The Dartmouth 05/07/2021

VOL. CLXXVIII NO. 3

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

In reversal, College to allow two Roughly 570 vaccines guests per student at Commencement given at on-campus clinic, day one cut short by four anxiety incidents

BY DANIEL MODESTO The Dartmouth Staff

NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

BY THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF This article was originally published on May 5, 2021.

Dartmouth graduates for the upcoming 2021 Commencement and investiture ceremonies will now be allowed to invite two guests to one ceremony, President Hanlon wrote in an email to the Dartmouth community today.

The change in policy, which comes over a month after the College reiterated plans to hold the ceremony without guests and roughly five weeks before the June 13 ceremonies, is due to the reduced COVID-19 cases regionally and nationally, the success of nationwide vaccination efforts, recent vaccine clinics open to the Dartmouth community and more flexible state and local guidelines, Hanlon wrote.

Undergraduates will be allowed

PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 63 LOW 34

to bring a maximum of two guests; additionally, children five years old and younger will be able to sit on their parents’ laps and will not require tickets, according to the email. Graduate and professional school students will also be allowed to bring a maximum of two guests to their individual schools’ investiture or class day celebrations, but may not bring guests to the June 13 Commencement ceremony.

Hanlon wrote that the deans of the professional and graduate schools will be in touch with their respective communities “shortly” to provide further detail.

The Commencement ceremony will be held as planned at Memorial Stadium, which will be operating at “less than onethird the normal capacity,” according to the email. Guests will be seated in pairs, with two-seat gaps between pairs in each row and seats immediately in front of and behind guests left empty. Students will be seated on the field.

BY JACOB STRIER

VERBUM ULTIMUM: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE PAGE 3

ARTS

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: MATT HAUGHEY ‘21 PAGE 4

SPORTS

Q&A WITH INTERIM ATHLETICS DIRECTOR PETER ROBY ’79 PAGE 5

MIRROR

TO STREAM OR NOT TO STREAM? PAGE 6 FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER

@thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.

SEE COMMENCEMENT PAGE 2

Hanover businesses grapple with regional labor shortage The Dartmouth Staff

OPINION

College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote in an email statement that the Commencement ceremony will have a “maximum” of 2,300 guests.

Guests are “strongly recommended” to be fully vaccinated before attending the Commencement ceremony, and those who are not fully vaccinated and who are traveling from outside New England will be required to quarantine for 10 days, the email said.

The only three vaccines that will “currently” be accepted are the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Lawrence wrote.

Masks are to be worn at all times regardless of vaccination status, the email said, whether in the stadium, around campus, or in downtown Hanover or Lebanon.

Quarantines for guests traveling from inside the United States can be completed at their “domestic departure locations”

This article was originally published on May 3, 2021.

Last year, in the face of the global pandemic and ensuing shutdowns, many employers across the country were forced to lay off employees and cut back hours. Now, some Hanover businesses are wrestling with the opposite problem: a labor shortage as they search for workers for the summer and fall seasons.

Still North Books & Bar owner Allie Levy ’11 said that the Upper Valley has recently been experiencing a “burst” in new hiring. According to the New Hampshire Employment Security agency, Upper Valley unemployment numbers are back down to below 3% — roughly where they stood in February and March 2020, just before the pandemic. Levy said this is due to a “huge boom” as the local economy transitions back to normal pre-pandemic operations.

“If you drive down any road on which there are businesses in the Upper Valley, you will see a ton of ‘now hiring’ signs,” Levy said.

The competition for new workers among the rapidly reopening businesses is stiff, she said, albeit “great” from a worker’s point of view.

As businesses vie for a limited number of workers, Levy said, she has had to adjust her response time to job inquiries.

“I have definitely noticed a labor shortage… if I don’t respond to somebody who applies for a job for a week, because we are going through resumes, that person has probably found a different job,” she said. “I have had to be more proactive with my hiring [and] quicker to get back to people.”

Molly’s Restaurant and Bar supervisor Sam Marden said that in order to find employees, the

restaurant has increased spending on recruitment, recently opting to run Facebook, newspaper and radio advertisements. She added that the shortage of staff is a unique situation for the restaurant.

“It’s been extremely difficult trying to find people,” Marden said.

“We have been working for the past four or five months to get our staff [numbers] up for the summer.”

Understaffing has had an effect on some employees’ incomes, Marden said. Though “front-of-the-house” — hourly — wages have stayed the same, according to Marden, some workers are now catering to more tables as a result of the staffing shortage and have seen their tips increase.

Levy also said she has recently had to “invest more in spreading the word” to find new employees.

In the past, Still North would rarely post ads outside of their own social media or in-store advertisements, she added.

Although certain incentives, like higher wages or shorter hours, can help attract more employees, Levy noted that Still North cannot afford to offer substantial raises.

“As a small business who started three months before the pandemic, I don’t have the ability to offer a signing bonus or any sort of huge change in compensation,” Levy said.

According to Levy, Still North’s staffing needs have changed since the pandemic forced her to expand her online bookselling business.

“We need a larger team because prior to the pandemic, web orders — either on the cafe side or book side — were not a part of our business model,” she said. “We need more people to [both] process web orders and help people in-person.”

Levy also suggested another driver of the current labor shortage in the rural Upper Valley: nearby SEE BUSINESS PAGE 2

On May 5 and 6, Dartmouth’s on-campus COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Thompson Arena saw “approximately” 570 total vaccine shots — about 350 on the first day and 220 on the second — administered to students, staff, faculty and community members, according to College spokesperson Diana Lawrence.

On the first day, four individuals experienced anxiety symptoms after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, causing the College to cancel the remainder of the appointments for the day and switch to a different supply of J&J vaccines “out of an abundance of caution,” Lawrence wrote in an email statement Thursday.

COVID-19 task force co-chair Lisa Adams said that the anxiety responses — specifically vasovagal, or fainting, responses — are a “neurologically triggered” response that causes the body’s blood vessels to dilate and blood pressure to drop. People may faint or experience other anxiety symptoms at the sight of blood or needles, which Adams said was likely the case for the four individuals, at least one of whom fainted as a result of the administration of the vaccine.

Lawrence wrote that anxiety symptoms — such as fainting — are “seen more frequently” after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, “very possibly because people with a needle aversion choose the singledose option.” She cited an April 30 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found “anxiety-related adverse events” may be more common following the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in part because people with needle aversion may be more likely to select the single-dose vaccine over the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Lawrence wrote that the individuals received on-site medical attention and “appeared to have recovered.”

Adams said that the clinic rescheduled vaccinations to May 6 for the 21 people whose appointments were canceled, adding that the people whose vaccination appointments were rescheduled were able to choose between the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we paused the vaccine … and have switched to a different lot for all Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines scheduled for [May 6],” Lawrence wrote.

On both days, the Pfizer vaccine was offered from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from 5:35 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to Adams. According to Lawrence, 285 Pfizer vaccines and 65 J&J vaccines were administered on Wednesday, and 140 Pfizer vaccines and 80 J&J vaccines were administered on Thursday.

T he second day proceeded without any additional incidents, Adams said.

Executive director of Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services Kelly Rutherford ’23 said that Dartmouth EMS helped Axiom Medical, a

medical consulting firm employed by the College, as “observers,” noting that the group also observed the second-dose vaccine clinic held on campus last week that was open to faculty and staff.

Rutherford said that members of Dartmouth EMS were present at the clinic to observe recipients in the 15-minute window after receiving their shot, in order to treat anyone experiencing serious side effects. According to Rutherford, the morning of the May 5 clinic was “pretty quiet.”

Ethan Sipe ’24 signed up for the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine shortly after the College sent an email to students on April 23 announcing the on-campus vaccination clinics.

He said he waited to get vaccinated on-campus by the College because he was worried he would be turned away by state-run clinics. He added that although he was happy to receive his vaccine on campus, he expected the College to offer vaccines to students earlier.

“I thought [it] was going to happen a lot earlier because Dartmouth, I think, likes to protect their students and gives us the best chance of having fun on campus,” Sipe said. “So this is a step in the right direction.”

Wells Willett ’24 said that he previously tried to receive his first dose at the state-run vaccination site at the former J.C. Penny in West Lebanon, but was turned away by the staff at the site. He said he was “super grateful” to receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on campus, adding that the staff seemed to be “handling their roles” well and that the vaccination process was “super smooth.”

“I expect [the vaccine] to hurt in maybe a few hours,” he said just after receiving his dose. “But in terms of the actual vaccination, it felt pretty standard; it wasn’t anything extraordinary.”

Will Bryant ’24, who is living off campus in Vermont, said he originally signed up to receive a vaccine through the state of Vermont. However, when he found out about the on-campus vaccination clinic, he canceled his previous appointment because the Thompson Arena location was closer to his residence.

“I think that it’s definitely a strong show of confidence from the College to encourage students to get a vaccine,” Bryant said. “The fact that they’re offering them is a real net positive.”

Adams wrote in an email statement that the College had been in talks with the state of New Hampshire about distributing vaccines to Dartmouth community members “not only prior to the change regarding the residency rules, but prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Adams wrote that the College decided to hold the on-campus vaccination site at Thompson Arena because when the site was used for COVID-19 testing, it demonstrated features like good ventilation and traffic flow.

For individuals who received their first dose from the on-campus clinics, a second dose clinic will be offered at Thompson on May 27, according to an email sent to recipients.

DANIEL MODESTO/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Thompson Arena was previously used for COVID-19 testing.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 2

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

Controversial state bills face pushback from Dartmouth community

BY Andrew Sasser The Dartmouth Staff

This article was originally published on May 4, 2021.

During the 2021 New Hampshire legislative session, Hanover’s representatives cast votes in April on two controversial bills — H.B. 2 and H.B. 111. All four of Hanover’s representatives voted against H.B. 2, a state budget bill that contains a controversial amendment prohibiting state contractors and schools from teaching about concepts like systemic racism and sexism. Two Hanover representatives, including government professor Russell Muirhead, voted against H.B. 111, which would repeal “official immunity,” the legal principle that protects public employees from legal liability for actions undertaken in good faith.

H.B. 2 — the annual, must-pass state budget bill — includes a provision that would forbid local governments and any contractors they hire, as well as all schools and universities that receive state funding from teaching their employees or students about “divisive concepts” like “race and sex scapegoating.” Dartmouth has since signed onto a letter from the New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, a lobbying group, that urges the Republican-controlled state Senate and Gov. Chris Sununu, also a Republican, to reject the bill, which was passed by the GOP-controlled state house on April 7.

Sununu expressed opposition to H.B. 544, the bill that was eventually

appended to H.B. 2 as the amendment, recruiting and retaining a “diverse” in a March interview with New student body.

Hampshire Public Radio, noting that “With this bill, universities couldn’t it “really limits free speech.” possibly provide a full education to their NHBSR executive director Michelle students,” Veasey said. “It would be Veasey said that the organization was like trying to teach with one hand tied “inspired” to write a letter against the behind your back.” bill because many K a t e members and Hilton ’99 associates of their “This whole situation said that she is organization felt is a calamity. Because concerned about that the legislation the “incendiary” Republicans decided would “tarnish” bill as it would the reputation to put this language in prevent teachers o f t h e s t a t e. the bill, we’re either and employers She added that from being able to because one of going to have this discuss issues like the common goals awful amendment systemic racism of the NHBSR is with “openness” or we won’t have a to foster inclusive and “honesty.” workplaces and budget.”

As an alumna of diversity, the group the College, she decided to take a said she wrote to stand against the -RUSSELL MUIRHEAD, President Hanlon bill. asking Dartmouth GOVERNMENT “ We h a d a to speak out PROFESSOR workplace racial against the bill, equity learning as she believes it challenge during goes against the Black History Month, and if this bill College’s “core values.” was passed, more than half of the “I applaud President Hanlon for participants in that challenge would not signing the [NHBSR] letter,” Hilton have been able to participate,” Veasey said. “However, I don’t think [the said.

College] did enough, and they need Veasey added that over 225 to take stronger action going forward.” businesses and organizations have Hilton said that the College should signed on to the letter against the directly lobby the state legislature to bill. She also said that colleges and vote against H.B. 2. She added that universities — including Colby-Sawyer she would also like the College to College, Southern New Hampshire conduct an analysis of the bill to see if University and the University of New it might result in reduced state funding Hampshire — signed because of of College research and the institution the negative impact it could have on in general.

Muirhead, a Democrat, said that if passed, the bill could potentially cause some teachers and Dartmouth professors to “shy away” from teaching about topics concerning systemic racism and sexism in America. He added that some teachers may be “fearful” of being punished for teaching the “whole truth” about America’s past and present.

“This whole situation is a calamity,” Muirhead said. “Because Republicans decided to put this language in the bill, we’re either going to have this awful amendment or we won’t have a budget.”

He added that he believes that many Dartmouth professors will continue to teach what they “believe is right” in spite of the bill.

College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote that Dartmouth “prizes and defends the right of free speech and embraces open inquiry.”

Another bill that has attracted debate among the Dartmouth community is H.B. 111, which would repeal “official immunity” for all public officials that protects them from legal liability for actions done in “good faith.” The bill was drafted in response to recent controversies over the protections that this immunity grants to police officers.

Hanover’s four representatives, all Democrats, split on the bill. Rep. James Murphy and Muirhead voted against H.B. 111, while Rep. Mary Hakken-Phillips voted for the bill and Rep. Sharon Nordgren did not vote on the bill. The bill was ultimately tabled by the House, meaning that it can be modified and voted on again, likely after significant changes.

Muirhead said that he opposed H.B. 111 because he felt that the scope of the bill was “too broad” in nature as it would apply to all public officials, not just police officers. He added that he was concerned that it could expose employees like teachers, fire chiefs and zoning board officials to lawsuits that would make it harder for them to do their jobs. According to Muirhead, Americans for Prosperity, a group funded by the conservative Koch Brothers, supports the bill, as it would make passing and enforcing local regulations “far more difficult.”

“As currently written, the bill could empower corporations to sue individual public officials to raise the cost of enforcing regulations,” Muirhead said.

Muirhead added that he would “strongly support” a revised version of the bill that would specifically hold police officers accountable for their misconduct. He added that he is also supportive of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill passed on March 3 by the U.S. House of Representatives that would repeal qualified immunity for police officers — a federal court doctrine — nationwide.

Nicolas Macri ’24 said that he supports H.B. 111 because he believes immunity for police officers is a “bad doctrine.” He added that he felt that the bill is “very important” for promoting government accountability, especially in cases involving wrongful death or injury of civilians.

“Just because you have a government job doesn’t mean you should get a pass,” Macri said. “Our laws should be applied fairly to all citizens, including public officials.”

Asian American and Pacific Islander communities celebrate diversity

BY MANASI SINGH

The Dartmouth Staff

The Office of Pluralism and Leadership, in collaboration with other on-campus organizations, will celebrate the identities, history and shared experiences of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community by hosting the annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month from May 1 to May 27. The theme for the month — “Elements” — seeks to emphasize the different groups of people, cultures and backgrounds that exist under the umbrella term AAPI, according to AAPIHM student coordinator Karen Zheng ’22.

Zheng said that the AAPIHM planning committee focused its planning this year on the inclusion of students from the different n at i o n a l i t i e s, e t h n i c i t i e s a n d backgrounds that make up the AAPI community. She noted the importance of taking into consideration the different identities that coexist within the broad term of AAPI. “This year’s theme, ‘Elements’, basically highlights our individuality and the individual people in the community. It also celebrates our shared identity since the community is made up of individual elements,” Zheng said.

OPAL prog ram coordinator Kayanat Paracha, who serves as an advisor for the AAPIHM committee, said that the student committee resumed regular meetings in the winter term and picked up on last year’s planning after AAPIHM 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic.

She added it was particularly important to have a comprehensive,

cohesive month of celebrations this year after missing last year’s events.

“It’s really amazing that [students] are so motivated to do things in person and also virtually,” Paracha said. “They’re really thinking about how to engage the entire Dartmouth community.”

Paracha said that as part of the effort to make the celebrations more inclusive, the committee decided to adopt a variety of virtual and in-person events — from a panel discussion to a gala — to expand accessibility to students enrolled both on-campus and remotely.

“We want to invite the rest of the Dartmouth community to come engage in dialogue with us to be able to educate one another, just to build knowledge about the experiences that students, faculty and staff on campus have,” Paracha said.

The Collis Governing Board will help organize Trivia in the Air on May 6 in a hybrid game night held on the Cutter-Shabazz Lawn and on Zoom. The trivia night, according to AAPIHM’s website, will be focused on AAPI history, traditions, food and pop culture.

The committee has also prepared a panel of activists and scholars from the AAPI community to discuss the recent spike in anti-Asian violence, the importance of intersectionality and history and the struggle for justice, per OPAL’s website. Margo Okazawa-Rey, Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, Elene Lam and Betsy Yoon will sit on the panel and will hold a public Q&A session after the panel.

The event will take place on May 10.

In collaboration with Humans of Dartmouth — an organization supported by the Tucker Center

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF PLURALISM AND LEADERSHIP

The month of celebration kicked off on Saturday with a Bubble Tea Grab-N-Go event.

that interviews community members and publicizes their stories — the AAPIHM committee will also conduct an interview series on the experiences and stories of students in the AAPI community throughout the month of May. The month of activities will conclude on May 27 with a virtual gala co-hosted by OPAL and the Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association.

The gala will feature speeches from Dartmouth alumni and celebrate the accomplishments of seniors graduating in June.

This past Saturday, students had

the opportunity to stop by the Bubble Tea Grab-N-Go event on Collis patio to get a free bubble tea and learn more about the events that AAPIHM will be hosting throughout May. Attendee Tianxiao Wang ’24 said that the bubble tea event was a great way to meet new people in a casual setting.

“Meeting up with friends to go to the bubble tea event is a great way to relax, and we always meet new people while waiting in line,” Wang said. “Before and after the event, I often see people that I haven’t seen in a while, so it is a great way to catch up with people too.”

President of the Dartmouth Asian Organization Alex Soong ’21 said that he hopes the Dartmouth community will use this month to start the conversation and continue discussing and advocating for AAPI “diversity, equity and inclusion.” He added that the increase in violence against the AAPI community in the past year has made this year’s AAPIHM even more important.

“For a very long time, we have not been heard and have been suppressed under things like the model minority myth,” Soong said. “We shouldn’t contain this [activism] to just this month.”

Griffin: Upper Valley workers face Guests will have to attest high housing costs, lack of child care to following travel rules FROM BUSINESS PAGE 1

farms.

“This reopening phase is happening at the same time that barn season is opening up,” she said. “There is a competition for workers in the spring with farms starting up.”

Some of Still North’s own employees work for the bookseller in the winter and on farms in the summer, according to Levy.

Town manager Julia Griffin wrote in an email statement that t h e U p p e r Va l l ey re g i o n h a s historically had some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, making it difficult for businesses to find workers. During the pandemic, the shortage of job seekers has been particularly “acute,” according to Griffin. “ Wi t h o u t ex c e p t i o n , eve r y employer in the area is having a difficult time recruiting new

employees,” Griffin wrote.

She added that some local restaurants and retailers attribute the recent labor shortage to generous unemployment benefits that have disincentivized potential employees from actively seeking work during the pandemic. Others, she noted, argue that it may be a byproduct of limited childcare availability in the region — an issue that the pandemic has exacerbated as childcare centers too struggle to find sufficient staff.

She also cited a shortage in affordable housing stock, a lack of 24/7 transportation and few jobtraining opportunities in the Upper Valley area as potential contributing factors to the labor shortage.

“Dartmouth, [DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center], our major manufacturers, our professional services industry … everyone is struggling,” she wrote.

“Until these issues are resolved, attracting a workforce to meet the

demand will continue to be a major challenge.”

Unlike Molly’s and other local businesses, which laid off workers as demand plummeted at the onset of the pandemic, Lou’s Diner owner Jarett Berke Tu’17 said his business chose not to let go of any employees.

Berke said that early in the pandemic, Lou’s senior management made a decision to do “everything” they could to avoid layoffs and keep all staff at their “full level of hours and income.” He attributed Lou’s success in avoiding layoffs and pay cuts to government stimulus packages during the pandemic, which covered costs as the restaurant took a hit in revenue.

Though Lou’s avoided the rehiring process, Berke said he knows anecdotally from other restaurant owners that it is “really hard” to find lower-wage workers right now.

“Labor has always been tough in the Upper Valley,” he said.

FROM COMMENCEMENT PAGE 1

before travel by “private vehicle” to Hanover, while guests traveling from abroad will have to quarantine after arriving in the United States. Guests will “need to fill out an attestation that they have followed these rules,” Lawrence wrote.

Quarantines can be shortened to seven days with a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test six or more days after arrival in the Upper Valley, but the College’s testing facility at Leverone will not be open for guests, Lawrence wrote.

On-campus housing will also not be available for guests, who will “need to arrange for off-campus accommodation in the Upper Valley region,” the email said.

Students will also need to take a COVID-19 PCR-based test 72 hours prior to attending the Commencement or investiture event.

The Commencement ceremony will be livestreamed for those unable to attend,

the email said. Lawrence wrote that the College is committed to a “robust streaming option” for those unable to attend Commencement in person.

Hanover town manager Julia Griffin wrote in an email statement that the Town worked “very, very closely” with the College, and initially rejected the College’s original proposal for being too “ambitious.” According to Griffin, the College modified its proposal to accommodate the Town’s social distancing requirements, and the Town agreed on the requirement that all attendees are vaccinated or are properly quarantined and tested prior to the ceremony, and wear masks at all times in the stadium and in Hanover and Lebanon.

“This large influx of people from all over the country and the world makes us somewhat nervous but we feel that we have arrived at a plan that we can live with,” Griffin wrote. “What will be paramount is that all attendees honor our requirements.”

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

SENIOR STAFF COLUMNIST NATALIE DOKKEN ’23

STAFF COLUMNIST KATHERINE ARRINGTON ’24

The Power of a Legacy

It’s time we let an old tradition fail. Dartmouth should do away with legacy preference in admissions.

This column was originially published on May 6, 2021.

The preferential treatment of legacy students in the admission process at many American universities is a practice that has been around for almost a century despite the practice’s anti-Semitic and xenophobic roots.

In fact, the practice of legacy admissions began at Dartmouth in 1922, and soon after, other institutions adopted the practice as a means of reducing the number of recent Eastern European immigrants — a large majority of whom were Jewish — who were admitted. Today, universities maintain the practice more out of tradition and fear that without it, alumni donations will plummet, but its effect is no less damaging than it was at its bigoted beginnings. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Dartmouth’s use of legacy preference in admissions, Dartmouth should acknowledge the ridiculousness and inequity of this practice and end the use of legacy preference in admissions.

Like at most elite universities, a large portion of the student body at Dartmouth comes from aff luent families. In the Class of 2013, for example, 69% of Dartmouth students came from families in the top 20% of the income distribution, while a meager 2.6% came from families at the bottom 20% of the income distribution. Today, legacy preference continues to afford mostly white, aff luent students — students who are already at a significant advantage in terms of college admissions thanks to better access to college prep resources, competitive private high schools, elite sports and generational knowledge — an even greater leg up. The extent of this advantage is clear in the numbers: A Harvard University study that examined admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Harvard showed that legacy students are almost four times more likely to be admitted to prestigious universities relative to non-legacy applicants. At Harvard, a National Bureau of Economic Research study showed that 43% of white students are athletes, legacies, children of faculty or staff or children of donors; the figure for Black, Hispanic, and Asian American students was just 16%.

This discrepancy is troubling not simply because it shows a clear bias that universities have in favor of wealthy, white, legacy students, but also because it clearly illustrates why lowincome students are so poorly represented at elite universities. White, wealthy, legacy students already have every factor in their favor during the college admissions process, and the fact that colleges feel the need to give them yet another hand up simply due to their pedigree further compounds the inequity.

Not only do low-income students not have access to the same resources or high schools as aff luent students, but they also have responsibilities that aff luent students may not, such as having to take care of their siblings while their parents are at work or having to hold down a job during high

PAGE 3

school that may limit how much time they can devote to academics and extracurricular activities. Moreover, low-income students, unlike aff luent students, are more often the first in their families to attend college, meaning that even applying to college can be a challenge for these students who are unfamiliar with the process and cannot simply turn to their parents for advice. In short, not only does legacy preference compound the advantages of the well-off; it also compounds the disadvantage experienced by low-income students.

Harvard University’s Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana has suggested that legacy preference fosters diversity by placing students with experience with the college alongside those without it. This is plainly absurd: legacy preference is not needed to foster this type of ‘diversity.’ Legacy students already tend to be in the most desirable applicant pool — the added preference is simply the stamp on legacy student’s acceptance letters. Moreover, if college administrators have concerns about diversity in regards to legacy admissions, it should be in regards to the way the practice reinforces socioeconomic inequality. The practice provides an additional advantage to a group of individuals that is for the most part already socioeconomically extremely privileged and overrepresented on elite college campuses.

Other proponents of legacy admissions argue that doing away with legacy preference will cause donations from alums to plummet and, in turn, reduce institutions’ capacity to help lower income students. However, this argument fails to acknowledge the fact that at institutions that have already done away with legacy admissions, there has not been any significant change in donations. A 2010 study of seven institutions that did away with legacy preference reported that none of the seven institutions studied saw any significant changes in alumni giving and concluded that there was not a statistically significant link between legacy preference and alumni donations. In this sense, if colleges choose to reduce the financial support given to lower income students following changes in their use of legacy preference, this decision would not be due to a decrease in donations, but rather to other, unrelated factors.

Ultimately, legacy admissions are not a t rad it ion wor t h ma i nt a i n i ng. W h i le Da r t mout h i s c er t a i n l y not t he on l y college that still considers legacy status in admissions, it was the first, and that gives it a unique opportunity to right its wrongs.

L eg a c y preference does l it t le beyond perpetuating socioeconomic inequalities by providing already privileged students with an even greater advantage during the college admissions process. If the College is comm itted to “ bu i ld[ ing] a d iverse community of students,” as stated in their values, they should put their money where their mouth is. The most appropriate way to celebrate the centennial of the invention of legacy preference is with its abolition.

Vaccinate Everyone

The COVID-19 crisis in India demonstrates the importance of the United States assisting in international vaccine rollout.

This column was originally published on May 4, 2021.

With India now averaging more than one million new cases of COVID-19 every three days as well as thousands of deaths daily, the country is in the midst of one of the worst outbreaks that the world has seen during the pandemic. This crisis has only been compounded by the country’s weak national health care infrastructure, medical supply shortages and low vaccination rates — to date, only 2% of India’s population has been fully vaccinated.

India is not the only major country where vaccine rollout has been slow: Only 6.5% of Brazil’s population, 6% of Mexico’s population, and 3% of Canada’s population have been fully vaccinated. This is the case for many other developing countries as well — in Egypt, the Philippines and Venezuela, less than 1% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

While most developed countries are projected to be almost fully vaccinated by the end of 2021, many developing countries will not be fully vaccinated until the end of 2022 or even the beginning of 2023. To help prevent another extreme wave of outbreaks due to viral variants, it is crucial that the United States steps in to assist in the vaccine rollout internationally, rather than continuing to put itself first.

Domestically, the United States has administered nearly a quarter of a billion doses of the vaccine – an astonishing 30.9% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, while 44.1% have received at least one dose. This is partially a result of President Biden’s decision to move up the deadline for U.S. states to make all residents eligible for the vaccine to April 19.Though the rollout has been unequal — marginalized communities face increased barriers to getting vaccinated and large swathes of the country, especially Republican men, remain vaccine-skeptical — the U.S. is still poised to have very low rates of COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations soon, as the vast majority of the population should soon be vaccinated. Our attention should now turn to abroad, as herd immunity within the United States will not be enough if we want to see the current global health crisis finally come to an end.

The COVID-19 pandemic is by its very definition a global crisis — the English word “pandemic” stems from the Greek roots “pan” and “demos,” which translate to “all” and “people,” respectively. As such, the crisis we face is not one that can be solved by each country working alone. Even if all Americans were to be vaccinated tomorrow, the pandemic would continue, with the virus surviving and spreading in other parts of the world. Since vaccinated individuals are less likely to contribute to symptomatic and asymptomatic spread of COVID-19, the greater the proportion of vaccinated people in an area, the less likely it will be for the virus to be spread enough for a crisis to occur — especially one that would overwhelm medical facilities and drain supplies, resulting in many preventable deaths. Ending the pandemic thus will require the United States to expand the rollout of vaccines in every country, rather than focusing narrowly on the vaccination effort within its own borders.

Furthermore, it is not as though the U.S. would be making a large sacrifice — the United States certainly has the resources to help other countries in their vaccine rollouts. To date, the American government has secured more than one billion doses, enough to vaccinate its population twice over with plenty of

doses to spare. Thus far, however, the U.S. has only sent health care supplies and raw materials to places in dire need of vaccines, such as India, rather than providing the vaccines themselves. Out of the tens of millions of doses of vaccines that the U.S. has in excess, they have only donated four million, and even then only to its neighbors of Canada and Mexico.

There is no reason for the U.S. not to donate excess vaccines to other countries and to provide additional aid and help acquiring vaccines to countries who need it.

Assisting other countries in vaccine rollout would also prove profitable from an international relations standpoint. There is a clear precedent for providing aid to other countries in times of crisis: former President George W. Bush started an international plan for AIDS relief in 2003. After a tsunami wreaked havoc on South and Southeast Asia in 2004, the U.S. led a humanitarian aid campaign. Sending vaccines rather than merely medical supplies to countries struggling with overwhelming rates of COVID-19, such as India, could also help lead the world into a new age of international cooperation, which is necessary for solving future issues such as climate change.

What’s more, the American public is in favor of global vaccine donations. Surveys show that over half of Americans believe that the U.S. should immediately begin donating vaccines to other countries and recognize that global herd immunity is necessary to put an end to the pandemic. A survey from STAT and The Harris Poll also found that three-quarters of Americans support donating vaccines after all Americans who want to be vaccinated have been.

We’re at that stage — anyone in the U.S. can schedule an appointment and get a shot, and beginning to donate will not change that.

Despite these very good reasons for pivoting to help the rest of the world, the Biden administration has still maintained that it will not donate vaccines until every American who wants one has been inoculated. From a moral standpoint, hoarding vaccines for low-risk Americans while high-risk healthcare providers in developing countries go unprotected is wrong. Additionally, the United States’ role on the international stage cannot be limited to merely supporting the development of countries’ inadequate healthcare infrastructures and expecting them to become self-reliant. There simply is not the time for this sort of approach. As more and more individuals worldwide become infected with COVID-19, there is a greater chance that the virus will mutate, potentially prolonging the pandemic for years to come. Furthermore, the longer the pandemic lasts, the higher the economic costs, with developed countries such as the U.S. bearing the brunt of this added financial burden. The current public health emergency is not the time for the U.S. to watch as developing countries scramble to build adequate healthcare infrastructure or to point to institutions like the World Health Organization for guidance; immediate vaccine donations are needed from the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already lasted over a year and taken nearly two million lives worldwide.

The United States has the power to help end this global crisis and to stop it from needlessly taking more lives, and should thus feel an obligation to employ this power as soon as possible and work to ensure that everyone who wants a vaccine can receive one.

THE DARTMOUTH EDITORIAL BOARD

Verbum Ultimum: Too Little, Too Late

The recent announcement that graduates will be permitted to invite two guests to graduation comes too late for Dartmouth’s most vulnerable students.

In a May 5 campus-wide email, College Street, are already booked full from June 10- those who live outside of New England — may enough notice about its graduation plans, President Phil Hanlon announced that 13. This surge in demand for lodging — which no longer be in a position to make the trip up the College should commit itself to making due to the increasing vaccination rate and the College’s decision not to offer on-campus to Hanover for their child’s graduation. Even Commencement accessible to those affected by the declining COVID-19 incidence rate housing for families will only exacerbate — is after the policy change, these families may its late decision-making. If Dartmouth wants to nationwide, the College will allow graduates likely to significantly drive up hotel fares to a rate not be able to get off work in time or scrape live up to its promise of making itself accessible to students of all backgrounds, as its mission to bring up to two guests to graduation. This unaffordable for many lower-income families. together enough money to attend. announcement embraces suggestions made by Although higher-than-usual local lodging Notably, Princeton University — in New statement and marketing to prospective students students following the initial decision to hold prices are typical of Commencement week, the Jersey, which has had notably stricter COVID-19 suggest, it should not tolerate the prospect of Commencement for families virtually and tardiness of the College’s announcement has restrictions than New Hampshire throughout graduation — a landmark in anyone’s life — is a promising sign of an impending return undoubtedly hampered the ability of lower- the pandemic — made the decision to allow becoming a privilege reserved for those with the to normalcy on campus — something this income families to plan for the expense of two guests per student on April 9, nearly a full financial means to attend. While the College was Editorial Board has argued is overdue. While traveling to an in-person ceremony: Until now, month ago. At the beginning of April, when right to amend its guest policy to allow family the College should be commended for revising families that might have saved up so they could millions of doses were being administered daily members to attend, the announcement is long its decision, for many low-income students afford to attend graduation likely did not see a and nearly all states, including New Hampshire, overdue and ignores the financial ramifications and their families, the eleventh-hour nature reason to, given that the ceremony — for them, had announced a timeline for universal of the late decision on low-income families, who eligibility, the College could have projected have already been hit hard by the pandemic. of the decision erects significant financial and at least — was slated to take place virtually. logistical hurdles and comes as too little, too The pandemic’s disproportionate impact on then that an in-person ceremony with guests Although opening dorms as lodging after finals lower-wage industries like personal care services, would be safe by the time of Commencement. end on June 8 may be impractical given the late.

Because the College’s decision to reverse its accommodations, food service, entertainment That Dartmouth’s Commencement is one of need for guests to quarantine, Dartmouth can a n d r e c r e a t i o n w i l l the latest in the country further suggests that take the next best step by offering stipends for original ill-founded no-guest policy comes just weeks “While the College was o n l y e x a c e r b a t e t h e the College’s overly cautious stance was not travel, lodging and transportation to the guests of this merited: By June, all indications are that the of students on financial aid. After flip-flopping before Commencement day, right to amend its guest unaffordability late decision for lower- overwhelming majority of families and students its Commencement plans at the eleventh hour, families this year will have limited time to organize policy to allow family income families. In addition will be at least partially vaccinated, if not fully Dartmouth has a responsibility to make this year’s ceremonies accessible for all students and and budget their travel and members to attend, the to layoffs hitting these so. industries harder, those After dropping the ball on giving families families, regardless of their financial means. request time off from work, in addition to facing the announcement is long guests who still have jobs in daunting task of booking overdue and ignores the them may also face barriers taking time off. For some, last-minute hotel rooms and financial ramifications of to requesting several days rental cars at a time when these accommodations will the late decision on low- off to attend graduation KYLE MULLINS, Editor-in-Chief REILLY OLINGER, News Executive Editor be in short supply. While income families, who on such short notice may OLIVIA GOMEZ, Publisher COALTER PALMER, Production Executive Editor simply not be possible — the every family of graduates ARIELLE BEAK, HANNAH JINKS & LORRAINE LIU Managing Editors will face these obstacles to have already been hit service industry has some PRODUCTION EDITORS BUSINESS DIRECTORS some degree, low-income hard by the pandemic.” of the worst paid time off NATALIE DOKKEN, CHANTAL ELIAS & GABRIELLE LEVY, Opinion Editors ELIAN GERARD & DYLAN SPECTOR policies in the country, with families, which will be less CHRISTINA BARIS & NOVI ZHUKOVSKY, Mirror Editors Strategy Directors most companies offering equipped to adapt in the face ADDISON DICK, DEVAN FINK & LILI STERN, STERN Sports Editors KATE BENNETT & ISABELLE KITCHEL of the sudden change of plan, will undoubtedly employees only a few days off per year if any.

SHERA BHALA & LUCY TURNIPSEED, TURNIPSEED, Arts Editors Business Development Directors NAINA BHALLA & ANGELINA SCARLOTTA, Photo Editors ZIRAY HAO, SAMRIT MATHUR & ALLY TANNENBAUM Jobs in these industries also typically require bear the brunt of the impact.

WILLIAM CHEN & AARON LEE, Data Visualization Editors Marketing, Analytics and Technology Directors Finding last-minute lodging close to campus workers to make requests weeks in advance, an SOPHIE BAILEY, BAILEY Design Editor EMILY GAO & BRIAN WANG will likely prove especially challenging for many ask made more difficult by the very late nature GRANT PINKSTON, PINKSTON Templating Editor Advertising and Finance Directors families. Now that all graduates can bring two of the guest policy update.

CHARLIE CIPORIN & GEORGE GERBER, Multimedia Editors guests, housing options around Hanover are As it stands, given the many barriers the EMILY APPENZELLER, Engagement Editor bound to fill up within days — as it stands, College’s last-minute change of plans has We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College, multiple hotels in Hanover and surrounding erected for them, many lower-income families SUBMISSIONS: 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 property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com. towns, including the Hanover Inn and Six South of students on this campus — and particularly For any content thatbecomes an author or artist submits and that The Dartmouth agrees to publish, the author or artist grants The Dartmouth a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide and exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish and create derivative works from such content.

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

PAGE 4

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

Student Spotlight: Matt Haughey ‘21 releasing his original music

BY JOE DAHER The Dartmouth

This article was originally published on May 6, 2021.

In his four years in Hanover, singersongwriter Matt Haughey ’21 of Madison, New Jersey has been an active contributor to Dartmouth’s music and performing arts scene. Since his freshman year, he has been a member of the Dartmouth Cords — one of three allmale a cappella groups on campus — as well as the Dog Day Players improv group.

More recently, Haughey has made his emergence onto the national stage: In the last two years, he has released five singles that have garnered over a million streams on Spotify.

“My music has coincided completely with COVID,” Haughey said. “In my spare time, I just like to make music.”

Haughey has amassed a dedicated following online with his personal and introspective singer-songwriter style of piano ballads. Haughey cites Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” album, American rock band Train and his older brothers, Sean and Mike Haughey, as inspirations.

“Train was one of my favorite bands growing up. I loved ‘Drops of Jupiter,’ that was one of the first songs I learned on the piano,” Haughey said.

Haughey’s first song was a feature on “Know Her Better” by Nextlife — a Dartmouth producer duo comprised of Henry Phipps ’21 and Max Fuster ’21 — and was released in November 2018. Haughey admits that his first song left some lyrical genius to be desired, but said the tune was fun to make.

During his sophomore year, after performing an original song for a couple of friends who implored him to finish the tune and formally release it, Haughey released his debut single and breakout hit “Make You Happy.” Fellow musicians Jeffers Insley ’21 and Phipps helped Haughey with the piano and mixing process for the song, respectively.

Haughey released “Make You Happy” through DistroKid during his junior fall in 2019. He said he was hoping for 1,000 streams, but surpassed his goal within a day, ending up with over 100,000 streams on Spotify after only a few months. The song was picked up and played by The

Pulse, a SiriusXM radio station, on a segment called “Train Tracks” by Pat Monahan that features new artists. “Make You Happy” was played three times during this segment, which propelled Haughey’s debut single as a breakout hit.

“After that, I was like, dang, I want to keep doing this,” Haughey said.

Haughey’s next single was “Heart of Gold” with Phipps, followed by “Movie Love” with Lila McKenna ’20 and “Ocean.” But his most successful single, “Sorry,” is his most recent. Phipps provided some insight behind the simple and catchy production of “Sorry.”

“It’s basically a one-take of two iPhone mics, and if you listen closely there are a few wrong notes, which I think is unusual for a produced pop song, but I rolled with it because I liked how the piano sounded and I liked how it was not perfect,” Phipps said.

Nextlife’s TikTok of “Sorry” reached a million plays within a week and, as of now, has almost 500,000 likes. Phipps said he did not realize how famous the song would become.

“If I had known how many people were going to hear it, I might have done another take on the piano,” Phipps said.

Phipps said that if you listen closely, the crackle of a fireplace is faintly audible on the piano intro. He later added some strings and percussion to round out the mix, but was careful to let Matt’s vocals shine through.

“The real magic of producing for Matt is not doing too much because his voice is incredible,” Phipps said. “When I sit down to produce one of Matt Haughey’s songs, the song is already there — it’s just my job to not ruin it as I convert it to its final form.”

Phipps, as part of NextLife, has worked with other Dartmouth artists like Insley and McKenna.

“There’s a little pod of singers, writers and producers in the ’21 Class that all know each other,” Phipps said.

Haughey’s informal manager and longtime friend Jack Mattson ’21 also spoke to the tight-knit and supportive community.

“You really see all of Dartmouth’s creative community come together — the producers, the cover art, the singersongwriters,” Mattson said. “[Haughey] didn’t have to start playing music in bars

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT HAUGHEY

Haughey’s most recent song “Sorry” surpassed 500,000 listens on Spotify.

and hoping somebody would pick him up. That sort of community is so special.”

An economics and theater double major, Haughey’s senior thesis for his theater major is an original musical, “Flourtown,” that he has been working on for four years. According to the theater department website, the musical, “tells the story of Eli Johnson as he navigates his senior year of high school in the town where he grew up … As he struggles to fit into a mold he’s outgrowing, he develops new relationships, learns about himself, and begins to recognize what really matters.”

A performance of “Flourtown” will

be streamed on the theater department’s YouTube channel on May 14 at 8 p.m.

“I’m really excited for more live performances,” Haughey said. “It’s way more fun to interact with a crowd — you can see people relating with your music there.”

Haughey’s upcoming song is titled “The Kid You Loved.” He said he wants to release an EP at some point, but is also focusing on releasing singles on streaming platforms like Spotify, which he said maximizes his exposure.

Sarah Colin ’23, who is friends with Haughey through the Dog Day Players improv comedy group, said she is a

dedicated fan of his music.

“Matt will casually show me song lyrics that make me feel like my heart and soul have been steamrolled by an 18-wheeler driven by all the guys I’ve ever shown a romantic interest in,” Colin said. “I really love ‘Movie Love,’ and I look forward to seeing him collaborate with other artists in the future.”

The successes of “Know Her Better” and “Sorry” have inspired Matt to pursue his music full-time next year.

“I’ve never had full time to commit to it,” Haughey said. “The idea of having 24 hours a day theoretically open to write music is exciting.”

Review: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 13’s production lacks fire

BY JESSICA LI The Dartmouth

This article was originally published on May 6, 2021.

The popular reality television series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a rare staple in both queer and mainstream culture, appealing to a wide range of audiences through its blend of drama, comedy, heartwarming moments and true artistic talent. Following season 12, a fan favorite, audiences had high hopes for season 13.

Ultimately, however, the latest installment was unable to live up to its potential.

Despite the talent of the drag queen contestants, the stylistic and structural production of this season was notably lackluster.

Right off the bat, in the first episode, the audience gets an idea of how this season will progress: it will be — and feel — extremely long, and the producers and judges will not even attempt to hide their favoritism. In the past, a typical first episode began with introducing each queen one by one and then followed a story arc based around the assigned central challenge of the week.

However, this season opted for something completely different: the entire first episode was a series of one-on-one lip syncs. Two queens would walk in and were then summoned by the judges to the main stage — the queens looking extremely bewildered and concerned.

After lip syncing, one queen would be “saved” and one “eliminated.”

When the first lip sync occured, it was exciting –– nobody knew what would happen next. But the act quickly became stale when this exact process repeated itself six times, dragging on for an hour and a half. At this point, the audience realizes there is no way RuPaul would eliminate six or seven queens at the same time, and the episode loses its thrill; predictably, the episode ends with the reveal that the “eliminated” queens will continue to participate in the season.

The episode feels repetitive, plotless and exceedingly long.

The second episode focuses on the

winners of the lip sync, while the third episode gives screen time to the losers.

These first three episodes end without a single queen eliminated, adding to how lengthy this season feels. In the fourth episode, the groups of winners and losers merged, and the show returned to its standard structure centered around a main challenge — a welcome return to the fast pace of earlier seasons.

Many of these challenges were remarkably creative and highlighted the talents of contestants. In “The Bag Ball” episode, Utica Queen creates one of the best garments ever sewn on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” — a dress fashioned entirely from sleeping bags.

In the “Snatch Game” episode, Gottmik transforms into a near doppelganger of Paris Hilton and demonstrates her quick wit. The episode “Nice Girls Roast” showcases the comedy chops of Kandy Muse, Rosé and Gottmik. Throughout the entire season, Lala Ri and Denali Foxx prove to be fantastic at lip syncing, and Tamisha Iman and Kandy Muse bring the drama. Overall, the cast is interesting and well-rounded.

Despite the contestants’ clear talent, a lot of the season’s magic is lost due to obvious rigging by the producers. Almost everyone who watches reality television knows that events are controlled by the producers, but in this case,the problem is not the manipulation itself –– but rather how blatant that manipulation is. The audience should not be able to easily discern which queens the producers favor to win the season. While viewers know the producers create storylines for the queens and identify potential winners of the season before filming even begins, producers typically do a better job of concealing their favorites.

In this season, it’s clear from the first episode — which splits queens into “winners” and “losers” — who the producers’ favorites are. The producers’ preferential treatment of certain contestants is especially clear in the challenges where there is no clear winner— most notably, in Symone’s win over Tamisha Iman in the first episode’s lip sync battle. Other moments also make

ELIZABETH JANOWSKI / THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Producer favoritism rendered the season boring and predictable.

it far too evident to the audience who producers want to be in the finale. For instance, in the episode “Disco-mentary,” Gottmik was essentially edited out of the dance number, likely because she is not a good dancer. In the episode “Freaky Fridays Queens,”contestants were judged in pairs instead of individually, holding contestants responsible for their partner’s performance. As a result, Denali Foxx ended up being eliminated for a mistake that her partner made.

Yet, a surprising benefit of filming during the COVID-19 pandemic was the roster of rotating guest judges. In a normal season, producers find celebrities to be guest judges. They are usually there to promote their upcoming film or album, so the celebrities are often visibly out of place in the show. Most of these celebrity judges do not offer much commentary or demonstrate any significant passion for drag culture. But due to this season’s COVID-19 restrictions, the show chose only four rotating guest judges, all of whom unmistakably loved the show, had

been guest judges multiple times in the past and understood drag. So, the judging in this season actually proved very fun and dynamic.

By the time the finale rolled around, the season was running on its 17th week, and as an audience member, I was wiped. Despite my exhaustion, the finale was enjoyable enough. The format of the episode closely mirrored that of previous seasons, with the show’s top four contestants — Gottmik, Kandy Muse, Rosé and Symone — competing in a typical lip sync showdown. The first round featured Rosé against Kandy Muse and Symone against Gottmik, and the final saw Kandy Muse square off against Symone, with Symone ultimately taking home the crown.

Although the finale featured some fantastic songs –– all by Britney Spears –– I couldn’t help but feel that it was anticlimactic. Producer favoritism throughout the entire season made the episode disappointingly predictable.

Although the top four are supposed to

have an equal shot at glory, it was clear from the get-go that Symone and Gottmik — who had the best records on challenges and the most start quality — were the two strongest contenders for the crown.

While a final lip sync battle between these two candidates would have kept me on the edge of my seat, the final battle — between Symone and Kandy Muse, the candidate with the worst record on challenges — fell flat. From the battle’s outset, it was obvious that Symone would end up taking home the crown.

In the shadow of both a phenomenal season 12 and season 2 of the show’s fantastic British version, which aired at the same time, season 13 pales in comparison.

Overall, the queens on season 13 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are incredibly talented and were the reason that I kept watching. While the show manages to pull off an impressive season in the face of a global pandemic it is difficult to overlook the mediocre production.

Rating: 

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

PAGE 5

SPORTS

Q&A: interim athletics director Peter Roby ’79 on rebuilding trust

BY Ethan Strauss & Benjamin Ashley The Dartmouth Staff

This story was originally published on May 4, 2021.

In February, following the retirement of former athletics director Harry Sheehy, Peter Roby ’79 was appointed as Dartmouth’s interim athletics director.

Roby assumed the role after months of controversy surrounding the elimination and eventual reinstatement of five varsity athletic teams. Roby was a varsity basketball player during his time at Dartmouth, and served as Northeastern University’s athletics director from 2007 to 2018. Roby sat down with The Dartmouth to discuss the recent return to competition, his transition into his new role and how he is working to rebuild trust within the athletics department.

How do you think the return to sports has gone so far, and what will the rest of the term look like in terms of competition?

PR: It was such a welcomed return after 400-plus days since the last time anybody at Dartmouth competed in collegiate athletics. You can imagine how much excitement there was amongst the coaching staff, the support staff, administrative staff and most importantly, the students who had a chance to participate. It certainly doesn’t make up for almost two lost seasons for those spring-sport athletes, but just to be able to get back to doing something that they love to do, that is a welcome respite from all the COVID-related restrictions — just a welcomed return to some sort of normalcy for everybody. I’m excited for everybody who will have a chance to compete and looking forward to supporting them with a few more events before the spring term ends.

Thinking into the future, what are your current expectations for Ivy League competition in the fall?

Do you think it will be more of a return to normal?

PR: Everything that we are hearing from senior leadership of the College here at Dartmouth and also around the Ivy League suggests that we will get back to a fairly normal fall. Everybody’s situation is slightly different on their campuses and what their protocols will allow and what they will require, but you’d like to think, just given what we’re seeing in terms of the number of people getting vaccinated

BY Lanie Everett, Ethan Weber & Jesse Brownell

fully and the drop in positivity rates across the country, that it’s all trending in the right direction.

The fallout of the reinstatement of the five previously cut teams is one of the main concerns facing Dartmouth athletics right now.

What was your reaction to that process?

PR: As an alum, I was disappointed in how that all happened and the impact it had on the teams, student-athletes and coaches. You never want to see your alma mater go through those kinds of things, and I certainly empathized with everybody impacted. Now, as someone that is leading the athletics department, I’m excited because those folks are all back and re-established and back in the community, starting to participate in ways that they always wanted to participate.

It’s exciting — it’s a real positive thing for Dartmouth and for the athletics department, and we’re going to make sure their experience is as positive as possible.

How is the College trying to rebuild trust with those teams that were cut? What have you and the athletic department been doing to remedy student-athletes’ concerns?

PR: We’ve had conversations with all the teams that were reinstated. We tried to do that in the first few weeks that I was here to connect with them, have conversations with them, apologize for what they had to go through and make sure that they knew that I was committed to making their experiences as positive as possible.

Answering questions, being available — a big part of trying to start to restore trust is just being present and being as transparent as you can be about things.

We’ve had conversations with those individual teams about, in some cases, the new head coach and what the timing was around that, how they might be involved in that and our commitment to trying to find the best candidates to lead the programs. We’re answering questions about admissions and the fallout from the impact of discontinuing certain teams and then bringing them back, maybe missing out on a class of student-athletes that would have come in the freshman class.

We met with some of their alumni groups because they were very involved in many cases in the reinstatements and making sure their voices were heard and in some cases even parent organizations that were very involved.

The most important thing was to deliver

M TENNIS

After having their first match of the season canceled as a result of a missing COVID-19 test from Colby-Sawyer College, the men’s tennis team returned to play this past Saturday and defeated Williams College at home. The team secured their first and last win of the season 5-2.

The Big Green started off strong, winning all three of their doubles matches to give them an early lead. Logan Chang ’24 and Peter Conklin ’21 took home a

6-1 victory, and John Speicher ’21 and Dan Martin ’21 defeated their Williams pairing by the same margin. In a more competitive match, Casey Ross ’21 and Andy Ilie ’24 won 6-4.

In singles, Martin’s 6-2, 6-1 victory over Arturo Kam on the top court kept things rolling for the Big Green. Though Williams secured wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 position, Sid Chari ’22, Casey Ross ’21 and Logan Chang ’24 swept the matches in the Nos. 4-6 slots.

SOFTBALL

On Friday, the softball team traveled to Boston College to play their third game of the season.

Boston College opened the scoring with four in the third, and though Mary Beth Cahalan ’24 hit an RBI double in the fourth, the Eagles added two more in the fifth to increase their lead to 6-1.

The Big Green rallied in the seventh: A two-RBI triple for Izzy Kam ’24 cut the deficit to 6-3, with the next batter, Billie McFayden ’22 driving her in with a double. Ultimately, the Big Green fell short and lost 6-4.

How do you intend to convince some of those potential recruits to choose a program that just cut those teams?

PR: Yeah, that’s a fundamental question, right? But just like the way that we did it with the coaching, we found coaches who were willing to commit their future careers to Dartmouth. I think it speaks to the reputation of the College, and what it means to coach at Dartmouth, and to coach in the Ivy League, and I think the same is true of student-athletes — that this place has real appeal. It has a great history and legacy.

You just got to be transparent, you got to be honest. And what I’ve been saying to the coaches, and would say to recruits is, we get up every morning wanting to do everything we can to put those teams in a position where nobody’s ever going to think about discontinuing them again.

The best way to do that is to work every day to support them and lead them in a direction that will result in success, not only in the pool or on the river or on the course, but in terms of who those people are and how they develop once they’re here and the kind of quality education they get, and all the other ways that we can support them.

You took over as athletics director during some difficult circumstances — how has the transition been, and how have you been changing the athletic department and athletics at Dartmouth?

It’s certainly been busy over the last two and a half months. If there was any benefit to coming when I did, it’s just, we’re able to get connected with the different stakeholder groups, including donors, alumni, our colleagues across campus and the deans’ offices, and the deans of other professional and graduate schools, and my colleagues within the Ivy League, my athletics director peers and the Ivy League folks.

The reason I say it was good timing was because we didn’t have a full-blown athletics program going on because of COVID, so I could focus my attention in the other areas and try to shore up communication, starting to rebuild the culture and the trust and get people excited. Again, bring some energy as someone from the outside and hopefully bring some credibility, just from the standpoint of me being a Dartmouth

COURTESY OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Peter Roby ’79, a former Big Green basketball player and athletics director at Northeastern University, took over the Dartmouth athletics department in February.

College graduate and a former studentathlete. I have that shared experience with everybody that’s here. If you say you care about the student-athlete experience and want them to have the best experience they can, but you don’t build trust and don’t make the coaches feel valued, then that’s going to trickle down to the studentathletes, and they’re going to start to feel the same way.

When President Hanlon reached out to me and asked me if I would consider coming back in the interim role, I didn’t hesitate. One, because it’s my alma mater, and it means so much to me, that I wanted to be helpful. But the second was because I thought I had the skills and the experience to bring about some change in a positive way. That’s what I get up every morning trying to do.

Do you know if you’re being considered for the full-time athletics director spot? Is that something that you’d be interested in continuing in the long term?

PR: I’ve got that question a lot and my answer is: I can’t say yet what the future will hold. Life circumstances take different turns and the College may also have thoughts about what kinds of things they want to do in terms of leadership going forward.

All I can tell you is that I will be in constant contact with President Hanlon about where we are, how we’re doing, how he feels about what we’re doing, and my sense is that I want to commit myself to doing all that I can between now and June of 2022. And let’s take stock of that — part of what I agreed to do was make recommendations to the board and to the President about the vision for the future of Dartmouth athletics. That’s what I’m committed to doing while I lead the program right now, and then we’ll see where that all goes as we get closer to June of 2022.

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

The Weekend Roundup: Week 5

The Dartmouth Staff

the message that no matter what I say or others in the athletics department say, we want them to judge whether they should trust us or not based on what we do, not what we say.

Madie Augusto ’22 and Brooke Plonka ’21 split the pitching duties. Augusto (L, 1-2) went 2 ⅓ innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out none. Plonka closed out the game throwing the final 3 ⅔. She allowed just two runs, one earned, on one hit, striking out and walking two each.

A f t e r t h e g a m e, B o s t o n College honored Dartmouth senior Abby Shipley ’21, who will be graduating this spring following four years playing for the Big Green.

W LACROSSE

M LACROSSE

W ROWING

The women’s lacrosse team took home a landslide 19-2 victory in a scrimmage against Division II Saint Michael’s College on Wednesday evening. Rather than play the traditional two 30-minute halves, the Big Green and Purple Knights agreed to play four 15-minute quarters.

The Big Green hosted the contest at Scully-Fahey Field.

Despite the rain, Dartmouth went on to take the victory. The team remained firmly in control for the duration of the game,

Last Tuesday, the men’s lacrosse team won their scrimmage against Saint Anselm College. The team traveled to Grappone Stadium to compete for only their second time in 2021. Despite Saint Anselm’s undefeated record in the Division II Northeast-10 Conference, the Big Green took home a decisive victory, winning 20-6.

The Big Green’s goal-onslaught began after an initial 2-0 deficit early in the first quarter. After goals from Peter Lapina ’24, Ben DiGiovanni ’24 and George Prince ’21, they claimed their lead — one they would not relinquish — by the end of the first.

In their first competition since November 2019, women’s rowing returned to racing at the Charles River Basin Racing Series on Saturday, marking head coach Nancy LaRocque’s first regatta since being named to the position almost a year ago. Hosted by Boston College, this racing series began in March and will continue through next weekend. The Dartmouth women competed against teams from Boston College, Boston University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Despite windy conditions and only three weeks of practice to prepare, the team put in a solid performance

with 13 different players posting a goal. Maggie O’Gorman ’22 was the leading scorer for the Big Green with three goals.

Rosie McCarthy ’24 added an additional goal and led all players with a game-high five points.

The team also honored their graduating seniors in a private intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. The Big Green now has a 1-1 record after a 11-5 loss to Tufts University last weekend, but does not currently have any other games on the docket.

Dartmouth took a 10-5 lead in the second quarter, with Saint Anselm scoring only one more goal in the entirety of the second half. Dartmouth received point contributions from 12 different players, with Prince and Lapina each providing seven.

All three of the team’s goalies got some experience netminding on Tuesday. Daniel Hincks ’22 recorded the win with seven saves, while Hunter Binney ’24 and Jack Schifino ’22 added four and one, respectively.

The team does not currently have any future games scheduled. They fell to Tufts University, 15-9, in their return to play on April 25.

after their long stretch out of the water. In the first race, Dartmouth’s varsity eight came in third place with a time of 7:52.72. BU finished first with their 7:42.28 time, UMass (7:52.31) barely edged out Dartmouth for second and BC came in last (7:59.29).

In the next race, the Big Green’s second varsity eight finished in second place (8:00.83). They came in behind BU (7:52.54), but beat UMass (8:16.79) and BC (8:23.12). Finally, Dartmouth’s third varsity eight (8:22.84) won their race to end the day, comfortably defeating second place UMass (8:34.06) and third place BC (9:10.34).

PAGE 6

MIRROR THE DARTMOUTH MIRROR

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021

Black Students React to Dartmouth’s Response to the Chauvin Verdict

BY Queen Ngozi Eche The Dartmouth Staff

This article was originally published on May 5, 2021.

Nearly a year after the death of George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree u n i n t e n t i o n a l mu rd e r, t h i rd degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Following the verdict, Native American studies program chair Bruce Duthu ’80 moderated a facultyled panel titled “The Chauvin Verdict: A Community Discussion on Race, Crime & Justice.” Additionally, College President Phil Hanlon, Dean of the College Kathryn Lively and various campus organizations released email statements regarding the Chauvin verdict.

For Black students at Dartmouth, the College’s response to the verdict has elicited a complex array of emotions.

Chauvin’s trial is not an isolated incident, and thus students’ statements regarding the verdict are influenced by the American legacy of anti-Black police brutality and previous verdicts — largely not guilty — for the killings of Amadou Diallo, Trayvon Martin, Stephon Clark and many more.

Sereena Knight ’24 said she was “truly shocked” by Chauvin’s verdict, adding that she understood why some people were not expecting Chauvin’s conviction, given the previous outcomes of trials involving police violence — mostly officer acquittals.

Member of the African American Society Ian Scott ’24 did not believe that justice had been served, noting that

Chauvin’s conviction did not change the fact that George Floyd is dead and that police violence against Black people remains an issue. Scott pointed out that in the midst of Chauvin’s trial, Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

“I don’t feel any better. George Floyd is still dead. There is no justice for someone who is dead,” Scott said. “ … It is very obvious to me that the circumstances that led to that verdict feel like a strategic sacrifice of a pawn to sell the idea of progress rather than actual justice.”

Knight and Anthony Fosu ’24 both said they were hesitantly optimistic after the trial.

“With the prevalence and significance of [police violence], it is hard to really put your faith in the justice system when it seems like everything is working against you,” Fosu said. “So, seeing the verdict of Derek Chauvin gives me a very cautious sense of hope and optimism.”

In response to the verdict, College president Phil Hanlon sent out an email stating that “Dartmouth stands in solidarity against racism” and “our work in addressing the underlying systemic racism … has only just begun.”

Despite this statement, Scott believed that nothing at the College had changed, citing examples of what he called racist microaggressions on Librex and racist attacks launched against the Khan-Muñoz Student Assembly campaign.

“I don’t know if [the verdict and Dartmouth’s response] will have a major impact, if any — people are still going to be racist on Dartmouth’s

SOPHIE BAILEY/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

campus,” Scott said.

Knight was also neither surprised nor impressed by the various email statements. According to Knight, the statements have not been followed by actionable change, such as an increase in resources for people of color at Dartmouth. This lack of change made Knight question whether Dartmouth can truly move toward a more antiracist stance.

“An email will not deconstruct legacies and centuries worth of colonialism and colonist habits,” Knight said.

Fosu said he was left feeling confused and cynical following the College’s response. Additionally, he found the

amount of discussion surrounding the trial in his classes to be lacking.

Knight felt that the College’s response did not acknowledge the “pain and suffering” that students might be going through.

What do Black Dartmouth students want and need from Dartmouth?

Knight called for Dartmouth to be honest about its history — that it was founded as an institution to “Christianize” Native Americans. This means, she said, a re-evaluation of Dartmouth’s approach to education — teaching history from a “decolonized perspective.”

Scott added that he is exhausted, as Dartmouth has let too many

instances of racism slide in the past, citing student experiences shared on platforms like the Instagram page @blackatdartmouth. He thinks a more upfront and combative approach is necessary, like shutting down fraternities that have multiple allegations of “blatantly racist” acts.

These reactions to Chauvin’s verdict highlight that, as Fosu summarized, the work against racism is far from over.

“As people begin to realize how deeply ingrained racism is within our institutions, I think we begin to realize how much more we have to do,” Fosu said. “The work that has been done is currently the ground work — a foundation.”

To Stream or not to Stream? COVID and Our Viewing Habits

BY Meghan Powers The Dartmouth Staff

This article was originally published on May 5, 2021.

If you haven’t noticed by now, people have been spending a bit more time at home in 2020 and 2021 than in previous years. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Max have been coming into their own as peoples’ main venues for consuming media in recent years, and the pandemic has only increased their number and extended their reach.

For Sarah Jewett ’23, a member of the Dartmouth Film Society, the rise of streaming signals a new way of watching.

“My family, by the beginning of the pandemic, had already been off of cable. We had Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime — that’s basically it,” Jewett said.

“But I think especially at the beginning of the pandemic, we witnessed more of a social media presence of these streaming services. That was the way people would communicate — like with ‘Tiger King.’”

“Tiger King,” a Netflix docu-series about a man who owned and bred tigers in Oklahoma, was released in mid-March, only seven days after former President Donald Trump declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its first month, the show reached 64 million households, which Netflix itself attributed to people craving distractions while stuck inside under shelter at home orders across the world.

Hopkins Center for the Arts director of film Sydney Stowe said she understands the impulse to look for lighter fare in dark times, and streaming services are the way to do just that.

“During COVID, I couldn’t watch things like ‘Breaking Bad’ because I was not in a mental place where I could see that,” Stowe said. “It really depends on where you are mentally and emotionally.”

Stowe’s own favorites since the start of the pandemic have been shows like “Ted Lasso” and “Schitt’s Creek,” both of which have met critical and popular acclaim for sneaking a lot of heart into digestible packaging.

She noted that it’s nothing new, either, for people to turn to media designed to put a smile on your face in times of national tragedy. “‘Mamma Mia’ opened on Broadway in September of 2001 right after 9/11. People thought, ‘Really? an ABBA musical?’ And it was a runaway success,” Stowe said. “And ... during

the Depression, people watched Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies. Those were the most popular, because people need an escape.”

What’s more of an escape than spending five minutes browsing through Netflix’s seemingly endless catalogue?

Tiny boxes flash out from the screen promising that, whether you’re looking for a new adventure or a return to a familiar favorite, five minutes from now, you can forget you’re even on your couch, wearing the same pair of sweats you’ve had on for three days now.

Revisiting old, nostalgic favorites has also been a boon during the pandemic, notes Jewett.

“I think something a lot of people were going through was re-watching comfort shows,” she said. “I rewatched ‘Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Parks and Recreation.’ There is something [comforting] about being able to access things on streaming services.”

Dartmouth Film Society co-director Zea Eanet ’22 can relate. She also revisited Stars Hollow this past year in her rewatch of “Gilmore Girls.”

It’s not just comfort shows that have seen swarms of watchers — this year has been huge for news shows, too. In addition to comfort watches, streaming platforms like Netflix have had a huge year in terms of new shows, too. This fall, “The Queen’s Gambit” created cultural shockwaves, becoming Netflix’s most-watched limited series of all time and leading to an 87% national increase in the sale of chess sets — and a 603% increase in the sale of chess books — in the month following its release.

Eanet, herself a fan of the book which the series is based on, thinks that the show’s popularity says a lot about the power held by streaming platforms and the content they promote. “‘Queen’s Gambit’ is a really interesting example because it was such a specific, niche narrative and Netflix said: ‘This is what everyone loves now,’” Eanet said. “And I know 15 people who picked up chess, and that’s probably a good thing.”

Stowe agreed, and laughed at the inextricable influence of social media on what we choose to watch.

“Are we sheep?” Stowe said. “Are we just watching it because everyone else is watching it?”

Pandemic shows like “Tiger King”, “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Bridgerton” have proven that streaming services can shift the attention of tens of millions of people to one thing at one time. The pandemic didn’t endow Netflix with this influence, but based on the record-breaking

SOPHIE BAILEY/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

numbers of all three shows, it’s easy to imagine that the COVID-19 pandemic has made everyone more friendly with their TV remotes.

Ultimately, Stowe’s biggest question is what moviegoing will look like in the future now that streaming services have a near-monopoly on our attention.

“People have now spent a year watching movies at home,” Stowe

noted. “One of the biggest concerns I had about movies even before COVID was people saying, ‘I’m just going to wait until it comes out at home.’ Now, it’s already out on Amazon and Netflix.”

The window between movies being shown in theaters and being released to streaming has somewhat collapsed, and for the Hop — which hosts a theater that before the pandemic screened

movies regularly — this represents a challenge, Stowe said.

“Are the people who want to go out at night going to go to a movie?

If you and your friends are gonna go out, are you going to go to a restaurant or a movie? I don’t think I have any answers,” Stowe said. “Until the Hop reopens, I don’t know how people are going to feel about coming back.”

President's Undergraduate Research Symposium Watch our graduating seniors who have completed Senior Honors Thesis projects share their research virtually with the public.

Monday, May 10, 2021 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm https://youtu.be/dvc2k_GtbBA Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm https://youtu.be/loyjCxusMDI Hosted by President Hanlon '77 and Gail Gentes '77a, the President's Undergraduate Research Symposium allows graduating seniors who have completed Senior Honors Thesis projects to share their outstanding work with the public through presentations online, followed by a Question and Answer session with President Hanlon and Gail Gentes.