VOL. CLXXIV NO.145
PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 46 LOW 24
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Solar panels installed on Berry Sports Center roof
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
David Kotz ’86 appointed as interim provost By THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
OPINION
LI SHEN: FIRST AND FOREMOST PAGE 4
MAGANN: SAYFULLO SAIPOV IS NOT AN ANIMAL
COURTESY OF DAN WEEKS
Solar panels were installed on the Berry Sports Center roof, now the third building on campus with panels.
By HARRISON ARONOFF The Dartmouth
Re Vi s i o n E n e r g y, a renewable energy contract fir m, installed 450 solar panels on the roof of Berry Sports Center last week, according to Dan Weeks, ReVision’s director of market
development. Dartmouth director of sustainability Rosi Kerr ’98 expressed enthusiasm for the sustainable nature of the project. “We all rely heavily on energy,” Kerr said. “Our life without energy wouldn’t b e ve r y g o o d . I m a g i n e
Dartmouth without being heated and warm and dry and lit, and you don’t have the ability to charge your phone or your computer. The question is how can we continue to generate and have access to energy in order to SEE SOLAR PAGE 5
In a campus-wide email sent Monday morning, College President Phil Hanlon announced that computer science professor and former associate dean of faculty for the sciences David Kotz ’86 will serve as interim provost after Provost Carolyn Dever steps down from the position at the end of fall term. After three and a half years as provost, Dever will step down on Nov. 22 and serve as a faculty member in the English department. “[Kotz’s] research leadership and his six years as associate dean of the faculty for the sciences make him the ideal choice for the interim post,” Hanlon wrote. Kotz’s research interests include wireless networks, wireless security and privacy issues in pervasive computing. Hanlon also announced that anthropology professor Deborah Nichols will lead a search committee for the permanent provost position in conjunction with a search firm that has yet to be chosen. The 11-member search committee will begin work this week and submit recommendations in the spring.
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GROUP SPOTLIGHT: THE RUDE MECHANICALS PAGE 8
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Lyme votes to cut Outdoor programs director Holt’s Ledge bolts Dan Nelson ’75 to retire By RACHEL PAKIANATHAN The Dartmouth
On Oct. 24, residents of Lyme voted in favor of a town ordinance to cut the climbing bolts out of Holt’s Ledge, a popular recreational spot among local climbers.Holt’s Ledge border s a Dartmouth Skiway trail. The special town vote was held after local climbers ch a l l e n g e d t h e L y m e Select Board’s ordinance to restrict climbing on Holt’s Ledge until the bolts were removed, according to Select Board vice chair
Sue MacKenzie. Climbing bolts are drilled into the rock, and climbers attach their safety gear to them. Last summer, town officials closed the areas after they discovered about 200 bolts had been installed without permission, according to the Valley News. Lyme c l i m b e r, Dartmouth Outing Club member and earth sciences g raduate student John Gartner Gr’15, said that in 2011, a small group of climbers placed routes that use a mixture of bolts and SEE LYME PAGE 3
By ABBY MIHALY The Dartmouth
Dan Nelson ’75 is retiring from his job as outdoor p ro g r a m s d i re c t o r t h i s month after 30 years of service to the College. Assistant outdoor programs director Rory Gawler emphasized Nelson’s contribution of providing stability to the outdoors programs. “When he started, the organization very much needed a steady hand,” Gawler said. “It had been through a lot of turmoil in terms of its leadership.”
When Nelson was named director, he had already worked at the College for two decades. Gawler said Nelson’s familiarity with the institution made him an important asset. Dartmouth Outing Club vice president Carolyn McShea ’18 said she will miss Nelson’s presence. “Whenever he walks into the room, he might not be the loudest person or the chattiest person but when he talks, people listen, because they really respect what he has to say,” McShea said. Nelson was drawn to Dartmouth as a student
in 1971, in part due to the DOC’s reputation. “Dartmouth’s Outing Club and its reputation for commitment to supporting students and doing things in the outdoors, and the location, was a big part of what attracted me to come to Dartmouth from [the state of] Washington,” Nelson said. His DOC First-Year Trip served as his introduction to the College. He said it rained and snowed during the majority of his trip through the Presidential SEE NELSON PAGE 2
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DAily debriefing On Sunday, a gunman opened fire at a Baptist church service in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people and wounding at least 20, making the attack the deadliest mass shooting in the state’s history. The shooter was identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as Devin Patrick Kelley, a 26-year-old man from New Braunfels, Texas. According to The New York Times, Kelley was shot by an armed citizen upon exiting the church, fled in his car then crashed in a nearby county after being chased by neighbors of the church. According to officials, Kelley — who was clothed in all black and held a military rifle with a ballistic vest strapped to his chest — opened fire shortly after the service began at 11 a.m., and within minutes, many were dead or wounded. The victims, who ranged in age from 5 to 72, included numerous children, a pregnant woman and the 14-yearold daughter of the church’s pastor. In response to the shooting, President Donald Trump called it a “mental health problem at the highest level” and said it was not “a guns situation,” as the shooter was “deranged.” Today, the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the family of Han Nguyen, an MIT graduate student who committed suicide by jumping off of a campus building in 2009, according to the Associated Press. Nguyen’s family is arguing that his death was preventable and that MIT had a legal responsibility to protect him from harm. Attorneys from MIT called Nguyen’s suicide a “tragedy” and said that neither the school nor any of its affiliates had a “legal duty to prevent it.” They added that no state supreme court has ever found that colleges and universities have a legal responsibility to prevent student suicides. A group of 18 schools is urging the court to drop the case, arguing that a decision favoring the family could have harmful consequences. Today, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his harsh rhetoric and strong stance toward North Korea, saying the “era for strategic patience is over,” as reported by CNN. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed with Trump’s words, when he said that the U.S. and Japan were on the same page when it came to North Korea, denying the possibility of direct talks. Abe then said he wanted to strengthen sanctions against his country’s neighbor. The announcement came after Trump and Abe met with the families of Japanese citizens who had been kidnapped in North Korea. Trump also referred to the death of American citizen Otto Warmbier, who died due to wounds sustained during his custody in North Korea. Trump asked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to release all prisoners and said that action would send positive signals to the rest of the world.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Outdoor programs director Dan Nelson ’75 will retire after 30 years FROM NELSON PAGE 1
Range, but, to this day, he speaks of the experience as one of his favorite Dartmouth memories. “When we got to the Ravine Lodge, I was cold and wet and tired and exhausted but really excited to have had that experience,” Nelson said. He also participated in the sunrise hike up Mt. Moosilauke on the last morning of the trip. At the time, however, there was an emergency shelter just below the summit with a woodstove, but there was no firewood easily accessible at the summit. “The sunrise hike was really a ploy,” he said. The students carried backpacks with trash cans full of 50 pounds of wooden spindles latched to them, he said, adding that the sunrise was spectacular. A f t e r g r a d u at i o n , N e l s o n worked at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire for a year, and earned a Ph.D. in religion and political philosophy at Princeton University. He returned to Dartmouth in 1987 as an assistant dean of the College. After working various jobs in the Dean’s office at Dartmouth, he started his job as Outdoor Programs Office director in September 2009. Since Nelson started in his role, Gawler said Nelson has been a
huge advocate for the DOC and has bolstered the club’s reputation. “He wants us to, be as a department, trusted and wellrespected across the institution,” Gawler said. “He wants us to be people who reliably respond to email communication, and who are professional … He’s worked very hard to make sure that we maintain and have that reputation.” Nelson also emphasized risk management during his time as director. “I think that the organization as a whole is more on top of what it needs to be doing on a regular basis,” said Gawler, citing examples such as bringing in outside opinions, from members of the general council to community members, to advise on how to better manage risk better. Nelson said his favorite part about his job is introducing students to the outdoors. “[The best part of the job is] working with my colleagues to help students experience the outdoors and experience the kind of learning and adventure and sense of leadership, accomplishment and community building that comes out of that,” he said. Nelson expressed the importance of experiencing nature in today’s world. “I think increasingly we live in a world that is humanly constructed,” he said. “There are
so many human-made things that come between us and the natural world and that come between us and other people.” The remedy, Nelson said, is the outdoors. “I think there’s something about doing things in the outdoors where you are intimately connected to the natural world that we’re a part of ... I think it can help people develop a real sense of self-efficacy and confidence,” he said. 2017 Trips director Doug Phipps ’17 said Nelson contributed significantly during First-Year Trips, reflecting a genuine care for the students and their experiences. “He cares so much about Dartmouth, in the institution and the community,” Phipps said. “And he shows that care in so many different ways, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make it a better place.” Nelson said his retirement is due to a combination of events. He will have completed 30 years of working at the College, he turns 65 soon and Moosilauke Ravine, where he was first exposed to Dartmouth College, has finally been renovated. “Those things together seem to me to be a good time to step down and let somebody else move things forward,” he said. In his retirement, Nelson said he will be involved in community service work and spend more time where he loves most — the outdoors.
SEX, GENDER AND SOCIETY
-COMPILED BY CAROLINE BERENS AND NOAH GOLDSTEIN
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com for corrections.
PAULA KUTSCHERA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 10 organized a display in Baker-Berry Library showcasing students’ projects.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Lyme passes ordinance to cut bolts FROM LYME PAGE 1
traditional gear on the bottom 100 feet of Holt’s Ledge. Lyme residents voted 143 to 74 in favor of the ordinance to cut down the bolts, citing increased noise and activity concerns since the bolts were put up, MacKenzie said. “It just got to be too much, and it was just too much [of] a nuisance, because people were coming in and cutting trees, trespassing on property, parking in [residents’] driveways and blocking the roads,” MacKenzie said. “The more it gets to be known, the more popular it becomes and the more people show up, and it becomes something that is impossible to control.” Gartner also said that the spot had become more popular recently. “The way I see this is that there’s been some growing pains,” he said. “With the bolts, there were more people going up there than had been. It went from being a few parties per year to a few parties per week.” DOC member Philip Bennett ’19 said that the DOC favors more established climbing spots li k e th o s e i n Ru m ney, New Hampshire as opposed to Holt’s Ledge. Students on DOC trips are instructed to stay on designated paths and be respectful of the land, he said. “That’s definitely something we’ve talked about within the
club, in terms of ‘leave no trace’ principles and how we’re treating the land we’re going to climb,” he said. MacKenzie noted that people have climbed Holt’s Ledge “for decades without a problem.” “[Without the bolts] there won’t be a whole lot of people out there, trying to climb. It takes a different level of expertise [without the bolts],” she said. Gartner called the Select Board ordinance to cut the bolts on Holt’s Ledge a “false compromise,” citing safety and legitimacy concerns. “Without the bolts, the climbs become incredibly dangerous,” Gartner said. “It’s not about whether you’re good enough to do the climbing or not, it’s just more about whether you’re daring enough to do the climbing.” He added that with the bolts, climbers only climb the bottom 100 feet of the cliff, but without them, people will climb to the top and likely cause more noise, possibly exacerbating noise concerns. Gartner is a member of a Lyme-based climbing advocacy g roup, CLyme, that he said has been focused on finding “reasonable solutions” to concerns of both residents and climbers surrounding the issue. MacKenzie said that Holt’s Ledge is home to peregrine falcons during their nesting season and several rare and endangered plants that “need to be protected.”
According to Gartner, the impact of the climbers on the environment has been exaggerated, and the issues brought up by the Selectboard have solutions that do not require removing the bolts. H e s u g g e s t e d p ro h i b i t i n g climbing during peregrine nesting season from March to August and creating “well-defined” paths and “no trespassing” signs to limit damage to private property. Gartner said that CLyme also raised the issue of ownership of Holt’s Ledge and found evidence to suggest that Dartmouth, not Lyme, owns Holt’s Ledge. “We went and looked at the deeds, and the deeds all show that the town does not own the land,” Gartner said. MacKenzie said Lyme and Dartmouth were both conducting their own investigations into the question of ownership. “We met with Dartmouth’s people and real-estate office, and we’re going to have to resolve that issue before we move ahead,” MacKenzie said. “In the meantime, the area will remain posted as the town of Lyme [in regard to ownership].” Gartner said that CLyme will continue its efforts to disperse “good information” to decision-makers in Lyme and at Dartmouth. “The people in this town really value the ability to go outside and enjoy the outdoors, just like most people in the Upper Valley, and like most Dartmouth students,” he said.
BY DESIGN
PAULA KUTSCHERA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Thayer School of Engineering professor Eugene Korsunsky hosted a “Design Your Life” workshop in House Center B.
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST MATTHEW MAGANN ’21
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST SABRINA LI SHEN ’21
Sayfullo Saipov is Not an Animal
First and Foremost
It is wrong to dehumanize even those accused of violent crimes.
The chief suspect in the recent New York City terror attack, which left eight civilians dead and more injured, committed an act of unspeakable evil. Such indiscriminate murder shocks us all, and we rightfully feel a deep sense of resentment toward the attacker. Soon after the attacks, President Donald Trump took to Twitter, blasting the attacker as “a very sick and deranged person”; a few days later, he called the suspect an “animal”while speaking with reporters. Trump’s comments echo a common sentiment: that those who commit horrific acts cannot possibly be motivated by ideas, and that any ideologies they espouse are a mere cover for their fundamentally violent, animalistic nature. Of course, some members of groups may be sadistic by nature, but the majority are not. Ignoring the critical role of ideology in violence lets us dismiss violence as something not possible in most people. We reason that attackers are unsalvageable, and that violence could never arise amongst the “normal” people of our own society. This flawed conception cripples our ability to oppose violent ideologies. America’s response to Islamist terror demonstrates our ineffective attitude toward violence. Trump’s reaction to the recent attack is emblematic of a typical response to jihadi violence: decrying the attacker while failing to do anything about the ideas that motivated him. Both the right and the left are guilty of this. On the right, the response is often to strike back against the “animal,” whether militarily or with assertions of American might, neither of which do much to stop terrorism. Some on the left rush to emphasize how the attacker was not a “true Muslim” and was instead motivated by something else, generally implied to be a troubled life or a violent nature. If we approach the problem of Islamist terror as one of broken, sadistic individuals, we will fail. Because most Americans cannot understand the appeal of violent jihadism, we assume that Islamist attackers must be hateful people who use an ideology to express their violent inclinations. We believe this falsehood at our own peril. The reality, of course, is that while a violent nature or bad experiences are often an exacerbating factor, most radical
Islamists are in fact intensely ideological, motivated to sacrifice their lives for their deeply flawed interpretation of Islam. Had they not been exposed to violent ideologies, many attackers might have lived ordinary lives as typical people. Adolf Eichmann, the infamous Nazi war criminal, provides a classic example of this. Eichmann directed the logistics of the Holocaust, knowingly sending millions of innocent people to their deaths — he was truly, unquestionably evil. Yet as reporter Hannah Arendt famously observed at Eichmann’s 1962 trial, the Nazi criminal appeared very ordinary. Psychologists determined him to have a typical personality, with no apparent psychological issues. This apparently normal man directly contributed to the murder of millions of people in one of the greatest atrocities of all time. Eichmann’s evil was motivated not by any psychological dysfunction, but by a belief in the violent, hateful Nazi ideology. As Eichmann’s case emphasized, evil acts are not necessarily the product of an evil nature. That conclusion may be terrifying — it shows that ordinary people, possessed of the wrong beliefs, can commit unfathomable acts of violence. That may be why, in the wake of this latest attack, we still revert to name-calling. By reasoning that no ordinary person could do such a thing, we emotionally separate ourselves from the “deranged” attacker. Sadly, we know that ordinary people can, and do, commit acts of terrible violence. None of this is to excuse those who commit violence. Recognizing the influence of ideology on violence shifts blame squarely onto the attacker and his or her decisions. Still, we must face the deeply unsettling truth that many evil people are not inherently evil. Islamist terrorists truly believe that their violence is religiously sanctioned, and even many Nazis believed that their wretched violence was right. If we want to convince people to give up their evil ideas, we cannot dismiss those people as insane. Instead, we need to recognize that their beliefs, however abhorrent, are deeply held. Only once we understand where their beliefs come from can we understand how to effectively oppose them.
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ISSUE
NEWS EDITOR: Peter Charalambous, NEWS LAYOUT: Gabriel Onate
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.
Originality is overrated. Be second and et al., instead. Every time I sit down to write an opinion piece for The Dartmouth, I have to wrack my brain for a topic or issue that is new, fresh and original. Most of the time, I am sorely disappointed. My ideas originate from mealtime discussions with my friends. My opinions are easily influenced by any number of well-written articles, and the concluding arguments to my pieces are hardly revolutionary. It seems that after centuries of literacy, everything that can be argued has been done. The advent of the internet has only made that more obvious: A quick Google search will bring up someone else’s pros and cons list for every opinion I’ve ever had. As I continue to write, I bury the disappointment accompanied by my unoriginality with the rest of my teenage angst, hoping that one day my brain will do me a favor and spark up something the world has never seen before. But recently I’ve begun questioning why I care about originality so much. Why is it so important that my thoughts about the world, myself and school have to be different from everyone else’s? Is originality really so valuable? Originality drives innovation, which drives us all forward. World history and the advancement of human civilization would have gone nowhere without the pioneers who braved the frontiers before anyone else: The first man on the moon, the first long-distance phone call, the first woman in office, the first Beyoncé single, the list goes on. Compared to originality, stasis has almost zero value, and some would say that it has negative value. My questions are therefore not about inhibiting growth or stopping progress but about the value that our capitalist, Western society places on originality. Everything has to be new, from material things like cars and houses to more troublesome things like ideas and accomplishments. To stay relevant in the realm of research, scientists have to churn
STARKLY HANLON’D
“Winter is coming.”
out new studies at dizzying speeds. The same can be said of academia. As a result, we leave old questions tentatively answered while the pressure of originality sends us chasing after newer answers to different questions. This is the flaw with originality. There are some ideas so big and strange that it isn’t enough for the world to hear one visionary answer and move on. There are some arguments and conclusions that deserve a second look, then a third, a fourth, a fifth and so on until we have proven them beyond the shadow of a doubt. We cannot take one person’s answer and accept it as the be-all, end-all because a single iteration of a pros and cons list is not always representative of the whole answer. “Someone’s already thought of that” should not be an excuse to abandon an avenue of thought or a line of research. Grants should be given with equal weight toward those who are pursuing original research and those who are reaffirming the research of others. All those lofty ideas about equality, justice, truth and virtue should be reviewed and edited relentlessly and often. Important questions deserve more than merely tentative answers. Originality is overrated. Apologies to all the hipsters out there, but originality is not a marker of your elevated taste. I refuse to feel less intelligent when I write about transitioning from high school to college or about the gendered nature of appearances, though countless others have written about the same. Just because my opinion is not my own pure creation does not mean that it is any less valuable. I have not grown into who I am in a vacuum; I will not shun those thoughts of mine that have been touched by the contribution of others. Here’s to the relentless pursuit of true answers, though that may require backtracking into the work of others. Here’s to the bravery required to take on someone else’s ideas. Here’s to unoriginality.
PARKER RICHARDS ’18
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
PAGE 5
Firm installs 450 solar panels on roof of Berry Sports Center FROM SOLAR PAGE 1
be a cutting-edge institution … but be able to do that in a sustainable way.” Berry Sports Center joins Davis Varsity House and Maclean Engineering Sciences Center, which were outfitted with 60 solar panels in September and 179 solar panels in August, respectively, as one of the first buildings on campus to go solar, according to Abbe Bjorklund, Dartmouth director of engineering and utilities. Of these three buildings, Berry Sports Center can generate the most solar electricity per year for the school at 156,000 kilowatt hours annually, Weeks said. He also noted that Davis Varsity House can generate up to 20,725 kWh of solar electricity per year while MacLean Engineering Sciences Center can provide up to 70,000 kWh. Bjorklund said that the College is working on plans to install solar panels on approximately nine other buildings in 2018. If these solar panels are installed, Bjorklund estimates that about 1 percent of the College’s electricity will be supplied by campusgenerated solar energy. The College is also considering installing a large-scale, groundmounted solar system on an offcampus site, which will provide much more electricity than rooftop solar-panels, Bjorklund added. However, she said this plan is
in the preliminary phase — the school has identified a number of potential sites, but plans will not come to fruition for at least a year or two, she said. “I think it would be reasonable to say that we might be able to get as much as 20 percent or so of our electricity consumption coming from solar on or near our campus [in the near future],” Kerr said. College President Phil Hanlon announced in April that the College will be pursuing lowcarbon sustainability goals over the coming years. Included in the College’s goals is a 50 percent reduction in g reenhouse gas emissions from campus operations by 2025. The College also has financial incentives to install these systems, according to Weeks. ReVision owns the panels and is responsible for installation and maintenance costs. According to Weeks, ReVision then sells the generated electricity to the College at a discounted rate. He said that after seven years, the College can purchase the solar panels from ReVision at a discounted rate, which is an appealing option because the College can save as much as $600,000 for each rooftop system. Kerr said the school plans to exercise this buyback option. “If the College chooses to undertake larger installations currently under consideration, the savings and positive environmental impact will increase very
COURTESY OF DAN WEEKS
ReVision Energy outfitted Berry Sports Center with solar panels, which can generate 156,000 kilowatt hours annually.
substantially,” Weeks said. Although Kerr said the College ranks in the “middle of the pack in the Ivy-plus” League in terms of energy consumption, she is confident that the campus will become more sustainable. She added that the town of Hanover, which announced a few months ago that the town will attempt to
transition to 100 percent renewable energy, has approved all of the College’s plans so far to “green Dartmouth’s grid.” Therefore, she said she is confident that future plans to make the campus more sustainable will be approved by the town. “I want Dartmouth to be the best at [curbing greenhouse gas
emissions],” Kerr said. “I care passionately that we get really good at this. It’s core to our identity. We’re really good problem solvers, and we’re a school that, for a long time, has had a big impact on environmental science and biological science, and we care about our location … I think it makes a lot of sense for us to step up.”
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
COUP D’PENCE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
CAROLINE COOK ’21
TODAY
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Lecture: “Why There is No Such Thing as Capitalism (or Communism),” with economics professor Meir Kohn, Rockefeller 001
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Film: “Dateline-Saigon,” directed by Tom Herman, Loew Auditorium, Black Family Visual Arts Center
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Clarinet Masterclass with Patricia Shands, Hartman Rehearsal Hall, Hopkins Center for the Arts
TOMORROW
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Discussion: “The Window that Opens Your Soul,” with musician Ileana Perez-Velasquez ’95, Faulkner Recital Hall, Hopkins Center for the Arts
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Big Data, the Internet and Social Media,” with former acting Homeland Security secretary Rand Beers ’64, Haldeman 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Performance: Pianist Sally Pinkas and clarinetist Patricia Shands, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
PAGE 7
Chadwick Boseman excels as pillar of justice in ‘Marshall’ By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
On Saturday night, I trekked down to the labyrinthine netherrealm that is the Nugget Theater to see “Marshall.” Ten minutes before, I had left the Hopkins Center for the Arts’ screening of Taylor Sheridan’s problematic, complicated yet engaging “Wind River,” which played to a mostly packed theater. In contrast, I watched “Marshall” with a grand total of two other people. To everyone who could have filled those extra seats but didn’t: Y’all missed out. “Marshall” chronicles the life of Thurgood Marshall, the first ever African-American Justice on the Supreme Court. The strangest yet most notable feature of the film is that it does not tell the story of Marshall’s appointment to the Supreme Court. Nor is it about any of the landmark cases that he was involved in, including Brown v. Board of Education. At first glance, this seems like a terrible creative decision. In terms of advertising, a film like “Marshall” is largely sold on the audience’s familiarity with the subject matter. “First AfricanAmerican Supreme Court Justice” and “Brown v. Board of Education” are the sort of recognizable historical markers around which
one typically builds a conventional, crowd-pleasing biopic. “Marshall” is crowd-pleasing, to be sure, but it opts to chronicle a far more obscure case which, in reality, makes the film all the more exhilarating. This is not to say that an excellent movie could not be made out of the many other astonishing accomplishments in Marshall’s life — in fact, I hope they make those movies. But by focusing on one of his lesser known cases, this film’s screenplay is able to slip past the cinematic barriers that tend to depersonalize the majority of biopics. Director Reginald Hudlin clearly has immense respect for his subject matter, but he doesn’t hide behind the veneer of historical formality. “Marshall” is an intimate, personal and energetic film. In 1940, a wealthy, white woman named Eleanor Strubing accused Joseph Spell, her black chauffeur, of rape and attempted murder. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sent Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) to defend Spell. For complicated legal reasons, Marshall teams up with Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a local Jewish attorney. Marshall crafted the arguments and legal tactics, but only Friedman could speak in court. The second most unusual feature of “Marshall” is that the titular
character is not the protagonist. Admittedly, that statement is rather contingent on some of the semantics of film studies. While Marshall may be the central figure, Friedman’s growth ultimately defines the structure of the narrative. Marshall doesn’t really have a character arc in the film; he arrives on the scene exuding confidence, and he exits the film with the same unwavering determination. Friedman, on the other hand, is plagued by self-doubt and insecurity. Initially, the decisions to mediate much of Marshall’s story through Friedman’s perspective seems odd. But eventually the purpose become clear — the film isn’t just about Marshall but also about the impact he had on those around him. We spend so much time seeing the plot unfold from Friedman’s perspective simply because Friedman is transformed so strongly by Marshall’s presence. Indeed, the most touching thing about the film is the way that Friedman, almost without words, learns he, too, must confront the injustices of society, starting with the anti-Semitism that he regularly faces. This is the first time I’ve seen Gad in a serious role, but he really gives it his all, channeling his comedic instincts into Friedman’s nervous mannerisms. Boseman is
Oscar-worthy in a performance that is both commanding and kind in equal measure. In fact, he’s such a mesmerizing screen presence that I think maybe he and Hudlin should follow the footsteps of Richard Linklater’s the “Before” Trilogy. Every decade or so they can make a new movie covering a different phase in Marshall’s career then tie it all in with the Felicity Jones-starring Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic, “On the Basis of Sex.” We could call it “The Supreme Court Cinematic Universe.” (Dear Hollywood: This is a joke. You already have like 10 cinematic universes in progress which, frankly is about nine too many. And if you do decide to use my idea, please remember that I want royalties.) “Marshall” isn’t perfect. As I mentioned, I watched it on the same evening as I watched “Wind River,” and while I enjoyed the former far more, the latter probably gave me a little more to chew on in a thematic sense. At the end of the day, “Marshall” is basically another courtroom drama. But it’s a good courtroom drama, directed with vigor, acted with skill and written with genuine thoughtfulness. The film doesn’t just address the obvious social issues that are inherent in this story, it goes a little deeper. When Marshall first takes Spell’s case, a
friend tells him that women do not accuse men of rape without reason. I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice it to say this becomes the key to understanding what happened between Spell and Strubing. When the truth is revealed, it is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the film. We come to realize that everyone involved has been irrevocably shaped and damaged by an inherently unjust culture. That said, as we watch Marshall doggedly mock the racism surrounding him or Friedman slowly confront anti-Semitism, we are reminded that their struggles are still deeply relevant. “Marshall” may tell a story that took place well over 70 years ago, but of course we’re still fighting racists, white supremacists and anti-Semites. It’s hard to watch “Marshall” without a twinge of sadness. The story is inspiring in how it demonstrates Marshall’s impact on civil rights; at the same time, one can’t forget just how far we still have to go despite all of his efforts. Yet perhaps the film has the right idea — it ends with Marshall immediately taking another case. For half a second, he is permitted to bathe in his victory. Then he must pick up his things and keep going. He knows what we must never forget: There’s more work to be done.
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Group spotlight on troupe Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals By LEX KANG
The Dartmouth
On Mischief Night, a group of students performed a collection of Shakespearean death scenes in genderinclusive fraternity Alpha Theta. In the “Spooky Show,” excerpts from “Hamlet,” “Henry IV” and “Henry VI Part 3” made up the body from which spewed blood and splattered gore to make an atypical theatrical experience. Known for being the only entirely student-led theater troupe on campus, the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals is a group of passionate, talented students with a singular obsession. “Shakespeare is very much alive to us,” member David James ’21 said. “Everyone [in the Rude Mechanicals] is a Shakespeare nerd, so it’s just the willingness to play within the world of Shakespeare that makes it a fun experience.” While the text can alienate some readers and potential audiences before they see a word performed, James said that the perception of Shakespeare does not line up with the subject matter. “People think of Shakespeare as kind of dusty and dead,” he said. “But he writes about stuff that’s exciting to everyone. He writes about death, and sex and hatred … money and power. These are things that everyone cares about and gets drawn into.” Isabel Wallace ’21 echoed James’ sentiment, saying that in reality,
Shakespeare’s appeal lies in how relatable the characters are. “Shakespeare is hilarious, [and] I think he has a sense of tragedy that’s unparalleled,” Wallace said. “He really knows how to make you cry. It’s the relatability of it [that I like] ... The characters are people you see around you every day.” Though Wallace and James both had experience acting in Shakespearean productions prior to coming to Dartmouth, the Rude Mechanicals welcomed all interested to audition, and some fostered their love for Shakespearean acting only after joining the group. Katherine Carithers ’20 said that before joining the Rude Mechanicals in spring 2017, she had approached Shakespeare only as written word. “I always enjoyed Shakespeare from an English perspective,” Carithers said. “I heard about the [Rude Mechanicals] a bit, but I hadn’t really done theater before I came to college … so I was pretty hesitant to audition.” Fortunately, she found the group accustomed to relying on one another for everything from practicing lines to comprehending the verse and said the group welcomed her into the fold. “If you feel like you don’t understand Shakespeare that well, I promise that when we’re rehearsing there are times when we don’t really have a good clue about what was said in the passage we just read, and we go back and talk about it with people,” Carithers said.
COURTESY OF KATHERINE CARITHERS
The Rude Mechanicals performed “Richard III” in spring 2017, using House Center B as a performance space.
“We have some incredible [senior] leadership.” Peter Skow ’18, long-term member and current production manager of the Rude Mechanicals, said the group strives to collaborate and asks for that members of all backgrounds and skill levels contribute their ideas for shows. “We essentially collaborate on everything … Our positions are largely bureaucratic,” Skow said. “Anyone
COURTESY OF KATHERINE CARITHERS
The Rude Mechanicals is a small group that often relies on methods like double casting to tackle plays on a larger scale.
and everyone is welcome to shape the shows that we make, and we expect them to. That’s how they get good. Everyone comes to their own ideas … and not all of them make it into the final product, but it’s that process of working through it with everyone that really makes it unique.” This self-sufficiency unique to the Rude Mechanicals is what many members found to be the defining feature of the group that made membership so valuable. “[I gained] a sense of responsibility for my own actions … It’s just us, we really only have ourselves to be accountable to,” Skow said. “Even though it’s challenging sometimes, it’s ultimately very worthwhile and a very instructive group to be a part of [because] it teaches you to be selfreliant while simultaneously leaning on your group for support.” Wallace seconded Skow’s understanding of the difficulties of a student-led organization. “To put on a Shakespeare production completely run by students is a feat in and of itself,” Wallace said. Carithers felt that the struggles induced by relying solely on one another strengthened the group’s bond. “We rely on each other,” Carithers said. “We don’t have an outside director — it’s students giving each other notes, offering perspectives and giving suggestions.”
James said that he enjoyed the student-focused environment of this kind of group and found that the insular rehearsal process builds intimacy and trust between members. “It’s fun being directed by peers,” James said. “As the new folk in the group are getting more acquainted with each other, we’re getting increasingly comfortable giving and receiving notes. They’re always helpful, and there’s always new things to try.” After spending most of this fall term integrating the first-year members into the group and doing monologue workshops with them, the group is now preparing a full production for the winter term. The Rude Mechanicals share an excitement about the preparation that lies ahead and hope to attract audiences with varying experiences with, backgrounds in and feelings about Shakespeare. “Without an actor to interpret [Shakespeare] for the audience, it’s very easy for people who are not as big into language … to just dismiss it as too much,” Skow said. “So I would suggest that someone looking to get into Shakespeare or give Shakespeare a second chance to go watch it.” James said that seeing a Rude Mechanicals show is a gamble worth making. “I just hope people take the risk of going to see a Shakespeare show,” James added. “I hope more people feel [about Shakespeare] the way we do.”