The Dartmouth 04/01/16

VOL. CLXXIII NO.50

PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 70 LOW 57

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

College sees high veteran enrollment

By JOSEPH REGAN

The Dartmouth Staff

OPINION

CHIN: BEAUTY REQUIRED PAGE 6

QU: THE ‘BIDEN RULE’ PAGE 6

Ten veterans will join the College’s Class of 2020 through a partnership with the Posse Foundation’s Veterans Program. The “posse” of seven male and three female veterans will be funded and supported throughout their four years of college. Dartmouth is one of three schools to participate in the program.

The program is an extension of the Posse Foundation’s recruitment and placement process at selective institutions of higher education. Originally designed to increase minority student enrollment at these insti-

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: NICOLLE ALLEN PAGE 5

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SEE POSSE PAGE 3

By ALYSSA MEHRA

Last December, Rex Woodbury ’15 came across an article about a recent Guinness World Record for the fastest halfmarathon run in a business suit. The record was held by Gihan Amarasiriwardena — cofounder of menswear company, Ministry of Supply — set at 1 hour 24 minutes and 41 seconds.

On March 21, Woodbury put

Loved ones, friends remember Ron Taylor

COURTESY OF CAITLYN HAUKE

Ron Taylor was called “notoriously social” by those who knew him.

By NOAH GOLDSTEIN The Dartmouth Staff

Woodbury ’15 runs suited half-marathon The Dartmouth

ARTS

tutions, the veterans program uses the same philosophy of creating a cohort, or posse, and preparing them for the college admissions process and providing guidance until graduation.

Will Corbett ’10, senior assistant director of admissions and the coordinator of veteran admissions at Dartmouth, said that he has seen the most veterans coming to the College at one time during his tenure in admissions.

“Usually there are about 22 veterans at the College at any one time,” Corbett said. “This

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

on a suit and ran 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 41 seconds.

Woodbury is not the current record holder just yet, as his application is still being reviewed and verified by the Guinness World Records.

There are currently 16 open applications for this record.

The process to break the record requires a submission to SEE RECORD PAGE 2

Geisel School of Medicine professor Ron Taylor wanted to be known as somebody who never said no. A lifelong scientist and dedicated colleague, he was devoted to his research pursuits and the community that surrounded him, his partner and fellow microbiology professor Paula Sundstrom said. Taylor died of a heart attack at the age of 62 on Saturday. He had been at Dartmouth since 1993.

“Sometimes he was so busy, I would try to say, ‘You have so many things other things only you can do,

someone else can do that,’” Sundstrom said. “He would never have any of that, his phrase for that was ‘That’s just what I do.’”

To Geisel professor George O’Toole, Taylor was a colleague, a friend and a mentor. They met when O’Toole was interviewing for a faculty position, as Taylor was the head of the search committee.

O’Toole made his decision to come to Dartmouth in large part due to Taylor’s personality.

“He was just a happy, joyous, interactive person. He was enthusiastic about his science and about life and about Dartmouth. He put a great face on the institution

in a way that was hard to deny,” O’Toole said, “He had that effect on people.

He just made them happy.”

Caitlyn Hauke, a graduate student working in Taylor’s lab, was one of many who wanted a chance to work under him.

Hauke first met Taylor when she was a senior in college interviewing for positions in labs. Before hearing the results of her interview, Hauke knew that she wanted to be in his lab.

“Ron was a really approachable person. He was very friendly. He was always rooting for us and fighting for us,” Hauke said. “I found SEE TAYLOR PAGE 5

NewVistas buys Vermont land for “ideal community”

By ZACHARY BENJAMIN The Dartmouth Staff

A plan to build an “ideal community” inspired by the writings of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints, has left many Vermont residents upset and confused.

The NewVistas Foundation, led by Mormon Utah resident David R. Hall bought almost 900 acres of property in the towns of Sharon, Strafford, Tunbridge and Royalton, about 20 minutes away from Dartmouth’s campus. The purchases are part of a plan to create a 20,000-person, ideal

community in Vermont. So far, Hall said he has spent about $100 million on the project, and he currently spends about $15 to $20 million a year. In total, he estimates the project will cost between $3 and $5 billion.

While Hall remains optimistic about his plan, other Vermont residents harbor

reservations. John Dumville, former Vermont historic sites operations chief and South Royalton resident, questioned Hall’s confidence in the plan’s success, given the number of permitting processes and land use restrictions in the state. He said that while he has not yet decided his thoughts on the plan,

he does not think Hall’s chosen location is the right place for the proposed community.

Kathy Leonard, an environmentalist and member of the Facebook group “Stop the ‘NewVista’ Project,” which currently contains 523 memSEE LAND PAGE 5

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

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DAILY DEBRIEFING A Forum on Education Abroad report found that death rates are lower among students traveling on study-abroad programs compared to those on American campuses, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The forum had two international insurance providers share claims from 147,000 insured students who went abroad in 2014. This is about half the number of American students who studied abroad in 2014. This data was compared to a 2013 study on student mortality on college campuses. Results showed that the mortality rate for students abroad was 13.5 deaths per 100,000 and the mortality rate for students on American campuses was 29.4 deaths per 100,000.

The finding somewhat contradicts a widespread perception that studying abroad comes with increase risk of death and injury.

University World News reported that the officials from United States’ colleges and universities traveled to South Africa, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire on the first education trade mission.

Delegates from 25 universities and colleges travelled to the continent, with the goal of recruiting students and building relationships with other schools. Many of the delegates had scholarship opportunities to offer students from the three countries they visited. University World News pointed out that though Nigeria is the 15th largest origin of international students in the U.S., the delegation did not visit the country.

Textbook publishers now say that sales for digital products have surpassed print products, Inside Higher Ed reported. McGraw-Hill Education’s 2015 finances showed that the company sold more digital commodities, such as learning platforms, ALEKS, Connect and LearnSmart and digital textbooks, than print products. Cengage Learning showed a similar trend. These results represent a shift from print to digital textbooks across the country. Those in the industry, however, disagree on whether or not the transition is a result of rebranding efforts or a transforming textbook industry.

-COMPILED BY SARA MCGAHAN

A Guinness Record pending review FROM RECORD PAGE 1

the Guinness website and a submission of specific evidence requested once the application is approved, said Sofia Rocher, public relations and digital coordinator for Guinness World Records.

Woodbury’s former track coach at Dartmouth, Barry Harwick ’77, was impressed by the run.

“That would be a good time for a half-marathon even if he just had regular running clothes on,” he said. “He must have been working very hard to be able to achieve a time like that,” Woodbury said that compared to Dartmouth, the professional world can feel more monotonous and setting goals like breaking this record let him have fun outside of a regular routine.

He added this race fits his personality, which was further shaped when he came out at Dartmouth.

“The record was sort of tailor made for me, no pun intended, in that I spend so much of my time in a suit that would be a little ironic to run a race in out,” he said. “It’s also a fun way to combine two big parts of my life — business and finance and the other is my love for running.”

Woodbury had never run a halfmarathon before but had been running approximately that distance almost everyday while he was on the track team in high school and college. Woodbury said the running he did while on the Dartmouth team built up an aerobic base that prepared him for the race. He did

not practice in a suit at all before the race. He also completed the New York City Marathon last fall.

“I figured it wouldn’t slow me down that much,” Woodbury said.

“I just figured it would be sort of uncomfortable and that I may as well get in the best shape without a suit and then see if I could do it.

It was definitely a little uncomfortable, but I don’t think it slowed me down much.”

Woodbury wore a suit specially made for him by the custom suit company My.Suits, which sponsored him for the race. After drycleaning the suit, he continues to wear it to work. Meili Eubank ’15, Woodbury’s close friend from college and current colleague, said the record came as no surprise because it so closely fits his personality.

“He always tends to push himself and dares to be different,” Eubank said. “I think this is the perfect event for him because its the culmination of everything he is right now in terms of his external goals.”

Woodbury was recruited to Dartmouth as a middle-distance runner for the track and field team and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College with a major in economics.

In high school, he was awarded the Wendy’s High School Heisman award both for the Arizona state level and the national level. The award recognizes students who excel in both athletics and academics. The award recognized not only his running skills but also his ability to excel in many aspects of his life,

Harwick said.

During Woodbury’s sophomore year at Dartmouth, he came out as gay, one of the first student athletes to do so. He went on the create the Connect Mentoring Program, which matches mentors and mentees who identify as LGBT interested in the fields of business, consulting, marketing and other similar industries, Eubank said.

At Dartmouth, Woodbury was injured for much of his time on the team due to overtraining. He did not compete for the school for the last two years of his time at school, Harwick said.

“Sometimes there is a stereotype that at Dartmouth that athletes are just focused on their sport, but that was not Rex at all,” Harwick said.

“He had a lot of interests and he is someone who would stand out in a crowd. This marathon was a good indication of his outlook on life.”

Eubank said that moving away from the track team let Woodbury focus on academics and explore other parts of Dartmouth as his life before his injury had been much more about running.

Woodbury credits Dartmouth for giving him the training skills from running around Upper Valley and the professional skills he uses at his current job. He plans to run the Chicago marathon this coming fall.

“I think I am going to go back to being a normal investment banking analyst and probably going to go to the gym in shorts and a t-shirt,” Woodbury said. “But who knows what will come across my radar soon.”

CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.

COURTESY OF REX WOODBURY

Rex Woodbury ’16 smiles while running a half-marathon in a suit in New York City.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 3

Posse Foundation supports veterans

Marine Corps, he worked as a cyber network operator responsible for year we already have 10 coming as military data networks and satellite communications in the Middle a part of the Posse program.”

Former College President James East.

“It was a once in a lifetime exWright, who was a veteran himself, advocated for the post-9/11 G.I. perience,” Fraser said. “There is Bill that was expanded to include this strange feeling where you are tuition at private schools and a part of history, that it is unfolding helped bring more veterans to Dart- before your eyes.”

In remouth. Wright searching colsaid that this will “They makethenextstep leges, Fraser be the first time female veterans of college a seamless thought about love for the matriculate to the transition. We’re ready his outdoors and College.

Corbett also once we hit campus. I his desire for focus on unsaid that most of have a support system aderg raduate the veterans in teaching. It led the past came as in my posse.” him to apply transfer students to Dartmouth from other colonce he felt he leges. He said had a sense of that Dartmouth -STEPHEN FRASER ’20 the College’s is unique in its culture. p ro p o r t i o n o f Fraveterans that ser credits the come through the Posse program for allowing him transfer process.

Stephen Fraser ’20 will come to to consider attending Dartmouth Dartmouth as part of the veterans as an option and with aiding him posse. Fraser, who served in the throughout the application process.

“They make the next step of United States Marine Corps, said that he began to think about col- college a seamless transition,” he lege after his tour ended. In the said. “We’re ready once we hit campus. I have a support system in my posse.”

Justin Wince ‘20, another incoming Posse veteran, left college to join the Airforce, where he became certified as an optometry technician, serving in Afghanistan, Korea and in a humanitarian mission to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. After finishing an associate’s degree in Wyoming, he planned to complete a degree in chemical engineering at Truman State University before he saw a presentation about the Posse veterans program.

At Dartmouth, Wince looks forward to exploring opportunities and his personal interests, particularly neuroscience, inspired by a family history of Alzheimers’ disease.

“I feel like I’d like to be a part of that discovery and that research,” he said.

Wince added that members of his Posse group have been keeping in touch with each other, and he looks forward to having a network on campus.

Corbett said that in his time at the College, he remembers sharing class experiences with other veterans.

“I remember being a student in history classes about the Middle East with folks who had served there,” he said. “That was a very powerful experience for me.”

FROM POSSE PAGE 1

PAGE 4

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

“Paris Street Photography Exhibition,” photos by Jim Lustenader, 7 Lebanon Street, Suite 107

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

“The Ongoing Hunt for Supermassive Black Hole Binaries,” seminar

by Jessie Runnoe from Penn State University, Wilder 202

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

“Reclaiming the First Right,” lecture by University of Connecticut professor Bradley Simpson, Carson L02

TOMORROW

7:45 a.m.- 9:00 p.m.

Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum, formerly Dartmouth Ventures, Alumni Hall

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 pm

“Hail Ceasar” (2016), film by Joel and Ethan Coen, Spaulding Auditorium

8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Physics & Astronomy Public Astronomical Observing, free viewing through the campus telescope, Observatory

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 5

Taylor remembered for mentorship Developments faces challenges from towns FROM TAYLOR PAGE 1

that he was really easy to connect to.

Every time I would go to his office — he always knew it was me because I had this special way of knocking, apparently — he would turn around and have this big grin on his face.”

Hauke described Taylor as being “notoriously sociable.” Whenever he went to a conference, he knew everyone there. She said that she was not sure if she would have made it through the challenges of graduate school if it were not for him.

Within days of Taylor’s passing, O’Toole received texts and emails from all over the country sending their condolences.

“He would always have a group of people standing around him talking with him about whatever topic happened to be interesting that day.

People were just attracted to him,” O’Toole said.

Sundstrom remembered him mentoring people at all levels.

“He gets people to do their best, and that’s not by him telling them what to do. It’s by being an environment where they can pursue their passions and interests and drive their own ideas in an environment that’s got a lot of creative thinking people that feed off of each other,” Sundstrom said, “He doesn’t discriminate, no matter what you’re doing in our area, whether you’re taking care of our glassware or keeping our facilities clean and beautiful or doing support work for projects and grants, you’re an equal part of the team.”

Taylor was always happy, Hauke recalled. Even when he had large amounts of work, he was always smiling and never negative.

While Taylor loved being at Dartmouth, he did not love the cold weather. Every year he would spend a week somewhere warm, Hauke said.

Taylor was constantly working — seven days a week he was in the lab. In addition to his research, he was also an advisor to many students, worked to secure grant funding, taught classes, was on multiple committees, ran the microbiology program and headed the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence and Microbiology and Molecular Pathogenisis programs.

Chair of the microbiology and immunology department William Green explained INBRE, which is a federal grant from the National Institutes of Health deals with strong research universities and colleges, The program trains students and postdoctoral fellows and has stateof-the-art infrastructure. Throughout New Hampshire, eight small colleges and universities have been part of this INBRE outreach, which exposes students to higher levels of scientific research, Green said. Taylor was the primary investigator for the grant.

The Microbiology and Molecular

Pathogenesis program, also known as M2P2, is a training grant program.

“If you want to understand what a great colleague and friend would be, you’d look up Ron Taylor,” Green said. “He just hit all the bases of this — his infectious enthusiasm and way of getting things done. He was incredibly reliable.”

Taylor’s research focused on cholera, specifically finding a vaccine for it. He made large contributions to the scientific community’s understanding of how cholera causes diseases at a molecular level, O’Toole said.

Dean of graduate studies Jon Kull worked with Taylor for the past 10 years on cholera research.

“He was not just scientifically giving, but he also gave to Dartmouth as an institution in terms of helping us get training grants,” Kull said.

Taylor’s absence is felt strongly at Dartmouth, Kull said, as he would always step up to do extra work. He said that he hopes that he can keep Taylor’s lab running and their work going.

Biology professor Mary Lou Guerinot was part of the search committee that first hired Taylor. To Guerinot, Taylor’s research, ability as a scientist and outgoing personality were all reasons why she wanted to hire him.

Since then, she has taught “Microbiology” with him for over 20 years.

Guerinot and Taylor would always have a lighthearted competition over the course evaluations, which he would always be excited to win.

“Students really related to him,” she said. “That always helps, especially if you’re teaching science material.”

Taylor was instrumental in bringing Deborah Hogan, a professor of microbiology and immunology, to the College. He chaired the search committee that hired her, and they have been colleagues since.

“We will miss him. He is impossible to replace,” Hogan said. “He modeled for us and instilled in us that a big job of being a faculty member is to contribute to the community.”

Taylor’s knack for building community extended beyond the walls of academia. Hailing from Rochester, New York, Taylor was a huge fan of the Buffalo Bills football team.

He would invite members of his lab over to watch them play the Patriots, Hauke recalled.

John Sutherland, a research associate in Taylor’s lab, said that he enjoyed talking to Taylor about football. Sutherland said he was always impressed when he went to conferences with Taylor, as Taylor would stay out late socializing and would still be the first person in a lecture the next morning.

When he first applied to work in Taylor’s lab, his previous boss told him that he had to meet Taylor. After applying, he understood why.

“If he was in a crowded room, a lot

of people would want to talk to him, but he would still do a good job of giving you his attention,” Sutherland said. “He was an extremely busy guy, but if we had a question or a problem, he always made time to put us in the right direction,” Taylor had a great memory for details, Sutherland said. For example, he once remembered a specialty of Sutherland’s that Sutherland had not practiced in 15 years.

As a child, Taylor loved to go to the botanical gardens to look at the birds and insects there, Sundstrom said.

He enjoyed telling the story of how he found a dead bird and proceeded to dissect it. He found a sharp leaf that had cut through its organs and concluded that the cut was the cause of death.

“That’s the kind of curiosity he had about life before any of his professional training,” Sundstrom said. “I think it shows that at heart he’s interested in biology.”

Catherine Feuille ’15 was the most recent undergraduate student to complete an honors thesis in Taylor’s lab. Taylor had a unique mindset as a scientist, Feuille wrote in an email.

Often, she said, scientific researchers get stuck in a mindset in which their biggest motivation is proving their own theories, rather than working to uncover new truths about the world.

Feuille recounted a time when one of Taylor’s Ph.D. students was angry because she “wanted the data [from her results] to show something else.”

Taylor then replied “We don’t want anything! We just want the truth,” to which everyone burst out laughing.

For the rest of the meeting, Feuille had a smile on her face.

Princeton University biology professor Tom Silhavy, whose lab Taylor worked in while working towards his Ph.D., wrote in an email that he was always very proud of Taylor’s accomplishments.

“I want his family to know that Taylor was well known and highly regarded in the microbiology scientific community,” Silhavy said. “He will be sorely missed by many but never forgotten.”

Hauke said that she hopes Taylor’s research will be continued.

“We kind of owe it to him to keep working on his projects,” she said.

Kull still remembers a sentiment Taylor shared about being a professor at Dartmouth during a conversation they had at the Hanover Inn. “‘It is like a place where no one gets old, except for us,’” Kull recalled Taylor saying. “‘If you think about it, the students are always coming in young and graduating, and the place is always beautiful. Sitting here as a professor, we age, but everything stays beautiful.’”

A funeral service for Taylor is planned for April 2 in Rochester, New York. The College will also be holding a memorial service in the coming weeks.

FROM LAND PAGE 1

bers, echoed Dumville’s thoughts that Tunbridge and the surrounding towns are not the right places for the project.

She said that she is fundamentally opposed to the community.

“I’m opposed to gigantism, and this project seems to perfectly fit that bill of gigantism,” she said.

Hall chose these areas of Vermont in part due to their proximity to Joseph Smith’s birthplace in Sharon. He said the group’s ultimate goal is to create a sustainable, environmentally-friendly community focused on quality of life for its residents. The proposed community in Vermont is one of many the foundation seeks to open across the country.

Hall, who also serves as president of the technology company Novatek, said the inspiration for the NewVistas communities began in 1973 when he read a document by Joseph Smith describing plans for a “plot of Zion,” his plan for a perfect community.

As Hall’s other businesses became successful, he began focusing more of his energies into building such a community. Currently, there are about 150 full-time employees working on the project, he said.

The project is “a new concept for living,” Hall said, that combines both urban and rural aspects. While people will be housed together in a small, dense area, the community will maintain a focus on gardens and natural growth.

“We have local food, local labor for that farmer to use, but also a full economy with heavy industry, light industry, commerce, education, sports, everything going on in the community,” he said. “Not as dense as a city, but much more dense than straight rural.”

NewVista’s website also describes the proposed community’s focus on creating an “econosystem” with interconnected businesses and efficient use of resources. The community at large would lease property to individuals, and all capable adults would be required to work.

As part of the project, Hall worked on developing several new technologies. He is in the process of creating a sewage system that uses foam instead of wastewater to minimize the community’s environmental impact.

He has also worked on developing larger-than-average structural support systems for the community’s buildings that can be used to store furniture when it is not in use. Hall said that these support systems were first described in Joseph Smith’s plot of Zion writings. The system would allow for modular room layouts that can serve multiple purposes, minimizing the community’s land usage.

Despite his own Mormon faith, and the Mormon inspirations for the proposed community, Hall says that the community would be open to a diversity of religious beliefs. He characterized earlier attempts by Mormon leaders to create insular communities as misguided.

Hall said the community is a longterm project, one that will likely not be completed until after his death.

The NewVistas Foundation exists to continue his work even after he is gone, he said.

When asked about where residents for the 20,000-person community will come from, Hall said that people are naturally attracted to “beautiful and sustainable” communities. He emphasized the amount of open space in Vermont, which he said could be used to house a large residence while still leaving leftover land for those who do not wish to join the community.

Steven Campbell, chairperson of the planning commission for Strafford, said that Vermont’s land development laws, combined with local oversight of development projects, would limit the speed of the plan’s approval. Given the scope of the project, he said, laws would likely change several more times before any formal plan is submitted, further complicating the process.

Ira Clark, a member of the Sharon planning commission, said that he has heard some concern in town about the plan, which he said was expected given the size of the town and the project.

There needs to be reasoned discussion about the plan, he said, before residents make any decisions. He noted that the project would likely have major impacts on the town’s infrastructure and services given the influx of people.

In response to critics, Hall said that while he understands the oppositions’ point of view, he does not think they are looking far enough ahead. Currently rural towns in Vermont with large areas of land surrounding homesteads are environmentally harmful and not sustainable, he said. Hall also said there is not enough productivity from the land in its current state, and that many residents are forced to commute to other cities to make a living.

Still, Hall has struggled to win over Vermont residents. Dumville said that when he goes into town, he hears many residents discussing the proposed plan, which has become a large issue in South Royalton, negatively.

Leonard said that Hall does not seem to be familiar with Vermont or its people, and criticized his lack of effort in reaching out to town residents before purchasing properties. Creating an urban environment in rural Vermont would be a mistake, she said.

“It seems like he’s trying social engineering from afar without any local input,” Leonard said.

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 6

STAFF COLUMNIST DOROTHY QU ’19

STAFF COLUMNIST CLARA CHIN ’19

The ‘Biden Rule’

Beauty Required

Opposing the nomination of a new Supreme Court justice reveals disfunction.

The debate over nominating a new Supreme Court justice has brought out the worst in political party leaders. Republican leaders have vowed to not give any of the Obama administration’s nominees a hearing. Ted Cruz even promised to filibuster any of Obama’s nominees.

“This should be a decision for the people,” Cruz said. He explained that the general election should decide who gets to replace Justice Scalia. If Democrats want to confirm a new justice, they would need to secure the presidency, Cruz added that the American people do not want a court that will strip their religious liberties, “mandate unlimited abortions on demand, partial birth abortion with taxpayer funding and no parental notification.” He also said that the American people do not want a court that will “write the Second Amendment out of the Constitution.”

One republican senator, Chuck Grassley, explained his position against nominating and confirming a justice during an election year by citing the “Biden Rule”.

For those unfamiliar with the term, the “Biden Rule” refers to Vice President (then Senator) Joe Biden’s speech on a hypothetical Supreme Court nomination in 1992, George H. W. Bush’s last year of presidency. At the time Biden said that in the event of a vacancy the Senate should consider delaying confirmation until a new president was elected. It makes perfect sense that Senate Republicans have eagerly used Biden’s words against him. After all, even small children know that hypocrisy cripples arguments. However, by trying to validate something that Biden said about a then-hypothetical issue, since there was no vacancy in 1992, shows just how little ground some of the GOP leaders have in defending their argument. But this so-called “Biden Rule” is not the trump card that these senators have been looking for.

Biden himself weighed in on the matter by writing an op-ed in The New York

Times and giving a speech at Georgetown University Law Center earlier this month.

In his article, Biden states that the Senate’s refusal to cooperate is “an unprecedented act of obstruction,” which could stain the legacy of all those opposed to a nominating a justice in 2016. Biden also points out that those who believe in this rule are cherry-picking. Although Biden admits that he called on Bush to wait until the election was over to submit a potential nomination, he insists that “[his] purpose was not to obstruct,” but rather to restore a more consultative process between the White House and the Senate and to encourage the nomination of a consensus candidate. Worth noting here is that Biden’s 1992 speech was delivered in June which, considering that the typical duration for electing a justice is 70 to 80 days, was much closer to election day than this case is.

In addition to Biden’s counterargument to the “Biden Rule,” a recent survey by the Pew Research Center shows that a majority of the public wants the Senate to act. The report, based on a nationallyrepresentative sample of 1,002 adults, indicates that 56 percent of respondents favor senate hearings and confirmation votes on Obama’s nominee. On the other hand, 38 percent believe that the Senate should wait for the next president to nominate a justice.

A Fox News poll on a random national sample of 1,031 registered voters showed similar results: 62 percent of individuals believed that the vacancy should be filled now, while 34 percent believed that it is too late for a president to nominate someone.

These numbers, as well as the Senate’s inherent constitutional obligation, make it very clear that the dysfunction in Washington is spreading. Certain party leaders have become emboldened by their own positions of power, and forget that, when they say that the “election should decide,” the people already have.

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ISSUE

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

NEWS EDITOR: Estephanie Aquino, LAYOUT MANAGER: Jaclyn Eagle, TEMPLATING EDITOR: Jaclyn Eagle.

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Female heroines must be beautiful before anything else.

Last week I saw “Whisky Tango Foxtrot,” Boden says his daughters “always mention a movie based on the story of journalist another girl’s looks before anything else, as Kim Barker’s war reporting in Afghanistan. if this is the most important thing about Something about the movie struck me as them.” The constant portrayal of women unusual. Unlike many heroines in action as pretty first, and heroic second, projects movies, she was unabashedly portrayed as and maintains a parallel in the real-life naïve and uncool at the beginning of the professional world. According to a 2010 movie. Unlike beautiful fellow journalist poll in Newsweek, 72 percent of people Tanya Vanderpoel, Barker did not know think good looks help a woman land a job, how to navigate parties or find her way and people perceive discrimination by good around Afghanistan. But despite her initial looks as a phenomenon that affects women struggle and, according to her peers, her more than men. lack of beauty, she was the winning proThis problematic double standard tagonist. I realized that the movie seemed may be due, in part, to the need for male unusual because female heroines on screen validation. Even George Clooney’s wife are almost always effortlessly beautiful and, Amal Clooney, a lawyer who works for the therefore, cool. The explicit importance International Court of Justice, has often of heroines’ beauty in movies, compared been praised for her beauty rather than to the insignificance her professional acof the appearance complishments. of male heroes per- The explicit importance A Google search petuates the idea “Amal Clooney o f h e r o i n e s ’ b e a u t y of that true validation news” will turn up for an onscreen (and in movies, compared to articles such as “All sadly, sometimes off- the insignificance of the of Amal Clooney’s screen) heroine lies in Most Glamorous appearance of male heroes L o o k s ” o n A B C her beauty.

Action movies like perpetuates the idea that true News and a blog ti“Whisky Tango Foxtled “Amal Clooney trot” are popular validation for an onscreen Style.” The focus among young people (and sadly, sometimes off- is on her physical and often exaggerate appearance as a facsocial norms that ac- screen) heroine lies in her tor in her marriage tually exist in real life. beauty. to George Clooney They provide insight implies that a wominto social patterns an’s goal is male and sometimes even attention. Another perpetuate them by factor may be that portraying these hihard work — in its erarchies as positive. unglamorous, brutAlthough Vanderpoel was a mere side ish and sweaty manifestation — is still character, the other journalists’ eagerness perceived as masculine. In her book, “Why to accommodate Vanderpoel’s needs, in Not Me?” Mindy Kaling writes, “There is a addition to frequent remarks about her certain type of greasy hair that you get only beauty, illuminate real-life gender expecta- when you are writing with no breaks. And tions suggesting that beauty ranks above I had it, big-time. If I breathed in deeply, I all other positive attributes. Despite her could smell my unwashed scent, and it was initial inexperience, Barker quickly finds intoxicating. It smelled like hard work.” In success when she braves an explosion and the book, Kaling argues that being a hard records it on camera. Nevertheless, she is worker has become a backhanded compliignored and almost replaced, essentially, by ment, that it appears dirty and uncool.

Vanderpoel. Women in action movies, such Being a hard worker seems to have been as the main characters in “10 Cloverfield used especially as an insult towards women Lane” or “Suicide Squad” may be tough, as a way to undermine their success. The but the action-filled plot often seems to kind of sweaty work that Kaling describes center on their sexual prowess, if trail- is stereotypically masculine; as a result, the ers are to be trusted. They gain the most need to seem beautiful and effortless keeps power out of distracting male villains with women confined to stereotypical gender their beauty. And if they are impressive, roles. they’re not allowed to have a troubled past Although they are fiction, movies can filled with hard work like male superheroes promote highly structured, problematic such as Batman or Spiderman. Similarly, ideas about female and male heroism. off-screen treatment of female celebrities “Whisky Tango Foxtrot” was a pleasantly reflects this need to be effortlessly beauti- surprising movie where the audience wants ful too — getting plastic surgery without the underdog — a “plain,” “uncool,” true admitting it, being fit but looking flawless underdog — to win. But generally, women when exiting the gym. on screen are often valued for their beauty What is the motivation to find profes- and their ability to gain male validation. sional success if only beauty and sexuality Despite many positive qualities such as can bring true validation for a woman? courage or intellect, beauty is required to Quoted in The Telegraph, designer Johnnie be worth something in our current society.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 7

SENIOR STAFF COLUMNIST SARAH PEREZ ’17

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION STAFF

Reprehensible Rapprochement

Opinion Asks

Normalizing relations with the Cuban regime has yielded little in return.

Last Monday, Obama made history by be- removed them from the premises. Berta Soler, coming the first sitting United States president the leader of Damas de Blanco, was among to visit Cuba since 1928. The momentousness those arrested just hours before the landing of the occasion was not lost, except maybe on of Air Force One in Havana.

Cuba’s current president Raúl Castro. While According to many dissidents, the regime politicians and members of the press hailed had grown even more repressive in the days Obama’s trip to the island as a historic tri- leading up to Obama’s visit. In the words of umph, the Cuban dictator apparently thought Elizardo Sánchez, a prominent dissident, the otherwise. Indeed, he regime had cultivated a did not even bother to “climate of intimidation” greet the first family at This isn’t about an and used “preventive the airport. Instead, the American president repression” to dissuade Obamas were received by detractors from actively a number of the regime’s being snubbed by a protesting during Presidignitaries, including Communist dictator at dent Obama’s stay.

Cuban foreign minister

As these arrests Bruno Rodriguez and the airport. This is about were taking place, CasCuban ambassador to an administration that tro had the audacity to the U.S. Jose Cabanas. declare that there were White House staff quickly sees fit to negotiate with no political prisoners came to Castro’s defense, a regime that severely in Cuba. As two huclaiming it was “never man rights organizations contemplated or dis- represses the rights of quickly pointed out, his cussed” that he would its citizens. statement was little more attend the landing of Air than a farce. The Cuban Force One at Jose Martí American National FounInternational Airport. dation released a list of 47 political prisoners Castro’s failure to execute such a basic shortly thereafter, as did the Victims of Comdiplomatic courtesy goes beyond pettiness or munism Memorial Foundation. poor optics. Indeed, one could argue that the Castro’s efforts to obscure the abuses of debacle is symbolic of the Obama adminis- the Cuban regime is egregious enough. Yetetration’s policy towards Cuba thus far. Time ven more concerning is the response of the and time again, Obama has fecklessly made American delegation. Instead of condemning concessions to the Castro regime without Castro’s blatant untruthfulness, they took in a getting much in return. baseball game at Havana’s Any and all negotiations I wondered what was Estadio Latinoamericano have taken place on the the following day. Obama regime’s terms. Cubans going on beyond the found himself seated next continue to live in squa- confines of the stadium to Raúl Castro, exchanglor, arrests of dissidents ing pleasantries and shakcontinue and Castro and — political prisoners ing hands with Cuban his cronies still line their languishing in cells, players and dignitaries. pockets with the fruits of A highly anticipated foreign investment. This families living in abject match-up between the isn’t about an American poverty, a nation without Tampa Bay Rays and the president being snubbed Cuban National Team, by a Communist dicta- hope for a better future. the game was broadcast tor at the airport. This is on both ESPN and ESPN about an administration Deportes, the network’s that sees fit to negotiate Spanish subsidiary. Like with a regime that severely represses the rights Obama’s visit to the island, it too was laden of its citizens. with significance. The Tampa Bay Rays President Obama’s efforts to normalize became the first major league team to visit U.S. relations with the island began in De- Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles in 1999. cember 2014. Since then, embassies have Having grown up in a Cuban housereopened and diplomats have come and hold, I felt somewhat obligated to tune in. gone. We’ve seen a Rolling Stones concert In hindsight, all I can say is this: watching and even a Tampa Bay Rays game in the the Rays take the field against Cuba’s best heart of Havana. While these developments peloteros was strange. There was something seem promising, we should be skeptical of off-putting about the pageantry that led up whether tangible progress has taken place. to the first pitch. Everything from the singing Many events leading up to Obama’s visit of the national anthems to the introduction suggest otherwise. of the players took on a synthetic quality. I Only a few hours before Obama’s arrival wondered what was going on beyond the in Havana, more than 50 anti-government confines of the stadium — political prisoners protestors were detained. Most were female languishing in cells, families living in abject and belonged to a dissident group known poverty, a nation without hope for a better as Damas de Blanco, or “Ladies in White,” future. To a second-term president trying to that calls for democracy and free speech. Ac- leave behind a legacy, these problems might cording to eyewitnesses, many of the women not seem so salient. But, as a Cuban and an were dragged away as state police forcibly American, I can’t help but feel differently.

Given recent changes at the College, would you enroll as a ’20?

I have not agreed with most of the changes that the administration has implemented since I enrolled at the College, and I have written more than a few opinion columns expressing my grievances. The College’s recent decision to stop accepting hard-earned Advanced Placement credits, for instance, would have greatly tainted my willingness to attend Dartmouth, as would the hard alcohol ban as I truly believe prohibition does not solve and perhaps even exacerbates the very issues it is meant to address. Dartmouth’s perpetually rising price tag is likewise frustrating.

That being said, if I had to do it all over again, I would still choose Dartmouth. Before coming to Dartmouth, I had never had the opportunity to travel outside of the United States, and not for a lack of willingness or desire. Since enrolling at Dartmouth, however, I have been able to travel to many parts of the world — including Tokyo, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome — and none of this would have been possible had I not been a Dartmouth student. For all its flaws, Dartmouth offers a wide range of opportunities for students to explore their interests, whatever — and wherever — they may be, and the DPlan ensures that Dartmouth students can take advantage of these opportunities more than their peers at semester-system schools. For all the changes it has undergone this past year, Dartmouth is still fundamentally the school I fell in love with and chose to enroll at, with its beautiful campus, welcoming student body, comprehensive academic experience and diverse study-abroad and internship opportunities. I hope the lucky students receiving acceptance letters today will be able to see that, too.

- Nicole Simineri ’17, Opinion Editor Maybe it’s because I’m a ’19. Maybe it’s because I came in during the midst of the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” policy initiative. Maybe I just don’t have a point of reference. But I don’t think “Moving Dartmouth Forward” has altered any of the fundamental

Dartmouth is doing a lot of soul-searching, but its heart remains in the right place.

-STEVEN CHUN ’19 reasons I came to Dartmouth. A good amount has changed on the surface, but how much of that do prospective students even know about, much less understand? Does a visiting student understand student-administration tensions?

Do they really care about the specifics of when third party bartenders are or are not needed? Even the house communities are polling well with prospective students. So, if I had the chance, I’d do it all again. I am get-

ting kind of tired of the whole “Dartmouth’s going down the drain” narrative. Those who I hear it from are always the least interested in doing anything about this narrative. Frankly, I don’t believe it either. Interested ’20s have it right. They’re coming to learn from some of the best professors in the country, to have a good time while doing it and to find something worthwhile and interesting to do with their life. Dartmouth is doing a lot of soul-searching, but its heart remains in the right place.

-Steven Chun ’19 In spite of the many changes that Dartmouth has undergone since I matriculated, I would still — without a single doubt in my mind — enroll at Dartmouth if I were a member of the Class of 2020.

I have had multiple friends from back home in Texas visit, and all have said the same thing: Dartmouth is really, truly different. To me, it is different in all of the best ways. Dartmouth is Hanover, in most respects, and our rural location — often decried by students looking for more excitement and social options — forges strong bonds with classmates and a deep engagement with the community. That same small community encourages strong student-faculty interaction, fostering relationships with professors in ways that large universities simply cannot provide.

The fact that we recognize most people we see around town and campus, that we have social spaces theoretically (the Greek system, like much of Dartmouth, is not accessible to disabled-bodies) accessible to all of campus, creates a sense of camaraderie that has defined my college experience.

Dartmouth undoubtedly has issues that deserve attention, but we also have a student body that is dedicated to addressing those issues. Though it understandably may not seem like it to many students, trust me — looking at the experience of many of my friends around the country, it could be much, much worse. We are blessed with a small school and a strong community, which forces administrators to listen to us and validate our concerns in a way unheard of at most schools. The frustrations felt by many students I have spoken with are real and valid, but looking at other universities of all sizes, it cannot be argued that the administration here does not at least try — even if ineffectually and superficially — to listen to the student body’s concerns.

I have had my fair share of good times and bad times at Dartmouth. But my time here has provided me with a network of close friends and supportive role models, people I want at my wedding and faculty members who are genuinely invested in my future success. I feel connected to this space in a way that the rest of my friends from high school simply do not with their universities. Dartmouth is special.

It has changed my life, and I would not have it any other way — I could not imagine it any other way.

-Emily Albrecht ’16

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

PAGE 8

Student Spotlight: Costume designer Nicolle Allen ’16 one another throughout the process.

“I keep her focused and on track, The Dartmouth but I don’t give her any answers,” Like many Dartmouth students, Churba said.

Nicolle Allen ’16 came to the College Anna Winter, the costume shop’s with a major already in mind. Despite cutter and draper, said Churba and her interest in English and biology, she Allen had very different visions for the realized this was not the path for her costumes. Churba preferred a modern after beginning a work-study in the style whereas Allen preferred a period College’s costume shop for the theater style, resulting in a blended design. department. Backstage, Allen helped “It was very much about trying to actors make their speedy changes. bridge the gap between the ’20s and “It was really hard,” Allen said. “It modern times,” Allen said. took a lot of work, but it was really Allen and Churba drew inspiraenjoyable.” tion from modern figures such as the Since that first performance, Kardashians and Nicki Minaj, who Allen has become a regular face represent what Allen called “plastic among the crew for the department’s culture,” a theme that is frequently termly shows. found in “ChiWith her inter“Nicolle is one of our cago” through its est in fashion focus on glamour and sewing, few costume students and show business. she eventually and she shows such Once the coschanged her tume ideas were in major to the- promise.” place, Allen looked ater with a fothrough the shop’s cus on costume stock for pieces design. Most -JENNIFER BILBO, that matched their recently, she COSTUME SHOP design, but realco-designed ized the costumes MANAGER the costumes that were charfor “Chicago,” acteristic of the the winter term ’20s needed to be mainstage production performed this created. Since the physical fit of the past February. costumes is important for Allen, she When designing shows, Allen said said she immediately reached out she begins the costuming process by to the actors after the cast list was reading the play before brainstorm- released to get their measurements ing and creating sketches. After taken. Afterwards, the costume team making general ideas for costumes, began harnessing their creative magic. she conducts more research into the Winter created a mockup of the cosmain characters’ stories and their tume out of muslin, a type of basic, personalities. While the ensemble’s untreated cotton. She then made costumes are less specific, Allen said alterations to that mockup. Once finshe likes the main actors’ costumes to ished, she created the actual costume accurately represent their characters. and made any final alterations.

During this lengthy period, Allen Allen said being able to co-design constantly interacts with the director with a professor was a great experiand other designers to ensure every- ence for her because it was a more thing works together. For “Chicago,” professional environment. However, Allen co-designed with theater profes- she said she also enjoys working on sor Laurie Churba, who specializes student shows because it allows her in costume design. Churba said the more crazy, creative freedom. decision to name Allen co-designer Fellow theater major Kyla Merfor a mainstage show is rare because mejo-Varga ’17 served as the stage professors are usually the sole design- manager for “Chicago” and said ers. However, due to firm support of Allen is extremely involved with the Churba and Allen’s experience, the department. department agreed she was a good “She would always be [backstage choice. during shows and at rehearsals],” Normally, if Allen were designing Mermejo-Varga said. a student show, Churba would guide Although Allen has taken some her through the process as a mentor acting classes to fulfill requirements without telling her what to do. On for her major, she said she prefers to “Chicago,” a mainstage production, work backstage with the costumes.

Allen and Churba collaborated with Jennifer Bilbo, the costume shop

By ELISE HIGGINS

ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Nicolle Allen ’16 is a costume designer who worked on this winter’s mainstage production of “Chicago.”

manager, said Allen was a great student from the start.

“She came in with a little sewing experience and a lot of enthusiasm for costumes,” Bilbo said. “Nicolle is one of our few costume students and she shows such promise.”

As Allen developed as a student and designer, her style evolved. Now,

she has been able to start envisioning a future that includes costuming.

“It’s been great watching her come in with this strong interest, then see it develop into the beginnings of her career path,” Bilbo said.

Allen plans to continue to work on costumes during her final term at Dartmouth, including her senior

thesis, currently titled “Unnamed Play,” which will be available to view from April 22 to 24.

Quick quotes: Favorite food: Grilled cheese Best place on campus: The Hopkins Center Favorite book: “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” (1962)

GLEE-FULLY PREPARING FOR SPRING

KATE HERRINGTON/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

The glee club practices under the direction of Louis Burkot.