VOL. CLXXIV NO.190
SUNNY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Dartmouth will not build large College Park dorm, Hanlon announces
MUD SEASON
HIGH 49 LOW 32
By ZACHARY BENJAMIN AND AMANDA ZHOU SONIA QIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
As temperatures have warmed in Hanover, the snow has receded around campus.
NEWS
THE DARTMOUTH ANNOUNCES INCOMING 2018 DIRECTORATE PAGE 2
ARTS
FILM REVIEW: ‘LADY BIRD’ PAGE 8
REVIEW: ‘1984’ PRODUCTION LEAVES VIEWERS QUESTIONING THE PRESENT PAGE 7
OPINION
FREEMAN: DOUBT YOURSELF PAGE 4
MAGANN: SENSIBLE LIMITS PAGE 4 FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2018 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
College releases results of 2017 sexual misconduct survey
By SABA NEJAD
The Dartmouth Staff
In January 2018, the College released the results of its sexual misconduct survey fielded in spring 2017. The results come two years after the Association of American Universities administered a sexual misconduct and sexual assault survey in 2015. About 34 percent of female
undergraduates reported experiencing nonconsensual penetration or physical touching involving physical force or incapacitation since entering college, up from 28 percent in 2015. About 7 percent of men reported, the same, compared to about 4.5 percent in 2015. The report found that female undergraduates were about four times more likely
than male undergraduates to experience nonconsensual penetration and about five times more likely to experience forced touching. In addition to that, bisexual and questioning female undergraduates were twice as likely as heterosexual female undergraduates to experience forcible penetration, though SEE SURVEY PAGE 5
Researchers collaborate to study ‘warming hole’ By RUBEN GALLARDO The Dartmouth
A team of Dartmouth researchers collaborated with scientists from Michigan State University to investigate the mechanisms behind a “warming hole” found in the southeastern U.S., which produces a cooling effect in the region during the winter months. Their findings were recently published in the scientific jour nal Geophysical Research Letters.
Dartmouth will not build a 750-bed residence hall in College Park due to the high cost of such a project, College President Phil Hanlon announced during yesterday’s termly faculty of arts and sciences meeting. The original proposal potentially threatened to demolish Shattuck Observatory. “We have determined the cost of building 750 beds is simply beyond our current financial capacity,” Hanlon said during the meeting. However, Hanlon left open the possibility of building smaller residential
facilities, noting that these dor mitories would not necessarily have to be built in College Park. Hanlon said the “pot of money” for a 750-bed residence hall would have to come from donors. He emphasized the issue of underfunded depreciation — that the College had not adequately set aside money to counteract the effects of declining property values. The Board of Trustees, upon hearing last month that the 750-bed complex was not financially possible, recommended that the College continue to explore smaller options, which could potentially be built on sites other than College SEE MEETING PAGE 2
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
The project began in the summer of 2016 as a first-year summer research project for Trevor Partridge, the study’s lead author and a secondyear earth sciences doctoral student. The research paper is part of a larger five-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to geography professor Jonathan Winter, one of the paper’s co-authors. Winter said he learned about the project in 2014 through SEE WARMING PAGE 3
SONIA QIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Local residents stand on Main Street holding “Black Lives Matter” signs.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 2
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
The Dartmouth announces incoming 2018 directorate By THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Zachary Benjamin ’19 and Hanting Guo ’19 will serve as The Dartmouth’s next editor-in-chief and publisher, respectively. Benjamin, an English major from Lodi, California, joined the news section his freshman year and served as a news managing editor during winter 2017 and winter 2018. He will replace outgoing editor-inchief Ray Lu ’18 in the spring. Guo, a computer science and economics double-major and music minor from Seattle, Washington, joined the strategy staff his freshman year and served as a strategy staff project leader from winter to fall 2017. He will replace outgoing publisher Philip Rasansky ’18 in the spring. 2018 Editorial Directorate Ioana Solomon ’19 will replace Kourtney Kawano ’18 as production executive editor, and Amanda Zhou ’19 will replace Erin Lee ’18 as news executive editor. Alexa Green ’19 and Sonia Qin ’19, both current news managing editors, will continue their positions for a full tenure. Benjamin and Zhou will end their time as news managing editors. Matthew Brown ’19 and Lucy Li ’19 will replace Parker Richards ’18, Solomon and Ziqin Yuan ’18
COURTESY OF ZACHARY BENJAMIN
COURTESY OF HANTING GUO
Zachary Benjamin ’19 will serve as The Dartmouth’s editor-in-chief.
Hanting Guo ’19 will serve as The Dartmouth’s publisher.
as opinion editors. Current Mirror editors MarieCapucine Pineau-Valencienne ’19 and Carolyn Zhou ’19 will continue to lead the section for a year. Current sports editors Nathan Albrinck ’19 and Samantha Hussey ’19 will continue their positions, alongside Mark Cui ’19, who served as a sports editor in winter 2017. Evan Morgan ’19 and Chris Shim ’18 will end their tenure as sports editors. Albrinck will edit in the fall, Cui will edit for the full year and Hussey will edit in spring and fall. Betty Kim ’20, Joyce Lee ’19 and Morgan will serve as arts
Campanile ’20 will continue in her position for a year. Jaclyn Eagle ’19 will also continue to serve as templating editor. Current design editors Samantha Burack ’20 and Jee Seob Jung ’20 will continue in their positions as well.
editors, replacing Haley Gordon ’18 and Madeline Killen ’18. Lee is currently an associate arts editor. Kim and Morgan will edit in the spring and Lee will edit for fall and winter. Current Dartbeat editor Melanie Kos ’20 will continue to serve in her position, while Yadira Torres ’19 ends her tenure as Dartbeat editor. Divya Kopalle ’21 and Michael Lin ’21 will take over as photography editors from Tiffany Zhai ’18. Kopalle and Lin are currently serving as associate photography editors. Multimedia editor Jessica
2018 Business Directorate Bharath Katragadda ’19 and Jay Zhou ’19 will replace Roshni Chand wani ’18 and Alfredo Gurmendi ’18 as strategy directors. Brian Schoenfeld ’19 and Heeju Kim ’19 will replace Shinar Jain ’18 as advertising director. Raiden Meyer ’20 will serve as advertising
assistant director. Brian Chekal ’19 and Cayla Plotch ’19 will become product development directors, replacing Kelly Chen ’18 and Elyse Kuo ’18. S a r a h Kova n ’ 1 9 a n d Christina Wulff ’19 will serve as communications and marketing directors, replacing Emma Marsano ’18. Vinay Reddy ’20 will become communications and marketing assistant director. Yeonjae Park ’19, who served as technology director in fall 2017, will reassume her position from Matthew Gobin ’20, upon returning from her winter off-term.
Hanlon announces abandoning of College Park dorm proposal FROM MEETING PAGE 1
Park. Hanlon added the College is currently investigating these options. “Multiple sites are possible,” he said. Hanlon emphasized the importance of constructing new “swing space” — housing that will provide breathing room to relocate and house students while the College begins work on renovating or demolishing other dormitories like the Choates and the River Cluster. The College has been investigating the possibility of the 750-bed construction project since September 2017, prompted by the fact that the College is currently at its maximum housing capacity. Since its announcement, the College has received significant pushback against the plan, with many students, faculty and alumni
expressing concer n that this project could threaten Shattuck Observatory, located in College Park and one of the older surviving college observatories in the country. The faculty in the physics and astronomy department circulated a letter, signed by 88 faculty, staff, students and alumni, on Oct. 17 expressing opposition to the construction. The department’s alumni board also sent Hanlon a letter on Nov. 1 echoing the first letter’s concerns. At press time, 1,949 people had signed a separate petition against constructing the new residence hall on a site that could threaten Shattuck. According to a College press release issued after the meeting, funds for new construction will come from philanthropic donations or reallocation in the operating budget. Hanlon also gave an update on the Task Force on Enrollment
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
Expansion, which has been charged priorities of the arts and sciences with exploring the effects of the faculty in regards to the budget College expanding its student body and resource allocation, previously by 10 to 25 percent. Hanlon said recommended this motion be a summary of the passed on Feb. committee’s findings 12. will be presented to “We have A t the meeting, the Trustees in an determined that H a n l o n upcoming meeting. reiterated two Fr o m t h e r e, t h e the cost of building j u s t i f i c at i o n s Trustees will decide 750 beds is simply a possible whether it is the “right beyond our current for student body time” to increase expansion: enrollment. Should financial capacity.” that a larger they decide to go student body forward, Hanlon said would enable the committee will -COLLEGE PRESIDENT the College to seek more community PHIL HANLON foster more feedback. people who can “At this point, no do good in the decision has been made one way or another,” Hanlon world, and that it would enable the College to recruit a more said. The faculty also passed a diverse student body, incorporating motion for all arts and sciences dimensions of diversity that it faculty committees to evaluate cannot currently fit in. the enrollment task force’s report During the meeting, F. Jon and transmit their thoughts to the Kull ’88, chair of the steering Committee on Priorities before committee overseeing the College’s the committee’s next meeting reaccreditation report and dean on April 30. The Committee on of the School of Graduate and Priorities, which promotes the Advanced Studies, detailed the
College’s upcoming reaccreditation process. Dean of the College Rebecca Biron also gave an update on the nascent housing communities, introduced in fall 2016. She provided an overview of the house system for the faculty members present and encouraged them to “activate their house membership” and participate in house events. Last, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid Lee Coffin gave an update on admission strategies. From a survey of Dartmouth applicants, he said that while students view Dartmouth as “adventurous” and prestigious, they do not necessarily think of the College as global or flexible. To that end, he detailed changes in the College’s admissions strategies that he has put into place, such as focusing admissions messaging more on the liberal arts rather than the D-Plan and on underrepresented states and countries. At the start of the meeting, Hanlon also thanked the audience for the cards he received during his recovery from a recent surgery. “My new hip is working great and I’m back to 100 percent,” Hanlon said.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
PAGE 3
Researchers study ‘warming hole’ in southeastern United States FROM WARMING PAGE 1
his connections at MSU, who were working on a proposal for a project that broadly addressed climate, nutrients and water-smart agriculture in the high plains of the central U.S. “They asked me if I would be interested in doing the climate component of that … T he proposal had a graduate student on it, so that’s when I [brought] in [Partridge],” Winter said. Partridge said from an earth sciences perspective, he thought this was an interesting topic to study because the warming hole in the southeastern U.S. is “one of only two places in the world that have been cooling relative to the overall global warming, so it’s totally anomalous.” A l t h o u g h s c i e n t i s t s h ave extensively studied the warming hole for decades, Partridge said the research team wanted to approach it from a different perspective. The research entailed analyzing temperature and precipitation data from weather stations across the U.S. between 1901 to 2015. “What we wanted to do was to develop a way to come up with a more dynamic definition of the warming hole,” Partridge said.
The team found that during the summer and fall, the warming hole would move towards the Midwest, whereas in the winter it would shift towards the Southeast. The study also found that natural climate variability patterns in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans create a wavier jet stream, which allows cold air from the Arctic to dip down into the southeastern U.S. during the winter. These patterns occur when the warm air from the Pacific Ocean rises over the western U.S., which eventually sinks down in the eastern part of the country, causing a low-pressure system that pushes the cold Arctic air downwards, Partridge said. “That’s not the case for the summer, fall and spring,” he said. “We can’t say conclusively, but our results are in line with some other recent work that suggests that [this] is a result of, potentially, agricultural practices in the Midwest.” Earth sciences professor Erich Osterberg, another one of the study’s co-authors, described his role in the project as a climate dynamic specialist who examines the interaction of natural patterns in the ocean and the atmosphere with a particular focus on how changes in the ocean temperature can affect the jet stream.
COURTESY OF TREVOR PARTRIDGE
In regions of the southeastern United States, temperatures have decreased slightly over time, though average global temperatures have increased.
“Once you affect the jet stream, you can change weather patterns really dramatically,” Osterberg said. “What I think is so interesting about this jet stream’s relationship with long term climate change is that [it] affects weather patterns so much that people actually notice it. Farmers notice it because their
citrus crops get destroyed. People would have to be filtered by the notice it just because, wait a National Climate Assessment, a minute, it normally doesn’t snow collection of U.S. agencies, which in Nashville.” summarizes the state of the climate The research team did not come and climate change projections. up with the name “warming hole,” “Climate change is really a Osterberg said. He said the term political issue at this point,” Winter originated from maps that show said. “I don’t think anybody is changes in the going to change temperature “[Since] people in anybody’s mind of the globe — based on good the Southeast and these maps are science — mostly colored Midwest have not the science is red because experienced the same a l r e a d y t h e r e. it is getting It’s been there w a r m e r climate change ... they for decades that e v e r y w h e r e might be less ... likely climate change else in the that to believe [in] climate isw ea problem world except should be i n t h e t w o change because it has addressing, and “ w a r m i n g not impacted them then we are not hole” regions. addressing it.” “It’s a personally.” Winter said he warming hole hopes that this because it’s paper succeeds in -JONATHAN WINTER, a hole in the explaining a very w a r m i n g , ” GEOGRAPHY PROFESSOR rare phenomenon, Osterberg since only two said. “You get places in the world this little blue hole, so it looks like have not seen the same warming as a hole in the map. I think that’s the rest of the earth. probably where the name comes R a i s i n g aw a re n e s s a b o u t from.” the existence of this warming One of the possible implications hole also draws attention to the of the warming hole phenomenon fact that global warming is not on communities in the Southeast is homogeneously happening across differing regional public opinion on the surface of the earth, Partridge climate change, according to Winter. said. “[Since] people in the Southeast Partridge plans to conduct and Midwest have not experienced follow-up research by looking at the same climate change as the the mechanisms that may influence rest of the world … they might be the warming hole phenomenon less impacted by it and less likely during the summer with a focus to believe [in] climate change on agricultural practices, he said, because it has not impacted them adding that he will be working personally,” Winter said. again with researchers from both He said that there is a complicated Dartmouth and MSU. process that research findings must “There’s a lot of interesting go through to reach policy makers. questions still to be asked,” According to Winter, the paper Partridge said.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST JILLIAN FREEMAN ’21
STAFF COLUMNIST MATTHEW MAGANN ’21
Doubt Yourself
Sensible Limits
If people do not doubt their actions, they will not know themselves. What causes people’s behavior? Why do people eat what they eat or drink what they drink? One might think, “Simple — because I want to!” But what motivates people to behave, eat or drink in the first place? What causes people to make decisions? If these choices — how to get to work, what to buy at the supermarket, where to spend money — have become subconscious, then it is time to take a trip of self-exploration. In his treatise “Meditations on First Philosophy,” seventeenth-century philosopher René Descartes wrote, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, you must at least once in your life doubt, as far as possible, all things.” Descartes’ quotation characterizes the philosopher’s “Method of Doubt,” the first technique outlined in “Meditations,” which he wrote to establish a foundation for future scientific research. Yet this Cartesian doubt extends beyond the sciences and can be helpful in figuring out personal foundation and truths. One must begin by prescribing doubt to everything one knows. This is to challenge all beliefs, even — and especially — those that are most deeply rooted. Then starts the selfcritique, questioning every action. Imagine waking up in the morning with no guaranteed beliefs. A college student’s first thought may be to have breakfast, so he questions: “Why should I have breakfast?” He decides that since eating food will nourish his body, eating breakfast is a good decision. He now knows that he values his body and therefore his health. But does he? What will he eat for breakfast? Should he eat sugar-filled cereal or opt for an avocado or a piece of fruit? His selection will reveal what he values. This same thought process will repeat throughout the day, revealing his core beliefs. Questioning each and every action will force people to examine their priorities. If someone drives to a local supermarket multiple times a week even though she could walk, she might get into the car and, practicing doubt, ask, “Why am I driving to the supermarket right now?” The obvious answer, to get food, makes sense because health is important. But if people truly valued health they should walk to the supermarket, since walking has health benefits that driving does not. On the same note, if they value environmentalism, they
would realize that they should walk to the store whenever possible to reduce carbon emissions. This doubt has changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. During my senior year of high school, my best friend took on the challenge of Cartesian doubt. He realized that he wasn’t prioritizing an important belief he held: the active avoidance of the release of carbon emissions. So he started small, by avoiding meat, a significant contribution of greenhouse gas emissions and later any inorganic food products, since pesticide and chemical use contaminates the water supply, soil and air. He committed fully and pledged to stop using his car. Seeing him make this pledge inspired me to do the same. That summer became an experiment. It was tough at first, but it took less than a month of taking trains to find a new normal. It was empowering. I knew I was making a difference, no matter how small, by actively prioritizing the things that were most important to me. For the average college student, Cartesian doubt might bring about a better way to manage time. Even as a first-year, I realized my priorities by using Cartesian doubt. I was a student-athlete in the fall, but when I reflected on the hours I spent on athletics versus academics, I realized that I valued my education much more. Similarly, an aspiring fraternity member might realize that the group’s actions do not fit into his core values and decide not to join. A religious student might realize that he places a high value on his commitment to practicing his religion without knowing why he values or practices it in the first place. Regardless of someone’s beliefs, Cartesian doubt can open eyes to new questions and drive people to acknowledge every action they take. In an age where much action seems biased and thoughtless, people must be certain about choices and ensure that decisions are not simply a product of influence. This practice also allows people to recognize and reinforce the values they have had all along, becoming more confident in their actions, stronger in their beliefs and more decisive in the way they live their lives. So, why do people do the things they do? They won’t know until they ask.
6175 ROBINSON HALL, HANOVER N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600
RAY LU, Editor-in-Chief KOURTNEY KAWANO, Executive Editor ZACHARY BENJAMIN, Managing Editor SONIA QIN, Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS PARKER RICHARDS, IOANA SOLOMON & ZIQIN YUAN, Opinion Editors MARIE-CAPUCINE PINEAU-VALENCIENNE & CAROLYN ZHOU, Mirror Editors NATHAN ALBRINCK, SAMANTHA HUSSEY, EVAN MORGAN & CHRIS SHIM, Sports Editors HALEY GORDON & MADELINE KILLEN, Arts Editors MELANIE KOS & YADIRA TORRES, Dartbeat Editor SAMANTHA BURACK & JEE SEOB JUNG, Design Editors ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN, Survey Editor
PHILIP RASANSKY, Publisher ERIN LEE, Executive Editor ALEXA GREEN, Managing Editor AMANDA ZHOU, Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS ALFREDO GURMENDI, Finance & Strategy Director ROSHNI CHANDWANI, Finance & Strategy Director SHINAR JAIN, Advertising Director KELLY CHEN, Product Development Director ELYSE KUO, Product Development Director EMMA MARSANO, Marketing & Communications Director MATTHEW GOBIN, Technology Director PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR TIFFANY ZHAI MULTIMEDIA EDITOR JESSICA CAMPANILE
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Elise Higgins, Divya Kopalle, Joyce Lee, Michael Lin, Tyler Malbreaux
ISSUE NEWS LAYOUT: Jacob Chalif 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.
It is time for reasonable firearms regulation. Will this time be different? One would hope right is subject to reasonable restrictions. Scalia that the senseless mass shooting at Florida’s gave the example of concealed carry bans, Parkland High School would move America to restrictions on gun purchases by criminals action. But of course, this is a nation that saw and the mentally ill and regulations on gun 20 first-grade students gunned down at Sandy sales as examples of lawful restrictions per the Hook Elementary School and did nothing. amendment. Even as the survivors of the shooting speak out The Second Amendment allows for in favor of gun control, the Florida House of restrictions on certain classes of arms. Even the Representatives refused to pass a ban on assault strictest pro-gun advocates would agree that rifles. Yet this debate can be resolved without the amendment comes with caveats; after all, extreme measures on either side. Reasonable, private citizens clearly do not have the right widely-supported gun regulations can limit the to nuclear arms. The Second Amendment chance of another mass shooting. accommodates restrictions in the name of Yes, this nation has a problem with guns. public safety on certain weapons so long as The United States has a disproportionate those restrictions do not infringe upon the rate of gun-related murders, 25 times that of overall right to bear arms. Firearms have comparable high-income countries. In 2016, multiple legitimate, lawful uses, including over 38,000 Americans died in gun-related hunting, self-defense and target shooting. incidents. Not coincidentally, America has Those uses constitute Americans’ right by the the world’s highest rate of gun ownership: Second Amendment, and any regulations on 88 guns per 100 people per a 2012 United weapons must not infringe on that right. Nations report. This brings us to one of the most commonly In the wake of the Parkland shooting, suggested sorts of gun regulation: a ban on though, some pro-gun politicians have seized assault weapons, including most semiautomatic on the issue of mental firearms. Take the AR-15, health. It makes intuitive the weapon used in the “Reasonable, sense — people imagine Parkland shooting. Some that mass shooters must be widely-supported people use it to hunt, but mentally disturbed. But if gun regulations can it is primarily used for mental health issues lay at military purposes. The gun the root of America’s gun limit the chance is meant to be used in the violence, statistics should of another mass context of war. Banning indicate higher rates of the possession of AR-15’s mental illness in the U.S. shooting.” would in no way restrict compared to other nations. individuals’ ability to hunt And that’s not the case; or defend themselves. research indicates that severe mental disorders Other guns are still available, and the right are no more prevalent in America than in to bear arms remains intact. Anyone who other developed countries. A 2015 study wanted to use a military-style assault weapon found that just 4 percent of American gun at a firing range could use one there, but the deaths resulted from mental illness. Another weapon would remain on the premises in commonly cited factor, crime rates, cannot secure storage. Prohibiting assault weapons account for America’s gun violence. Our rate would not fundamentally violate the Second of property crime is similar that of comparable Amendment, but it would help prevent another nations, but with guns added to the equation, mass shooting. that crime becomes far deadlier. Although Despite the political gridlock around gun New York and London have similar levels of control, gun safety regulations have broad property crime, those crimes end in murder public support. Quinnipiac University 54 times more often in New York than in released national polling data last Tuesday London. The difference is gun use. Permissive on a number of gun-related questions. Two gun laws, not mental health or crime, account thirds of Americans favored stricter gun for our extreme rate of gun-related deaths. laws while just 31 percent were opposed. A Debates on gun control need to account similar number supported a ban on assault for another critical element: the Second weapons, with 67 percent in favor and 29 Amendment. Only three nations — Guatemala, percent opposed. Other gun safety measures Mexico and the U.S. — have a constitutional enjoy near-unanimous support. Eighty-three right to gun ownership. But whatever one percent favored mandatory waiting periods thinks of the Second Amendment, it remains, before receiving a purchased gun and 97 and is likely to remain, in the Constitution. percent of Americans supported universal Americans have a right to keep and bear background checks on gun purchasers. The arms, and any gun control legislation needs American public wants to take action on gun to respect that. violence. However, the Second Amendment does Banning assault weapons does not violate not grant an absolute right to any American the Second Amendment. The amendment is to bear any sort of arms. In the 2008 District not absolute and so long as the fundamental of Columbia v. Heller decision, which struck elements of gun ownership, like self-defense, down Washington’s handgun ban, Supreme remain protected, certain weapons can be Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority restricted to protect public safety. Assault opinion explicitly stated that the Second weapons have little legitimate use outside the Amendment is “not a right to keep and armed forces, but they cause immense tragedy. carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner The public has the will to act on gun violence whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” The — if only our politicians would listen.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
Survey shows 34 percent of female undergrads experienced sexual assault FROM SURVEY PAGE 1
the risk for forced touching is the same as that for heterosexual female undergraduates. Alicia Betsinger, associate provost for institutional research, said it is difficult to gather reliable valuable data that can then be shared and used to make decisions. “It’s always been my goal to have a survey that’s actionable,” she added. From May 4, 2017 to May 25, 2017, 47 percent of Dartmouth students — both undergraduate and graduate — took the survey, compared to only 42 percent in the 2015 survey by the AAU. In 2017, 3,147 Dartmouth students took the survey, of whom 2,039 were undergraduates. Fifty-five percent of respondents identified as female, 43 percent were male and 1 percent were genderqueer or gender nonconforming. The 2017 survey was based on the 2015 AAU survey with some modifications. Students who completed the latest survey received $10 in compensation, as opposed to $5 in 2015. That, according to Betsinger was a “lesson learned.” “We struggled in 2015 and we struggled again in 2017 about incentives for a survey of this type,” she said. “It doesn’t always feel right, but it also does improve response rates and that’s what you want, especially on a topic of this importance.” Some institutions offered a larger incentive for this kind of survey, Betsinger said, adding that Dartmouth fell in the middle. A major takeaway from the results were that there was a knowledge gap on what resources are available to survivors, Betsinger said. The survey revealed that only 24 percent of men, 26 percent of women and 27 percent of transgender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming and questioning undergraduates were “very” or “extremely” aware of the services provided by the Title IX coordinator for sexual misconduct. On the other hand, 54 percent of women, 62 percent of men and 43 percent of TGQN undergraduates were “very” or “extremely” aware of the health services for sexual misconduct at Dick’s House; 49 percent of women, 50 percent of men and 37 percent of TGQN undergraduates were “very” or “extremely” aware of counseling services; and 58 percent of women, 69 percent of men and 27 percent of TGQN undergraduates were “very” or “extremely” aware of Safety and Security resources for sexual misconduct. C o m p a re d t o t h e i r m a l e counter parts, female and/or transgender, gender queer, gender
non-conforming and questioning undergraduates had less favorable views on how the College might handle a reported incident. The results also detailed different reasons survivors of sexual assault do not report to campus officials or de partments. Of female undergraduates who experienced unwanted penetration, 76 percent did not report the incident to any of the 14 resources listed on the survey, which includes Student Accessibility Services, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and undergraduate advisors. According to the survey, nearly 67 percent indicated that they did not want to get someone else into trouble or did not think the incident was serious enough, nearly 41 percent indicated that they had other things such as work and school to focus on and nearly 31 percent indicated they felt embarrassed, ashamed, wanted to forget about the incident or that reporting would be too emotionally difficult. Senior associate dean of student affairs Liz Agosto ’01 said that issues with reporting are part of a larger national issue. Students must deal with feelings of shame, guilt, reluctance to come forward or fears of being ignored, she said. Agosto said from an institutional perspective, the College hopes to increase reporting by building trust in the system, ensuring that students are aware of resources available to them and making that staff and faculty are knowledgeable about them as well. “The prevalence rates on the survey are really distressing, but they also show that at any given point in time, we’re all likely to be in a space with someone’s who’s experienced harm,” said Agosto. This kind of shared experience gives members of the community the ability to create a campus culture where people feel heard, believed and supported, rather than one that encourages a continued lack of reporting, she said. Therefore, the College’s role in continuing to build trust and raise awareness about the resources comes in tandem with a continued effort on students’ side in terms of how they are choosing to engage with one another and talk about issues surrounding sexual misconduct and campus resources. “The Title IX office has been working to educate and share information about what is a private or confidential resource, how do you access those resources, when you access those resources what is expected to happen,” Agosto said. Confidential resources can include medical professionals, including Dick’s House health services providers and counselors;
WISE campus advocates, who can connect students to the gender-based violence-prevention group WISE; and ordained clergy at the William Jewett Tucker Center. They may not share information unless there is imminent danger or on a subject that involves mandatory reporting laws. However, private resources are required to disclose any knowledge of sexual assault, sexual misconduct or gender-based misconduct with Title IX coordinator Allison O’Connell, Agosto said. O’Connell said that last year, there were trainings on the sexual misconduct resources available on campus offered to faculty throughout the year, but they were poorly attended. This year, a new program, developed to increase attendance, has been launched in partnership with organizations such as WISE. The Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning will also run a faculty program for sexual assault awareness week in April, she said. “We know that when we share information about resources to the community, we allow more people in the community to have the ability to support survivors,” O’Connell said. On Jan. 29, the College announced the creation of a Presidential Steering Committee on Sexual Misconduct, which will identify areas in the College’s sexual misconduct policies and procedures that could be revised or improved. The committee’s members were announced on Feb. 14. The creation of the committee follows the announcement last October that three faculty members of the psychological and brain sciences department were under investigation for sexual misconduct, as well as a broader cultural push to call out and combat sexual misconduct. On Feb. 21, Dean of the College Rebecca Biron held a question and answer session on the survey with Betsinger, Agosto, associate director of the Student Wellness Center Amanda Childress, student assembly president Ian Sullivan ’18 and Palaeopitus Senior Society moderator Clare Mathias ’18. Agosto said during the event that the length of the official reporting process varies but usually takes 60 days. She also emphasized the option of informal reporting, which is a report without a formal investigation or any course of action. She added that there are “ongoing conversations” on what to do with informal reports. Students can also receive academic support even if they are not going through formal processes, she said. Amanda Zhou contributed reporting.
PAGE 5
PAGE 6
DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
LOGIC COMPLETE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
SUNJU LEE ’18
TODAY
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Seminar: “Thermomechanics of meltwater flow through snow,” with University of Oregon postdoctoral scholar Colin Meyer, Murdough A09, Thayer School of Engineering
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Lecture: “Cellular and Circuit Mechanisms for Efficient Coding in the Drosophila Visual System,” with New York University postdoctoral fellow Erin Barnhart, Chilcott Auditorium, Vail Building
TOMORROW 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Lecture: “The Law and Philosophy of Indian-Hating,” with Michigan State University College of Law professor Matthew Fletcher, Haldeman 41 (Kriendler Conference Hall)
4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Entrepreneurial Speaker Series fireside chat with Caroline Horn ’92, partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Occom Commons, Goldstein Building
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Film: “Tickling Giants,” directed by Sara Taksler, Loew Auditorium, Black Family Visual Arts Center
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 0199-9931
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
PAGE 7
Review: ‘1984’ production leaves viewers questioning the present
By LAUREN SEGAL The Dartmouth
Although 2018 is just starting, there have already been many times this year that I’ve found myself wondering if I am living in a twisted dystopia. It seems that many have made the parallel between the harrowing state of affairs in George Orwell’s “1984” and the current state of politics. Since President Donald Trump’s advisor Kellyanne Conway used the politically charged words “alternative facts,” sales of the 20th-century novel spiked drastically. The term is eerily reminiscent of “newspeak,” a means by which the omnipotent Inner Party of Orwell’s novel prohibits unorthodox political thought. This fall, the Dartmouth theater department investigated the relevance of Orwell’s prophetic dystopia to today’s reality in the play “1984,” which opened on Feb. 16 and finished its run Sunday night. What is immediately noteworthy about the production is director Pe t e r H a c k e t t ’s d e c i s i o n t o incorporate multimedia and to employ various timelines — 1949, 1984 and 2018. In the first few minutes of the play, a large projector descended on stage and played an interview with Timothy
Snyder, author of the 2017 novel “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” The clip finished running and the screen ascended, revealing several characters running a 1940s-era radio station in the midst of broadcasting a radio-adaptation of the recently-released novel “1984.” Hackett’s play, although based on Orwell’s 1949 classic, drew upon the 1949 NBC University Theater radio production of “1984.” The performance jumps around often — were we watching a radio performance in 1949 or were we in the woods with protagonists Winston Smith and Julia in 1984? Whether intentional or not, the mixed timelines blurred the lines between Orwell’s imagined 1984 and what is happening around us today in 2018, insinuating that the two timelines are indistinguishable just as they were indistinguishable onstage. For example, at the climax of the first act, a swarm of government officers stormed the theater as Julia and Winston were arrested onstage. The officer’s vests sported the letters I.C.E. for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, making it very clear that the fates of the two protagonists could easily take place in today’s tyrannical America. The actors consistently delivered
convincing perfor mances that grounded the wandering timeline. Winston and Julia, played by Owen Page ’19 and Kerrigan Quenemoen ’20, respectively, were captivating to watch as their cautious romance blossomed amidst the Inner Party’s oppressive regime. Justine Goggin ’18 as O’Brien, a member of the Inner Party, was terrifying to behold, her clipped voice and deceptive nature despicable to the point where I couldn’t look away. The use of mixed media made for a politically-loaded performance as clips from music videos and short propaganda films from the World War II era punctuated Winston and Julia’s storyline. What could be interpreted by some as distracting from the primary plot instead added depth and drew frighteningly apt parallels between the original novel and issues such as police brutality, as symbolized by “I Can’t Breathe” by Pussy Riot, the group’s first English song and a dedication to Eric Garner, and the perceived onset of tyranny in the United States, as demonstrated by Snyder’s interview. The frequent cuts from the dimly lit theater to the bright projections hurt my eyes — but in a good way, as I was constantly reminded of the relevance of the Inner Party’s corruption in considering modern-day politics.
T he production not only excelled in its experimentation with different forms of media but was also visually riveting. Perhaps the most astounding feat of stage design in the play was the sterile prison in the Ministry of Love, seemingly suspended over the gaping darkness of the stage below, glass walls displaying the decrepit figures of Winston and the other prisoners as they were called out to the notorious room 101. I felt suffocated and, to be honest, slightly claustrophobic watching O’Brien torture Winston repeatedly in the prison, speaking to how effective the production was in relaying its message. The play understandably came with a warning of violent and disturbing scenes, which were ultimately necessary to accurately depict the violent and disturbing scenes of present-day America. At times, the play lost sight of the immigrant narrative, which I believe was used to connect the tyrannical worlds of 1984 and the present day. As “the RedAr med Prole Woman” stood in rags washing clothes singing background music to Winston and Julia’s tragedy, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps Winston and Julia were not always the best representatives of the people who suffer under tyranny, particularly
if the play wished to address the treatment of certain illegal immigrants under current policies. Although the play attempts to make a connection between the oppression of Winston and Julia and the oppression of immigrants in the modern day, it is inherently impossible to make that connection when neither Winston nor Julia represent immigrant narratives. The single immigrant character was a background role in the story of Winston and Julia, who were a part of the racial majority in Orwell’s dystopia. Perhaps this flaw finds root in Snyder’s “On Tyranny,” but the call to remain a patriot amidst nascent tyranny forces immigrant narratives into the backseat. The play effectively completes its intended parallel, albeit not holistically. Ju x t a p o s e d a g a i n s t t h e cacophony of Trump’s voice, the play ended on a lighter note as the cast came together to hold candles as they sang a song of hope. I left the theater light-hearted, but perhaps too light-hearted, considering the weight that I had just been asked to bear. If the purpose of “1984” was to convince its audience that America today is terrifyingly similar to Orwell’s dystopia, it was successful, as I was thoroughly convinced.
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
Review: ‘Lady Bird’ is charming, honest and Oscar-worthy By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
It’s hard not to ask what the best film of 2017 was, given that the 90th Academy Awards are less than a week away. But if you’re like me, it’s also surprisingly difficult to settle on a definitive answer. About a year ago, I reviewed “Moonlight” and called it the rare, transcendent cinematic experience that I’m lucky to have even once a year. “Moonlight,” to be clear, was precisely that film for 2016. Yet I had no such similar experience in 2017. Of cour se, that’s neither abnormal nor bad. It just makes it a little harder to answer the aforementioned question. As I reread the list of Best Picture nominations, I’m pleased to see that many of them are worthy contenders. “Dunkirk,” “Get Out,” “The Shape of Water” — all three are surprising and stellar in their own ways. Last year was also an unusually kind to big-budget, blockbuster franchise spectacles like “Blade Runner 2049,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi,” “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Wonder Woman.” However, if you were to demand that I pick a decisive “Best of the Year” film, I’d have to go with Greta Gerwig’s charming, effervescent, brutally heartbreaking “Lady Bird.” Before most people even had a chance to see it, “Lady Bird” had already garnered a reputation as the film that had the highest number of reviews with a perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And while I don’t think it’s perfect and that rating has since dropped a mere one percent, I can also easily see why it touched so many people, myself included. I think my friend and fellow film studies eccentric Victor Wu ’20 summarized it best when he pointed out that we’ve all been one of these characters at some point in our lives. At first glance, that’s a rather odd sentiment given how strange and idiosyncratic the characters in “Lady Bird” are. But it speaks, I think, to the honesty of their portrayals; they feel like real people precisely because they are never reduced to simple stereotypes. The protagonist Christina McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a senior at a Catholic high school in
Sacramento who insists on being called “Lady Bird.” Like most seniors, she’s had it with her school, with her parents, with her town and possibly even with her best friend. She’s desperate to spread her wings and attend a college on the East Coast, although this creates conflict with her mother Marion, played by Laurie Metcalf, with whom she has an intractable love-hate relationship. Part of the strange magic of “Lady Bird” is that Gerwig’s screenplay isn’t afraid to make the eponymous protagonist unlikable. Perhaps that’s not entirely fair; a more honest assessment would be that the film feels like it is capturing another reality and, in the process, it never seems to shy away from Lady Bird’s less savory character traits. We get to see all sides of her, both the good and the bad. We spend so much time encouraging the media to include strong, empowered female characters who can serve as valuable role models to a new generation of girls. Yet in the process, we can sometimes forget that women deserve to be written with just as much nuance
and pathos. In that regard, Lady Bird and her mother are perfectly feminist — not despite their imperfections, but because of them. So much of this, of course, comes from the indelible performances by Ronan and Metcalf. Ronan manages to capture, perhaps better than any other actor in a comingof-age film I’ve seen, that odd juxtaposition in so many teenagers: their simultaneous confidence in their own abilities and their realization that they are utterly lost as they prepare to leave behind the comforts of their adolescence. Whereas Ronan really has no chance to win the Oscar when pitted against the undeniable favorite, Frances McDormand for “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri,” I still think Metcalf could be victorious over the Supporting Actress frontrunner, Allison Janney in “I, Tonya.” Janney may chew the scenery, but Metcalf is infinitely subtler and substantially more refined in her evident empathy for such a flawed character. Although the film plays up Metcalf and Ronan, Lucas Hedges,
Timothée Chalamet, Stephen Henderson and especially Tracy Letts all resonate in smaller parts. They are truly the reason why this film feels so real, why we feel as though we’ve known these characters for so much longer than the run time. Henderson, for example, probably has no more than five minutes of screen time as the school’s drama instructor, yet his character remains one of the most memorable in the entire film. In the Dartmouth Film Society, members have had some rather fierce debates as to the merits of Gerwig’s nomination for Best Director. Some have argued that the film isn’t properly cinematic and thus her direction is nothing truly special, while others, like myself, have countered that simply having your name on a film like “Lady Bird” at least warrants Oscar consideration. Yes, “Lady Bird” lacks the overt cinematic flourishes that are more evident in the works of Gerwig’s competition. No, I don’t think she’s solely responsible for how well this film turned out. At the same time, though, she is
the director and writer, and thus I’m willing to wager that more of the film’s success can be owed to her than some are willing to give credit for. As I mentioned before, “Lady Bird” isn’t perfect. Sometimes its rambling, unstructured narrative further evokes a sense of realism, and sometimes it hurts the film’s cohesion, particularly during the final minutes. Its rewatch value is also fairly dependent on how willing you are to put up with these characters; sometimes they feel too real, and watching them can become painfully uncomfortable. Despite my quibbles, there is no denying that “Lady Bird” is special. Popular cinema loves to focus on father-son dynamics with their incumbent Oedipal anxieties and patriarchal concerns. But motherdaughter relationships are depicted far less often, and as the member of a household with a wonderful yet complicated example of such a dynamic, I can confirm that “Lady Bird” is all the more powerful precisely because of its beautiful combination of the specific and the universal.
UPLIFTING TRANSGENDER WOMEN OF COLOR
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The display “Uplifting Trans Women of Color” opened in the Hopkins Center for the Arts Garage Monday and will be open until Thursday, March 1.