Skylar Miklus ’22 said that Sanborn Library, with its quiet atmosphere, armchairs and alcoves, is a great place to write essays and focus on “denser readings.” “I can go into Sanborn and sit there

for like eight hours, and when I come out, there’s a paper,” Miklus said. Miklus also studies in the East Reading Room, where there are “big tables where you can spread everything out.” The room is quiet and full of natural light, they said, and the balcony area offers a “great view of the Green” through its upper-level windows. Taxman said that furniture has been returned to study spaces where there is proper ventilation, and that the return of students has brought an “energy” to the library. For students returning to campus after some time away, libraries may look a little different. In February, the College announced that Kresge Physical Sciences Library — located in Fairchild Physical Sciences Center — and Paddock Music Library — located in the Hopkins Center for the Arts — would be closed permanently at the end of spring term 2021, a decision that drew criticism from students, faculty and The Dartmouth’s Editorial Board. Taxman said that efforts to move materials from Kresge to Baker-Berry are ongoing, and that part of Kresge will be open this fall for students to use as a study space. She added that materials from Paddock have not completely been relocated to BakerBerry yet, and that the space will not be opening this fall. However, she said that the Hopkins Center is taking care of the library as the center goes through its renovation plans.

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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Dorm access restrictions to loosen compared to pre-pandemic By Anais Zhang The Dartmouth Staff

Throughout the past academic year, students’ campus ID cards have only granted them access to their own residence halls due to COVID-19 concerns. This fall, however, the College plans to reinstate “universal access for all students” to all residential spaces during the day, while restricting access after midnight until 8 a.m. the next day, according to associate dean of residential life and residential education director Michael Wooten. Wooten said that the decision to restrict dorm access during the evening was “really just an attempt to preserve some level of continuity to the safety of the community.” He cited the possibility of residence hall floors becoming “a passageway between two other parts of campus” during cold winter evenings, causing a disruption to students living on the floor. In recent years, dorm access has been a controversial topic within the Dartmouth community. In the fall of 2019, citing alleged racial bias and vandalism incidents in on-campus dorms during the prior academic year, the College instituted a policy that only permitted students to access College residences within their own housing communities. In addition, access to communal spaces on campus, such as Brace Commons and House Centers A — commonly known as “the Onion” — and B — commonly known as “the Cube”— was restricted to members of certain houses. For example, only students in South and North Park Houses were granted access to House Center A, while only students in Allen and School Houses had access to House Center B. Prior to fall 2019, students had universal access to all undergraduate dorms at all times. The fall 2019 policy was met with strong resistance from the student body at the time, with 94% of the student body opposing the restrictions, according to a survey fielded by The Dartmouth. Former Student Assembly president Luke Cuomo ’20 and vice president Ariela Kovary ’20 organized a petition encouraging the College to reverse its decision that gathered almost 3,000 signatures. “I think one of the greatest assets to Dartmouth has always been its openness

and its inclusivity in the community,” current SA vice president Maggie Johnston ’22 said. “[The new access policy] felt like a direct challenge to that.” Benjamin Alford ’22 said they felt that the College’s decision was “confusing” and “frustrating” since the motivation for it was unclear. Though they recognized that incidents of racial bias catalyzed the formation of the policy, they said that the policy would not address a situation in which a member of one housing community committed such an act against another member of their housing community. “I felt like it was just separating people by house community, which is kind of an arbitrary grouping of people,” Alford noted. Cuomo and Kovary helped form a working group on campus access — composed of members of Student Assembly and the Interhouse Council — that participated in a series of meetings with Wooten and residential operational staff, according to current Student Assembly president Jennifer Qian ’22. To support their case, Johnston said that the working group brought up potential safety concerns regarding frigid temperatures at night and students being unable to enter residence halls for refuge. She added that they also highlighted the “community factor” and the “exclusivity” of the policy. These negotiations ultimately prompted the College to partially reverse its decision, allowing universal access from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Additionally, universal access to the House Centers and Brace Commons was fully restored. During this past year, students had access only to their own residence halls due to public health and safety concerns. “Generally the principle was that you should only have access to the building that you live in and those amenities for the greater public health strategy,” Wooten explained. He clarified that in some instances, such as for students living in School House, students were able to access other dorms in their housing communities to use amenities such as the ice machine and laundry, which were not available in their own dorms. Sydney Fortner ’24 said that when she was living on campus in the spring, her key card mistakenly granted her access to all dorms in South House temporarily — even though she should have just

ANGELINA SCARLOTTA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Dorm access restrictions were highly unpopular when implemented in the fall of 2019.

had access to her own building within South House — which she described as “awesome,” as she did not have to wait outside her friends’ dorms. “I think dorm access is crucial for social networking and friends,” Fortner added. “Allowing these key cards to work on all the doors will integrate students and bring them together.” According to Fortner, the only drawback to the universal access policy would be security. She said that universal dorm access may make it easier for students to enter a room that is not theirs and steal the belongings of other students. However, she said she thinks that if students locked their doors, it wouldn’t pose much of an issue. Leah Branstetter ’23 said that she would support a policy that gives students universal access to residence halls 24 hours a day. “People text their friends and they let them into their dorms anyway,” Branstetter said. “I mean, it’s 30 seconds out of my day to let somebody in the dorms, but also, at the same time, if I’m hanging out with my friends, I’ve got to walk all the way down from the fourth floor to go and let them in.” Qian and Johnston said that SA is not currently planning to pursue further action regarding the dorm access policy, but they expressed their support for maintaining an open campus. “Maggie and I are really passionate about helping keep spaces open and

building back community at Dartmouth” Qian noted. “I’m looking forward to having a lot of events where various Dartmouth community members can

come together and really get to know each other and build back some of the connections that were lost during COVID.”

CRU: BRIDGES INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES THE DARTMOUTH CLASS OF 2025 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Find us at the:

THE DARTMOUTH INVOLVEMENT FAIR When: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 On the Dartmouth Green (look for the blue balloons!) From 3:00 to 5:00 PM Join us for the:

CRU: BRIDGES ANNUAL WELCOME COOKOUT & CAMPFIRE When: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 5:00 to 8:00 PM (rides available from campus @ 4:30) Where: 17 Meadow Lane. Enfield, NH 03748 (the home of Cru/Bridges staff) What: Outdoor games on the lawn, food & snacks provided, campfire, roasting marshmallows All American and international students are welcome!

For more info/RSVP email Cru@dartmouth.edu Or text Jerry @ 603-667-5806 or Ruth @ 603-667-5797

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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SPORTS

Varsity sports set to resume with possible campus restrictions By WILL ENNIS

The Dartmouth Staff

This fall, Dartmouth athletes will be returning to something resembling normal competition for the first time since campus originally shut down in March 2020. The status of spectatorship in the fall is still unknown, and will be dependent on College guidelines. Women’s soccer head coach Ron Rainey said that he is not sure the extent to which the upcoming season will mirror pre-COVID-19 play, but added that his players are looking forward to playing competitive games again, no matter what form they may take. “I do think there’ll be times where there’ll be protocols, and whether it’s on a soccer field or in a classroom, I think there’s going to be masks involved for the next few months,” Rainey said. “But it’s going to be great to be out training and it’s going to be great to get back to a normal competition season.” Tennison Brady-Steen ’23, a member of the women’s track and field team, said it is “not a big deal” to her if the team has to wear masks during training this term. She noted that most of their practices are outdoors and their competition season does not begin until the winter. Members of the team, whether on or off campus, were sent training and lift programs to follow over the summer. This is meant to help smooth the transition to a full practice schedule this fall and make sure it is “not a huge jump” for the athletes, Brady-Steen said. Many fall athletes preparing for a return to competition — particularly members of the Class of 2023 — have not been on campus this year until summer, let alone practicing and competing with their teammates as they are accustomed to.

“Last fall, I was here, and we were allowed to practice, but it was super strict,” said Brady-Steen. “We could only practice an hour a day, and you can’t really get anything done. I’m excited to be able to practice with the whole team. The fall is our heavy-duty season, so we usually do 3-4 hours a day — we don’t have any meets — and [the season] should be completely normal, as far as I know.” Football outside linebacker Zack Milko ’23 expressed his excitement to get back to the locker room, which the football team has not had regular access to this summer. “It’ll also be great to have in-person meetings again after watching film by screen share for the past fifteen months,” Milko said. “But the biggest thing has to be putting pads back on and seeing every single one of my teammates again. I couldn’t be more excited.” Returning to competition after such a long layoff will not come without its difficulties, though. Chief among these is the adjustment period for younger players — freshmen, sophomores and even spring season juniors — who haven’t had a chance to compete at the collegiate level yet but nonetheless form the majority of many teams’ rosters. “We’re going to be playing so many guys who have never seen the field before, but are now upperclassmen,” Milko said. “It’ll almost be like having two freshman classes because this will be the sophomores’ first season as well.” Milko expressed his hope that the football team’s collective relative inexperience will be mitigated by the return of fifth year players — who have an extra year of Ivy League eligibility — because “there are a lot of leaders among them.” Some teams face additional challenges

OLIVER DE JONGHE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

created by the pandemic beyond losing a year of practices. In July 2020, several sports teams — men’s lightweight rowing, men’s and women’s golf and men and women’s swim and dive — were eliminated by Dartmouth Athletics, only to be reinstated this past January. Lightweight rower Nathaniel Kramer ’23 said that losing a year of recruiting will be a hurdle for the team this fall, but that the extra year of eligibility offered to older rowers will aid the situation. Kramer cited his teammates’ commitment to and passion for rowing — evidenced by his peers that continued to compete outside of school, including some who medaled at the Under-23 World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic

this July — as factors that will help them this season. “There were probably some of us — myself, at the least — who cut back on the amount of volume [of practice] we would have been doing if we were training, but that doesn’t mean we completely dropped the sport,” Kramer said. “A lot of us will be competing in a fifth year, so we’ll hopefully have recruiting back to normal by the time most of [the ’22s and ’23s] graduate.” Despite potential difficulties, most athletes expressed excitement at returning to regular competition and getting to spend time with their teammates again. “These guys are really some of the

best people on campus and I’m so grateful to be a part of this team,” Kramer said. “There’s really no experience better than going from a hard practice to Foco with the guys.” Brady-Steen noted her excitement for the return to in-person practices with her entire team, as well as the chance to get to know sophomores better along with the incoming freshmen. “It’s gonna be nice to get back into a routine, and we’ll get to teach both the ’24s and ’25s about all these traditions that they haven’t really gotten to experience,” she said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to most, that community-building aspect that we haven’t had for the past year.”

Club and intramural sports allow new and former athletes to play BY OLIVIA MORTON The Dartmouth Staff

For former athletes or those looking to pick up a new hobby, club and intramural sports offer the opportunity to continue a sports career in a less intense environment upon coming to Dartmouth. For members of the Class of 2024 and Class of 2025, joining one of these teams can be a great way to find a new group of friends with similar interests, and have fun at the same time. For Chris Picard ’23, club hockey was the perfect way to keep playing the sport he loved. He knew he wanted to keep playing hockey at some level in college, and after meeting then-captain Chris McCorkle ’20 at the club fair early his freshman fall term, he was sold. “It seemed like a really good fit with the schedule and the competition level and the group of people that I met,” Picard said. Having attended a high school without sports teams, Rae Docherty ’23 decided it was better late than never to give athletics a try when she arrived at the College. She began her sports career with the club swim team, and by the end of her freshman fall had decided to join the women’s water polo team. “[Club teams have] a big walk-on culture,” Docherty said. “So that’s kind of good. Some people will come to a few practices and never show up again, but if you keep coming and keep coming, you’re a part of the team.” Throughout her freshman year, Docherty made close bonds with upperclassmen on the team and found some people that would end up being some of her closest friends at Dartmouth. “Having upperclassmen girls to look up to was great,” Docherty said. “Because I came in not knowing a lot about Dartmouth, they were my people to make connections with. That’s how you learn things — your best networking is through upperclassmen.” Unlike Docherty, who had never played her sport before, Jack Shire ’23 knew he wanted to continue playing baseball in college and tried to walk onto the varsity team when he first arrived on campus. “I played baseball all through high school — pretty much my entire life,” said Shire. “ I wasn’t nearly good enough to play college baseball, but I still tried. [I] worked out with them for a couple weeks, but realized it wasn’t my level and I got cut. It was a bummer, but I knew I still wanted to be able to pursue baseball.” Re s i l i e n t a f t e r t h at f i r s t disappointment, Shire has found a more suitable environment in the club team. Casual practices, social events and the overall camaraderie define the

LILA HOVEY/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

team’s atmosphere. “We look like a ragtag group,” Shire said. “We don’t have a single uniform, we all just show up, and half of us don’t have hats on.” He told a story from a game against the University of Vermont’s club team that he believes captures how the team plays. “[The University of Vermont] don’t have a varsity baseball team, so their club baseball team is all they have,” Shire said. “They have like 30 kids on the team, five different coaches — they take it crazy serious. They played in a minor league stadium, and we rolled up as they were playing the national anthem. So we just kind of scurry out to the third baseline, hands over the hearts, like, in sweatpants, just looking violently tired — and then we get out there, and we absolutely smack them.” “It was so fun,” he recalled. “They’re looking at us, like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win this game 15-0,’ and we torched them.” In addition to the adrenaline that comes with a little competition, club sports on campus provide a space to meet new people and settle into the social life at Dartmouth. “I love hockey. I love hanging out in the locker rooms,” Picard said. “I love

talking with my friends and also seeing people from all around campus that you don’t usually see anymore with such a large amount of [students participating] in Greek life. When you have club sports, that kind of disappears, and you guys are all just like one team again.” Now president of her water polo team, Docherty has made it a goal to focus on social aspects of the team in addition to the competitive nature of the sport. “Freshman winter, we practiced five times a week and it was so fun,” Docherty said. “I got really close with the girls. I’d never been a part of a team before so that was very cool. We had social events — the first time I ever played pong was with water polo in the basement of [Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority]. It was a very chill way to learn how to play.” The format of club sports varies by team. Whereas club baseball lacks tryouts or formal coaching staff, others — such as club hockey — have tryouts, coaches and uniforms, with some teams even fielding multiple groups. Therefore, while Shire simply showed up to the first day of practice, Picard went through multiple days of tryouts under the team’s two coaches before

making it onto the club roster. If you end up cut from one of the club teams, or are simply not looking for that much of a commitment, there are a variety of intramural sports teams eager to have first time players and seasoned athletes alike. Intramural sports are offered on a termly basis and provide the most casual way to get involved with athletics on campus. Housing communities sponsor teams to compete for points put towards the annual House Cup competition, according to the South House website. Liam Prevelige’23 helped lead the South House IM basketball team — composed largely of his dorm-mates — to a tournament win his freshman winter. “We had this great comeback,” said Prevelige. “We originally lost a bunch of the first few games, and then we had some new members join — not club basketball players, but guys at that level. [We] met some awesome new people from outside our dorm and ultimately ended up doing really well and winning the actual house tournament.” With teams composed of rookies and seasoned athletes alike, Prevelige explained that IM sports are more about having fun and making connections

than winning. Even within the interhouse tournament, Prevelige noted the uniquely positive environment in the gym. “It was really fun because they’re high energy games with everyone cheering for each other,” said Prevelige. “And it was fun to be playing against your friends from the other houses too and make that other connection” Outside of the inter-house tournament, groups can be formed from simply a group of friends. “It [is] crazy easy to make a team,” said Shire. “All you have to do is submit a request and then send emails out to your friends and beg them to sign up, and then you’re good. They set up literally everything, you don’t have to have any gear at all. We played IM hockey, and half the team didn’t know how to skate. I played goalie. We lost a game 15 to nothing and it was a great time.” From basketball to football and hockey, IM sports are a low stress way to try something new and have fun with some friends. No matter how you find your way to sports at Dartmouth — through varsity athletics, club teams or IM sports — you can be sure that you will be welcomed with open arms and find a new group of people on campus.

SOPHIE BAILEY/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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Reflection: If I’m Not the Best, Who Am I? STORY

By Caris White

It’s been a while since I was the smartest person in a room. I am writing this article as I finish the last few weeks of sophomore summer, which means I am just crossing the halfway point of my time at Dartmouth. I have learned more in the past two years than I ever imagined I would when I was coming into college. I’ve also failed more during my time here than during any other period of my life. Like many of the incoming members of the Class of 2025, I came to Dartmouth because I did really well in high school. I was lucky enough to go to an excellent magnet public school, but even there, I was consistently one of the best and brightest in my classes. I got used to seeing straight A’s on my transcripts and occupying a predetermined social niche as one of the smart kids. Then, I travelled 3,000 miles across the country to a school where everyone was one of the smart kids, and it became time for me to find a new way to define myself. I remember looking around during O-Week and wondering how I would manage to distinguish myself from this sea of new peers, all of whom appeared to be just as ambitious and intelligent as myself. One of the first lessons I learned is that it’s absolutely exhausting to try to be the smartest person in the room at a school like Dartmouth. It might have been possible for me to ace every CHEM 005, “General Chemistry” exam during freshman winter, but I quickly realized that some nights, I just wanted to play pong or relax with friends in my dorm room. That’s not to say that I don’t

or didn’t study hard — I put in my time at the library that winter — but in a cost-benefit analysis of studying versus free time, I learned to value moments with friends and extra hours of sleep over a five-point boost on a pre-med weed-out exam. Another word of wisdom: every student has a big failure — or several. My first one came during sophomore winter, when I well and truly bombed my first BIOL 13, “Gene Expression and Inheritance” midterm. After I got the grade back, I called my mom in distress, looking for parental reassurance that I could still be a good doctor even though I got a 58% on my test. I ended up sticking with the class and squeaking out an at-median grade, which taught me the value of, sometimes, just holding tight and grinding it out. While I’ve had my share of academic challenges at Dartmouth, those are far from the only kinds of failure that have shaped my time here. I have met some of the best people I know during my time in college. I’ve also hurt, argued with and learned to forgive those same people. Living with peers lets us into one another’s lives to an extent that only happens during college. It can turn strangers into friends in a matter of days, and dorm living has produced many of my favorite college memories. However, it also means that the chaotic, unwise and sometimes straight-up mean decisions of 18-23 year olds have an outsized impact on all of our lives. There have been moments over the past year when I thought some of my most treasured friendships weren’t going to make it. Things get complicated in college — people

ALEXANDRA MA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

grow up, relationships unravel and throughout it all the D-Plan changes our social landscape every 10 weeks. Coming into college, I thought I had interpersonal dynamics pretty much figured out. As it turned out, I did not. I have messed up and hurt people during my time here, and that kind of failure felt worse than any test I’d ever bombed. From those experiences, I’ve learned how to apologize to people I care about, how to be a better communicator and how to tell someone that I like them. All of these things are a part of a new metric for success that I’m creating for myself at Dartmouth.

Of course, success on paper matters. I want to thrive intellectually and get good grades and be respected by my professors. But I also want to be a good friend, roommate and confidant. I still love school, I’m still pre-med and hopefully grad schoolbound after college. But instead of being the smartest person in the room, I’ve learned that I am a lot of other things. I am a lover of Foco breakfast and of finding synonyms for words. I love fun socks and high-top shoes and talking about religious theory. I love journalism and writing the perfect article subhead. I love sitting on the porch at Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority and playing pong and trying

new club sports. I knew some of these things in high school, but to be honest, I spent most of my time before Dartmouth being the best at school. It wasn’t until I gave that up that I realized all of this. To the Class of 2025: you will fail during your time here. You might bomb a test, lose a relationship or be rejected from the organization of your dreams. But I hope you will find that each of these closed doors leads you to somewhere unexpectedly good, whether it is to a new major, a new interest or a new friend. I know that has certainly been the case for me.

Lest Old Traditions Fail: Reflections on Pressure to ‘Buy In’ STORY

By Mia Russo

One of the stories I heard on my first visit to Dartmouth was about the 1904 fire that destroyed Dartmouth Hall. After the historic building burned down, alumni from around the world rushed to campus to help rebuild it — both with funds they gathered rapidly and brick by brick with their own hands. I think about this story often — my freshman year on campus marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the College and the celebration was centered around the idea of tradition that Dartmouth so clearly prides itself on. These traditions are one reason I chose to come to Dartmouth in the first place; after going to a small, close-knit high school, the sense of community that stems from generations of tradition was very appealing to me. I loved that before I even arrived on campus for orientation, I would meet alumni who were so excited I was going to the College. They would list off the activities they loved during their time on campus — from learning the “Salty Dog Rag”on First-Year Trips to the special kind of pong played in fraternity basements to the unique joys of sophomore summer. These fond memories are why our alumni care so much about the Dartmouth community — and for that reason, they are the same activities we partake in today. Though my time at the College has been disrupted by COVID-19, I have felt that tradition was most emphasized my freshman fall and now during my sophomore summer. Incoming students are bombarded with traditions as a way to make them feel welcome and included before they are introduced to the larger campus. First-Year Trips is meant to be a bonding experience for incoming freshmen to create a sense of familiarity with each other and campus norms before they are overwhelmed with the other classes returning to Hanover. Yet, as great of an experience as I had during Trips, looking back at the programming reveals a powerful message. Before you even begin to know the College, you are told that there is one way to fit in: by buying into the traditions presented to you, and sometimes even forcefully enjoying the introduction to campus culture you are given. Even after Trips, freshman fall is all about assimilating first-year students into campus culture. From the fearmongering before matriculation to walking around the Homecoming bonfire with upperclassmen yelling “Worst class ever!” and “Touch the fire!” at you, to learning the unique lingo that borders on being its own language and trying to secretly break the frat ban, students are told that these are the things that will make our time at Dartmouth special. But they are also advertised as being things you must enjoy to fit in and be accepted

SOPHIE BAILEY/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

on this campus. Dartmouth has changed significantly over the past 252 years, but in a lot of ways, it has also purposefully remained the same in the name of the traditions that bind us. I used to feel very strongly about many of these aspects of campus culture, laughing as I tried to explain them to friends from home, though it was always apparent the College I called home was truly nothing like any other campus around the country. Yet, now having wrapped up my sophomore summer, I have realized that many of the traditions that unite us unintentionally perpetuate some of Dartmouth’s worst issues. I have had many conversations with my peers this summer — both members of the Class of 2023 and Class of 2022 — about the pressure we feel to love Dartmouth all the time, even when there are clear structural issues that create unsafe environments. Greek spaces on campus perpetuate instances of gender-based violence, sexism, racism and homophobia. Hanover is an elite college town — a tiny, often isolating bubble that does not reflect the Upper Valley community we are situated within and is difficult to break out of. Dartmouth was the last Ivy League institution to let women attend in some form — which is why we have a sophomore summer in the first place — and is still very much a place made for white, heterosexual men. For many people, it feels that if you don’t love the College — if you’re not

enjoying every aspect of your time here on campus — there is something wrong with you. I have felt this way, and I admittedly fit into most of the boxes that form the stereotypical Dartmouth student. When I started talking to my peers about this, I found that not only was I not alone in this sentiment, but rather, I was in the majority. It is so easy to feel isolated here — the ten-week terms move rapidly, everyone is busy and the work hard, play hard environment is difficult to keep up with. The duck analogy you hear about is true: each student may look like they are gliding across the water, but underneath the surface, we are all struggling to stay afloat. To the Class of 2025, I hope you know that if you don’t fall in love with the College at first, you are not alone. The traditions pushed on you are not meant for everyone, and though it may seem like everyone is happy, it is normal to be struggling. Try not to become disillusioned. Talk to your peers — I assure you many of them feel the same way. We are all just too intimidated by the overwhelming campus culture telling us to love this school to admit it. There are spaces for you on campus; granted, they might be a bit harder to find, but if you start talking, you will find them. And if you do love the College, don’t be afraid to criticize it. It is not weak to acknowledge that even a space you love has its issues. I often wonder: If Dartmouth Hall burned down next year, would

my class come together to rebuild it? In many ways, I think the answer to that question is no. Our emphasis on tradition has become a double edged sword: though it is exactly what draws people to the College, many students feel unhappy and out of place if they don’t “buy into” it once they arrive. Importantly, I am not criticizing

Dartmouth because it has done me wrong — I am incredibly grateful for my time so far on this campus. I am criticizing the College because I love it, and by looking inwards at some of the harmful effects this emphasis on tradition has, I believe Dartmouth can do better for its students and we can do better for each other.

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

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The Night Before 21F: A Poetic Guide to Dartmouth’s Lingo STORY

By Julia Robitaille

’Twas the night before classes, the eve of 21F The students were stirring, donning flair and bequests. The ’25s, ’24s, ’22s and ’23s were nestled quite nicely on FFB, Their heads, full of midterms, dreamt of finding the scene. The GroupMe invites were sent out with care In hopes that people would roll thru and be there. When you had just settled down for a long winter’s nap, Your brain took a jolt from that coffee at Novack. So you left the deafening silence of the Stacks For swirling visions of choffee from the old days of KAF: With a generous heap of DBA left to spend, You dreamt of bacon-cheddar-chive scones, brie and apple on baguette bread. Maybe a wink of Souleymane’s eye and being called a boss went to your head

but after a glance at the menu, you knew there was nothing to dread; Collis Specials today meant pasta and garlic bread! You spoke not a word, texted “Collis @ now” And grabbed as many pastries as your meal plan allowed. In a twinkling, you heard echoes in Blobby & exchanged glances, With that facetime-y floormate you matched with on Last Chances. You think they are cute, but don’t have their digits So you take out your laptop and draft up a flitz. Laying a finger on your phone for Duo to authenticate, A swift nod of the head, you access Canvas at a steady rate For your layup is easy, almost a little sus You check with some friends, just in case, to discuss. You feel a bit ragey, so off your fit goes — your Bean Boots,

Patagonia, flannel, and Canada Goose After getting on table for pong; a sink, hit and a save You’re still dressed from tails as you walk to the rave. But as you yum-yummed your mozz sticks, and turned around, Blazing down Tuck Drive, the Sun God! came with a bound. He was dressed in all black from his head to his foot, Masked and winged, blasting music as loud as he could. When coming from the street, there arose such a clatter, You sprang from your woccom to see what was the matter. Away to the River you flew like a flash, Said soz to your pong partner and threw up the sash. The moonlight of the on-night on the water below, Gave a lustre of midday, even more than a droco, When what! to your wondering eyes

Glossary: 21F: Abbreviation of a term at Dartmouth. Refer to a term by its year, followed by the season (F/W/S/X for fall, winter, spring and summer). ’25s, ’24s, ’23s ’22s, etc: Students are referred to by their original year of graduation rather than sophomore, junior, etc. @ now: Right now. Typically used to get people to come to an event or activity quickly. Bean Boots: L.L. Bean Boots, or Duck Boots, an all-purpose weatherproof boot commonly worn around campus. Bema: Big Empty Meeting Area. A woodsy amphitheatre located behind Shattuck Observatory. Part of the Dartmouth Seven. Great for stargazing. Bequests: Clothing, flair, tasks or titles passed down from graduating seniors to younger students. Blitz: An email, formerly the name of Dartmouth’s server. On Blitz culture: Student clubs send out blitzes, characterized by GIFs, images, poetic verse, photos, colorful letters, and fonts, to the College’s listservs. Blobby: The lobby of Baker Library, formally called Reiss Hall (but no one calls it that). Located under the Tower Room. Former home of KAF. Canvas: Online communication platform used by professors to organize, communicate, and collect assignments. Collis Specials: Daily lunch specials at Collis Cafe. CVS: Drug store in Hanover that’s open 24 hours a day, making it a popular spot for late night runs for snacks or other supplies. The Dartmouth Seven: An endeavor in which students have sex in seven conspicious locations on campus before graduation: The Top of the Hop (colorfully-lit top floor of the Hopkins Center for the Arts), the steps of Dartmouth Hall (currently under construction), the Green, the 50-yard line of Memorial Field (the gates which are locked from dusk to dawn), the Stacks, Bema and College President Phil Hanlon’s front lawn. DBA: Dining Dollars, used in lieu of swipes. Droco: Going to ’53 Commons drunk, typically after a darty or during Green Key. Duo: Online authentication service that requires you to approve on your phone any time you log in to Dartmouth online programs. DOSS: Department of Safety and Security, commonly known as SNS. Most commonly seen patrolling frat row, officers will be kinder to you if you refer to them as DOSS rather than SNS. Facetime-y: Referring to someone normally found in Blobby, Novack, or FFB who is socially-savvy and thrives on talking to friends in a library setting but somehow also gets work done. Slowly phasing out of use. FFB, 2FB, 3FB, 4FB: Short for first-floor Berry, second-floor Berry, etc.; refers to floors in Berry library. Floors become increasingly quiet as one goes up. “Finding the scene”: Determining where to go and/or what to do, particularly on an on-night. Flair: Your strangest, zaniest, loudest, brightest and most obnoxious fits or costumes. Onesies welcomed. Tutus tolerated. Neon embraced. Glitter glorified. Flitz: Flirty blitz. It is normal to send flirty emails to fellow students, particularly when you don’t have their number, want to send a cute message to a crush or ask someone to Formal. Flitzing is an art! Don’t be lame. Make it funny, make it rhyme, make it colorful. If you want to send a friendly blitz, you can call it a fritz. Foco: Short for food court, used to refer to the Class of 1953 Commons. Fracket: Short for frat jacket, a cheap jacket worn when going out. They are easily stolen so frackets are traditionally tied together and hidden under couch cushions. You won’t want to walk home without your fracket in the winter. ‘Getting on table’: Getting a spot to play pong in a frat basement. People will ask “what’s line” to judge if it’s worth waiting for a spot, which can sometimes be hours.

did appear, The bells struck one, it was morning, you feared But under the street lamps of the trusty old bridge, Spurred eight sprinting nudists, and you knew what they’d managed — they must have attempted the Ledyard Challenge. Rapid as Hanlon’s COVID updates they came, They whistled, and shouted, and called them by name: Now, Bema! The Stacks! The Dartmouth Seven! Not here being endorsed, but lore at your discretion! To the Top of the Hop! To the lawn of the Pres’! The Fifty Yard Line! The Green! The Steps! It’s what tradition says! In the early dawn you meet the hills for a sunrike; After a CVS run, you pick up friends: NARPs and athletes alike The prancing and pawing of each dirtied white shoe Sticky Keystone film enveloping

each, once new. And within the span of a couple more hours You hear the bells of Baker Tower. You get a blitz, it reads urgent, “What’s the move?” When the clock strikes 7, you get breakfast at Lou’s. When you’ve come back from your Trips, seen some flair and the lodj Grab some shoes and your fracket, and the rest of your shmob Take a dip, take a sunsike, meet at late night with friends Because before you know it, 21F will come to an end May your days go by quickly, but let time trickle slow Like the leaves that turn red and cold maple syrup that flows. Echoing through the fog of the crisp September night You hear a voice cry out in the wilderness, and you look up in fright, You hear it exclaim, ’ere it wasn’t in sight— “Happy 21F to all, and to all a good night!”

SOPHIE BAILEY/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

KAF: Short for King Arthur Flour. A world-renowned bakery located in Norwich that used to have a location in the Baker-Berry Library but has recently closed. Beloved by students for its choffee (chocolate milk and coffee), pies and scones, especially those with extra DBA to spend. Changed name to King Arthur Baking Company in July 2020. Keystone: The only acceptable beer for pong; tastes disgusting, but nobody will admit it. Last Chances: Online matching website released every spring intended for graduating seniors to shoot their shot before graduation. Has evolved into a dating app/game for all classes. Layup: A class known to be easy. See layuplist.com for a crowdsourcing of student course reviews and list of layups. Ledyard Challenge: A Dartmouth tradition that requires skinny dipping across the river to Vermont, climbing the bank, and streaking the Ledyard Bridge on your way back to New Hampshire to pick up your clothes without getting caught by the police or Safety and Security. As legend has it, this tradition originated because Vermont allows public nudity but not disrobing, while New Hampshire allows disrobing but not public nudity. Lodj: Short for the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, where in years past, First-Year Trips ended and large dinners are held. Not to be confused with “The Lodge,” a dormitory in the South House cluster. Lou’s: Popular town diner and breakfast spot. Known for the Lou’s Challenge, which involves eating a Lou’s breakfast at the end of an all-nighter (typically after an on-night). NARPs: Non Athletic Regular People. On-nights: Nights of the week socially designated for going out. Traditionally Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, as well as various holidays. Pong: Dartmouth Pong, the unofficial sport of Dartmouth College. Players hit a ball back and forth with ping pong paddles with the handles broken off, attempting to “sink” it in the opponent’s cups. Not to be confused with the much lamer, mainstream beer pong you played in high school and that is played at other schools. Ragey: A mood/personality trait associated with drinking, partying and pong. Rave: A sweaty party with club music, a live DJ, dancing and strobe lights. “roll thru”: Come over. Variation: “come thru.” Shmob: Group of first-year students who walk and eat in a group or otherwise do everything together. Moving slowly and blocking paths, shmobs are part of the reason each first-year class is referred to as “the worst class ever.” Sink, hit and a save: Terms associated with Dartmouth pong. Hitting the ball in the cup, hitting the rim or hitting the ball back into play after a hit. Results in the opponent drinking the entire cup, half, or none at all, respectively. The Stacks: Where the books are kept in Baker-Berry. Known for its silence. Frowned upon if you talk in here. Part of the Dartmouth Seven. Soz: Shorthand for sorry. Souleymane: Dartmouth Dining employee beloved by the student body. Often calls students “boss.” The Sun God: Mythical alumnus who walks around campus at night wearing a black cloak and mask, blasting a variety of music. Sunrike/Sunsike: Sunrise or sunset hike, respectively. Tails: Historically short for cocktails. Invite-only, themed Greek events before on nights open the spaces to campus. Trips: Several days-long excursion into the wilderness of the Upper Valley that many first-year students go on before starting Orientation. Someone in your immediate Trips group is called a trippee. ‘What’s the move?’: Another way to ask, “What do we want to do now?” Woccom: A mile-long walk around Occom Pond. Yum-yum: To finish a certain amount of food in a short amount of time to get rid of it. Commonly used on Trips when food might go bad or people don’t want to carry it in packs.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

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The Ultimate Fall Upper Valley Bucket List STORY

By Anne Johnakin

Fall in the Upper Valley holds a special place in my heart, as it does for a lot of Dartmouth students. The changing leaves remind me of meeting my best friends freshman fall and all the fun times we had carving pumpkins and swapping flannels. As we ring in the first normal fall in a while, I hope this list gives you some ideas for how to take full advantage of the season. These events range from free to as much as you want to spend, and are varying distances from campus. If you don’t have a car, no worries! Lots of things are walkable, and the Advance Transit bus service runs during weekdays to many surrounding towns. And, if you have your driver’s license, there are plenty of ZipCar rentals available for you to drive. Maple Creemees Distance from Campus: Variable Cost: Around $5 My personal favorite thing about being in the Upper Valley is getting to eat maple creemees — a Vermont ice cream staple that’s not quite soft serve, and often comes with crunchy maple sugar bits on top. You can get them at many locations near campus, such as Mac’s Maple (20 minute drive) or Dan and Whit’s (4 minute drive). Also, campus events sometimes serve maple creemees, so keep an eye out for free creemees on campus! Hiking Gile Distance from Campus: 16 minute drive Cost: Free Are you really a Dartmouth student until you’ve posted a photo from atop Gile Fire Tower? This iconic photo-op is at the end of an easy, 1.4 mile out-and-back hike that is great for novice and experienced hikers alike. Hannah Burd ’22, a fan of the Gile hike, described the experience of the summit: “When you climb to the top of the tower, you’re just surrounded by trees,” Burd said. “During the fall, when the leaves are changing, it is just vibrant, bright oranges and reds. It’s one of the best places to see the fall foliage in the area, in my opinion.”

Organic Farm Events Distance from Campus: 5 minute drive or 1 hour walk (transportation often provided) Cost: Free Lucas Rathgeb ’22, who has been involved with Dartmouth’s Organic Farm since his First-Year Trip, gave an overview of the O-Farm’s fall events. One of the most quintessential O-Farm events is Harfest, which takes place every fall and features food, music, pumpkin carving and face painting. Rathgeb also says there will be campfires in the fall, a fun opportunity to hang out with friends and make s’mores. “We will also be having more pizza dinners,” Rathgeb added, commenting on my favorite part of the O-Farm: the wood-burning pizza oven. “We now have the pizza oven refurbished, since it was out of order for a while.” River view Far m or Patch Orchards Distance from Campus: 20 minute drive to Riverview and 16 minute drive to Patch Cost: As much as you want to spend Cider donuts! Pumpkins! Apple picking! One of Burd’s favorite memories of fall in the Upper Valley is going to the orchard. “I’m in Allen House, and I remember they organized some trips my freshman fall,” Burd said. “We all went apple picking, and there was a pumpkin patch. It was pretty much as fall as it could get.” Both Riverview Farm and Patch Orchards are great choices, and feature similar activities like corn mazes. Riverview also has a maple creemee stand between Labor Day and the third weekend in October. Big KAF Distance from Campus: 5 minute drive, 24 minute walk Cost: As much as you want to spend Another place to get mapleflavored treats is the flagship cafe, bakery and store of the King Arthur Baking Company (renamed from the King Arthur Flour Company, or KAF, in 2020). I think the trek out to Norwich is worth it for the pastries and maple lattes. It may be sentimentality that ties Dartmouth to KAF — the world-famous bakery

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operated a beloved second cafe in Baker-Berry Library that closed last year — but going to Big KAF is a fun excursion to make with friends. While you’re there, you can also stop by KAF’s baking shop to grab box mixes and plenty of baking accessories to make sweet treats right from the comfort of your dorm. I highly recommend the gluten-free microwavable brownie cups. Visit a Farmer’s Market Distance from Campus: Varies by location Cost: As much as you want to spend E a c h w e e k t h ro u g h l a t e September or mid-October, there are farmer’s markets at Richmond Middle School in Hanover on Wednesdays 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and in Norwich on Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. These are a great way to meet community members outside of Dartmouth, support local businesses and eat some fantastic food. The baked goods from Salubre Trattoria are amazing, and I love many of the local jewelers and artisans. If you’re craving a grilled cheese from Griddle and Groovy, be sure to put your order in early — the stand is often backed up by as much as a half hour, but the sandwiches are worth the wait.

Homecoming Football Game Distance from Campus: On campus Cost: Free for students I love a good fall football game, but even if you’re not a football fan, the Homecoming game is not one to miss. Spectators come to Memorial Field decked out in Dartmouth merch and tailgate before the game. Burd has been to three homecoming games, and described the energy in the stands as “electric.” While Dartmouth isn’t a big football school, Burd said, this “is the one game during the football season that a lot of people show up for and go hard for.” Still North Books & Bar Distance from Campus: In town Cost: As much as you want to spend Located right in the heart of downtown Hanover on Allen Street, this alumna-owned bookstore, cafe and bar is a great off-campus space for Dartmouth students to study and hang out. Their cafe has baked goods, sandwiches, and beverages, including familiar favorites once provided by Little KAF, like choffee and the brie and apple sandwich. Still North owner Allie Levy ’11 says these menu additions hope to fill the hole of Little KAF and “keep a small tradition going.” Still North also hosts events at night, such as tiny concerts

and book readings, that are super fun! “When I first came up with the idea for Still North, one of the most important things to me was that it be a space that was as welcoming for students as it is for the rest of the Upper Valley community,” Levy said. “When I was a student, there weren’t a lot of spaces that felt really shared by students and other community members.” Moosilauke Lodge Dinners Distance from Campus: ~1 hour Cost: $8 for students Dinners at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge returned this summer to fanfare from students, and they will continue this fall. The Dartmouth Outing Club often runs free buses up to the Lodge, and it’s a great way to get a break from campus and see beautiful mountain views. Plus, a home-cooked meal served family style with friends has perfect cozy fall vibes. I hope this list inspires your own fall bucket list! From seeing the leaves change to eating pumpkin-spiced and maple treats, fall in the Upper Valley has a lot to take advantage of. “The best thing that I can say is try out as much as possible and see what fits,” Rathgeb said. “Say yes to opportunities to try something different.”

Carving a Niche: How an Idea Becomes a Club STORY

By Arielle Feuerstein

Many first year students find a home away from home on campus within one of Dartmouth’s over 160 student organizations. However, some students can imagine a space that isn’t filled by an existing club. When a student has an idea for a club that doesn’t currently exist at the College, they can embark on the journey of creating it themselves. Here’s a step-by-step look at the process of forming a new student organization, from start to finish. Step 1: An Idea is Born Naturally, a brand-new club starts with an idea. When Sam Locke ’22 reflected on the current clubs at Dartmouth, they noticed a lack of comedy-based performance groups that weren’t audition-based. Thus, the idea for Dartmouth Comedy Network — a sketch comedy and stand-up club that’s open to all — was born. “[Before DCN,] about 17 people from the freshman class could join a comedy performance group,” Locke said. “I really liked the idea that I could get better in this new group that I started, and other people could get better and improve instead of already having to be in the most competitive 17 people.” Other students similarly noticed a niche that they wanted to fill. Allan Rubio ’23 and Pam Pitakanonda ’22 had the idea for the Thai Student Association because they felt that a space specifically for Thai students was “lacking a little bit on our campus” and they wanted to “create [that] sense of community,” according to Pitakanonda. Some students have a unique passion they want to share with the greater community. Pulkit Nagpal ’23 has been practicing origami since he was a child, and his inspiration for starting Origami for Good stemmed from his desire to both continue the art himself and share it with others. “I wanted a space where we could practice origami,” said Nagpal. “It’s something that I hold very close to my heart, having done it throughout

my childhood, but I kind of stopped. began practicing writing sketches on I needed another reason to continue, weekends and during breaks. Once and my reason [was] just to share they felt confident writing sketches, the art with others, especially during Locke also had to coordinate how the pandemic.” to get equipment, such as tripods. Students may also revive older Shyno reached out to her close clubs to fill modern needs on campus. friends, who she said were “not only Maanasi Shyno ’23 didn’t feel like really excited, but had a lot of ideas there was a publication dedicated and energy to contribute.” They met to exploring subjects through the up approximately once a week for lens of intersectional feminist about a month to fully “flesh-out” thought, so she began exploring the organization. Spare Rib — a newspaper originally Rubio, Pitakanonda and Nagpal founded in 1992 aimed at examining all commented that because their feminine identity at Dartmouth. clubs serve such a small niche, it Shyno decided to re-establish was sometimes difficult to gather a this organization as a magazine following outside of their circle of re presenting the experiences friends while in the planning stage of people “marginalized by the of the club. traditionally c e n t e r e d “People love the things “ [ R e c r u i t i n g narrative at members] was D a r t m o u t h that [they] do here on the hardest part. a n d b eyo n d , ” campus, [and] it’s not You need ten per Spare Rib’s to get because of the activity. members current website. started, and we “One thing I It’s because of the only had three felt was lacking community that they to begin with,” on campus was Pitakanonda a space where have there. People come s a i d . “ R i g h t p e o p l e c o u l d back because they have b e f o r e we talk about the submitted the a good environment.” [ C o m m i t t e e issues they cared about and on Student personal things,” -SAM LOCKE ’22 Organizations] said Shyno. “We application, wanted a place there was a lot where all of these things were united of reaching out to friends and asking by intersectional feminist thinking them if they’re interested in joining on a variety of issues.” us for the next term,” Rubio added. Shyno and her close friends also Step 2: Develop the Club sent information about Spare Rib After the initial idea strikes, in various GroupMe chats, and students consider the baseline they asked People of Color in the logistics for the club’s operations. Outdoors to send a listserv email Hopeful club founders must gauge on their behalf. They then held an student interest in their prospective introductory meeting and began the organization and hold recruitment process of writing magazine articles and organizational development and publishing on their newly built meetings. These meetings may website, even prior to status as include holding elections and an official student organization. developing an organizational During this process, however, mission. Shyno said it “became clear that Locke, for instance, said that in [they] needed COSO approval” in order to “make sure that [they] could order to both receive funding and make [comedy] sketches work,” to communicate more easily with they gathered a few friends and the student body.

S t e p 3 : Re c e i v e Fo r m a l Approval Once an unofficial club has held these development meetings and has the minimum of ten founding member s, they can continue the process of applying for COSO approval. Next steps include reading through the “Privileges and Responsibilities of Recognition” on the COSO website and finding a faculty or staff advisor for the organization. “The role of an advisor is to provide stability, continuity, and guidance and to assist in fostering the prudent management of organizational funds,” according to the COSO guide to applying for recognition. The advisor must sign a Petition for Recognition before the student leaders can continue on to write a constitution and statement of purpose for their organization. Pitakanonda described the process of writing a constitution as “fairly straightforward,” but she also said that there are “so many minor things you don’t think about, like how many votes you need to have a majority agreement.” Once all of these documents have been filed, the group meets with a COSO advisor for 15 minutes to review the documents. The club advisor and at least seven student members then submit all forms to COSO and present their organization idea at a hearing, where they “will explain the mission of [the] organization and answer any questions COSO may have,” according to the COSO guide to applying for recognition. Students are notified of COSO’s approval decision after the meeting. If approved, they will receive an organization email and more i n fo r m at i o n a b o u t f i n a n c i a l procedures. The group will also be eligible to apply for funding from COSO. Locke and Shyno both said that in their COSO hearings, they were asked to explain why their organization was different from existing organizations and how it

contributed to campus. For DCN, Lock explained that Dartmouth did not have an existing stand-up group, but similar organizations were present at peer institutions. Shyno had to explain how Spare Rib filled a different niche than HerCampus or The Dartmouth’s “Mirror” section — two other campus publications. Advice from the Experts Though the steps may sound complex, Rubio found the process so simple that he thinks “if any ’25 or ’24 wants to start a club or organization, they should just do it.” Locke also encouraged students to establish clubs, but stressed that they should be passionate about it first. They emphasized that founding and maintaining a club takes hard work and dedication — especially considering how the quick, 10-week terms make it difficult to have consistency — but it’s all worthwhile if the student cares deeply about the organization. “The work that’s been involved is stuff I’ve been happy to do, but if it wasn’t something I was passionate about, I would have hated it.” Locke said. Shyno encouraged any members of the Class of 2025 interested in starting a club to reach out to upperclassmen for advice. She also hopes that club founders focus on building a positive environment across all classes within their clubs. “Some clubs don’t have the same kind of community that a lot of people are searching for, and that just makes it very hard to sustain those clubs,” Shyno said. “People love the things that [they] do here on campus, [and] it’s not because of the activity. It’s because of the community that they have there. People come back because they have a good environment.” Above all else, Nagpal encouraged students to be bold and pursue their passions. “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there in terms of what you want to do, what you want to see on campus,” Nagpal said.

THE DARTMOUTH FRESHMAN ISSUE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

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Advice to ’25s: the Shortcomings of the D-Plan STORY

By Meghan Powers

The D-Plan — Dartmouth’s take on the quarter system format — gives students the flexibility within their schedules to take an off-term throughout the academic year; it also requires all students to be on campus the summer after their sophomore year for “sophomore summer.” It’s an unconventional system that ostensibly allows for creativity and fluidity. In practice, however, the D-Plan can be something of a mixed bag. When Dartmouth switched to the quarter system in the 1970s, students were probably keeping in touch with friends on FSPs and off terms by carrier pigeon, or whatever they had back then for texting. While it has never been technologically easy to surmount the boundaries posed by distance, it’s still tough to think that the nature of the D-Plan often prevents the formation of a consistent cohort of students like semester schools have. In 2012, Dartbeat — The Dartmouth’s recently defunct daily blog — published a piece by Felicia Schwartz called “Making friends with the D-Plan,” which offered up plenty of now-outdated advice about how to maintain friendships with friends who have “taken advantage of the D-Plan” and found themselves scattered across the globe. Among Schwartz’s suggestions? “Learn how to stalk” via the internet and keep in touch over Skype. Other sentences — like, “Facebook has Skype now” — may very much belong in 2012, but staying in contact with friends is a struggle intrinsic to the D-Plan. It’s not just friendships that are changed by the D-Plan: Frances PoolCrane ’23 has observed the influence the D-Plan has on relationship culture at Dartmouth. “I feel like I know a much higher

percentage of people at Dartmouth who have been in long-distance relationships because of the D-Plan compared to other schools,” Pool-Crane said. During the pandemic, the D-Plan’s weaknesses were thrown into sharp relief. The pandemic has also amplified the difficulties of scheduling life in the high velocity, 10-week quarters that make up the D-Plan. Eric Och ’22, an international student from London who has gone back and forth between the U.S. and the United Kingdom since COVID-19 forced lockdowns in March 2020, said that when Dartmouth made the following spring term fully remote, he was on the way to Argentina for a Spanish FSP. Since then, he hasn’t really had a place to land. “Due to some slightly weird preCOVID circumstances and then regular international student stuff during COVID, I have not lived in the same bedroom consistently for more than three months since freshman spring,” Och said. “I’ve just had a really disjointed life...it’s not entirely on Dartmouth, but a good chunk of the inconsistency of my last two years is on Dartmouth. That’s been very hard — I’m tired of moving.” Whilefrequentmovingisexacerbated by being an international student, Och’s experience is not atypical for Dartmouth students, he said. “The thing I have noticed [about the D-Plan] in my extended period of transience,” Och continued, “is that everything is a beginning or an ending. There’s no actual content — you’re just starting and ending things constantly. I moved into [my current] room on July 15, but I’d say I finished moving in [around mid-August]. I move out on the 25th [of August]. That’s how it works every time, where I get a week or

two when I’m actually living.” It’s difficult to deal with the breakneck speed of Dartmouth’s 10-week terms and be forced to move all of the time. Still, the quarter system isn’t inherently a bad idea. Some students, like Grace Schwab ’24, appreciate the efficiency of each term. “I definitely do like how in-depth courses at Dartmouth go,” she said. “They’re really fast and intense, but I feel like taking only three classes makes it so that we can hone the learning a bit more and feel less scattered...it lets me do more of a sprint and less of a marathon, in terms of really being able to delve into the material.” This is a clear advantage of Dartmouth’s quarter system as many students see it, myself included. It’s a much better feeling to feel like your curiosity has been piqued and you want more of a class, than to be weeks deep in a class you’ve discovered that you have no affinity for, with no end in sight. Pool-Crane feels similarly, although as an English major, she understands how students with different academic interests are diversely affected by the workings of the quarter system. “I do like [10-week terms],” PoolCrane said. “I think that’s not a super popular opinion and I think it’s mainly because I’m a humanities major. In STEM classes, there’s a set curriculum for courses like Math 8 and they have to fit it all into 10 weeks, unlike at schools doing semesters. With my English and German classes, they’re all structured around the fact that they’re going to be 10 weeks long, so the pacing…I don’t think it’s slower, but it’s much more reasonable.” The D-Plan is contentious by nature, if only because Dartmouth does things differently than most other universities. Sophomore summer is one of the

D-Plan’s hallmarks because it’s a totally unique opportunity for sophomores to get to know their classmates, but that doesn’t mean that my grandpa understands why I’m at summer school. Simply put, even the great things about the D-Plan are weird — and that’s in the best of times. The pandemic has exposed weaknesses of the D-Plan that myself and others weren’t even aware of, but now it’s clear that these shortcomings will pose an issue for future classes, like freshmen and sophomores. A COVID-19-era decision of the Dartmouth administration requires that all students, beginning with the Class of 2024, take an off-term during the fall or spring term of their sophomore or junior years. Some students have seen this decision — which an op-ed from April by Gracie Dickman ’24 called a “hasty and shortsighted solution to the College’s housing problem” — as a way to discourage incoming classes from taking off-terms during the winter, which has always been a popular choice. For Schwab and her class, this new rule is a disappointment, especially because winters in Hanover are notoriously difficult. As Och sees it, policies that limit the seeming “flexibility” of the D-Plan, as advertised by the Dartmouth admissions site, can usually be understood through a financial lens. “If Dartmouth wanted to prioritize [the] student experience, we would be able to tell — that’s been my experience,” said Och. “You could take [former Dean of the College] Kathryn Lively’s emails at face value, and think that the reason everything is happening is because [the College is] bending over backwards to accommodate us, but the facts don’t align with that. The reality is that every decision is best understood by doing what is most financially

reasonable [for the College].” College students at any university can expect to roll with the punches of difficult classes and confusing schedules. However, with certain COVID-19 policies — and the unorthodox decisions being made to alleviate a housing crisis — sometimes, it feels impossible to understand the College’s reasoning at all. Despite its perceived shortcomings, the flexibility that is built into creating a D-Plan does allow for adaptability to COVID-19 level schedule changes. Pool-Crane feels that freshmen could benefit from being aware of how easy it is to change their D-Plan. “[The College] purposefully makes it ambiguous that you can always change [your D-Plan]; when you declare it as a freshman, that means nothing. I changed a D-Plan slot three days before the term started last year.” This unwarranted mystery surrounding the D-Plan is also perhaps indicative of an even bigger flaw: Students tend to try to plan ahead, but all the moving parts can lead to a domino effect. “When I came to Dartmouth, I thought [the D-Plan] was great,” said Och. “But the jumble with COVID and realizing that, as soon as one thing goes wrong, your entire academic structure is screwed up, that kind of changed my mind.” The D-Plan obviously has its pros and cons, but no indictment of Dartmouth’s quarter system will make it go away. So what’s the best plan of attack for incoming freshmen? All in all, it’s best to try not to take the D-Plan too seriously. Be deliberate about your schedule, but be prepared for a curveball or two. To paraphrase an old Yiddish proverb: “We plan, Phil Hanlon laughs.”

A Delectable Dartmouth Dining Directory STORY

By Manasi Singh

Navigating how to feed yourself is a common worry among many freshman college students. Not only do freshmen have to learn how to fit eating into a newly unregulated schedule, they might feel uncertain about the type and quality of food available on campus. While this worry is common, it is, for the most part, unfounded. For the size of Dartmouth’s campus, there is actually quite the selection of food. In fact, Niche.com ranks the College’s food in the top 10% of U.S. universities. This comprehensive guide to Dartmouth Dining Services will hopefully serve as an introduction for the Class of 2025 on where to find the best grub on campus. How to dine at Dartmouth Incoming students are automatically placed on the Ivy Unlimited dining plan. This plan has unlimited meal swipes and an extra $250 in dining dollars, what most students call DBA. Swipes are used to enter the Class of 1953 Commons — better known to students at “Foco” — for unlimited access to food selections at the dining hall during each of the first three meal periods: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Students can also use that swipe for a numeric meal swipe equivalency, which varies in value depending on the time of day, at another dining location on campus. Similarly, dining dollars can be used like a debit card at different meal spots around campus and will cover what the meal equivalency value of your swipe does not. ’53 Commons (“Foco”) ’53 Commons is Dartmouth’s allyou-can-eat buffet-style dining hall, open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for three different meal periods. For breakfast, students can choose from an oatmeal bar, omelette station and continental breakfast items, as well as other areas with cereal, yogurts, fruits and pastries. Lunch and dinner options are similar and feature a salad and soup bar, pizza and pasta station, stir fry station, grilled and fried foods and a daily entree, along with vegetarian and vegan offerings and kosher and halal fare. ’53 Commons is definitely the most popular spot for dinner due to sheer size alone, but is also a really great place to eat if you’re looking to grab dinner in a bustling social environment. Catherine Grimes ’24 said looking ahead at the menu was something she did prior to entering the dining hall in order to make the process more smooth. “The first time I went to Foco, it was a bit overwhelming,” Grimes said. “So if you get overwhelmed easily, it’s nice to look at the menu

online and kind of have an idea of what you’re going to get beforehand.” Collis Cafe and Market Aside from housing offices and meeting rooms, the Collis Center for Student Involvement has its own cafe and market. Located right between ’53 Commons and Main Street, Collis is a convenient location to grab a bite to eat, especially for breakfast and lunch. Collis breakfast is the spot to hit if you’re looking for a lighter meal or a quick spot to grab and go. During the earlier hours, students can have breakfast and deli sandwiches, eggs, and smoothies. Dinner at Collis is famous for its pasta station that features a side of garlic bread, as well as stir fry with various protein and veggie options. Collis sushi is also a popular item, made fresh by a professional chef. In addition to the fresh food items, there is a coffee and tea station available as well as pre-made sandwiches, pastries, fruits, and other quick snacks. This year, Dartmouth Dining plans to add a bubble tea machine in Collis Cafe. Dartmouth Dining Services director Jon Plodzik emphasized that his team hopes it becomes a popular way to make use of dining dollars and meal swipes. “I think it’s just such a winner for us and a winner for everyone, because people love it,” Plodzik said. “We have three pallets worth of bubble tea ingredients in a warehouse ready to go,” in anticipation for student arrival, he added. Collis Market is an on-campus convenience store located in the basement of Collis Center that carries items including health, medicine and beauty supplies, in addition to offering snacks and school supplies. Students can use credit cards and DA$H to purchase items from Collis Market. Novack Cafe Conveniently located on the ground floor of Berry Library, Novack Cafe hits the spot for students craving a jolt of energy on campus. Novack offers a wide selection of Starbucks beverages, warm sandwiches, pastries and bagels and a variety of prepackaged snacks available for purchase with a meal swipe equivalency or DBA. Novack is also open during a fourth meal period — late night — some nights of the week. Late night at Novack often serves students studying late in the library and features its full menu, making it the spot to hit for a caffeine or sugar run. Students will typically head downstairs from the library, grab a snack with some friends and then head back up to wherever they are working. Novack is a major employer of

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students on campus. First-generation, low-income students make up much of the staff at Novack due to the location’s flexible hours, generous pay and sense of community. Courtyard Cafe (“The Hop”) Courtyard Cafe will not only be new for members of the Class of 2025, but also for members of the Class of 2024, as it was closed this past school year. The cafe — which juniors and seniors refer to as “The Hop” — is located inside of the Hopkins Center for the Arts and specializes in grilled and fried foods, with a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan foods. Plodzik also noted that students will be able to try the “Incogmeato” menu items, such as veggie burgers, vegan soups and foods that imitate meat. Like Novack, the Hop will once again be hosting late night dining until midnight this fall, which will feature every fried and grilled snack you could possibly want, including waffle fries, mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese bites, onion rings and so much more. Late night at The Hop ends up being a big part of most Dartmouth students’ social life, as most people come with their friends. “I feel like a big thing is, like, you go to college, and then you ask someone to go get lunch and make friends.” Grimes said. She said many members of the Class of 2024 missed out on that after having to eat almost all meals inside of their rooms during their first two weeks on campus. Late night ended up being a fun way for her to hang out with friends over snacks. “During COVID, everything has been pretty monotonous, so it’ll be nice to have things opening back up,” Grimes said.

Residential Snack Bars Closed during the pandemic, residential snack bars will be reopening come fall term, serving students from 8:00 p.m. till 2:00 a.m. The three snack bars are located in Brace Commons in the East Wheelock cluster, Goldstein Hall in the McLaughlin cluster and House Center B — which many students know at “The Cube” — between the Allen and School House clusters. These snack bars mostly serve prepackaged snacks, candies and treats and will be staffed primarily by students. “[The snack bars] were designed to bring people together, because you tend to move so many times when you’re a Dartmouth student, in between buildings, that this is like the one place that you could kind of call your second home,” Plodzik said. He added that he hopes freshmen will benefit from the later hours and more casual setting of the snack bars as they adjust to college life. Chait Mehra ’23 expressed his excitement for having a dining option stay open past 12:00 a.m., noting that during the pandemic, all dining options closed at midnight. “I’m just really glad that there’s an option that’s gonna be available to us post-midnight now — the only option if you’re hungry after midnight as things stand is Domino’s, which isn’t the best for your body or bank balance,” Mehra said. Cafe at Baker Last year, King Arthur Flour — now called King Arthur Baking Company — closed the doors of its Baker-Berry location, much to the dismay of Dartmouth students. However, a new cafe is slated to open on Sept. 2 in the same location as KAF on the first floor of Baker-Berry.

Plodzik said that Dartmouth Dining has attempted to bring back favorites from the previous coffee shop in its location, while still having a different menu than other dining locations. “It will feature a lot of the items that were really popular at the King Arthur Flour: We have awesome Mocha Joe’s coffee, and we’ll have Rishi’s tea,” Plodzik said. He added that many handmade pastries that were student favorites will be returning, including hand pies. Other Dining Options While the dining spots listed above are most popular for undergraduate students, there are a few other options available around campus just in case you’re not satisfied. Ramekin Cafe, located in Anonymous Hall, primarily serves graduate students near the Geisel School of Medicine, according to Plodzik, but is also open to undergraduates. The cafe offers a selection of sandwiches, soups, salads and Starbucks coffee. This fall is also likely to see the opening of a new dining spot at the Irving Institute for Energy and Society. The dining location, called “Renew,” will serve cafe-style options similar to Ramekin and, like Collis Cafe, bubble tea. Renew is not slated to open until early November, once construction on the Irving Institute is completed. Additionally, the Center for Engineering and Computer Science building, which is currently under construction but will likely be open to students by the fall, will feature another new restaurant called “Back of the Napkin.” This restaurant will have an assortment of grab-and-go meals and what Plodzik called a “make your own espresso” spot.

The Dickey Center for International Understanding Become a globally conscious citizen and leader through a variety of on and off campus programs.

FIND US AT ORIENTATION: Dickey Center Open House Thursday, Sept. 9 2:00-3:00pm Haldeman Center

Great Issues Scholars Information Session Friday, Sept. 10 2:00-4:30pm Haldeman Center http://dickey.dartmouth.edu t

HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANT TO GET ENGAGED? Contact Peter.W.Jenkinson @dartmouth.edu

GREAT ISSUES SCHOLARS: Interested in engaging with other first year students in a wide range of events around some of the greatest issues of today? Apply to become a Great Issues Scholar! Scholars get the amazing opportunity to meet and interact with a diverse range of guest scholars, politicians, humanitarians, and journalists, as well as Dartmouth faculty experts to learn about and discuss the greatest issues of our time. Special events include overnight retreats, immersive wargaming simulations, field trips, and more! Join a community of over 90 other freshmen all interested in exploring global issues and also join a broader network of over 900 Great Issues Scholar alumni who are eager to connect! For freshman and incoming transfer students who have NOT already applied through the living and learning communities. Apply online at dickey.dartmouth.edu Deadline: Sunday September 12th ON CAMPUS OPPORTUNITIES: • Multiple Student run clubs (Dartmouth Dartmouth Coalition for Global Health) and publications (World Outlook) with a global focus • Scholar and Fellowship programs in global health and war & peace studies • Public lectures and events with nationally and internationally recognized experts • Termly intercultural and leadership skill building workshops OFF-CAMPUS: International experiences challenge you to re-examine your world view and learn outside the classroom, and they push you to question assumptions about yourself and others. The DIckey Center offers • In person or remote internship opportunities and funding with global partners • Build Your Own International internship funding during leave-terms • Global research and special projects around the world GLOBAL STUDIES: A minor in International Studies enables you to investigate global issues from many different perspectives. A Global Health certificate helps you develop an understanding of global health issues through a combination of courses and a hands-on capstone experience.

Photo, Kate Barber