The Dartmouth 03/03/14

VOL. CLXXI NO. 40

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

PARTLY SUNNY

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

University tuitions to continue steep climb, experts say

Total Tuition, Fees, Room and Board

HIGH 12 LOW -13

$60,201

$57,998

By MICHAEL QIAN

$55,365

The Dartmouth Staff

$52,275

$49,974

BYRNE HOLLANDER/THE DARTMOUTH

SPORTS WEEKLY

WOMEN’S TRACK TAKE SECOND AT HEPS PAGE SW 4

MEN’S HOCKEY SHUTS OUT CORNELL PAGE SW 2

OPINION

MEDIA MEDDLING PAGE 4

ARTS

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: MATTHEW MIRLIANI ’16 PAGE 8 READ US ON

DARTBEAT SIX REASONS YOU DIDN’T GET YOUR PE CREDIT FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2014 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.

Although the College will not finalize its 2014-15 tuition amount until later this month, national trends point toward an ever-rising cost of attendance. With a sticker price of $63,282, Dartmouth was the second-most expensive Ivy League university in the 2013-14 academic year, following Columbia University.

Between 2009 and 2014, Dartmouth’s tuition and fees have increased an average of 4.8 percent per year. The 2013-14 year marked the lowest increase from the previous year’s tuition and fees, at 3.8 percent.

The College tuition was the second-highest tuition in the Ivy League last year.

SEE TUITION PAGE 3

Drive-in fundraising Club highlights education reform campaign falls short B y REBECCA ASOULIN The Dartmouth Staff

B y ASHLEY MANNING

After an unsuccessful Kickstarter fundraising campaign ended Sunday, owners of the Fairlee Drive-In are determined to keep it open for at least the coming season.

The family-owned business has tried selling T-shirts, hosting a concert and an auction

and reaching out through social media to raise money for a new $77,000 projector, said Peter Trapp, the drivein’s owner. Built in 1950, the drive-in has become a local favorite, as well as a beloved sophomore summer experience for many Dartmouth

SEE FAIRLEE PAGE 5

Brightly colored posters announcing startling facts about the U.S. K-12 education system stopped students at the south end of BakerBerry Library on Sunday afternoon. One of the five proclaims, “schools are more segregated now than they were 40 years ago,” while another says, “the majority of U.S. teachers comes from

Heps track competition boosts local business

B y MIGUEL PENA

As Ivy League track and field athletes descended on Hanover this weekend, they explored beyond the confines of Leverone Field House. Many local businesses and restaurants saw a large influx of patrons during the 2014 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championship this weekend, which

the bottom third of college graduates. In top performing countries teachers come from the top third of college graduates.”

Students for Education Reform at Dartmouth organized the display, which includes facts and space for students to comment on their experience with educational inequities.

A large poster asks each passerby to write about an experience with “education-

al injustice.” Anonymous responses covered the display within hours after it was set up Sunday afternoon.

“People from my hometown though I would drop out of Dartmouth,” read one comment. “Low expectations are unjust.”

Others mentioned cuts to language programs, underfunded schools, apathy and a lack of racial diversity.

SEE EDUCATION PAGE 5

PULLING STRINGS

were held at the College for the first time in four years.

The weekend’s tournament began Saturday at 11 a.m. and concluded yesterday afternoon. Though Dartmouth women were in the lead after day one, they ended Sunday in second place to Harvard University.

Cornell University won on the men’s JOSH RENAUD/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

SEE HEPS PAGE 2

Students performed their compositions in Collis Common Ground on Sunday.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 2

DAily debriefing Due to budgetary concerns, New London Hospital will be slashing jobs and benefits, the Valley News reported. The hospital cited decreased patient volume, diminished revenue and increased operating costs, primarily due to unexpectedly high expenditures on employee health insurance. New London Hospital has not determined how many staff members will be cut or which departments will be impacted most. The hospital has stopped hiring and postponed construction of a new medical center in Newport as well as the implementation of a new medical record system for outpatient practices. Many regional health care providers have experienced financial issues this year, like Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont, Alice Peck Day Hospital in Lebanon and Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor. New London partnered with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center last year, but this partnership has not caused financial hardships, hospital representatives said.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that 64 people died in heroin-related deaths in 2013, causing concerns that heroin addiction is becoming an epidemic. Over the last 10 years, admittance to state-funded treatment programs for heroin users rose 90 percent, according to the department. The Portsmouth Police Department reported that they are finding that drug users mix marijuana and heroin, and that heroin usage is increasing crime rates in both urban and rural areas, WMUR reported. Recent changes in health care may improve access to substance abuse treatment programs for low-income drug users, removing police departments’ need to rely on arrests as a solution.

The population of American bald eagles in New Hampshire has recovered over the last three decades after a federal ban on the pesticide DDT and the protection of natural habitats under the Endangered Species Act, the Valley News reported. DDT prevents birds of prey from laying eggs with sufficient levels of calcium, making them vulnerable to cracking and killing the embryos inside. According to annual mid-winter bald eagle counts conducted

by New Hampshire Audubon volunteers and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the bald eagle population has doubled every 10 years for the last three decades. The population rebound prompted the federal government to remove American bald eagles from its list of threatened and endangered species in 2007 while the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department upgraded bald eagles from an endangered to a threatened status in 2008.

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

Athletes draw business to local hotels Hanover Inn general manager Joseph Mellia was unavailable for comment by press time.

Hotels were not the only establishments to benefit from the weekend’s championship. Many other businesses, especially restaurants, also observed an increase in patronage.

FROM HEPS PAGE 1

side, while Dartmouth men placed sixth.

Thanks to the influx of athletes, local restaurants and hotels reported above-normal levels of business over the weekend.

Six South Street Hotel had all of its rooms booked. Hotel receptionist Madison Hayes said the hotel’s management foresaw this increase in reservations weeks ago. Hayes added that she did not feel that the increased clientele caused any issues for management.

The hotel, she said, is “accustomed” to an influx of customers.

Hayes noted that the Cornell University and Columbia University basketball teams had reserved many of the hotel’s rooms for the weekend, as both universities’ men’s and women’s teams played Dartmouth this weekend. She also observed that the distribution of rooms for teams and parents appeared to be evenly split.

Matt Henry, manager of the Residence Inn by Marriott in Lebanon, said that his hotel was also completely booked. Henry observed that many of the guests were parents supporting children competing in the championship.

“It seemed like a longer day — it started a lot earlier than usual and it seems to be going longer.”

- DONNA LANGLAIS, Lou’s restaurant and bakery MANAGER Donna Langlais, the manager of Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery, said that while business is expected to be higher on weekends, the number of customers on Saturday and Sunday compared to other big weekends like Winter Carnival.

“It seemed like a longer day — it started a lot earlier than usual, and it seems to be going longer,” Langlais said in the early afternoon.

Molly’s Restaurant and Bar manager Ben Williams said this weekend was very demanding, but management did not feel the need to increase staff on duty. He said that Molly’s provided service to everyone, though clients had to wait longer than usual.

“When there is any type of event at Dartmouth, we know we are going to have a busy weekend,” Williams said. “Whenever there is a game, we get more business.”

Lisa Gelinas, manager of Murphy’s On The Green, said the South Main Street restaurant was also busy this weekend, but noted that there was no increase in reservations as weekends are usually completely booked.

Three Guys Basement Barbeque manager Carrie Emerson said this weekend was very busy, but not more so than big weekends like Homecoming or Winter Carnival. About 25 Harvard track and field competitors came into the restaurant to grab food before heading home. She added that she was pleased to see familiar faces on the Harvard squad, as some team members had been to the restaurant in previous years.

Sean Connolly contributed reporting to this article.

Jewish Philosophers of Religion Spring 2014 REL 24 (2) Identical to JWST 63 Open to all classes.

Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Benor.

— Compiled by Josh Schiefelbein

REL 24 explores these Corrections We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.

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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

PAGE 3

Experts call administrative bloat a major cause for tuition hikes FROM TUITION PAGE 1

In an address to the faculty last fall, College President Phil Hanlon said that, in an effort to slow the rising cost of higher education, he would keep the College’s tuition rate flat with inflation.

Several higher education experts pointed toward administrative bloat and shifting university priorities as prominent reasons for the likely increase.

Benjamin Ginsberg, author of “The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why it Matters,” said that more active fundraising efforts at universities have allowed administrators to raise their salaries and hire more administrators, thus leading to tuition increases.

Ginsberg said that college costs nationwide have increased around 40 percent over the past 30 years, owing largely to increased administrative costs and new student services from wellness centers to bowling alleys.

According to the College Fact

Book, total staff decreased from 3,417 to 3,175 between 2008 and 2011, the most recent data available.

Meanwhile, the number of executive, administrative and managerial positions fluctuated, overall decreasing slightly from 330 to 327.

“In truth, your administration is about 33 percent larger than in the 1980s, and I don’t believe Dartmouth was a bad school in the 1980s,” Ginsberg said. “In fact, I recall that it was quite an excellent school, even though it didn’t have as many deans or ‘deanlettes.’”

Richard Vedder, director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, said that while faculty salaries are growing at approximately the same rate as those of other professional occupations, senior administrators have often seen “abrupt explosions of salaries.” He predicted that most universities will increase tuition by about 4 percent for the coming year.

“The basic problem is that there are virtually no incentives to keep costs down,” Vedder said. “There are

many positive benefits to it — you can raise more money, hire more assistants, university presidents get a big hunk of money, keep alumni happy, keep students happy.”

“In truth, your administration is about 33 percent larger than in the 1980s, and I don’t believe Dartmouth was a bad school in the 1980s.”

- BENJAMIN

GINSBERG, AUTHOR OF “THE FALL OF THE FACULTY: THE RISE OF THE ALL-ADMINISTRATIVE UNIVERSITY AND WHY IT MATTERS.”

According to the College’s financial statements for the 2013 fiscal year, Dartmouth’s annual operating expenses amounted to $835,273,000. Salaries and wages accounted for the bulk of expenditures at $350,991,000, with employee

benefits totaling $124,583,000. The two categories combined accounted for nearly 57 percent of annual expenses.

Meanwhile, the College received $833,491,000 in revenues. Net tuition and fees accounted for 21.7 percent of revenues at $180,585,000.

Unlike the 2012 fiscal year, when the College’s revenues exceeded its expenses, Dartmouth’s recent expenses have exceeded its revenue.

At the same time, total tuition and fees increased by 8.7 percent, from around $55,365 for the 2011-12 academic year to $60,201 for the 2013-14 year.

While tuition trends are similar across the country, experts said that Dartmouth and its peer institutions have more leeway in terms of raising their prices because there are more than enough students who are willing to pay.

Ginsberg said that continually rising prices intimidate a growing number of prospective students.

Vedder suggested that the College’s 14 percent drop in applications for the 2014-15 academic year may introduce real incentives for Dartmouth to change its pattern of raising tuition.

“If you had asked me [about tuition trends at Dartmouth and its peer

institutions] before I heard about the Dartmouth application decline, until recently the trend has been that elite schools have been able to get away with murder, because their application numbers keep rising,” Vedder said.

Andrew Gillen, an education researcher at the American Institutes of Research, said that universities may be reaching the end of an “automatically increase tuition all the time”-strategy, citing the fact that several nonprofit schools have been freezing or lowering tuition.

Families who have traditionally chosen to send their children to expensive private universities have begun to look toward state schools as less expensive alternatives, he said, though he noted that the rate at which state school tuition has increased is actually higher.

Several Ivy League universities have released their cost of attendance numbers for the 2014-15 academic year. Princeton University will increase its total cost by 4.1 percent to $58,965, while the University of Pennsylvania will increase its tuition and fees by 3.9 percent to $61,132, exceeding $60,000 for the first time.

Other Ivy League schools have yet to release 2014-2015 tuition amounts.

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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 4

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

Staff Columnist Emily Albrecht ’16

Staff Columnist Jon Miller ’15

Media Meddling

Demands for DDS

Intrusive inquiries and sensationalized stories amount to bad reporting.

In late January, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. As people far removed from the tragedy debate over computer screens about the punishment he should receive, the media continues to report on Tsarnaev’s trial and potential sentence. Likewise, the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman has inspired articles and debates over the exact nature of his passing. The media has selfishly invaded his grieving family’s space during a time of mourning.

These are not isolated reports. With each new mass murder, celebrity death or high-profile suicide, the media sensationalizes brutality and invades the privacy of the bereaved. Months after the bombing, journalists excitedly ask, “Is he getting the death sentence? A life sentence with no hope of parole?” With celebrity deaths and suicides, the media scrambles to learn about all the events leading up to the time of death and psychoanalyzes everything that could have gone wrong. For example, Hoffman’s friend David Bar Katz told CNN last week that the media sensationalized accounts of the events that occurred before his overdose.

People should consider the family members and the lives that were forever changed. The media should be respectful of their space and sensitive to their trauma.

Human nature is prone to morbid curiosity, a selfish act that values the observer’s entertainment over victims’ and families’ pain. Despite the industry’s good intentions, news outlets are still businesses with one ultimate purpose — to make a profit. And the easiest, basest way to make a profit when something like the Boston bombing happens or when a high-profile person (or family member) dies is to sensationalize the tragedy. The murderer’s name and photo are plastered on every screen, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Front pages show sobbing, helpless loved ones asking, “How could this happen?”

So it goes until national attention drifts elsewhere. Facts, predictions and analyses are repeated far past any purpose that they may serve. While the people involved are shocked and

traumatized, reporters hound them, asking for this interview and that photo so that their grief can be displayed for all to see.

This is not the way to handle a tragedy. Pandering is easy, but the news media needs to rise above such behavior and consider the lives of those involved. Some reporters, like Anderson Cooper, have realized this and have pledged to do so. After the shooting in Aurora, Colo., Cooper tweeted, “We’ll tell all we know of suspect, but I’ll try not to use his name much. History should remember those who died, not their killer.”

More media outlets should follow Cooper’s lead by instituting rules limiting the exposure of the killer’s identity. Likewise, journalists should respect the families of celebrities who have died or committed suicide and acknowledge the intrusiveness of their inquiries. The Society of Professional Journalists has an ethics code that deals with how to act in these situations, and people should take greater care in following these guidelines.

Yet suggestions and guidelines for individual newscasters or media outlets are not enough.

One responsible voice cannot overcome 100 irresponsible shouts. Law enforcement agencies should not release the killer’s identification unless he or she is at large and should only release facts that are pertinent to public knowledge as decided by the officials dealing with the case.

Likewise, reporting on a killer should not go on indefinitely and should cease once he or she is safely in custody.

The nation does not need to be reminded of Tsarnaev’s heinous act months later, so that uninvolved parties can gossip and debate about his sentence. When a celebrity dies, the focus should be on remembering his or her life and respecting the deceased’s family, especially when that death is a suicide. When a celebrity’s family member or friend has committed suicide, reporters should be even more respectful about privacy, since their lives were not lived on the public stage.

Give priority to the victims and their families, and handle these stories in a way that respects them. As Cooper wisely and kindly said, theirs are the names that we should remember.

For what we pay, students deserve better options from DDS. Despite student body dissatisfaction, that are comparable with Collis stir-fry or Dartmouth Dining Services seems unwilling Hop sandwiches. Allowing students to spend to improve the dining plans or the quality of DBA in town would both support the local food served to students. Absent a complete economy in Hanover and expand the number overhaul of the DDS system, there are several of options available to students. The nowchanges that could raise DDS’s quality of defunct Hanover Bucks program, which service. allowed students to load money onto pre First, there is no way to justify the draco- paid cards to receive discounts on purchases nian rules surrounding meal swipes. When I at restaurants and stores in town, relied on explain to visitors that only one meal swipe students’ patronage of Hanover businesses. may be used within a certain time frame and Lastly, the College could consider licensing that the value of the meal swipe changes more food trucks, like The Box, on campus. based on the time of day, they often give me At Cornell University, two food trucks operpuzzled and bewildered looks. Students have ate year-round near the largest residential paid for the meal areas and are among swipes and should Cornell students’ “When I explain to visitors that be able to use them favorite dining oponly one meal swipe may be as they wish. I cantions. When I was at not imagine a single used within a certain time frame Cornell, they often good reason why I and that the value of the meal were the only place should not be able to swipe changes based on the to grab good hot food use two meal swipes time of day, they often give me when all other dining in the same meal puzzled and bewildered looks.” locations had been period. closed for hours.

Several possible Licensing more food solutions could fix these problems. First, trucks and promoting entrepreneurial soluthe College could rent space out to private tions benefit both students and would-be vendors or franchises of restaurants with businesspeople in the area. national footprints and reputations for fast As an institution, DDS leaves much to be service and quality. Subway, which already desired. I could not help but feel somewhat has a franchise in Hanover, and which op- chagrined when I saw that Novack Café was erates 515 campus franchises worldwide, is now offering “apple and brie sandwiches.” one possible candidate. Another possibility Not even the slightest effort was made to is Moe’s Southwest Grill, located in West conceal that this was a shoddy imitation of Lebanon, which operates restaurants on 17 the sandwich that King Arthur Flour Café college campuses. occasionally serves. Unable to come up with If the College operated such a franchise, any creative options, DDS simply copied it could be staffed by College employees, the most popular product of the one quasijust like the Hop or Novack. Perhaps with outside option that operates on campus and several private dining options, there would has consistently high-quality offerings. not only be more variety in dining options, If College President Phil Hanlon wishes to but a greater number of jobs as well. improve student life directly and immediately, Another step would be to allow for stu- I would advise him to look at Dartmouth dents to use their DBA in local, off-campus Dining Services first. Reforming meal plans restaurants. Many students already eat at to give students more freedom, options and these restaurants. Some, like Boloco and flexibility — these basic improvements would Subway, are viable on-the-go dining options go a long way.

Vox Clamantis

212 Robinson Hall, Hanover N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600

Lindsay ellis, Editor-in-Chief stephanie mcfeeters, Executive Editor

carla larin, Publisher Michael riordan, Executive Editor

taylor malmsheimer, Day Managing Editor madison pauly, Evening Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS katie mcKay, Opinion Editor lorelei yang, Opinion Editor brett drucker, Sports Editor BLAZE JOEL, Sports Editor Axel Hufford, Arts & Entertainment Editor

sasha dudding, Evening Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS piotr dormus, Finance & Strategy Director elizabeth mcnally, Design Director Jasmine xu, Technology Director gardiner kreglow, Advertising Director

ashley ulrich, Arts & Entertainment Editor erin landau, Mirror Editor marina shkuratov, Mirror Editor aditi kirtikar, Dartbeat Editor emma moley, Dartbeat Editor

ISSUE

tracy wang, Photography Editor Alex Becker, Multimedia Editor NEWS EDITORS: Jessica Avitabile and Sean Connolly, LAYOUT EDITOR: Victoria Nelsen, TEMPLATING EDITOR: Sean Cann, COPY EDITORS: PJ Bigley and Charle Minaya.

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.

Sharing for Change

On behalf of United Campus Ministers, we encourage members of the Dartmouth community to share their experiences with the Title IX investigators. Each of us comes from a religious tradition that holds human life to be sacred and violence to be unacceptable.

Our traditions also teach the importance of truth-telling if there is to be positive change.

Like many in the Dartmouth

community, we are concerned about the continuing issue of sexual assault. Last year, we undertook special training as first responders for survivors of sexual assault. We continue to stand ready to assist any member of the Dartmouth community in need of support when faced with these difficult issues.

We know from experience that truth-telling is never easy. But if Dartmouth is to combat sexual assault, we need to learn the truth.

The R ev. D r. Guy Collins Rabbi Ed Boraz

03. 03. 14

LEAPING OVER IVY RIVALS M SWIM AND DIVE TAKES 6TH SW 2

M HOCKEY SET FOR PLAYOFFS SW 2

HANOVER HOSTS HEPS SW 4 KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 2

BY THE NUMBERS

66 Saves by Lindsay Holdcroft ’14 against Clarkson this weekend.

60 Years since the last men’s ice hockey shutout at Cornell.

60 Percent the women’s basketball team shot from behind the arc against Columbia.

777 The men’s swimming and diving team finished sixth in the Ivy League, 777 points behind firstplace Harvard.

Men’s swimming and diving sixth at Ivy Champs

B y GAYNE KALUSTIAN The Dartmouth Staff

The men’s swim and dive team concluded its team season this weekend in Cambridge, Mass., with a sixth place finish in the three-day Ivy League Championships. Last season, the Big Green finished fifth.

The team accrued 718 points, 777 points behind first-place Harvard University. Despite the sixth place finish, co-captain Nejc Zupan ’14 nabbed the Harold Ulen Career High Point Swimmer Award, thanks to his 361 points over his time at Dartmouth. Zupan took double firsts in the 100-yard and 200-yard breast stroke events with pool records of 53.52 and 1:54.29, respectively.

The meet standings largely reflected the season standings except the University of Pennsylvania clawed its way all the way up from fifth place in the regular season standings to third place in the meet, but was still well behind Harvard and Princeton University by almost 400 points. Cornell University and Brown University swapped spots at the bottom of the standings, but other than these small changes, the championship results mirrored the

REBECCA SCHANTZ/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Last year, Ryan Shelley ’15 finished 16th at Ivy League Championships in the three-meter dive. This year, he finished 13th.

regular season standings.

“Penn just destroyed it at this meet,” Logan Briggs ’16 said. “I don’t know what happened between last year and this year, but everyone was just on fire.”

The diving team, comprised of Brett Gillis ’16, Taylor Clough ’17, Ryan Shelley ’15 and Ben Weill ‘14, clinched 128 total points for the Big Green. Gillis took second

and fifth in the one-meter and three-meter dives, respectively. His one-meter dive score of 361.15 was a new varsity record for Dartmouth, breaking the 2007 record of 355.57 set by Andrew Berry ’08.

Gillis said last week that while he aimed to take the record down, he was looking ahead to next season.

“Prelims were okay, they weren’t great,” he said, “but during finals

everything just kind of came together. The one meter was really unexpected.”

The team’s high hopes for the 400-yard medley relay were not met, as the team of James Verhagen ’16, Zupan, David Harmon ’17 and Daniel Whitcomb ’16 finished in third with 3:12.49, 2.23 seconds SEE SWIMMING PAGE SW 7

Men’s hockey shuts out Cornell, falls to Colgate

B y josh schiefelbein The Dartmouth Staff

In a dash to the playoffs, men’s hockey took on two nationally ranked teams to close out the season, taking down No. 11 Cornell 1-0 but losing to No. 16 Colgate 2-1. Consequently, Dartmouth will travel to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the 10th seed for the first round of the ECAC Hockey Championship Tournament.

“I think the weekend went pretty well,” captain Tyler Sikura ’15 said. “We went to Cornell on Friday into a tough situation and [Charles Grant ’16] was amazing,

Lindsay Ellis ’15 Editor-in-Chief

03. 03. 14

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

Stephanie McFeeters ’15 Executive Editor

making all the stops he needed to.

Then on Saturday, we played a sloppy game but we were able to

CORNELL

0

DARTMOUTH

1

COLGATE 2 DARTMOUTH 1

fight back to within a goal.”

Before a huge crowd, Friday’s game was a tale of two goalies.

Senior Andy Iles broke Cornell’s all-time career saves record, but his night was bittersweet — Grant tallied his second career shutout.

The last time Dartmouth shut out Cornell was Jan. 23, 1960.

Cornell (15-8-5, 11-7-4 ECAC) and Dartmouth (8-17-4, 7-13-2

ECAC) entered Friday night with a lot at stake. Cornell needed to win both weekend games to guarantee a first-round bye in the ECAC tournament, but Dartmouth dealt a serious blow. The Big Green also needed to win and have several other chips fall in place to earn the eighth seed and the right to host a SEE M HOCKEY PAGE SW 7

Carla Larin ’15 Publisher

Michael Riordan ’15 Executive Editor

Brett Drucker ’15 Blaze Joel ’15 Sports Editors

Tracy Wang ’15 Photography Editor

KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The men’s hockey team stayed hot with a shutout against Cornell on Friday in Ithaca.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

Men’s basketball goes 1-1 for weekend

B y JASPER BINGHAM The Dartmouth Staff

When the crowd rose to its feet in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s senior night game against Cornell University, filling Leede Arena with applause, it was not because of an and-one, a three-pointer or a powerful dunk. Tyler Melville ’14, the team’s captain and its only senior, checked out for the last time in front of loyal Hanover fans. Cheers echoed through the building as Melville slowly walked down the row of chairs to his seat, receiving hugs from each member of the coaching staff and the players on the bench.

“He has been the epitome of what a student athlete has to do,” said head coach Paul Cormier. “He gave us some

Dartmouth

72

COLUMBIA

84

dartmouth 87 CORNELL 78

stability and a good example of how if you fight through things and keep plugging, good things will happen.”

Melville’s final night also marked the end of a long drought for the Big Green (10-16, 3-9 Ivy), as the squad topped Cornell (2-24, 1-11 Ivy), 87-78 to snap a seven-game skid. Though Melville himself had 10 points and five assists, it was Alex Mitola ’16 who was the star on the court for Dartmouth, putting on an eye-popping offensive show with 33 points on an efficient 10-16 shooting.

Kevin Crescenzi ’16 added 17 points and four boards.

Mitola came out firing on all cylinders against the Big Red, knocking in two threes on back-to-back possessions to start the game and set the tone for his teammates. Cornell was quick to respond,

SW 3

THE

RUNDOWN Men’s Basketball SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

HARVARD YALE COLUMBIA BROWN PRINCETON PENN DARTMOUTH CORNELL

11-1 9-3 7-5 7-5 5-6 4-7 3-9 1-11

24-4 15-11 18-11 15-11 17-8 7-18 10-16 2-24

MARK WIDERSCHEIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The men’s basketball team fell to Columbia before beating Cornell.

though, as the game developed into a full-on shootout.

Neither side gained more than a few points on the other for most of the first half. Toward the end of the period, though, Melville sparked a mini-run with a tough three-point play. Crescenzi followed with a pretty three-pointer, and Matt Rennie ’16 muscled his way to the foul-line, dropping in a pair of free throws to push Dartmouth’s advantage to six heading into the locker room.

This proved to be crucial, as Cornell would not regain the lead for the entire second half. Mitola quickly piled on the points out of the gate, hitting a threepointer, a layup and then another threepointer to bring the score to 44-32 in the blink of an eye. Cornell responded with a 9-0 run, mostly on free throws, but Dartmouth rallied with an 8-2 charge of its own.

Mitola shone during the second half, scoring beyond the arc, under the rim and from the free throw line. Cornell tried tirelessly to chase Mitola off the three-point line, but he used screens and slashed to the hoop to keep the opposition in disarray.

With about two minutes left, Cornell began to play the foul game in the hopes

that it might pull back. The Big Green, which struggled with free-throw shooting the whole season, went 9-10 from the line in the last two minutes to seal the game. Melville left the hardwood with 0:12 remaining, putting a symbolic cap on the game.

Mitola said the team was motivated by its loss to Cornell earlier this season and the fact that it was its captain’s last contest in front of home fans.

“It’s our last home game, and Tyler’s been a big part of this program,” he said.

“He’s had a rough couple of years, and he’s been a great role model and leader for the entire team, so we really wanted to get this one for him.”

Melville’s entire family attended Saturday’s game, and his parents came onto the court with him before the opening tip as he received a bouquet of flowers and a framed picture of himself playing for Dartmouth.

He said that going out on a high note was “a great feeling.”

“We faced a little bit of adversity with the seven-game losing streak, but everybody was on the same page tonight,” he said. “We collectively played hard, and SEE M BASKETBALL PAGE SW 7

MARK WIDERSCHEIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Tyler Melville ’14 ended his Dartmouth home career with 10 points and five assists in a win over Cornell on senior day.

Women’s Basketball SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

PENN PRINCETON HARVARD CORNELL YALE BROWN COLUMBIA DARTMOUTH

9-2 9-2 9-3 6-6 6-6 3-9 3-9 2-10

19-6 18-7 19-7 14-12 12-14 9-17 6-10 5-21

Men’s Hockey SCHOOL

ECAC

OVERALL

UNION COLGATE QUINNIPIAC CORNELL CALRKSON YALE RPI ST. LAWRENCE BROWN DARTMOUTH HARVARD PRINCETON

18-3-1 13-6-3 12-6-4 11-7-4 11-9-2 10-8-4 8-9-5 7-11-4 8-13-1 7-13-2 6-12-4 4-18-0

24-6-4 17-12-5 22-8-6 15-8-5 18-14-4 15-9-5 14-14-6 13-17-4 11-15-3 8-17-4 10-15-4 5-24-0

Women’s Hockey SCHOOL

ECAC

OVERALL

CLARKSON HARVARD CORNELL QUINNIPIAC ST. LAWRENCE PRINCETON YALE DARTMOUTH COLGATE RPI BROWN UNION

16-2-4 16-3-3 15-4-3 11-4-7 12-7-3 10-9-3 6-9-7 8-13-1 7-15-0 6-14-2 3-16-3 4-18-0

25-4-5 21-4-4 20-5-4 20-5-9 13-17-3 14-11-4 8-14-7 9-18-1 10-22-2 10-20-3 4-20-5 9-24-1

SW 4

BIG GREEN SPORTS WEEKLY • MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

B y JORDAN EINHORN The Dartmouth Staff

KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

JOSH RENAUD/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

As the crowd erupted with cheers of “Go Abbey D” and “Let’s go Dartmouth,” Abbey D’Agostino ’14 took the baton from Meggie Donovan ’15. She soon opened up a 50-meter lead before passing off to Liz Markowitz ’16 in the finals of the women’s 4x800-meter relay at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships at Leverone Field House.

Markowitz and Megan Krumpoch ’14 held on to the lead and gave D’Agostino her first Ivy League title in a relay, to add to the 12 individual titles she has won in track and cross country. D’Agostino’s participation in the relay, along with individual victories in the mile and 5,000-meter run earned her the most outstanding performer of the meet award for the second straight year. Between indoor and outdoor track, D’Agostino has earned the accolade four times.

As College President Phil Hanlon presented the senior with her medal, she responded by thanking him and leaning over to grab the medal and put her hands on his shoulders. The two shared a laugh as Hanlon and the senior and tried to navigate the almost comically high podium.

D’Agostino was not the only strong performer this weekend. The women’s team earned 102 points, coming in second place. Harvard University won the meet with 122 points. The performance was the team’s best since 1996. In 2010, the last time Dartmouth hosted the meet, the team only earned 16 points for a seventh place finish. Last year at Harvard, the women’s team finished in fifth place.

The Big Green men’s team echoed its finish last year, coming in sixth place after earning a total of 53 points. Cornell University earned 145 points for first place.

Both the men’s and women’s team positioned themselves well after Saturday, a day mostly consisting of preliminary competitions. The major upset of the day came in the 3,000-meter run where Columbia’s Tait Rutherford won from the first and supposedly slower heat. Will Geoghegan ’14 and John Bleday ’14 took

to the track knowing they would need to run faster than Rutherford’s time of 8:17.03 to win, but the pair posted times of 8:24.97 and 8:25.82, good for fourth and fifth overall.

The Big Green women sat in first place after Saturday and qualified at least one person for finals in every event except the 60-meter hurdles. D’Agostino won her 11th individual Heps title in the 5,000-meter run over gutsy Princeton freshman Megan Curham.

In the tactical race, D’Agostino took to the track for the 5,000 about an hour after her mile prelim and stuck with the pack for around two miles of the race. D’Agostino, Curham and Columbia University’s Waverly Neer then broke away from the pack, and D’Agostino pulled away from both of them in the final laps for a four second victory. D’Agostino’s relatively slow time of 16:08 was a purposeful move to save energy for Sunday’s races.

On Saturday, Janae Dunchack ’14 made history, becoming the second Ivy League athlete to win four indoor pentathlon titles. Dunchack was in the lead the entire time, winning the hurdles to start and claiming second in the shot put and high jump. The pentathlon was not enough for Dunchack as she chose to also compete in the open long jump Saturday, and came in second to earn a total of 18 team points for Dartmouth.

“It feels pretty surreal,” Dunchack said. “I feel like I don’t understand the full magnitude of what just happened, but I’m really glad it did, and I’m really glad that I had so much support.”

Both Big Green teams put up impressive performances at Leverone on Sunday.

The men started with the mile final with a deafening crowd for the three Dartmouth runners. The field responded — the top four runners were under the meet record led by Steven Mangan ’14 whose time of 4:01.69 will stand as the new record and qualifies him for NCAA indoor nationals.

Geoghegan followed in fourth in 4:02.83, a time that would have won the meet any other year, and Tim Gorman ’16 claimed sixth place in 4:09.32.

“With us having three guys in, we talked about setting up to make it fast,

SW 5_

BIG GREEN SPORTS WEEKLY • MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

so we were sort of surprising people,” Mangan said. “[It] worked pretty much perfectly to plan. Will was pushing it hard late in the race, and I was fortunate enough to stick on him and have a good last 200.”

Dartmouth runners earned six points in the 60-meter hurdles with Danny Katz ’16 finishing in fourth followed by Alex Frye ’17 in fifth.

Curtis King ’16 gave a strong performance in the 5,000-meter run finishing in fifth place with a time of 14:24.95 and earning two more points.

The distance medley relay came together for a first place finish and 10 points for the team. Bleday started the team in a good position with his 1200-meter leg and passed the baton off to Phil Gomez ’17 in second place. Gomez held that position in his 400-meter leg before passing it off to Mangan. Mangan continued his successful day as he was able to move up in his 800-meter leg and pass off to Geoghegan in first. Geoghegan held the lead even as the anchors from Columbia and Penn were closing the gap.

“I got the baton with a lead, and I was basically trying not to blow it,” Geoghegan said. “The Columbia and Penn guys had to work a little harder to catch me, so I had a little more left at the end. I wanted to take the lead at 200, I had bad luck so far at Heps trying to pass people in the last straight away, so I wanted to take it with a lap to go.”

The 4x800-meter team of Luke Decker ’15, Kevin Stanko ’16, Lukas Zirngibl ’14 and Gorman performed better than expected and earn a third place finish and six points for the team.

The most disappointing relay was the men’s 4x400-meter relay which dropped the baton resulting in a DNF. Races Sunday crowned four Dartmouth women individual champions as well as one relay. The mile was a highlight on the women’s side as well.

D’Agostino took the pace out a little faster than she had the day before and her time of 4:40.28, the second fastest time in meet history behind her 2013 record, earned her a third consecutive mile title.

D’Agostino turned around to the sight

of teammate Markowitz finishing in second to earn the Big Green 18 points in the event. Markowitz fell to the track after finishing in 4:44.53.

“Liz literally ran it perfectly,” D’Agostino said. “Plan was to go out for this one and run more of an honest pace because I knew I didn’t want it to come down to a kick at the end. So I tried to reel it out a little bit and then stay smooth when I knew I had a comfortable lead.”

After finishing with All-American accolades in cross country, Dana Giordano ’16 proved that D’Agostino was not the only elite distance runner on the team, winning the 3,000-meter run in 9:21.77 over Princeton’s Curham by less than half a second.

In the 800-meter run, Krumpoch took to the track with a mission to not only win, but qualify for NCAA indoor nationals.

She did both — her time of 2:05.56 earned her the win over Harvard’s Erika Veidis, and her converted time of 2:04.13 stands as the eighth best collegiate time in the country this year.

The other athlete to win an individual title was Jennifer Meech ’16 who had a full day with the 200-meter, 400-meter and 4x400-meter relay. Meech contributed 13 points to the team score with her individual victory in the 200-meter dash race, sixth place finish in the 400-meter run and fifth place in the relay. After running 24.64 in the first section of the 200-meter dash finals, Meech had to wait and see if anyone would run faster in the second heat. The fastest time posted was a 24.72, giving Meech the win.

The crowd was deafening for the penultimate event of the day when Kumproch, D’Agostino, Markowitz and Donovan came together for the 4x800-meter relay. While D’Agostino usually runs the anchor leg, after Kumproch’s victory she took over as anchor, putting D’Agostino in second. As soon as D’Agostino gapped the field in the second leg, the Big Green did not lose the lead, earning 10 more points for the team.

“The relays are where it’s at,” D’Agostino said. “Megan just brought it home, so to win with flying colors is just so exciting and rewarding.”

MARK WIDERSCHEIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

ROBBIE NEUHAUS/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 6

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

Women’s hockey falls in first round of playoffs to Clarkson

B y jehanna axelrod The Dartmouth Staff

The women’s ice hockey team had its playoff season cut short after dropping the first round best-of-three series to No. 3 Clarkson University this past weekend. The Big Green (9-20-1, 8-13-1 ECAC) lost to the Golden Knights (27-4-5, 16-2-4 ECAC) 2-0 both Friday and Saturday afternoon. In each game, the offense failed to mobilize, managing only 31 shots on the weekend to 70 by the Golden Knights.

CLARKSON

2

DARTMOUTH 0

CLARKSON 2 DARTMOUTH 0 JIN LEE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The women’s hockey team bowed out of the playoffs after a weekend sweep by Clarkson.

Despite being matched up against top-seeded Clarkson, who head coach Mark Hudak called talented, strong and experienced, Dartmouth entered the game with confidence.

“We went in knowing that they were a really good team, but both times we’ve played them it’s been a really close game until the third period, until we had mental breaks,” Katy Ratty ’17 said. “We knew if we could play a full three periods, we could pull out a win.”

Clarkson scored early on Friday, notching the first point just 9:07

into the first period on a power play. In Dartmouth’s last game against the Golden Knights, a 6-1 loss at Thompson Arena, the visitors also scored early with the man advantage.

Lindsay Holdcroft ’14 kept the Big Green in the game, stopping 15 of 16 shots in the first period and all 12 in the second. She would end the afternoon with 38 saves in the losing effort.

“When you play a team like Clarkson, you need your goalie to

play really well, and Lindsay certainly did,” Hudak said. “Having that experience, knowing how to play in a big game like that, knowing what she needs to do, it was huge for us.”

Yet Dartmouth’s offense could not produce. The team managed only 15 total shots on goal and went 0-4 on the power play.

“We weren’t playing our best game, we weren’t getting shots to the net, we couldn’t get the puck out of our end,” Lindsey Allen ’16 said.

“Clarkson did a good job keeping us

in our end and keeping possession of the puck.”

Clarkson netted another puck just 46 seconds into the final period again with the man advantage, taking advantage of a Big Green mistake.

The Big Green could not bounce back from the two-goal deficit. It mustered only two shots on goal in the third period.

“They put a lot of pressure on us in their zone and made it really hard to carry the puck,” Ratty said. “We tried to stay poised with the puck, but

they were just on us all the time.”

In the second game, Clarkson controlled the first period of play, firing 13 shots on goal to Dartmouth’s one.

Again, it was Holdcroft’s stellar play that kept Clarkson from running away with the game. The goaltender turned away 12 of the 13 shots and she did not allow a goal until 18:58 had passed in the first.

Dartmouth picked up its game in the second period. The Big Green had numerous chances in the offensive end, but it could not convert any of its 13 shots on goal. Clarkson, however, did. With 8:53 left in the period, the Golden Knights snuck one into the net and brought the score to 2-0.

“We were trying to change up a couple things to create some offense for us,” Hudak said. “Clarkson responded pretty well to what we were doing, and I think having that talent, that experience up there, they’re going to be able to react pretty well.”

After a scoreless final period, Clarkson won both the game and the best-of-three tournament, knocking Dartmouth out of the playoffs.

“We definitely believed in ourselves, and we said we could go all the way if we just played our game and a few pucks went our way,” Ratty said. “This was the last game for the seniors, and we were really sad to see it end and sad that we couldn’t reach our goals.”

Women’s basketball goes 1-1 on New York road trip over weekend

B y GAYNE KALUSTIAN The Dartmouth Staff

The women’s basketball team recorded its second Ivy League win of the season against Columbia University and fell to Cornell University in this weekend’s matchups.

The team (5-21, 2-10 Ivy) bested seventh place Columbia (6-20, 3-9 Ivy) 82-75 on Friday night before

COLUMBIA

75

DARTMOUTH

82

CORNELL 63 DARTMOUTH 50

losing to fourth place Cornell (1412, 6-6 Ivy) 63-50.

The Big Green opened the weekend with a victory at Columbia University, putting up some of the highest percentages the team has seen all season. The Big Green women shot 60 percent from outside the arc, crushing the Lions’ weak 16.7 percent.

Overall, the team shot 61.2 percent, 5.4 percent better than Columbia. Nicola Zimmer ’14 was on fire, draining two-thirds of her shots and all of her attempted threes and free throws for 23 points.

“She’s really a reliable point guard,” center Daisy Jordan ’16 said. “She kind of rallies when we’re down and need a quick two or a momentum play.”

The team turned it on right as the game started, putting up 10 to the Lions’ three in the first four minutes. Typically a strong starter, Dartmouth held a lead through the entirety of the first half, which Zimmer said is a testament to the team’s growing defensive strength.

The Big Green allowed Columbia to come only as close as three when a foul by Kamala Thompson ’15 allowed the Lions to capitalize on one of its two free throws, bringing the score to 20-17 with 8:47 left in the half.

Jordan went nine for 11 in the game, contributing two of the team’s 22 rebounds. Columbia, though safely behind the Big Green for the entire game, posted 30 re-

ANNIE KUNSTLER/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The women’s basketball team picked up its second Ivy win of the year on Friday.

bounds.

“I think we’re really starting to click,” Jordan said. “I know it’s late in the season, but I think if we keep this up, ending strong will translate into a great start next season.”

The team lost its momentum the next night in Ithaca, N.Y., falling to the Big Red by 13 on Saturday evening.

“We knew Cornell was going to come out and play hard,” coach

Addie Micir said. “They came out storming and playing for each other and their seniors.”

Cornell senior Allyson DiMagno sunk 9-12 for 20 points, well above the team’s 48.1 percent shooting.

The Big Green struggled to score, shooting only 42.2 percent as a team.

Good defense, Zimmer said, cannot entirely pull out a win when the team cannot convert on its chances.

“I think both teams came out with some pretty solid defense,” she said. “I think our offense had some trouble clicking. We just didn’t execute like we normally do. No matter how good your defense is, if you’re not scoring, then you can’t win.”

Lakin Roland ’16 posted the best numbers for Dartmouth, sinking all of her free throws and five of seven shots for 14 points. Her 11 rebounds contributed to the Big Green’s defense, but could not stop Cornell’s runs, which kept the Big Green from striking distance for much of the game.

“I think we had a tough game tonight,” Jordan said. “But after winning against Penn and Columbia, I think we know what it feels like to win and work hard and play at the highest level we can. We know what we need to bring every day to practice during this one week we have to prepare for our next games.”

Dartmouth will wrap up its season next weekend by playing Brown University and Yale University at home in night games.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

SW 7

Team faces RPI in the playoffs on road Zupan’14 is only swimmer to qualify for NCAAs FROM M HOCKEY PAGE SW 2

playoff series next weekend.

“I treated this weekend like the playoffs,” Grant said. “If we won both games, we had a chance at winning home ice. I was just trying to perform playoff hockey and forget everything else I had coming up this week in school. I just focused on saving every puck and trying to get the win.”

Ultimately, the difference was Sikura, who scored the game’s only goal 1:54 into the second, netting a rebound from the slot. The goal proved to be Sikura’s second gamewinner in three games, becoming the only Dartmouth player with more than one game-winning goal on the season.

“Against Cornell, you’re not going to get very many chances to score,” he said. “My line-mates did a great job of setting up the play, allowing me to push the puck past the goalie.”

After Sikura’s goal, Cornell’s offense kicked into action, taking 30 shots in the final two periods. Grant made impressive saves all game, deflecting wraparounds, putback attempts and close-range shots.

Grant even stopped to a Cornell breakaway opportunity with an impressive save late in the second.

Neither team scored on the power play, as Dartmouth went 0-of-4 and Cornell finished 0-of-3.

Cornell has gone 8-1-1 against the Ivy League this season, with the only loss and tie coming against Dartmouth. Historically, Cornell has held the upper hand, going

KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The men head on the road to open the postseason against RPI on Friday.

7-0-3 in the last 10 meetings dating back to 2010. Friday’s game was Dartmouth’s first win at Cornell since 2008.

With the eighth seed on the line Saturday night, Dartmouth needed a win, a loss by Brown and a St. Lawrence University loss or tie to capture a home playoff series.

Unfortunately, though Brown lost in the afternoon, St. Lawrence routed Princeton University 5-0, which meant Dartmouth would be traveling regardless of Saturday’s result.

Although Colgate had the superior record and looked stronger on paper, Dartmouth matched up well against Colgate all night. Neither team scored through the first 41 minutes.

Colgate struck in the third period with a shot from sophomore Tylor Spink before junior Joe Wilson net-

ted the puck with over six minutes remaining to increase Dartmouth’s deficit to two.

Eric Neiley ’15 responded to Wilson’s goal with one of his own just 20 seconds later, cutting the deficit in half with 6:05 remaining.

Dartmouth’s offense mounted a frantic comeback bid as time ticked down but could not score the equalizer against Raider’s senior Eric Mihalik.

Dartmouth’s loss snapped a fivegame unbeaten streak, ultimately done in by a power play that went scoreless on six opportunities and Mihalik’s 34 saves. By comparison, Grant stopped 26 shots, and Colgate failed to capitalize on five power plays.

The team will head to RPI next weekend for a best-of-three series against the Engineers in the first round of the ECAC tournament.

Basketball ends season on road FROM M BASKETBALL PAGE SW 3

we were fortunate enough to get the big win.”

The Big Green dropped the first game of its weekend Friday night against Columbia University (1811. 7-5 Ivy), 84-72. Melville led the team with 19 points, and Connor Boehm ’16 contributed 17. Mitola and Brandon McDonnell ’16 both finished with 10 points.

The blue and white opponents brought overwhelming firepower from beyond the arc to blow the game open in the second half.

The Big Green shot 49 percent from the field and 8-of-14 from the three, while Columbia sunk 58.1 percent of its attempts and nailed 13 three-pointers. Junior Alex Rosenberg was a terror on the offensive end for the Lions, scoring 22 in the second half and making a whopping 17 free throws overall.

The first half of the contest re-

the NCAA Zone diving competition where he said he will attempt to place in the top eight. For Zupan, off the NCAA A cut time.

Zupan and co-captain Andrew the swim season will drag out one North ’14 cited the historically more month before he travels to slow Blodgett Pool as a possible Austin, Tx., to compete in the contributing factor to the team’s NCAA Division I Championships. satisfactory, but not spectacular, Hitting the proper taper for the meet, Zupan said, will be a chaltimes.

“You saw fewer NCAA quali- lenge he faces in the coming weeks. fying times at this meet than you But the season has concluded would’ve expected to see,” North for the rest of the team. For seniors like North who touched said. the wall for Despite the the last time in p o o l , s eve r a l Cambridge on D a r t m o u t h “I saw so many alumni in Saturday, that swimmers, in- the stands who travelled means ending cluding North, to support swimmers a piece of their were able to they never even went lives that infinish the meet to school with, and I cluded years of on a high note realized that completing training, hard after a chal- my intercollegiate w o rk , d i s a p l e n g i n g f i r s t competitive career is not ointment f e w s e s s i o n s. the same as being ‘done,’ pand triumph.

North, who That chapter, said breaking because the bonds forged North said, can 45 seconds in between past, present never really be the 100-yard and future members of closed. f re e s t y l e h a s the team last a lifetime.”

“Golong been a ing into the personal goal, meet, I think broke his own - andrew north ’14 that if I knew personal record in the event, posting a 44.93 I would have had the meet that I had I would’ve handled it poorly,” in the preliminary heat.

Verhagen, who did not meet he said. “But I saw something at his pre-meet personal goals, man- Ivies I didn’t necessarily expect. aged to pull out second in the I saw so many alumni in the 100-yard backstroke with a 47.20 stands who travelled to support before taking third in the 200-yard swimmers they never even went backstroke with a 1:44.52. Though to school with, and I realized that he can travel to a last-chance meet completing my intercollegiate to try and qualify for NCAAs, competitive career is not the same Verhagen said as of press time that as being ‘done,’ because the bonds he was unsure whether to pursue forged between past, present and future members of the team last that route.

Gillis will leave during finals for a lifetime.”

FROM SWIMMING PAGE SW 2

Women’s and Gender Studies Spring 2014

Interdisciplinary Studies for the Critical Understanding of Gender

WGST 07.1 Asian American Women’s Literature Professor Chin 10A Hour • Dist: LIT; WCult: CI

WGST 07.2 He, She, and It: Reconstructing Gender in Science Fiction Professor Moody

ALLISON CHOU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The men head to Yale and Brown to close out their season.

mained fairly close. While Melville led all scorers with 13 points and Columbia took a 33-30 lead into halftime. The Lions pounced in the second period, though, extending its lead to 11 at the 9:53 mark and never allowing the Big Green to

claw back within single digits.

Dartmouth will play its last two games of the season next weekend.

On Friday night the squad will head to Brown University, and on Saturday it will trek to Yale University to round out the campaign.

10 Hour • DIST: LIT

WGST 51.8 The Femme Fatale in Literature, Film, and Myth Professor Carranza 2 Hour • DIST: Art; WCult: W

There’s more. For complete course listings: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wstudies/courses/

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 8

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

BY THE HEPS NUMBERS

13

4:01.69

Mile time by Steve Number of Ivy Mangan ’14, an titles won by Abbey indoor Heps record.

D’Agostino in her career. She won three this weekend.

18

47

The second place finish by the Big Green women was their best in 18 years.

Points scored by the men on the second day of competition.

They had 53 total.

4

2008

Number of consecutive indoor pentathlon titles by Janae Dunchack ’14.

The last time the men took home the DMR title. They won this year in 9:47.34.

102

6-9.75

Points by the women’s team. Last time Dartmouth hosted Heps, the team scored 16.

Height cleared by Jeremy Birck ’15 in the high jump, good enough for third.

24.66

7:35.63

400-meter time for Jennifer Meech ’16, earning first.

Time for the men’s 4 x 800-meter relay, placing third.

B y Austin major and freddie fletcher The Dartmouth Staff

We’ve reached the end of the term, and we all know what that means: championship season.

For all of us athletes (yes, the Rec League Legends qualify, even if we don’t get a PE credit), now is the time when winter season really matters. Put all of that other stuff behind you. Focus on winning the championship — at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Right, Lebron?

With the slew of championships, from swimming to skiing to Heps, it seemed like the Legends should get in on the action. Sure, intramural leagues have playoffs and finals, but Austin and I have been there, done that. In our quest to reach the pinnacle, we searched for one last great challenge before we graduate (too real, huh?). We thought long and hard (or at least long and hard for us), and it finally came to us.

A few weeks ago Austin talked about working smarter, not harder, when he played the men’s soccer team in a friendly game of pond hockey. This week we applied the same mentality. We would challenge the men’s swim team’s record in the 50-yard freestyle. Why this event you ask? Well, I mentioned the whole bit about working smarter, right? The 50-free just happens to also be a graduation requirement, known to some as the

swim test. It just so happened that this was one of the only graduation requirements left for the Legends.

Besides a few classes.

I headed over to Alumni Gym. A quick pre-swim Internet search showed that Will Derdeyn ’13 holds the Dartmouth record at 20.21 seconds. That sounded fast. The last time I swam competitively, I was 12 and I swam a 25-yard freestyle in about 14 seconds.

“I gave the lifeguard my information, told him I was there to take the swim test and instantly became defensive when he asked if I knew how to swim. Even though the team was in Boston at the Ivy Championships, I felt they were playing mind games with me from afar. My confidence was shattered.”

I was ready to take the test. I gave the lifeguard my information, told him I was there to take the swim test and instantly became defensive when he asked if I knew how to swim. Even though the team was in Boston at the Ivy Championships, I felt they were playing mind games with me from afar. My confidence was shattered.

I went ahead with it. The guard showed me to my lane. After in-

sisting he didn’t need to get in the pool with me, I put my goggles on.

They broke. Strike number one. I checked the clock, jumped in, and was off. Instant eye stinging ensued (contacts and chlorine don’t mix), and I tried to stay as straight as possible. Having long forgotten the art of the flipturn, I pushed off the opposite wall and came back as fast as I could. Checking the clock when I hit the wall, I saw that I had swum for 30.7 seconds, a solid 10 seconds slower than Dartmouth’s record.

In addition to my less-thanstellar time, I lost both contacts in the pool and could barely see a thing (maybe my time really wasn’t that bad). All in all, not a great outing for me.

Needless to say, I gained some respect for my 12-year-old self and a ton of respect for Dartmouth’s swimming and diving teams.

Though the pool claimed my dignity and my contacts, I walked away with my head held high, knowing I was one step closer to my diploma.

On second thought, that’s kind of a bummer. Maybe I can just forget to turn in the card certifying that I passed the swim test, which would let me come back for at least another term, right? (Mom and Dad, I wouldn’t do that to you).

With that, Austin and I now turn to spring break, where we will embark on our training trips and come back ready to take on a new term!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: “THANKS PHIL!”

MARK WIDERSCHEIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

College President Phil Hanlon made a guest appearance at Heps to present Abbey D’Agostino ’14 with her mile crown.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

PAGE 5

With display, student group raises awareness of education reform FROM EDUCATION PAGE 1

Students for Education Reform is a national organization with over 140 chapters at undergraduate institutions that aims to empower students to address educational inequality and reform K-12 education.

D a r t m o u t h ’s g ro u p h o l d s weekly meetings, open discussions on topics like socioeconomic integration and charter schools and hosted a Google hangout with Amy Vreeland, founder and CEO of TrueSchool Studio, a nonprofit that works to boost innovation among educators.

Millen Abselab ’13 started Dartmouth’s chapter in fall 2011. The club was inactive last fall following Abselab’s graduation, chapter coleader Maggie Finn ’16 said. The transition to a second group of leaders was difficult, but Finn said she believes it is important to have the organization on campus.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who feel like ‘We’re in college. We just got out of the K-12 system, so why is that important?’” Finn said.

“But they are the future leaders of the country, and they have a valuable perspective to share now because they just went through that system.”

Finn said that this term the chapter focused on raising awareness, while several of its peer chapters across the country have focused on reform itself.

The display in Berry, she said, provides an opportunity for students to reflect on both their

individual privileges and the disadvantages of their K-12 education.

“People talk about privilege and class,” Finn said. “So much of your K-12 education is based on your social class, what town you lived in, your zip code. I think that informs a lot of who we are here and how we interact with each other on this campus.”

Brendan Caldwell ’17 said he joined the group this term after being exposed to issues surrounding education in his writing seminar.

The chapter’s operations manager Allison Carswell ’17, who is

considering becoming a teacher, said she became interested in education and reform efforts because of her work as a summer camp counselor and tutor.

“I think it’s a problem that’s always present, even if some of us don’t see it,” Carswell said.

Finn said she has been determined to teach ever since taking an education course and interning at Students First, a national nonprofit and lobbying organization.

“I realized the best way to make change was to get in a classroom,” Finn said.

Finn said she hopes the display will spur discussion by presenting shocking facts and including interactive elements. The display includes a poll that asks students to guess how many years black, Latino and poor students of all races are behind their wealthy, predominantly white peers in reading and math by the end of high school. The answer will be revealed on March 7.

B i a n c a Ja c k s o n ’ 1 5 , wh o stopped in front of the display on Sunday, said she thinks the display comes at a relevant time,

ALLISON CHOU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Posters around Baker-Berry Library teach students about a need for education reform, organizers say.

as the recently-released “Freedom Budget” brought many of these issues to the forefront of campus discussion.

Michelle Egeolu ’15 also paused after being intrigued by the question, and said it is good to acknowledge injustice and give students a space to share their experiences.

Finn said she placed the display in the library after seeing various exhibits there over the last year.

Some commenters wrote that they do not feel the display is accurate or effective.

“This poorly researched and utterly useless display exists at a so-called elite academic institution,” one comment read.

One of the display’s posters originally stated that 40 percent of high schools students in America drop out, but later corrected the poster to clarify that the 40 percent statistic only describes the approximately 1,500 schools labeled “dropout factories.”

Finn said she fully supports the display, noting that the facts are accurate and the information is from credible sources, including the Civil Rights Project 2012 report, director of “Waiting for Superman” (2010) Davis Guggenheim’s public comments and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2013 report.

“These facts have a shock factor,” Finn said. “We wanted people to stop and think and ask new questions and to open up a dialogue.”

After failed Kickstarter campaign, drive-in owners rethink strategy FROM FAIRLEE PAGE 1

students.

Morgan Curtis ’14 said she remembers the Fairlee Drive-In as a highlight of summer 2012.

“We brought blankets and chairs and stayed for the full double feature,” she said. “It felt like a wonderful slice of a bygone era, a piece of Americana, with the flickering lights and old-time advertisements.”

The Fairlee Motel and Drive-In Theater lies along Route 5 in Fairlee, Vt. The drive-in has been operating continuously since 1980 and was bought by Trapp and his family in 2003.

Business is highly correlated with the country’s economic situation, Trapp said. Clientele peaked in 2007, but soon collapsed during the recession. The Trapp family has since faced increasing problems as revenues have diminished.

Trapp said the biggest challenge they have faced is that the type of

film their projector can process, the traditional 35mm film in use since the 1950s, is no longer being used by movie distributors. The Trapps invested in renewing the projector when they first bought the theater, but 35mm film was still the standard at the time.

The media industry now has adopted digital projection. This requires a new projector that can stream films and means that the previous projector has lost its value, so it cannot be sold and used to help fund the new equipment, Trapp said.

“The projector we have now could last another 20 years,” Trapp said.

“The problem is today’s technology has made it obsolete.”

Garrett Simpson ’11 grew up near a drive-in movie theater and recalls the nights he spent there as some of his favorite childhood memories. The digitalization of projectors not only affects the Fairlee Drive-In, but hundreds nationwide, he said. The large investment required for purchasing a

new projector can be debilitating, he added.

“I’d hate to see such an opportunity leave Dartmouth students,” Simpson said.

Due to the Fairlee Drive-In’s rural location, the theater struggles to attract a large number of customers, Trapp said. The drive-in’s audience is comprised of local residents and people passing through the area.

Audience demographics change seasonally, as children come more frequently during summer vacation, and depending on the type of movie being shown.

As digital projectors have standardized, the Trapps have spent the past two years raising money for a new projector. Their initiatives raised around $22,000, Trapp said.

For its latest campaign, the drive-in used Kickstarter, an online crowdfunding platform where people seeking investments propose their projects to an open audience. If projects meet their monetary goals in the allotted

time, donors receive gifts from the organizers.

Cooper Trapp, Peter Trapp’s son, launched the Kickstarter campaign to raise the needed money. The campaign ended on Mar. 2, collecting $27,595 of the $55,108 goal, with funds from 370 donors.

Over 100 people pledged $25 to $50, and would have received a T-shirt and 8 inches of film if the campaign had reached its goal. One donor pledged between $5,000 and $10,000 and would have received a private showing in the theater’s 400car field.

Because they did not raise the full amount, the Trapps cannot collect the pledged funds. The campaign picked up over the last week, Trapp said, jumping from around $12,000 mid-week to $22,000 on Saturday.

Trapp said he was hopeful about these results and will consider trying again.

Rosalind Lee, a Hanover resident for over 20 years, said she feels the Kickstarter campaign was not given

sufficient publicity. She discovered it on her own just last week, then began to publicize it to the Upper Valley by sending emails to town-based and regional email Listservs.

“Through community awareness, the campaign could have pulled through,” she said.

Lee said she hopes to see a new campaign with greater community support, as nights at the drive-in have been very memorable experiences for many.

“It’s such a fun thing to do with your family, and something that not everybody gets to experience anymore,” she said.

Trapp said he is determined to keep the drive-in open for at least the coming season, though the inability to buy a new projector will affect the drive-in’s operations for the next year, reducing movie selection particularly for new releases.

“As of right now, we can still find 35mm film, but we don’t know how long that will last,” he said.

PAGE 6

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

DARTMOUTH EVENTS TODAY 12:30 p.m.

“Biochar for C Sequestration: A Sustainability Solution as Business and Practice,” with Michael Low and Rich Sullivan, Paganucci Lounge

4:15 p.m.

Computer science colloquium, “Clean Data and Unlimited Resources: A Probabilistic Way to a Fantasy World,” with Dr. Barna Saha of AT&T Research, Steele 006

7:00 p.m.

Concert with pianist-in-residence Sally Pinkas, Spaulding Auditorium

TOMORROW 2:00 p.m.

ENGS 18 symposium, “System Dynamics in Policy Design and Analysis,” Hinman Forum

4:30 p.m.

“Leaks, Secrecy and the Surveillance State,” with Scott Shane, Haldeman 041

7:00 p.m.

Concert with The Spring Quartet, Spaulding Auditorium

ADVERTISING For advertising information, please call (603) 646-2600 or email info@thedartmouth. com. The advertising deadline is noon, two days before publication. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Opinions expressed in advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of The Dartmouth, Inc. or its officers, employees and agents.

The Dartmouth, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire. USPS 148-540 ISSN 01999931

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

PAGE 7

Tricia Paik ’91 curates modern art ‘12 Years a Slave’ nabs top prize at Academy Awards B y caela murphy The Dartmouth Staff

FROM OSCARS PAGE 8

This summer, Tricia Paik ’91 will take over as Indianapolis Museum of Art’s contemporary art curator . Paik, who is currently the associate curator of modern and contemporary art at the St. Louis Art Museum, has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library and Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.

Can you describe your involvement in the arts at Dartmouth?

Tricia Paik: It was a really rich and incredible experience, not just in the visual arts, but I also did some theater as well, like set design, stage tech and technical production. I was also one of the founding members of the Rockapellas, and I went on the art history FSP in Florence, which was a really special experience. So Dartmouth was really important in forming these interests, not just in the visual arts, but in a crossed-over, interdisciplinary approach.

Courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Had you always been interested in art and curating?

TP: My parents love art, so I started going to museums when I was quite young, still in a stroller. In high school I took an art history class, naturally, which started me in my interest in continuing education in art history.

The one thing I have to say is that I actually applied for the two internships that they offered for seniors at the Hood Museum, and I was so crestfallen because I did not get accepted my senior year. I thought my career in the arts was over. Thankfully, that’s not the case — I’m still in the business and moving to a new position in creative contemporary art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, so it definitely did not deter me. My takeaway lesson to all the students who are reading this is not to give up. It’s cliché, but it’s true.

You have to keep trying and work hard until you can finally get what you want and not be deterred if the path takes one direction. Sometimes that direction leads you to better opportunities in the future.

What kind of work will you be doing in your new position in Indianapolis?

TP: I’ll oversee the collection of art that they have from about 1945 to the present, predominantly paintings, sculptures and video. They also have an extraordinary outdoor sculpture park [The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres]. The former curators there had commissioned a number of important clients to create site-specific work for the park, so I have to now work on developing future commissions there and decide how to take 100 Acres into the next chapter of its history. I’ll also curate shows there of contemporary artists. There’s a big

Tricia Paik ’91 recently accepted a position at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

audience for contemporary art, so it’s going to be a really great opportunity to work there.

What have you been working on in your current position at the Saint Louis Art Museum?

TP: We just opened a new building called the East Building, designed by world-renowned architect Sir David Chipperfield. That was just unveiled last summer, so I got the opportunity to rethink the collection and reinstall our collection in gallery spaces that span about 12,000 square feet. That was a big project. I also worked on a major commission with another world-renowned artist named Andy Goldsworthy. It’s a work called “Stone Sea,” and that debuted last year as well.

What attracts you to working with contemporary styles?

TP: I love to see how artists can challenge the way art has been made before. What great contemporary artists are able to do is find a new technique or form or style or concept and make something new out of that.

I also love to see how contemporary art fits into a continuum of art history and how it connects with other cultures and other time periods.

You’ve worked as a museum research assistant, instructor and lecturer. How does your experience in these roles inform your curatorial work?

TP: When I lived in New York, I was a gallery talk lecturer at MoMA and at the MET and also the Morgan Library, and those were really exciting opportunities to look at art not just for myself, but for the public. You would

have to be able to bring together factual knowledge about artists and movements in art history with interpretation of works of art and make it accessible to the audiences. I still do that now. It’s always part of a curator’s job to give public talks and share art with the public. It’s very important that curators share the art with the public. We don’t work in a vacuum.

There was an earlier conception in the olden days that the curator was just in his or her office getting the books and curating shows, and that’s about it. But now the curator is really an active participant in the art world, being an advocate and an ambassador for art in their museums when they travel. Especially when you work for a Midwestern museum, and there’s still so much attention on either coast, you really have to be an ambassador for your museums.

What have been some of your favorite exhibits to curate?

TP: In late June of last year, we unveiled our new contemporary galleries, and I had the extraordinary opportunity to study the contemporary collection from 1945 onward and rethink the groupings and the galleries. We have great strength in postwar American art, so I was able to tell the story, from abstract expressionism onward, of how American art emerged in New York in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Another installation I got to do was an exhibition called “Postwar German Art.” It was a really great contrast. Those artists are responding to World War II but in very different ways and in different time periods.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

“12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” for their amazing contributions to cinema. picture winners. Unlike every other The rest of the categories confirm category where the winner takes all, that 2013 was a banner year. While The Academy asks its voters to rank my heart wanted Chiwetel Ejiofor the best picture nominees. When the and Michael Fassbender, the men of votes are in, all the number one votes “12 Years a Slave,” to win best actor are tabulated and the ballots support- and best supporting actor, I can’t fault ing the film with the least amount of the Academy’s choices of Matthew votes are discarded. Next, the number McConaughey and Jared Leto from two votes on the remaining ballots are “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013). Though counted the same way, and the process Leto’s commendable performance as a continues until a movie receives the transgender prostitute with AIDS hints at Oscar-baiting, any of the nominees, majority of votes.

Make no mistake, “Gravity” would save for Christian Bale, would have have been an excellent choice. It re- made great choices. minds us why we tell stories through On the women’s side, Cate Blanchett film, as no words could have commu- picked up an inevitable Oscar for her nicated the drama and awe-inspiring role in “Blue Jasmine” (2013), a porlargeness of outer space in the same trayal of Blanche DuBois worthy of way as “Gravity.” Though Steve Mc- comparison to its predecessor, while Queen masterfully helmed “12 Years Lupita Nyong’o beat out Hollywood a Slave,” there was never any doubt golden girl Jennifer Lawrence to pick Cuarón would win best director, as he up the best supporting actress award and cinematographer Emmanuel Lu- for her role in “12 Years a Slave.” If we lived in a perfect bezki, who won the world, June Squibb best cinematography would have walked Oscar, created and “In another year, away with the trophy executed their vision ‘Gravity’ may have for her scene-stealing from scratch. been the clear part in “Nebraska” Choosing “12 (2013), but Nyong’o Years a Slave” for frontruner, but ‘12 is a worthy choice, best picture, the Years a Slave’ is a especially compared Academy picked to Lawrence’s perthe more important historical epic.” formance in “David film — a choice that O. Russell’s Happyreflects good politics.

In another year, “Gravity” may have Time Improv Hour.” I mean, “Ameribeen the clear frontrunner, but “12 can Hustle.”

Years a Slave” is a historical epic. It is Spike Jonze’s best original screenplay intense and profound in all the right win for “Her” (2013) demonstrates ways without being condescending that quality film is alive and well in Los about a subject that is so easy to mess Angeles, while the complete shutout of up. This is exactly the kind of film to “American Hustle” may be the best sign start conversations that need to happen. that the Academy has finally acquired Regardless of who walked away some taste. Let’s hope 2014 is just as with the trophies, we will remember good.

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

PAGE 8

ARTS

‘Gravity’ walks away with 7 Oscars, not best picture B y varun bhuchar The Dartmouth Staff

One of the closest Oscar races in history concluded last night with “Gravity” (2013) as the overall winner with seven total awards, including best director and best visual effects. “12 Years a Slave” (2013) garnered three prizes and nabbed the most coveted best picture award.

The Academy’s choices bucked a trend of good but forgettable films taking home its top prizes. Perhaps most demonstrative of this fact, “American Hustle” (2013) was completely shut out of the awards.

What makes a film best picture material? Personally, I think the award should have lasting cultural value, the kind of movie we’ll talk about years from now regardless of how many awards it received. The Oscars are important for the same reason that money has value — people put stock into it. In the short term, an Oscar win gives a giant boost to a recipient’s reputation. For the best picture winner, the award guarantees a spot in the annals of history.

Recently, however, the Academy has chosen to fill the annals with mediocre films — “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952), “Shakespeare in Love” (1998)

and “Crash” (2004). The last three years have been especially disappointing, including “The King’s Speech” (2010), “The Artist” (2011) and “Argo” (2012), films that disappeared from public conversation shortly after their wins.

None of these films sparked ongoing debate about heated social and political topics or the art of filmmaking. Rather, they are beneficiaries of Hollywood hype machines and prey on Oscar tropes for “quality” films: the British drama, nostalgia and good oldfashioned American values (whatever those may be?).

This year, thankfully, was different.

A few months ago, when the Producers Guild of America distributed its awards, two films — “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” — tied for the top prize for the first time in the organization’s history. At the British Academy Film Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, “12 Years a Slave” walked away with both best picture prizes, and “Gravity” director Alfonso Cuarón won both best director awards. At the Oscars, the films split along these same lines again.

The awards aren’t usually so predictable. The reason for this can be traced back to the Byzantine voting process that the Academy uses to select best SEE OSCARS PAGE 7

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE...

JOSH RENAUD/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Students watched the Oscar results in Sarner Underground on Sunday night.

MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Matthew Mirliani ’16 B y Hallie huffaker Matthew Mirliani ’16 began writing music in middle school but kept his talent a secret until his junior year of high school, when he released his first album on iTunes to the surprise of family and friends. He has continued to write music, record and sing since, mostly working on his own using digital music creation software.

“It was my way of breaking my shell,” Mirliani said. “And even though my songwriting has definitely improved since then, I’m glad I did it.”

In his time at Dartmouth, Mirliani has released a second album as well as singles, both of which received positive online reviews from critics on indie music websites. In early February he released a two-song EP on SoundCloud, “The February EP,” which has been played on Gas House Radio, an Internet radio station in Philidelphia, and received two online reviews from indie music critics.

He is currently ranked eighth on ReverbNation’s list of Top 10 alternative, new wave and dark wave artists in the Washington, D.C. area, a ranking based on how many people view and rate artists’ pages.

“It’s just for the website, but it was very cool to see my name alongside these other artists who are very talented and doing well in D.C.,” he said.

Although he does not play an instrument, Mirliani is the son and grandson of band teachers and was always surrounded by music growing up, he said.

Mirliani’s early songs were inspired by an interest in jazz, while his current style is new wave and alternative, he said.

He counts Lana del Rey and Lorde among his favorite working artists, though he has always been interested in pop culture, he said. The first album he remembers listening to is “The Nightfly,” a 1982 album by Donald Fagen.

Since he works alone to write and compose his music, some of Mirliani’s peers did not know that he was passionate about making music until weeks after they had become friends. Natalie Cantave ’16, a friend of Mirliani’s and a fan of his music, said this also reflects how humble Mirliani is about his talent.

“His music is a very different genre than what I normally listen to,” she said.

“I think that it branches people out.”

Mirliani said he enjoys how music offers a way to reflect on past experiences. Mirliani grew up in what he

TRACY WANG/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Matthew Mirliani ’16 released his first album in high school.

described as a “typical, middle-class, American suburb” in the Washington, D.C. area, and his songs aim to capture the various complexity, joy and sadness of suburban life, he said. Nostalgia plays an important role in many of his songs.

“There’s a beauty to harkening back to high school, to the various staples of suburban life, but revealing the dark, more complex, emotion elements to these more idealistic American elements,” he said.

He wrote his first original song in seventh grade and used Finale, a music-writing program, to record his vocals over a dance CD. He does not have a standard way that he writes his songs — sometimes they come together very quickly, while other times Mirliani will put aside the instrumentals or lyrics for several months until he can find a fit that he likes.

Mirliani’s friend Lizzy Southwell ’15, who met him this fall, described Mirliani as having “a mysterious side to him.” His music, like his personality, takes time to understand and fully appreciate, she said.

Southwell said she was shocked the first time she watched a video of Mirliani performing.

“It was so cool to see this new, important side of him,” she said. “In person, I had experienced his highly sensitive and vulnerable side, and his music has that personal element, but it seems more packaged up and neat.”

Coming to Dartmouth inspired Mirliani to perform more live shows, he said. He began singing at One Wheelock’s open mic nights, which he said gave him the confidence to perform at venues near his home.

Mirliani’s next goal is to grow his fan base. He said he would like to film a music video or connect with a producer, but expects to take a breather at the moment.

“I want to be inspired by life,” Mirliani said. “If I am just writing, then I am not fully engaging with the world and I have nothing to say.”

Cantave is a member of The Dartmouth staff.

the final word with Matthew Mirliani ’16

My favorite childhood television show was: “Arthur.”

If I could meet one celebrity, I would choose: Katy Perry.