The Dartmouth 01/23/2020

VOL. CLXXVI NO. 120

MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH 37 LOW 12

OPINION

HOLZER: YANG IS ONTO SOMETHING PAGE 6

TUNICK CEDAR: CULTURE MATTERS PAGE 7

TOWLE: WE DID START THE FIRE PAGE 7

ARTS

2020 GRAMMY AWARDS PROMISE PREDICTABLE WINS, GOOD PERFORMERS PAGE 8

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Snackpass app builds State, College testing community a growing profile on members to combat risk of TB Dartmouth’s campus

B y COALTER PALMER The Dartmouth

Since its introduction on campus in April, the food-ordering application Snackpass has continued to gain popularity in Hanover through its promotions as well as unorthodox advertising tactics that have included offering free gear, sponsoring student ambassadors, and throwing events such as a rave and “darty.”

The company secured $21 million in Series A funding

to grow the organization to over 100 college campuses in the next two years, though the company cur rently only has a presence on 11 campuses. Integral to this growth is the app’s food promotions. For example, today the app is offering 750 pad thai entrees — roughly valued at $9,400 — for free. Snackpass’ advertising strategy also plays a major role in their on-campus presence.

SEE SNACKPASS PAGE 5

Q&A with econ prof David Blanchflower B y ALLIE KENT The Dartmouth

While the pursuit of happiness is often thought to be an ambiguous, subjective entity, economics professor David Blanchflower believes that happiness is quantifiable. In a study recently published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Blanchflower details the existence of a happiness curve that forms a U-shape, with peaks early and late in life, with a major dip

around middle age. Most significantly, Blanchflower’s research proves that this trend is consistent everywhere in populations all around the world. Blanchflower recorded the happiness of people in 132 countries — including 95 developing and 37 developed nations — and saw that this pattern held true despite differences in socioeconomic levels and life expectancy.

His research concluded that SEE BLANCHFLOWER PAGE 2

JASON ROMERO/THE DARTMOUTH

Dick’s House is working with the state health department to test community members.

B y ALEKA KROITZSH The Dartmouth

S i n c e t h e Ja n . 1 5 announcement that a Dartmouth community member has contracted an active case of tuberculosis, the College has begun testing individuals who have the highest risk of having contracted the disease.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has been working with Dick’s House to identify those who have shared airspace with the individual who has the active case of TB, according to New Hampshire deputy state epidemiologist Elizabeth Talbot.

The potential risk is determined by the intersection

of various factors, Talbot said.

These include the patient’s condition, the “environment where the air was shared” — meaning whether it was a large open space or a small bedroom — how much time an individual spent around the infection and the immune systems of those who have been exposed.

Talbot said that the state is currently, and will continue to, contact those at risk in order of priority.

“Every student identified at risk will be contacted directly by phone and directed to have screening and likely a blood test done at the Dick’s House,” Talbot said. She added that staff will also be contacted but will likely get tested at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center or by their own

primary care provider.

Talbot added that if there are “conversions” — meaning individuals go from uninfected to an infected state — within the initial group that has been identified to be at-risk, the state will expand the group of people that are invited in for additional testing.

“If those who appear to be at highest risk of transmission have no infections among them, there is no reason to go further,” Talbot said. “This gives us valuable information that risk is low.”

Talbot said that it usually takes eight weeks for the persons exposed to infection to test positive.

The current testing is also SEE TUBERCULOSIS PAGE 3

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

Blanchflower talks new research on happiness, midlife crises FROM BLANCHFLOWER PAGE 1

unhappiness peaks at 47.2 years in developed countries and 48.2 in developing countries. Blanchflower has been a pioneering scholar in the field of happiness literature and The Dartmouth sat down with him to talk about the inspiration behind his research, as well as its implications.

How long have you been working on this research, and what initially got you interested in the topic?

DB: It started off when I wrote a paper called “Happiness Economics” in 2004, and then I started to observe this pattern in the data, which is the U-shaped pattern in happiness. We wrote a paper in 2008 which essentially started this literature off in the Social Science of Medicine Journal. Over 10 years have elapsed, and a number of big things have happened. The Great Recession came along in 2008, and that really hurt people, and so what we have seen in America is what is called a ‘rise in death of despair,’ which is the deaths of disproportionately primeage, white, less-educated folk from suicide and drug poisoning. Basically, this phenomenon of a midlife crisis had been hit especially hard by the Great Recession, and what you have seen is that society has not been good at helping those folks. There is literature

by Robert Putnam about people no longer going to bowling clubs — they go bowl alone, they don’t talk to their neighbors. The collapse of social institutions has actually made this really hard.

W hat are some of the implications of your conclusions about the U-shaped curve for policy makers and health care professionals?

DB: I think the answer is that this is a naturally occurring event. The first thing is for people to recognize it and realize that other people are going through it too, and to realize that there are things that help. It is important to be engaged with other people, to be around family and friends, having social contacts, being in places that can help. Around the world, what we have seen is a decline in religion, a decline in marriage, trade unions. We need to build up those kinds of social contacts.

You don’t want people to be isolated, and for people in prime age, it’s really important to not be lonely. We need to create social ties that bind — that’s the issue that appears to work.

From your position as an economist, do you believe happiness can be quantified?

DB: Yeah, sure. The question is: Does it have predictive power? That would be a particular answer to that.

Studies show that people who recalled happiness predict that happier people live longer, happier people are more optimistic, they smile more. There are all kinds of predictors. Another answer to your question is “Well, is it correlated to things?” It doesn’t matter how you ask it, it doesn’t matter how you score it — you basically get the same answer.

Do you think this U-curve drop can be prevented or do you think it’s inevitable?

DB: I think it’s kind of inevitable. If you look at my papers, I have drawn systematic comparisons that show something that appears to be there in the data. The question is, “What are the consequences of that?” What we can do is, we can dissipate the consequences. That if you are alone and if you are struggling financially, your family is broken up, you’re in

CORRECTIONS Correction appended (Jan. 22, 2020): The Jan. 17 article “Rockefeller Center transitions to reusable cutlery for catered events” stated that Bob Coates is an assistant program officer at the Rockefeller Center. He is the assistant director of the Center.

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

COURTESY OF DAVID BLANCHFLOWER

Blanchflower, an economics professor at Dartmouth, is a leading scholar on happiness.

a place where there isn’t much help around you — then that midlife crisis has bad effects. I think the answer is that people can deal with it. I mean, I am in my 60s — I went through it, many of my friends went through it — it’s tough, but there are ways to get through it. I think what you learn is, how important it is to have friends and family and community around you to help you through it.

What are the global implications of your conclusion that the U-curve is found nearly all around the world and is not just a “First World” problem?

DB: Colleagues of mine at Dartmouth and lots of people who work in development said to me, “Oh, you probably wouldn’t see it in quite the same way when life expectancy is so short in some of these countries and where median incomes are so much lower.’’ Well, the puzzle is that basically I see it everywhere with very little difference. So, in that sense, we started out expecting not to see it or that the mean would be pretty much lower. The

answer is that does not appear to be true — I sort of think the implications are probably that there is something more natural here. There is something sort of deep in the genes here. That is the great thing about doing empirical work. You asked if I could measure happiness, and it appears I can, and if you don’t believe I can, measure it, and then you have got a problem: How do you explain the trend in the data? Why would you see this?

What are some next steps you are taking in your research?

DB: We are working on a new paper here, and there is a variable in this second paper which we call ‘despair,’ and I am interested in this and how this occurred. So, we ask the following question: “Over the past 30 days, how many of those days were not good mental health days?” Well, for the group we talked about — prime-age, less-educated whites — it is about one in eight. So, we are trying to understand that. Why is that occurring? In America with the rise of pain, one in four people

report being in chronic pain during visits to a medical practitioner. So, this looks like a really important question.

What’s going on? Why are people so despairing? What can we do about it?

I think there is a mental health crisis in America that has gone unrecognized, so I am working on that and what the implications for work are. Good stuff for Dartmouth students to be thinking about. If you look up New Hampshire in terms of drug poisoning and suicides, I think you should put this in context that we are sitting in this unique place. It’s an Ivy League college, and all around us, there are people in despair, and there are people who are dying disproportionately from overdoses. In a way, I have always tried to say to my classes, “You guys could be trying to do something about it.”

Think about your position. Reach out to these folks, go see these folks, get them to talk to you. For goodness sake, let’s just not sit back and let it happen around us.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

Officials optimistic about outreach to community FROM TUBERCULOSIS PAGE 1

being done to establish a “baseline” by identifying if those exposed have a preexisting risk for infection, such as growing up in a setting with high TB rates, she said.

“This testing will show if the bacteria has been transmitted, and then we offer treatment to prevent that person from progressing from latent, asymptomatic, non-contagious infection to active tuberculosis,” Talbot said.

Although both the asymptomatic and active tuberculosis are treatable, the asymptomatic state is easier to treat, according to Talbot.

Talbot reiterated that TB is a “common event” and that the testing being done is routine. She added that there are approximately 10 to 20 active cases within New Hampshire and approximately 9,000 nationally.

A community member who was called in for testing spoke to The Dartmouth on the condition of anonymity. He said that he was initially worried, but grew reassured after being contacted for testing.

“I think at first I was like, ‘Oh no,’ like coughing blood TB — I think that can kill me,” he said. “When I got the call from the state, they weren’t super freaked out about it.”

He explained that the person who

contacted him reassured him that TB was both widespread and highly treatable.

“I was scared at first, but overall, if I have TB, I guess I have TB,” he said.

“Getting a disease — you can’t really do anything about it, it just is.”

After being contacted, the community member had a blood test and is currently waiting to hear back about results.

College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote in an email that the College is satisfied with the outreach and communication to community members since announcement of the active case.

Lawrence added that outreach has included communication with town officials, two public information forums and emails sent to parents.

“Judging by the modest number of complaints and inquiries, we believe the community feels informed,” Lawrence wrote. “We will continue to provide updates and respond to questions as needed.”

Talbot also expressed optimism about the case.

“I do want to reassure the community that this is a common event, and there are standard approaches that are wellproven to protect the public health,” Talbot said. “We are enacting those, and there are very good indicators here that the various members of the communities are collaborating and cooperating well.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Talk: “Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Crossroads of Asia,” Michelle Wang, Georgetown University. Sponsored by the Department of Religion, Room 41, Haldeman Center.

6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

Artist Conversation: “Reinventing the String Quartet.” Sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Top of the Hop, Hopkins Center.

9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Music: “Thursday Night Live with The Coast Jazz Orchestra of Dartmouth.” Sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Top of the Hop, Hopkins Center.

TOMORROW 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Film: “Harriet.” Sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts.

8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Astronomy: “Public Astronomy Viewing,” sponsored by the Department of Physics, Shattuck Observatory.

LEVEL UP

FIONA PRICE ’23

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

PAGE 5

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

Snackpass brings challenges, opportunities for local restaurants FROM SNACKPASS PAGE 1

The company recruits student ambassadors involved in sports teams, Greek houses and other organizations to spread awareness about the app through their clubs and classes, according to Snackpass growth marketing manager Claudia Haimovici.

Campus ambassadors promote the app by making announcements at meetings, posting on social media and by helping coordinate S n a c k p a s s - s p o n s o re d eve n t s, Haimovici said. These events, at which Snackpass often provides free food and merchandise, have thus far included philanthropy events — as well as parties — at Greek organizations. Snackpass has also visited Dartmouth Hillel meetings, and the company is also looking to sponsor a cappella concerts in the future, according to Haimovici.

The campus director of Snackpass student ambassadors could not be reached for comment, and a student ambassador declined to comment for this story.

In downtown Hanover, Snackpass has expanded its presence, having partnered with many Hanover staples. These include Boloco, Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery, Molly’s, Sushiya and Tuk Tuk Thai Cuisine, among others. According to co-founder Jonathan Cameron, Snackpass works closely with these businesses — negotiating compensation for promotional deals in some cases — and helping with the implementation and maintenance of the technology. Snackpass also helps these businesses collect and analyze data on customers and customer interactions.

According to Snackpass’s online privacy policy, the data that the company may collect include “the websites you visit before or after our Websites and whether you have opened or forwarded our e-mails.” Additionally, the policy specifies that the company “may get [user] consent to share personal information about you with additional third parties,” and that the company may also share

aggregated data with third parties “in a manner that does not identify particular individuals.”

Co-founder Jamie Marshall, however, stated otherwise.

“Just to be clear, we’re not sharing any customer data with anyone,” Marshall said. “We take customer data very seriously and are not sharing that with anyone.”

Cameron echoed this statement, noting that the company does not share user data with anyone other than the restaurant.

Cameron, who is the son of a restaurateur and grew up working in the restaurant business, emphasized his commitment to helping these locales continue to grow and succeed in their business through Snackpass’ technology. Important to that mission, Cameron said, is an on-the-ground presence and building a relationship with restaurant owners.

“For us, we really find that it’s important to not only have great relationships, but to understand their restaurant, and so we keep in touch with them on a daily basis,” Cameron said.

Cameron also said that he thinks Snackpass allows restaurants to bridge the gap in terms of their ability to advertise and offer promotions to consumers when compared to national chains like McDonald’s and Taco Bell.

According to Marshall, these promotions — which include the offer of free food for referring the app to friends and one “point” toward a free meal on every purchase — not only give students significant discounts, but they help restaurants bring in more business during slow hours. Marshall foresees these promotions continuing.

“At our other campuses where we’ve been around a lot longer, we pretty much have some deals going on every week ... and we’ve been there for two years or so,” Marshall said.

Tuk Tuk Thai owner Pannipa Pace said that while these promotions can at times overwhelm the kitchen and staff, the restaurant’s partnership with Snackpass has brought in

NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Snackpass allows customers to purchase to-go orders from local restaurants.

new customers and increased the number of sales, particularly between 1 and 5 p.m., which Pace called the restaurant’s “slow hours.” There have been some technological hiccups, Pace said, but she was complimentary of the company’s client service.

Jarett Berke Tu’17, owner of Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery — an early adopter of Snackpass — was also complimentary of the company’s “accessible” client service, and added that Snackpass does a “good job” of building and maintaining their pickup menu.

Berke also agreed, however, that Snackpass orders have overwhelmed the kitchen and staff on occasion.

Restaurants do have the ability to pause Snackpass during peak hours, and Berke said that after having a couple rough weekends, the business has “learned what the limits are.”

“We learned where we need to step in and shut it off, and we haven’t had too many issues since,” Berke

said.

Regarding Snackpass’s effect on business, Berke said Lou’s averages 50 Snackpass orders on weekdays, and approximately 100 on weekend days.

“Even though we’re doing more orders than we were a year ago or two years ago, the amount of revenue hasn’t really changed that much — mainly because those additional orders that we’re fulfilling are lower value,” Berke said. “So we kind of have mixed feelings on the whole thing — obviously it’s good to have the business and there are some creative ways that we can try and increase average order value and not work harder for less money — but it’s kind of a wash, I guess.”

Students interviewed expressed mixed feelings about Snackpass’ prominence on campus and about Snackpass in general.

Zeke Baker ’20 described feeling ambivalent toward Snackpass. He said that he doesn’t use the app because he’d prefer to use the meal

plan he has spent money on.

“It’s like everyone’s talking about it and it just kind of gets annoying to me, partially because I know I’m not really going to participate in that because that’s spending way more money off campus than I really want to,” Baker said.

Rachel Ackerman ’22 holds a positive view of the app.

“I’ve only used it three or four times, but I like it because it seems to be faster than any other way of getting pickup food,” Ackerman said. “I haven’t used it for delivery yet, but I think for picking up it just make things so much easier and think it’s very streamlined.”

Zach LaPorte ’22, a Snackpass user, has also had a positive experience.

“It’s easy to build up points and get meals that I want anyways,” LaPorte said. “Once a week, I’ll go into town and get something, so I’ll just use Snackpass because I’ll eventually get more rewards from it. So I think it’s pretty useful.”

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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

STAFF COLUMNIST EMORY HOLZER ’22

Yang is onto Something

A libertarian defense of universal basic income.

DEBORA HYEMIN HAN, Editor-in-Chief

AIDAN SHEINBERG, Publisher

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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.

Today, the concept of a universal basic posits that UBI could even be administered income is synonymous with Democratic by an algorithm, reducing overhead to near presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s zero.

“Freedom Dividend.” The self-proclaimed While the government’s welfare programs “MATH” candidate likes to use his campaign’s may provide aid, they constrain the exercise cardinal policy proposal — sending every of individual liberty for recipients. The American adult $1,000 per month — as a current state fails to give individuals the right panacea for the country’s myriad problems. to decide how to budget. Rather, the welfare These include climate change, poverty, racial system has determined that it knows individual divisions and the gender pay gap — all needs better than the individuals themselves. ambitious goals to announce in just the second Under food stamps, for instance, one can Democratic presidential primary debate. only purchase certain goods pre-approved by But the idea is not new to Andrew Yang or the the government; alcohol, vitamins, prepared 2020 Democratic primary race. The idea has foods and hygiene items are only some of the existed at least since the 1516 book “Utopia” by items prohibited. This restriction of individual Thomas Moore. In 1962, free-market capitalist liberty is the antithesis of libertarianism. By Milton Friedman advocated for a similar system giving individuals an unrestricted lump-sum, he termed a negative income tax. And in 1970, individuals can decide for themselves how to the idea even came close to becoming law. budget and choose which goods they should The idea has drawn supporters from diverse and should not buy. ideologies and backgrounds, but some fear that Libertarianism, for the most part, does a UBI resembles a severe not think positively of overreach of government. the welfare state . But “As a libertarian However, as a libertarian societies require advocating for a small modern advocating for a small government assistance in federal government, some form. If the federal federal government, civil liberties and free-market civil liberties and free- government provides no capitalism, universal basic social safety net and families market capitalism, income sounds like a great are unable to afford food idea to me. When one looks universal basic income and shelter, they cannot through an altered view of be reasonably described as sounds like a great Yang’s Freedom Dividend free, even if they face no idea to me.”

— not as a supplement to, government infringement. but a replacement of the While universal basic welfare system — through income certainly fails to the lens of libertarianism, a UBI leads to less eradicate welfare, it comes close to eradicating bureaucratic ineffi ciency, more individual the welfare state. freedom and more money in the pockets of By taking the bureaucracy out of aid, those who need it most.

UBI will put freedom back into the hands The current U.S. welfare system is comprised of individuals, letting them decide how to of more than 80 individual programs. From budget their stipends. This individual freedom food stamps to government housing to is the essence of libertarianism. A universal Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and basic income is the optimal way to provide housing subsidies, each of these programs government assistance within the confines of comes with its own administrative overhead libertarian principles. This way, the state can costs. Replace these piecemeal bureaucracies support individuals with basic funds and give with a single office — composed one staff and those individuals the liberty to spend it how one set of rules — and administrative costs they wish. would plummet. A universal basic income Today, drawing fierce support from would streamline the entire welfare system, independent voters, particularly in New decreasing costs to taxpayers and increasing Hampshire, Andrew Yang’s promise of payments to the families below the poverty line. providing money to every person in America With technological developments, the prospects surely sounds nice. Perhaps more people need for trimming the fat even further are optimistic. to listen to the drum Andrew Yang has been Matt Zwolinski, an associate professor of beating. This libertarian, for one, likes the philosophy at the University of San Diego, sound of it.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

PAGE 7

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

GUEST COLUMNIST LIZ TUNICK CEDAR ’05

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST SYDNEY TOWLE ’22

Culture Matters

We Did Start the Fire

An argument for cultural heritage preservation.

Culture matters. The sentence’s brevity belies its gravity. After a few frenzied days of threats and debates about targeting Iran’s cultural heritage sites, we’ve seen the triumph of legal frameworks and precedents that prevent the deliberate destruction of culture. These laws, treaties and conventions are all important, and to ignore them flagrantly is wrong and weakens our country’s moral standing.

It’s fortunate that these laws pulled us back from the brink, but the importance of protecting cultural heritage goes far beyond pieces of judicial paper. We are never going to recognize how much culture — often represented through cultural heritage — matters if the world pays attention only when cultural destruction is used as a tool of warfare. It is imperative to understand, celebrate and support all the ways that cultural heritage is critical. It serves as a bedrock of thriving communities; a means of rebuilding and source of resilience, and a source of pride and social cohesion.

It is my profession to care about, protect and promote global cultural heritage. In my role as manager of global cultural sustainability programs at the Smithsonian Institution, I work with partners across the world to enhance the capacity of cultural institutions and individuals to document and share information and stories about ways of life, artistic achievement, traditions and more.

Indeed, the U.S. government has for many years, in many capacities, invested in the preservation of culture both domestically and abroad, particularly in countries in which geopolitical relations have been strained. In my work, I have been amazed and humbled by the power cultural heritage has in communities that so badly need strength and renewal, as well as by the pride and goodwill culture can engender in people whose nations are relatively stable.

I saw this happen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the National Museum in Sarajevo served as a literal and figurative symbol of perseverance and rebuilding following a painful civil war. With the doors shuttered, dedicated museum professionals worked without pay to continue caring for the collections, standing steadfast in their belief that protecting their heritage was paramount. The reopening of the museum was cause for national celebration. I saw it happen in Colombia, where teams were working to design traveling exhibitions, and ultimately a museum, dedicated to memories and truth-telling about their own vicious civil war. With their focus on enduring peace, cultural markers helped the healing process.

There are many other examples I could cite,

but given the current turmoil, the Middle East feels most pressing. The Smithsonian has sent teams to Iraq for many years, working side by side with Iraqi professionals — ethnically diverse men and women who come from every province in Iraq. This work has included conducting training programs, designing and implementing recovery plans in places such as Nimrud — an ancient archaeological site that was once the capital of the Assyrian empire — and creating a detailed “Mosul Heritage Map” for Iraqi, Kurdish and U.S. military personnel so that in protecting the city they could avoid unintentional damage to important cultural sites. For a country ravaged by destruction, civil discord and simple neglect, Iraq’s work to recover cultural sites and museums has been a unifying effort — one filled with hope and promise.

Without cultural heritage, we can become unmoored and disconnected from others. Culture makes us human and helps us feel tied to the past.

It can also connect us to a community or offer a sense of identity that, for many, provides a reason to live. Culture matters because it can pull us back from despair, give us joy and, ironically, push us toward reconciliation rather than destruction.

The last few nights, as I’ve nursed my threeweek-old daughter, I have contemplated a small lamassu figurine given to me by two dear colleagues who have been working in Iraq for many years and wondered if my children will have the opportunity to visit places like Nimrud.

Lamassu are winged protective deities with human heads and bodies of lions or bulls — once such powerful and imposing figures, they’re now in need of protection themselves. Earlier this month, we avoided the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage, but let us use this inflection point to reaffirm our commitment to preserving global cultural heritage as a crucial bridge across divides and an engine of reconciliation. At a time when we are trying to repair the fractious divides between people within and across countries, let us turn to culture — our diverse global intellectual, religious and artistic heritage — to help bring us together.

Liz Tunick Cedar is the manager of global cultural sustainability programs for the office of international relations at the Smithsonian Institution and a member of the Class of 2005.

The Dartmouth welcomes guest columns. We request that guest columns be the original work of the submitter.

Submissions may be sent to both opinion@thedartmouth. com and editor@thedartmouth.com. Submissions will receive a response within three business days.

Economic superiority won’t matter if climate change engulfs us.

Two weekends ago, I eagerly gathered my snowboard, snow pants and puffy parka and boarded the shuttle bus to the Dartmouth Skiway to participate in my first-ever snowboarding class.

Upon reaching the Skiway, I noticed the barren mountains, void of the fluffy white blanket of snow that would normally be present this time of year.

What’s more, as soon as we began moving around outside, we began to sweat with almost no level of physical exertion. It was the middle of January in New Hampshire — and yet, we were sweating.

Now granted, it’s difficult to tie any one weather event to global warming. But on Jan. 12, temperatures in Concord soared to 67 degrees Fahrenheit, smashing the previous record-high of 61 degrees. That record had stood since 1885. And this was no freak event — New Hampshire’s climate has warmed by about 2.6 degrees since 1895.

Globally, 2019 was the second-warmest year on record. Just this week, Australia’s smoke-choked skies are turning blood-red as wildfires continue to burn.

Yet ironically, while the problem of climate change worsens, our country’s actions seem increasingly indifferent to the consequences.

President Trump — who railed this week at the World Economic Forum against “perennial prophets of doom” who advocate for climate action — rang in the new year by scaling back National Environmental Policy Act rules, with a stated rationale of speeding up infrastructure projects by ending the environmental assessments that are done to ensure the sustainability of these projects.

The National Environmental Policy Act has existed for decades and serves as one of the founding documents of environmental law. It prevented environmentally reckless actions by ensuring that all branches of government consider environmental ramifications prior to initiating any federal action aimed at changing the environment. But now, our president has gutted the act.

After fulfilling his campaign promise to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accords in 2017, Trump has continuously worked toward repealing decades worth of environmental protections. In 2019 alone, the President decreased regulations on methane, repealed Obama-era clean water regulation, weakened the Endangered Species Act and put in place a host of other actions aimed to reduce environmental constraints on fossil fuel and other major industries.

While Trump initially proposed that “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive,” the President has recently gone back on his prior statement. He now claims — at least sometimes — that climate change is a serious issue.

Yet it remains highly unlikely that his environmental policy repeals will cease. The main challenge to any sort of environmental protection under this administration lies with Trump’s fundamentally flawed view of how climate interacts with the economy.

Trump’s claim to fame comes from his business background. He promises to restore American manufacturing and defend America’s economic superiority. The coal industry has been a significant supporter of Trump’s campaign and presidency, and the President’s policies favoring industrial redevelopment over sustainable development have endowed him with strong support from major businesses. These ideals, coupled with the President’s strong industrial backing, are compounded by the impending election, where the President must showcase his continued commitment to the American economy in the hopes of reelection.

However, what Trump doesn’t realize is that economic growth is not a tradeoff with sustainable development. Battling climate change is not a zero-sum game. Last April, for the first time in our country’s history, the U.S. generated more energy from renewable sources than from coal. That’s hardly put a damper on the economy; the GDP growth rate remains consistent, and unemployment is at its lowest point in decades thanks in some part to the 110,000 new jobs in renewable energy added in 2018 alone. And besides, coal and other resource-intensive development involves the use of finite resources. If we want to promote a stable economy, renewable resources provide a far more resilient option for long-term growth compared to fossil fuels.

While fixing the economy — at least for those who, like Trump, see economic progress as inseparable from environmental degradation — may seem more pertinent than fixing our planet, climate change is not just a problem for future generations. The wildfires in Australia, droughts in California, shrinking ice sheets and multitude of other environmental problems highlight the immediate and detrimental effects that climate change is having on our planet and its inhabitants.

If we continue to repeal decades worth of progress, the planet, and perhaps our economy, will reach its tipping point.

In many cases, true economic development goes hand-in-hand with fighting climate change. Trump fails to see that, and in doing so, he threatens both our environment and our economy. There’s no point in economic “progress” through industrial redevelopment if we won’t be around to experience it. This time, we did start the fire, and it’s our responsibility to put it out.

PAGE 8

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

2020 Grammy Awards promise predictable wins, good performers

B y JACK HARGROVE The Dartmouth

After another year of incredible music output, it is almost time for the Grammys to choose which albums were the most commercially viable of 2019 — or, as the Academy phrases it, the best.

Every year, the Grammys receive criticism for the nominated music, and this year is no different. Many of the major categories are incredibly unbalanced, with a couple massive hits surrounded by bland, forgettable music.

The rock categories contained possibly the bleakest list of nominees in recent Grammy memory. There were also quite a few snubs; some infuriating, like Tyler, the Creator’s “IGOR” not being nominated for “Album of the Year,” and some just surprising, like Taylor Swift’s “Lover” being left out of the same category.

However, the Grammys did make many good decisions this year. Lizzo deservedly has the most nominations with eight, followed by Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X, who have six apiece.

They are among the young, new artists who dominated nominations this year.

The choice of performers are also fantastic, with Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Tyler, the Creator all doing sets. There will also be a group of artists tributing Nipsey Hussle, who was murdered in 2019. Given that the Grammys has 84 categories, it would be impossible to give predictions for every single one, so I have narrowed it down to seven major categories.

Album Of The Year As usual, the most prestigious category contains a diverse mix of eight commercially successful albums, critically successful albums and complete headscratchers. Most bafflingly, H.E.R.’s “I Used to Know

Her” made the list, despite middling reviews and weak chart performance.

Similarly, Bon Iver’s “i,i” achieved some critical success, but is not enough of an indie darling to be seriously considered to win. While Lil Nas X will likely win big in other categories, his EP “7” is far too short to win the award. This year’s dark horse alternative candidates are Vampire Weekend’s “Father of the Bride,” a great rock record that deserves the nomination, but will likely not win, and Lana Del Rey’s “Norman F—ing Rockwell!” In my opinion easily the best album nominated. “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande was one of the better pop albums released last year and has a real shot at the win. Ultimately, the two most likely candidates are Lizzo’s breakout album “Cuz I Love You” which, in my opinion, is the best R&B album of last year — and “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” by Billie Eilish. Personally, I give the nod to Eilish, given the cultural relevance of even the album’s deep cuts as well as its combination of critical and commercial success.

Prediction: “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” by Billie Eilish

Record Of The Year Every year, there is confusion over the distinction between “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” The difference is that the “Record” category awards the best specific recording of a song, including its production, mixing and engineering in addition to the song itself. The “Song” category only considers the songwriting. This year’s “Record of the Year” is one of the strongest categories this year. Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” was one of the most entertaining songs of last year and was a smash hit, but its chance of winning may be diminished due to the fact that it was first released in 2017. Khalid’s

“Talk,” Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower” and Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” are all fantastic pop songs that were impossible to escape in 2019, and each has a legitimate shot at winning.

However, this year, every other track is overshadowed by one song that will most likely win in a landslide: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. This song was not only the most popular song of last year, but also holds the all-time record for longest stay at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at 17 weeks. “Old Town Road” winning in this category is probably the most sure thing in this year’s Grammys; while upsets are always possible, this category is the least likely to have an underdog win this year.

Prediction: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

Song Of The Year In this year’s “Song of the Year” category, there is a fairly even distribution of some of the best songs of last year and some of the most forgettable.

Brandi Carlile’s “Bring My Flowers Now,” Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” and H.E.R.’s “Hard Place” are highly unlikely to win and are not very interesting songs. Lady Gaga’s “Always Remember Us This Way” from the film “A Star is Born” is one of the best movie songs from the past few years, but is also unlikely to win, as the movie’s soundtrack won two Grammys out of seven nominations last year. Taylor Swift’s “Lover” is probably the best track off of her last album, but the Grammys’ snubbing of her album indicates that this song will probably not win. In a perfect world, Lana Del Rey’s “Norman F—ing Rockwell!”would take the award, but it does not have the popularity required to win this category.

The two serious contenders are Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” and “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish, which each have about an equal

shot at winning. In the end, Eilish will most likely come away with the award given her current “it-girl” status and the quality of the song.

Prediction: “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish

Best New Artist Once again, the Grammy Awards have proven to everyone that “Best New Artist” is a terrible name for the category.

Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Maggie Rogers, Rosalía, Tank and the Bangas and Yola have all been releasing music for years, with Yola in particular releasing music since 2003. Hopefully in the future it will be renamed to something similar to “Breakout Artist of the Year.” Every artist nominated this year is fantastic, making this category the one with the most talent. However, it is clear to just about everyone that Billie Eilish will win this award rather handily. Her dominance throughout 2019 coupled with her youth have made her victory all but certain. In the event of some freak upset, it would be really nice to see Rosalía win this award, or at least one Grammy, for her fantastic album “El Mal Querer.”

Prediction: Billie Eilish Best Pop Vocal Album The nominations for this category are all fairly strong this year, with the exception of Ed Sheeran’s “No. 6 Collaborations Project.” Beyonce’s “The Lion King: The Gift” is a movie soundtrack, so it most likely will not come away with the award, and Taylor Swift’s “Lover” has a shot, but she does not seem to be a Grammy favorite this year. While Billie Eilish appears to be the most likely, given she is the favorite for “Album of the Year,” the Academy often gives this award to a different album than the “Album of the Year” winner. For that reason, I believe Ariana Grande has a very slight edge.

Prediction: “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande Best Rap Album The competition for “Best Rap Album” is fairly weak this year, especially compared to previous years. This opens the door for Tyler, the Creator to win his first Grammy, as his album “IGOR” is, in my opinion, one of the best albums of last year. “IGOR” is probably the biggest snub from the “Album of the Year” category, so hopefully Tyler can take home the Grammy against the weak competition.

Prediction: “IGOR” by Tyler, the Creator Best Alternative Music Album As a result of its vague name, this category has a serious diversity of sounds among its nominations, as it does every year. It includes pure electronic music on Thom Yorke’s “Anima,” R&B on James Blake’s “Assume Form,” electronic folk on Bon Iver’s “i,i,” quiet indie folk on Big Thief ’s “U.F.O.F.” and indie dad-rock on Vampire Weekend’s “Father of the Bride.” Every album on this list is at minimum decent in quality, but it will most likely be a tossup between Vampire Weekend and Bon Iver for the award, with Vampire Weekend taking the award.

Prediction: “Father of the Bride” by Vampire Weekend Ultimately, it looks like Billie Eilish will be the biggest winner of the night; it is likely that she will take at least three of the four major all-genre categories and it would not be surprising if she won all four. Lizzo will most likely win many awards in categories not listed here, but she might be unable to win any of the major categories. In any event, this year’s Grammys should be a captivating spectacle, and I’ll be sure to tune in this Sunday to see what happens.