VOL. CLXXIV NO.162
SUNNY HIGH 29 LOW 15
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
Expelled student Dartmouth communicating with Stanford about drugging sues College for incident investigation reinstatement
By AMANDA ZHOU
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
ARTS
Dartmouth is in communication and cooperation with Stanford University regarding a Title IX investigation of an incident at Stanford’s Sigma Chi fraternity house on Friday, College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote in an email statement. Though the College does not have any specific information
about the allegation, according to Lawrence, the suspected drugging incident may involve a student affiliated with Dartmouth, as anonymous sources have claimed to both the Stanford Daily and the Fountain Hopper, an independent Stanford news email list. The Dartmouth has been unable to independently corroborate the specific allegations in the reporting of either publication. On Tuesday, the Fountain
Hopper and the Stanford Daily reported an alleged drugging of seven Stanford students, including five members of Pi Beta Phi, a fraternity for women, and two members of the Stanford men’s rowing team, at a fraternity party at Sigma Chi. The Stanford Daily also reported that anonymous Sigma Chi staffers said that the
By ABBY MIHALY
The Dartmouth Staff
OPINION
BARTLETT: THE AP ARMS RACE PAGE 7
ELLIS: THE MENTAL STATE OF THE UNION
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
PAGE 7
Rev. M. Kalani Souza delivers Dartmouth’s 2018 MLK day keynote.
CHUN: STOP USING SLIDE DECKS PAGE 6
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The Dartmouth Senior Staff
A former Dartmouth student has filed a lawsuit against the College, alleging that he was unfairly expelled last year after what he claims was a biased disciplinary proceeding that violated his Title IX rights. The suit was filed on Jan. 12 in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire. According to a copy of the filing obtained by The Dartmouth, the student, referred to as John Doe, claims that he was subjected to an unfair disciplinary process after a female Dartmouth student, referred to as Sally Smith, filed a complaint against him in October 2016 with the College’s Title IX Office alleging physical assault. SEE LAWSUIT PAGE 2
College celebrates MLK Day
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By ZACHARY BENJAMIN
SEE STANFORD PAGE 5
HOWE LIBRARY HOSTS 21ST YEAR OF CINÉ SALON
CHENG: A MORE FULFILLING WINTERIM
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
On Monday evening, Dartmouth hosted Rev. M. Kalani Souza as the keynote presenter of the College’s 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Feature Presentation. Over the weekend, Dartmouth held a wide variety of events in celebration of the holiday, i n c l u d i n g t h e k ey n o t e address, a series of sign-ins
and multiple film screenings. He opened his performance with a traditional Hawaiian prayer — vocals accompanied by a horn — which he explained “centered the mind and soul” before he began to speak. Souza, a Native Hawaiian, is the founder of the Olahana Foundation, a nonprofit that helps coastal and island communities deal with climate change. He is also a storyteller and priest. Souza
visited Dartmouth’s Native American House a few years ago and, despite an advancing and increasingly debilitating disease , Souza retur ned to the College to share his thoughts as part of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming. The night began with Maya Perkins ’20 singing about the strug g le for freedom and then speaking SEE MLK PAGE 2
Town hall addresses Presidential candidate Delaney visits Dartmouth DHMC, golf course By ALEXA GREEN
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
Democratic congressman Rep. John Delaney of Maryland spoke at Beta Alpha Omega fraternity on Jan. 15 as part of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. His speech comes less than one year into President Donald Trump’s tenure and three years before the next presidential
caucus. Delaney, who previously worked as an entrepreneur and founded two companies, has served Maryland’s sixth district in the House of Representatives since 2013. He announced that he was running in the 2020 presidential race on July 28, 2017 in a Washington Post op-ed, becoming the first Democratic
SEE DELANEY PAGE 3
By HARRISON ARONOFF The Dartmouth
Approximately 75 Dartmouth students, faculty and staff attended Dartmouth’s bimonthly town hall in Spaulding Auditorium yesterday, hosted by executive vice president Rick Mills. The event’s keynote speaker, president and chief executive officer of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center Joanne Conroy ’77, discussed her goals for the medical center. Before Conroy’s address, Mills updated the audience on recent campus news. He said the College is beginning the New England Association of Schools and Colleges two-year reaccreditation process, which occurs every decade — the SEE TOWN HALL PAGE 3
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
Lawsuit alleges Title IX Souza delivers MLK Day keynote violations by College
Raleigh Nesbitt ’19 thought don’t have the resources, and the Souza’s optimism was vital in the agencies that should be there to on the need for collective action face of struggle. support them, they’re disappearing, across communities in response to “I also took particular note of and Americans are silent.” struggle. his outlook on a positive approach Ellis added that she encourages “We need to globalize the way to activism,” Nesbitt said. “In the students to find the connection we think about the issues we face,” face of what often seems to be seems between social issues, environmental Perkins said in her speech. to be insurmountable injustice and issues and civil rights. Souza echoed Perkins’ focus oppression, [Souza] emphasized In Souza’s speech, he said that on community and family, saying the importance of establishing, we needed to ask if women, children that the indigenous world-view maintaining and relying on strong and the elderly were taken care of. emphasized connectedness. community ties to fight inequality.” “If by your actions you are “We have to For some, the feeding a child [or] comforting do this thing not “We need to connection between someone, then this is time well as institutions, the Native Hawaiian spent,” Souza said. but as family,” globalize the way e x p e r i e n c e a n d He added that the interconnected he said in his we think about the King’s legacy can nature of societal issues means that keynote address. be hard to make. meeting these basic needs lead to issues we face.” His themes “ T h i s more expansive solutions. of family and [ c o n n e c t i o n ] i s Reflecting on King’s legacy, c o m m u n i t y -MAYA PERKINS ’20 going to be a harder Ellis, Perkins and Souza all stood in relation one to digest for encouraged continuing to fight to the theme some people,” said against complacency. of the Martin sociology professor Ellis said that she urges Dartmouth Luther King Jr. celebration events Kathryn Lively following Monday’s students, as privileged members this year, “Borders.” event. o f s o c i e t y, t o Vice president for institutional However, Ellis “I want our not ignore diversity and equity Evelynn Ellis, said there was a the prevailing who proposed the theme, said it is direct connection students, our problems of a pertinent topic in today’s political between Martin faculty, our today’s society. climate. Luther King Jr. “Those who staff [and] our She added that these borders and Souza due to have, it’s not just do not have to be physical walls their similar focus community a cliché: you are but can also be challenges such as on socioeconomic members doing obligated to get the inability for poverty-stricken issues. more,” Ellis said. individuals to send their children Though today more.” “You are obligated to the schools they choose. King is known to give more. To “[We must] acknowledge the as a champion do more. I want -EVELYNN ELLIS, complexities and differences within of the civil rights our students, various groups, and as a result, movement, Ellis VICE PRESIDENT our faculty, our create more permeable group said this portrayal FOR INSTITUTIONAL staff [and] our borders,” Perkins said in a later of him neglects the community interview. main part of his DIVERSITY AND members doing Between spoken thoughts, Souza work and legacy. more.” EQUITY sang a few of his songs and shared “King, just like M a r t i n recordings. His lyrics emphasized [Souza], [was] Luther King Jr. the beauty of the earth, as well as aware that [social Celebration events issues of struggle and resistance. issues] impact poor people and will continue throughout the next Souza’s speech lauded tolerance marginalized people first, and it week, including the multi-faith and optimism despite the pain of impacts them longer,” Ellis said. celebration in Rollins Chapel on struggle. “They don’t recover, because they Sunday night. FROM MLK PAGE 1
FROM LAWSUIT PAGE 1
Smith’s complaint was related to a sexual encounter that occurred on campus in August 2016 that left both parties physically injured. When filing the complaint, Smith allegedly told then-Title IX coordinator Heather Lindkvist that the sexual encounter was consensual. The College hired an external investigator to determine whether Doe violated the College’s Standards of Conduct, specifically Standard I, “behavior which causes or threatens physical harm to another person ... ‘consensual’ or not,” and Standard III, “engaging in sexual misconduct of any kind.” In November 2016, Doe, alleging that he was unable to consent during the encounter because he was incapacitated by alcohol, filed a complaint against Smith for physical and sexual assault. Doe was found responsible in March 2017 for violating Standard I, related to physical harm, and not responsible for violating Standard III, related to sexual misconduct. Smith was not found responsible for any violations. Both students had submitted a request in February 2017 to terminate the investigation, but their request was rejected, though the College said that they could inform the investigator about the settlement, as well as the sanctioning panel should either student be found responsible. Doe subsequently informed interim director of judicial affairs Katharine Strong that he and Smith had come to an agreement and that “neither felt a sanction from Dartmouth was appropriate,” according to the lawsuit. In March 2017, the Committee on Standards heard Doe’s case to determine sanctioning. Strong informed Doe that the committee would receive a 1.5-page summary of the investigation and that he would be unable to appear
before or write to the committee, which the lawsuit alleges is atypical. The committee sanctioned Doe “with immediate separation” on March 29, 2017 for violating Standard I. In April 2017, Doe appealed the investigator’s findings and the sanction, citing bias on the part of the investigator and procedural irregularities in his sanctioning. Dean of the College Rebecca Biron upheld the committee’s sanction in May 2017. The lawsuit claims that Biron was biased against Doe because of his gender, citing previously expressed views in an article she wrote in 2014. Doe’s lawsuit alleges violations of Title IX, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as breach of contract and good faith and of negligence by the College as a result of a biased investigation that deviated from standard College policies. It asks that the College’s decision be reversed and Doe’s record expunged. Furthermore, the filing requests that Doe be reinstated as a student at the College and receive an award for damages suffered and attorney’s fees. Doe had expected to graduate in spring 2018 prior to his expulsion. College spokesperson Diana Lawrence declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the litigation. Strong wrote in an email statement that she was unable to answer questions related to the lawsuit. Biron wrote in an email statement that she was unable to comment on individual student cases or legal matters. Current Title IX coordinator Allison O’Connell wrote in an email statement that she cannot comment on an ongoing legal matter. Multiple attempts to reach Doe’s attorneys by phone and email were unsuccessful. Amanda Zhou contributed reporting.
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
PAGE 3
Mills talks renovations, Delaney speaks at Beta Alpha Omega construction at town hall FROM DELANEY PAGE 1
FROM TOWN HALL PAGE 1
College’s current accreditation will expire in 2020. According to the NEASC website, accreditation is based on a series of 10 standards related to a college’s mission, governance and academic programs, among other factors. Mills also provided an update on the Hanover Country Club committee that was formed in the fall to analyze the feasibility of maintaining the golf course, which the College has considered selling. He said the committee will begin meeting later this term with economics and public policy professor Charles Wheelan ’88 as its chair. Renovations to the Hood Museum “continue to advance,” construction on Gilman Hall will begin in eight weeks or fewer and architectural plans are being finalized for Dana Hall, which is slated for construction this fall, according to Mills. “[The town hall’s purpose] is to try to get information out to the community, about things that matter to people that is not easy to learn about otherwise,” Mills said in an interview after the town hall. “It’s also an opportunity for me to hear questions and concerns coming from the community.” Following the announcements, Conroy, who was appointed as head of DHMC this past summer, spoke about her vision for the institution. With health care deductibles rising, Conroy said one of her first priorities is to ensure that all Dartmouth employees have affordable and proper health care.
“We want to make sure they are [as] healthy as possible and have a really satisfying and full professional life with us as their employer,” Conroy said in her address. Conroy added that she wants to address the medical center’s labor shortage. Since New Hampshire has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, Conroy said the medical center has struggled to fill positions, especially during the past two years. “We have to think creatively [about] how we can create an environment so people can move to the Upper Valley or commute to the Upper Valley so they can fill open positions,” she said. One of Conroy’s biggest goals is to determine how to transform DHMC into “a national player.” Conroy said at the town hall that the medical center will continue its work in clinical care, but she envisions investing more into research. She added that she wants DHMC to team up with the Geisel School of Medicine to focus on certain areas of medicine, like oncology and neuroscience. The town hall concluded with questions from the audience, many of whom asked about the rising deductible costs and employee health care. One attendant asked Conroy how New Hampshire hospitals should respond to the opioid epidemic, to which she replied that hospitals should limit the number of prescription medications dealt out and offer alternative, nonaddictive pain medications. The next town hall is scheduled for March 21.
candidate to declare his candidacy in the upcoming race. Delaney is now on his fifth official visit to New Hampshire introducing himself to voters. In 2017, the campaign conducted 90 events in Iowa and New Hampshire, Delaney said. He added that the plan is to hold 400 events this year. In his speech at Beta, Delaney focused on the future and aiding Americans left behind by rapid global changes. He addressed the country’s lack of upward socioeconomic mobility, emphasizing his belief in a basic social contract with an obligation among communities and citizens to prepare the next generation. Delaney said during the speech that he plans to approve only bipartisan bills during his first 100 days in office and work to end gerrymandering. Despite the duration of his campaign, Delaney claimed in the speech that he will not be taking money from political action committees, organizations created for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates. Instead, he said he plans on funding his campaign through individual contributors and his own previous business profits. During the question and answer portion of his speech, Delaney fielded questions regarding government financing, his support for the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals
program, the fiscal trajectory of the country and equal access and affordability for education. In response to a question on Yemen and global crises, Delaney said that the U.S. should maintain a moral standard pursuant on its own self-interest in stabilizing displaced areas and leading global coalitions. Following the event, Savannah Liu ’18 said that it was interesting to see what Delaney had to say because he very eloquently explained his thoughts. As someone who is not active in politics, she said that it was a completely different experience hearing a politician’s intentions and getting their perspective in person rather than just reading about them. Dartmouth College Democrats president Jennifer West ’20 said that the event was held at Beta because students feel more comfortable interacting with candidates on a personal level in spaces such as fraternities or sororities. College Democrats member Alex Rounaghi ’20 said that one of the best parts of attending Dartmouth is that because New Hampshire’s primary is so politically significant, students have the opportunity to be involved and hear critical speakers. According to Delaney and his team, the congressman is ranked the third most bipartisan Democratic congressman by GovTrack. This ranking is based on the percentage of his sponsored bills that have bipartisan cosponsors, compared to House Democrats in 2015. The Lugar Center’s bipartisan index for
the 144th Congress — which polled for the same year as GovTrack’s analysis and which measures both how often a candidate sponsors legislation from the other party and how often the other party sponsors that candidate’s legislation — ranked him 53rd out of 427. Delaney’s district encompasses the outer suburbs of Washington, D.C. to the entire western portion of the state bordering West Virginia. The district contains rural and conservative areas as well as the liberal, Democratic suburbs of Washington, D.C. In an interview with The Dartmouth, Delaney said that he thinks of his broad district as America in miniature with its diverse needs, but with much in common. Delaney also said that he believes the political landscape of the nation and the world is rapidly changing. “[The president] is degrading our standing in the world and he is putting our men and women abroad — both our military and diplomats — at some risk by doing this,” he said. “He’s causing huge resentment against the American people.” Government professor Linda Fowler noted in an email statement that Delaney is the second candidate to officially declare his intentions for the 2020 race — Trump was the first, filing and setting up a re-election committee early on in his term. She added that it is necessary for Delaney to begin campaigning early, given that he has little name recognition in most of the country.
ALEXA GREEN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Democratic congressman Rep. John Delaney addressed students and community members at Beta Alpha Omega fraternity.
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
RESOLUTIONS FADE
RACHEL LINCOLN ’20
TODAY
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Art Exhibit: “The Zen of Watercolor,” with art teachers Rosalie desGroseilliers and Patti Warren, 7 Lebanon Street, Suite 107
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Chemistry Colloquium with National Institute of Health Susan Buchanan, Ph.D. on structural insight into the role of the Ton complex in energy transduction, Steele 006
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Lecture: “Has the Door Closed on Arab Democracy,” with Leader of the Tahrir Uprising, Internet Activist and author of Revolution 2.0 Wael Ghonim, Haldeman 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
TOMORROW 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Sing-Ins in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the Dartmouth Rockapellas, Tyné Angela Freeman, ’17, and folk singer, Ron Israel, Paddock Music Library
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Conference: “The 50%: The Changing Arc of Womxn’s Rights” focusing on intersectional and reciprocal impacts of gender violence, business policy and racial conflict on womxn’s health in the U.S. and abroad, Oopik Auditorium, Life Sciences Center
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
College aware of Stanford incident FROM STANFORD PAGE 1
alleged victims’ symptoms were similar to the effects of “Xanax or a similar benzodiazepine.” Benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, among other uses; in addition to Xanax, they include the drug rohypnol, often called a “date rape” drug. The Fountain Hopper reported that the suspect was a visiting member of one of Dartmouth’s crew teams who was present at the party. The Stanford Daily reported that an email memo from Pi Phi claimed the suspect was “loosely affiliated with Stanford Men’s Rowing” but was not a Stanford student. While the incident occurred last Friday, Stanford’s Department of Public Safety did not receive a report until Tuesday, department spokesperson Bill Larson said. E.J. Miranda, Stanford’s senior director of media relations, wrote in an email that the case is also being investigated by the university’s Title IX office and that a Notice of Investigation has been issued to the alleged perpetrator, barring him from being on Stanford’s campus or property and from contacting those who were present at the party. Larson said investigators are currently speaking with people who had symptoms and trying to identify whether a drugging incident took place.
“We do not know if there were drugs introduced,” he said. “It’s only alleged at this time … It was a party and there was alcohol involved and sometimes students drink too much.” If there was a crime committed, Larson said the Stanford Department of Public Safety will submit a case to the Stanford dean’s office. If a suspect can be identified, the case will be submitted to the local district attorney’s office, which will determine whether or not to prosecute, he said. “The reports shared from those who attended an open house event on Friday night are very concerning,” wrote Pi Beta Phi president Lauren Maymar in an email statement. She added that the fraternity is “partnering with the University to learn more” and will support the individuals affected. Men’s heavyweight rowing head coach Wyatt Allen wrote in an email statement that he is “aware of the incident at Stanford and the ongoing information” but has no further details or facts. Athletic director Harry Sheehy and men’s lightweight rowing head coach Sean Healey did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment. Zachary Benjamin and Alexa Green contributed reporting.
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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST CHRISTOPHER CHENG ’21
STAFF COLUMNIST STEVEN CHUN ’19
A More Fulfilling Winterim
Stop Using Slide Decks
Dartmouth is unique in that it has an despite its greatly extended signup deadline and unusually long winter break (appropriately its allowance of two externships per student. called “winterim”), and I’m certainly not This enrollment outcome is also due in part complaining. This chunk of time allows for to CPD’s lax regulations. The CPD’s role is a productive activities such as a cappella tours, facilitator of career development arrangements service projects abroad and training trips for between employers and students. As a result, athletic teams. It also allows for down time to there is an overabundance of job shadowing unwind from the fall term. These activities are opportunities in the DEP. To address this issue in primarily student-directed, and the College the future, the CPD can induce more employers remains relatively inactive during this six-week to offer short-term project opportunities. These period. can make participation possible for many more The Dartmouth Externship Program, then, “externs,” who can remotely participate to is for those interested in complete such projects. pre-professional activities “The Dartmouth The CPD could do so to network and gain by requiring employers experience in their future Externship Program, who sign up for the industries without waiting then, is for those program to offer both until their next off-term short-term projects as interested in preto do so. Among those well as job shadowing individuals, those with professional activities opportunities. This career aspirations beyond to network and gain change could decrease consulting and finance are the number of possible especially supported. As experience in their exter nships, since of the last day of signups future industries s h o r t - t e r m p ro j e c t for the DEP on Nov. 28, opportunities are more without waiting until 2017, only four out of 63 difficult to arrange. externships offered were in their next off-term to Regardless, the CPD finance and consulting. A do so.” must address the 63 whopping 19 externships externship opportunities were in education or available in 2017 to make academia, 14 in health or science industries this year’s DEP even better. and 10 in technology. Lax regulation of employer-student pairings Certainly, the DEP has its flaws. Most of can have one other potentially negative side the externships only entail job shadowing, effect. If use of DEP increases, it is expected which requires a considerable commitment in that competition for certain externship the form of one’s physical presence. This can opportunities will increase. For example, prove problematic in an externship,which can it’s possible that the scarcity of finance and be too long for a brief hotel stay but too short consulting opportunities will conflict with for lodging arrangements like those in off-term Dartmouth students’ widespread demonstrated internships. This situation poses no problem interest in these career paths. Given the option to students living in metropolitan areas where to select externs, finance and consulting many externship opportunities already exist. employers may do so in a way that resembles the Although one could stay at a nearby hotel or recruiting process, placing increased stress on with a friend, many students do not have the students even as their fall term finals approach. required financial or practical means to do so, DEP is a thoughtful program with some and thus disproportionally suffer from limited promise. However, the CPD must take care access to DEP career opportunities. This could to manage some of its inherent issues. be why the DEP did not achieve complete enrollment for all externship opportunities, Cheng is a previous participant in the DEP Program.
The ninth issue of the ninth volume of — it is only a way to give a rough overview of “InfoWorld: The PC News Weekly” from real work. 1987 was filled with what one would expect Notably, Amazon has effectively banned for a magazine targeted at IT professionals and PowerPoint presentations in its staff meetings. computer geeks. The front page advertised the Instead, every meeting starts with a six-page new Macintosh II, replete with one megabyte memo and 20 minutes of silent reading. of memory sold for $3,899 for one floppy drive Considering that business meetings tend to be and no display (nearly $8,500 in 2018 dollars). heavy on data and analysis, this makes sense. One page featured a story labeled “Presentation Writing forces you to think far harder about Package Lets Users Control Look” by Scott the information you present, and there are no Mace. Mace writes that “Forethough Inc. last pretty slides to hide behind. week introduced PowerPoint, a Macintosh Edward Tufte, professor emeritus of political program that lets users create and manage science, statistics and computer science at business presentations “using overhead Yale University, is one of the leading figures transparencies, flip charts, speaker’s notes and in information design and data visualization handouts” and concludes and an outspoken critic of that PowerPoint will be “‘... the overuse PowerPoint. He believes that a catalyst in the new the overuse of PowerPoint computerized business of PowerPoint has has created a culture market. What Mace created a culture of pitching, instead of failed to prophesize is of pitching, instead informing where objectivity that PowerPoint would is most needed. This bias become the bane of the of informing where can have disastrous results. civilized world. In 2003, the objectivity is most PowerPoint is a blight Columbia space shuttle on everything from needed.’ This bias burned up on reentry, the boardroom to the can have disastrous killing seven and grounding classroom. Its generalized the shuttle program for two results.” form, the slide deck — years. NASA had noticed “deck” or “bureaucratic a piece of foam insulation instrument designed to break loose and strike the make the transfer of information as difficult as wing during liftoff. While Columbia was in orbit, possible” — is good for one thing: presenting an investigation was launched to determine the broad talking points to a large audience. Putting potential damage and threat. Tufte wrote “to up large images and videos as one is speaking help NASA officials assess the threat, Boeing does no harm. Unfortunately, PowerPoint is Corporation engineers quickly prepared three often used where any other form of presentation, reports, a total of 28 PowerPoint slides … The with the possible exception of song and dance, reports provided mixed readings of the threat would work better. to the spacecraft; the lower-level bullets often We have “PowerPointed” academic mentioned doubts and uncertainties, but the presentations, corporate reports, technical plans, highlighted executive summaries and big-bullet literary analyses, dissertations and at least several conclusions were quite optimistic.” wedding proposals. In each case, PowerPoint The Return to Flight Task Group, misses the mark. Anything that requires complex formed to analyze the failures that led to analysis or conveys a meaning that cannot be the Columbia’s destruction, wrote, “We also captured in 40 words — the typical amount observed that instead of concise engineering of text on a business PowerPoint slide — is not reports, decisions and their associated rationale well suited for a slide deck. are often contained solely within Microsoft In terms of mere information transfer, PowerPoint charts or emails … PowerPoint PowerPoint’s format is poor. Information on (and similar products by other vendors), as a slides is sparse; sentences and paragraphs method to provide talking points and present convey meaning far better than bullet points; limited data to assembled groups, has its place the constant switching of slides introduces a in the engineering community; however, these cognitive load in of itself; and data visualizations presentations should never be allowed to replace, fare no better on a slide than they do on paper, or even supplement, formal documentation.” where they are more often closely accompanied FromNASAreportstoacademicpresentations by analysis. at Dartmouth, PowerPoint is a shallow tool for PowerPoints also have a tendency to become shallow thinking. As more students aspire to documentation and presentation. Instead of the careers in management consulting — to quote slides being a derivative of a more in-depth body one of my consultant friends, “We’re essentially of work, they instead represent the presentation a PowerPoint factory” — the slide deck will and content. The skinny becomes the whole nine continue to reign as the dominant information yards. If you have ever read through countless architecture. As College administrators press PowerPoint slides in an attempt to understand for “smart classrooms” and the integration something, you know how awful this is. of technology as a proxy for learning quality, As a student, I can attest to the shallowness relying on PowerPoint will continue to make of thought that one must put into an acceptable us dumber. This problem is particularly PowerPoint presentation. I can also attest to the salient at Dartmouth, where a student is likely relatively low rate of information transfer, as to give countless mind-numbing PowerPoint I am commonly on the receiving end of slide presentations. For the love of God, please, please decks. A presentation is not a finished product stop reducing everything to slides.
The Dartmouth Externship Program has untapped potential.
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PowerPoint sucks, but you already knew that.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 7
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST SIMON ELLIS ’20
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST NICHOLAS BARTLETT ’21
The Mental State of the Union
The AP Arms Race
President Donald Trump’s mental fitness does not disqualify him from office.
The current “AP” obsession is unhealthy and restrictive.
President Donald Trump’s mental fitness only derogatory toward individuals who are has come into question more than once. actually diagnosed with mental illnesses, it With his “bigly” vocabulary and “stable creates and further perpetuates a notion genius” behind the trigger of Twitter 24/7, that those individuals are not good enough; individuals skeptical of the president feel that that those with bipolar disorder, psychosis they have ample evidence to raise concerns. and even depression could never reach the While many of my peers and I disapprove highest office. Our carelessness and glee in of the president’s actions and demeanor, is labeling Trump with a mental illness is a sad mental illness a just reason to remove Trump excuse to get him out of office. Moreover, from office? The careless it is one that comes at the imprecision and accusatory cost of “othering” and tone we use surrounding the “The careless excluding mentally disabled president’s supposed mental imprecision individuals. We need to illness is frightening and separate our feelings of and accusatory further excludes those with anger and frustration with mental illness from “normal tone we use the president from our society.” While one may not surrounding conce ptions of mental agree with or even disdain illness or risk backtracking Trump, the reason for that the president’s on the social and cultural opposition should not be his supposed reality surrounding this mental fitness. issue. mental illness is Considering the S e ve r a l f o r m e r U. S p r e s i d e n t ’ s u n u s u a l frightening and p r e s i d e n t s h av e b e e n behavior, inconsistent policy further excludes speculated to have had directions and inflammatory mental illnesses. In a 2006 statements, it’s no surprise those with mental study by Duke University, that citizens and politicians illness from researchers suggested that have questioned his mental many as 18 of the first 37 ‘normal society.’” as fitness. From misogynistic U.S. presidents could have statements degrading suffered from a psychiatric women, racist allusions disorder. So Trump would and most recently his comments on Africa certainly not be the first and likely not the last and Haiti, Trump’s remarks have been either. Oprah Winfrey, who some would like unacceptable and disgusting. In questioning to see run for president in 2020, has discussed his statements and actions, some opponents her depression at length, a fact that has not of the president seek to invoke the fourth once brought into question her mental fitness paragraph of the 25th Amendment of the to lead the nation. When choosing future Constitution as a vehicle for impeachment. leaders, we must be conscious of whether This amendment allows for the vice we are simply considering their overall president and a majority mental fitness in making our of the president’s cabinet to decisions or whether we are “[President remove the president when instead being exclusionary he is “unable to discharge Donald] Trump and judgmental. the powers and duties of may be crude, If you are looking for his office.” a reason to impeach the While many medical impulsive and president, look to potential professionals have not easily dislikable, obstruction of justice given a specific diagnosis or the rarely mentioned to confirm any supposed but the vast emoluments clause, which mental illness, one need not majority of us forbids government officials look much further than the lack the medical from receiving gifts from president’s own outlet — other countries. Trump Twitter — for an extensive qualifications may be crude, impulsive discussion. A quick search to diagnose his and easily dislikable, but reveals thousands of tweets the vast majority of us lack accusing Trump of having mental fitness and the medical qualifications to dementia, bipolar disorder, cannot reasonably diagnose his mental fitness psychosis and a host of other use vague and cannot reasonably use conditions. While discussing vague suppositions to argue the mental or physical suppositions for his impeachment. In fitness of our president is to argue for his blurring the lines between not forbidden, and is in fact criticism of the president’s encouraged by the existence impeachment.” behavior and allegations of the 25th Amendment, the about his mental fitness, candor we are going about it with Trump Trump’s opponents risk becoming as is different. In looking for another reason alienating and intolerant as the president to dislike him or to impeach him we have himself. More importantly, they risk being come across a false and toxic conclusion: hurtful and exclusive toward those struggling mental disability. with real conditions who make a genuine To say that someone should not serve effort to function as equal members of as president due to a mental illness is not society despite the obstacles they face.
The United States currently has a offers and knows that this is something he problem in the realm of academia, and for loves to do. Once he has exhausted those once it is not solely budget related. Instead, options, he has to choose between taking a this particular issue stems from advanced lower level writing class and AP Biology — placement courses, the likes of which have which he decidedly dislikes. He is asked to proliferated throughout the nation’s high choose between cultivating his passion and schools. The dilemma is in the growing adding another course with contents that lack of curricular flexibility precipitated by will have little lasting impact. For Jimmy their presence, which promotes adherence to choose the former is to place himself in to a label rather than the pursuit of one’s a precarious position which could inhibit interests. his lifelong goal of attending a prestigious Of course, students are technically university, so he elects to take AP Biology. permitted to dabble in different subjects in As a result, he loses out on a year’s worth of high school, but delving development of the skill outside of the category that could ultimately beof classes labeled “AP” “The dilemma is in come his livelihood. And is seldom conducive to the growing lack of while this situation is hysuccess when it comes pothetical, the problems curricular flexibility to college admissions. inherent to AP courses AP courses possess a precipitated by their are real and unfortunate. centralized curriculum presence, which Not only does in which success is meathe desire for an apsured by a nationwide promotes adherence plication laden with AP test at the end of the to a label rather than courses inhibit academacademic year. Students ic exploration, it also the pursuit of one’s who perform exemplarpunishes students from ily receive a 5; those interests.” smaller, less well-funded who perform well a 4, high schools that are unsolidly a 3, below averable to support the same age a 2 and dreadfully a 1. Conceptually, course offerings as their more privileged AP courses attempt to provide a nationwide counterparts. In these cases, even if a student baseline by which colleges and universities has earned a high GPA, scored well on ACT may rank their prospective students, allow- or SAT exams and has engaged in diverse ing for an objective measure of evaluation extracurricular pursuits, a slightly below independent of the caliber of school whence average number of AP courses — something the applicant comes. that is entirely out of their control — may From this objectivity, however, comes make the student a less favorable candidate. a prioritization of AP courses above their Even if unintentional, judging students by “regular” alternatives, and this paradigm this metric impedes academic mobility and effectively places students seeking to undermines the notion of higher education apply to high-caliber institutions into an as a meritocracy. intellectual quagmire. Do they pursue a The current fetishization of “AP fanatnon-weighted, non-AP ics” is a reality whose interest to narrow their pros are far outweighed options and continue “The current by its cons, as students to study what they fetishization of are continuously forced enjoy, or do they take choose between what [Advanced Placement] to every honors and AP they really want to study cour se available to fanatics is a reality and what they feel that pad their résumé? The whose pros are far they need to study. Such a latter, unfortunately, choice is never conducive i s t h e mu c h m o r e outweighed by its to long-term intellectual c o m m o n a p p r o a c h cons, as students are success, hurting both in— and practically a dividual students as well compulsory one. Not continuously forced to as our prospects as a somaximizing the number choose between what ciety. After all, passion for of AP courses on one’s they really want to one’s work is perhaps the schedule means giving greatest catalyst toward an inherent advantage study and what they promising results and to one’s contemporaries feel that they need to innovation. It is time for when it comes to vying AP courses to cease being for limited spots at elite study.” the end-all-be-all and for colleges. That is a risk students to be allowed to many students cannot discover and pursue their afford to take. interests at a younger age. Only then will we That many students feel pressured to move past the mere façade of individuality take a course because of its label and not its masking a search for minute differences amid content is a shame, as it forces students to a sea of homogeneity and at last adopt the pursue disciplines of little to no interest. For notion of “celebrating what makes you difinstance, let us say that Jimmy loves writing. ferent” as the staple of admissions criteria He takes every AP English course his school and the collegiate experience.
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
Hanover’s Howe Library hosts 21st year of Ciné Salon program By SAVANNAH MILLER The Dartmouth
Hanover’s Howe Library will begin celebrating the 21st year of Ciné Salon, a program that celebrates seldom seen films, on Monday. Seven segments will be presented through April 16. With a variety of genres, Ciné Salon will feature psychedelic LSD films and avant-garde masterpieces. Film restorationist Bruce Posner started Ciné Salon and has brought fringe films from all over the world to Hanover. Megan Coleman, a librarian at t h e H owe wh o ove r s e e s programming, cites the obscurity of these films as one of Ciné Salon’s appeals. “[Posner] finds things that, unless you know somebody, you might not have access to see,” Coleman said. “You have the chance to see something that you can brag to people about.” Ciné Salon started after Posner realized that the types of films he was interested in were not readily available to viewers. Posner was able to use the connections he had made through his career as a filmmaker and archivist to bring the movies to Hanover and present them in a curated program. “I’ve somehow lucked out with
the people I’ve met and the things I’ve done,” Posner said. Once he got his hands on these films, he suspected he would not be the only person interested in seeing them. “I wasn’t going to show these movies at home alone, so I found this nice little library,” Posner said. Coleman also said Ciné Salon is one of the most unique and beloved events celebrated annually at the Howe Library. “It’s been really fun,” Coleman said. “We let [Posner] curate it how he wants to ... We try and really promote it and let people know this is here.” While the Howe also hosts other free events like yoga lessons, book groups and speeches, Coleman said Ciné Salon is an event that really stands out to the library patrons because of the wide range of themes and subject matter. “[Posner] had an interest in movies, especially avant-garde, niche-y films,” Coleman said. “This spring, [Ciné Salon is] focusing on underground films.” Amelia Kahl, associate curator of the academic program at the Hood Museum of Art, will introduce the Feb. 26 segment. “Resonant Spaces: Adkins/Conrad,” which celebrates artists Terry Adkins and Tom Conrad. Like Posner, she said
that the Hanover area is a unique environment for creative discovery. “Dartmouth is a place for exploration and critical thought,” Kahl wrote in an email statement. “These kind of events expose the community to work that they may not know and bring people together to discuss and enjoy them.” This year, Ciné Salon has an even stronger connection to Dartmouth, stemming from discoveries Posner made in the attic of a Dartmouth building. According to Posner, before the Hopkins Center for the Arts was built, movies were screened on campus in a small room in Fairbanks Hall, which is now divided into North and South Fairbanks. Posner recently went to explore the space and found a secret opening in the ceiling of the room. “We look up, and there’s a trap door in the ceiling,” Posner said. “The whole length of the building [had] films, thousands of films.” Po s n e r fo u n d b oxe s w i t h computer labels containing various types of films relating to the College, including Dartmouth football tapes spanning from the 1920s to the 1990s, the history of the Dartmouth Film Society and several of the movies the group had brought to campus.
COURTESY OF BRUCE POSNER
Author Virginia Heffernan spoke with film restorationist Bruce Posner at a Ciné Salon event in 2016.
COURTESY OF BRUCE POSNER
Filmmaker Bruce Posner (right) selects the films for each Ciné Salon series.
One portion of Ciné Salon that screens on March 5 is titled “Brakhage at Dartmouth,” and it draws inspiration from some of the found materials. Stan Brakhage was a 20th century experimental filmmaker who attended Dartmouth for one term in 1951 but decided to leave to pursue filmmaking. Brakhage returned to campus in 1955 to premiere his first-ever film “Dog Star Man.” Posner found old copies of The Dartmouth detailing Brakhage’s return and manifesto calling for the College to support its artists. “In this box labeled ‘March 18, 1955’ were all the correspondences between him and the guy who ran the film society about Brakhage coming back to show his films at Dartmouth,” Posner said. For “Brakhage at Dartmouth,” Ciné Salo n wi ll b e p lay in g “Dog Star Man, Part Four,” “Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection” and “23rd Psalm Branch.” Ciné Salon will also include segments such as “The Strange
Love of Martha Ivers,”a film noir based on a short story. “Resonant Spaces” gets its name from the exhibition on view at Dartmouth in the fall term that Kahl co-curated. Kahl said the films featured in “Resonant Spaces” segment, like all the pieces in Ciné Salon, are important to film history and personal development. “Film, like other for ms of art, asks us to open our mind to new ideas and new questions,” Kahl wrote. “Collaborating with partners on campus and in our community is a key part of the work we do at the Hood. We’re happy that a work from a recent show can be shown again in a different context.” Coleman and Posner agree that the main reason Ciné Salon has been successful over two decades is the universality of the movies. “Film can attract pretty much anybody,” Coleman said. M o n d a y ’s s e g m e n t “A c i d Visions” will feature psychedelic films and mash-ups, including “Bein” a 1967 short film from the late cinematographer Jerry Adams.