VOL. CLXXIV NO.77
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Students, town to vote on zoning amendments
CLOUDY HIGH 54 LOW 34
By PAULOMI RAO
The Dartmouth Staff
MORGAN MOINIAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
OPINION
BROWN: A PIVOTAL PROPOSAL PAGE 4
Hanover’s annual town meeting will be held at Hanover High School this evening.
The Dartmouth Staff
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ARTIST AND WRITER LILY CITRIN ’17 PAGE 8
FILM REVIEW: ‘THE LOST CITY OF Z’ PAGE 7
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SEE ZONING PAGE 5
Dartmouth wraps up 11th annual PRIDE week By SUNPREET SINGH
ARTS
Hanover residents and the Dartmouth community will head to the polls today to vote on nine proposed measures, including an amendment to the town’s zoning laws regarding student residences. The measure, called Article 9, would change the town’s definition of “student residence.” If the amendment is passed, student residences would no longer be required to operate in conjunction with the College. The current zoning ordinance provides two separate definitions for student residences, one for residences in the institution district and another for those in residential
Last weekend, red, orange, green, blue and purple lights brightened the front of Dartmouth Hall in honor of PRIDE 2017. The 11th annual Dartmouth PRIDE week concluded on Friday with the annual Lavender Graduation, an event celebrating graduating students and individuals who have contributed to the
LGBTQIA+ community on campus. For the second year in a row, PRIDE lasted two weeks instead of one, starting on April 22 and ending on May 5. This year’s PRIDE theme was “Queer & _____.” Director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership Reese Kelly wrote in an email that the blank line a c k n ow l e d g e s t h e va s t diversity of experiences,
identities, histories and politics that can be rendered invisible when an individual is reduced to the label “queer.” This year’s PRIDE chair Emily Levine ’19 said that t h i s ye a r ’s c e l e b r at i o n tried to focus more on intersectionality to give a voice to students to discuss being queer while having other identities. She said the PRIDE committee tried to integ rate the theme
of “Queer & _____” into every event, to go beyond the lesbian and gay aspects of LGBTQIA+ because intersections of identities transcend the binaries of being straight or gay to include bisexuality, pansexuality, asexuality and other identities. PRIDE fundraising committee member Seungjae Hong ’20 said he thought the goal of PRIDE was to show that there is a
range of queer students at the College. He said that a lot of the events focused on the intersectionalities of queer identity to show that there is not one stereotype, experience or being that defines a queer student here. “A l o t o f t i m e s a t Dartmouth, it is easy to get lost in the details,” Hong said. “We all say that we are a small school, and sometimes SEE PRIDE PAGE 3
Apple orchard crops up on Organic Farm By EMMA DEMERS The Dartmouth
This spring, an exciting new fruit has cropped up on the Dartmouth Organic Farm, as an apple orchard has been planted. “We read a really good proverb in an apple orchard management book that said ‘the best time to plant an apple tree is 20 years
ago, the second best time is today,’” Org anic Far m club member Marshall Wilson ’17 said. At the beginning of winter term, Wilson partnered with Ellyn Golden ’17 to plant a new apple orchard next to the Organic Farm, located three miles from the College, after applying for and receiving funding from a Dartmouth Outing Club SEE ORCHARD PAGE 2
LAUREN BUDD/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Organic Farm produces over 2,000 pounds of produce each season.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 2
Organic Farm plants apple orchard making and baking,” Carpenter said. “We see the farm as a gateway Environmental Studies Division to sustainability on campus.” grant. According to the Organic Farm The new orchard includes 12 website, the far m grows over trees, paired into six different 2,000 pounds of produce every varieties: Crimson Topaz, Golden season. Much of the food goes to Russet, Sweet Sixteen, Wealthy, Dartmouth Dining Services, the Zestar and Winecrisp apples. Upper Valley Community and According to Wilson, the apple on-site events for visitors. trees were grafted Organic Farm onto preexisting “[Apples are] intern Leah Valdes tree roots, which ’18 said that many definitely a really allows the trees club members t o g ro w t o a charismatic fruit. are interested in m a n a g e a b l e It’s something that food production, height while including maple still producing everyone eats and syrup and fruit. This is the relates to, and it’s mushroom-picking, standard way of so maintaining the g rowing apple valuable to see apple orchard will be trees, Wilson said. how it grows.” a welcome addition “Apples don’t to the Organic breed true, Farm’s offerings. m e a n i n g t h a t -LEAH VALDES ’18, “It’s definitely planting a seed ORGANIC FARM a really charismatic f ro m C r i m s o n fruit,” she said. To p a z a p p l e s INTERN “It’s something that generally won’t everyone eats and grow a tree that relates to, and it’s produces Crimson Topaz,” Wilson valuable to see how it grows.” said. Valdes said the challenge will be He added that in the future, to see how Golden and Wilson pass students might be able to graft on their expertise to future members trees themselves onto rootstock of the Organic Farm, since they are or plant more trees onto existing the most knowledgeable about trees, which could allow one tree apple orchards and their upkeep. to produce multiple varieties of “The most work for [Golden] apples. and me has been learning as According to sustainability much as possible about orchard program manager Laura Carpenter, management and putting all that who oversees programming and information into a comprehensive operations at the Organic Farm, management plan,” Wilson said. the reasoning behind such apple Carpenter said the best part of diversity lies in a desire to draw the project for her was watching more students to the farm. Golden and Wilson’s idea come to “There is such an heirloom fruition before they graduate. variety of apples that we wanted “I love the fact that you can to expose people to,” she said. follow an idea from the seed of the Wilson said that he and Golden project to the end result,” she said. wanted to grow a variety of apples Wilson and Golden are also to increase the apples’ utility, optimistic about the future of the particularly for baking. orchard and believe it will be easy “We focused mainly on good for students to maintain it. They apples for eating fresh but also made hope the orchard will provide sure to get some good varieties for students with a fun lear ning applesauce, baking and cider,” he experience as well as elicit useful said. products. Other possibilities for the apples “We’ve gotten so much out of the include student workshops and farm during our time here, so we events, such as the annual HarFest, knew we wanted to do something and if overproduction occurs, big to give back,” Wilson said. “We opening the orchard for student had both had the thought before pickers. of ‘I wish someone had planted an “I’m hoping that it will open up orchard here five years ago,’ so we another range of activities that we decided we might as well be those can hold at the farm, such as cider- people for students to come.” FROM ORCHARD PAGE 1
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
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PRIDE week focuses on intersectionality and diversity FROM PRIDE PAGE 1
we get lost in the crowd and put up a face. I appreciated that people opened up and showed a little more about themselves.” Member of the PRIDE finance and outreach committee Simon Ellis ’20 said that the theme this year explored the idea of intersectionalities and differences in how sexual identities relate to things like gender, class and race. “This year, we are trying to get across that repetitious celebrations of queer PRIDE like PRIDE are great, but that we don’t want to get stuck in the problematic trap that we are celebrating the same thing year in and year out,” Ellis said. “Every year, we want to focus on something different and highlight the fact that there is no one queer narrative regardless of how someone identifies.” Ellis said the events were targeted for audiences that may have been previously overlooked. H e s ai d PR I D E and OPAL recognize that they nor mally advertise the face of the “gay white guy” as the face of PRIDE, and they wanted to move away from that. Ellis explained a new event called “Beyond the LG” which
focused on “allyship,” what it means to be an ally and identities outside the realm of being gay or lesbian. Annual events included a drag show, Lavender Graduation and Transform, a fashion show during which people challenge traditional gender norms. Levine, who was a social-cochair of PRIDE last year, said that this year, there was a concerted effort to reduce the number of PRIDE week events — for PRIDE 2016, there were 28 events, eight of which were annual cornerstone events such as Transform and the Lavender Graduation. Levine said not everyone is comfortable going to every event and people are comfortable in different spaces, so last year’s committee tried to make sure PRIDE week’s events were accessible and available to everyone. However, they reduced the number of events to 13 this year to focus more attention on specific events. “Last year’s PRIDE was an extremely crowded couple of weeks in the midterm and not a lot of people are going to want to go to 28 events within two weeks,” Levine said. “We were trying to narrow that down for the sake of convenience and to gain more exposure and attendance and to
put more meaning into each event rather than throwing a bunch in there.” Levine said that this year’s PRIDE week faced fewer budget issues than the previous year, because the fundraising committee received more donations from academic departments, professors and Greek letter organizations. She said that a few houses and departments were very supportive of PRIDE, but there are always budget issues because the College does not give a lot of money to events like PRIDE. “I do not think that enough money is going towards events focusing on social justice and celebration of people’s identity and focus on people’s mental health,” Levine said. “I don’t think the administration at Dartmouth necessarily focuses on identityrelated issues which is why we will always have budget problems.” Hong said that he had to ask many different departments and organizations for donations to ensure all the events could happen. “There was a ton of frustration with how many layers of bureaucracy there are at Dartmouth,” Hong said. “Sometimes it felt like there were roadblocks on the way and our biggest challenge was getting
money from the [Special Programs and Events Committee] funding board, where the majority [of] our money was coming from.” Ellis said that any group on campus seeking funding will encounter difficulties, which was especially true for PRIDE week because it lasted for two weeks and because SPEC funding is typically for single events. “The largest challenge has been trying to explain to people that PRIDE is a two-week celebration and justifying the prices for a twoweek model versus one event that celebrates Dartmouth PRIDE,” Ellis said. Levine said that another challenge PRIDE faced this year was outreach, because the queer community is not extremely visible to mainstream student culture or even to queer students. She said that because PRIDE is one of the only times of the year when queer identities are acknowledged, students are not used to discussing such topics. Levine added that people could have not attended events due to midterms, but that a lot of people may be scared or feel awkward about going to an event, because the events can be especially anxiety-inducing for queer students who are not yet out to others or even themselves.
Hong said the queer community at the College is fragmented because there are some segments that don’t interact with each other. He expected the PRIDE committee to be more homogenous but was pleasantly surprised to see its diversity. Ellis believes the College does a decent job at creating queer spaces on campus, but that every college can always improve. “There are a lot of resources that queer students don’t always see or don’t utilize all the time [at the College],” Ellis said. “The responsibility to create queer spaces should not fall on the administration or non-queer students, and it has to be found within the existing queer student population at Dartmouth.” Levine said that she thinks social spaces at the College are extremely heteronormative and that there aren’t many open queer relationships because they are stigmatized. “ T h e re a re s o c i a l s p a c e s like Amar na, Panarchy and gender-inclusive Greek houses that are catered towards queer people,” Levine said. “I think that Dartmouth does a good job of trying to be inclusive of queer identities because there are at least normal spaces for being queer.”
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
STAFF COLUMNIST IOANA SOLOMON ’19
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST MATTHEW BROWN ’19
Moving Forward
A Pivotal Proposal
Macron’s victory captures our changing political reality. When French president-elect Emmanuel Macron’s victory in Sunday’s election was announced, my first reaction was a breath of relief. My second was an inane little voice inside my head whispering, “Oh, no. It’s still just us.” The fact that Front National candidate Marine Le Pen failed in France — and by a wide margin — while President Donald Trump succeeded in the United States gives us one less excuse for our now cartoonish image on the world stage. Of course, nationalism also prevailed in the United Kingdom, and Brexit is well on its way, but it is now far harder to make the claim a Le Pen victory would have warranted — that the extremism and xenophobia exemplified in our administration’s platform and daily discourse belongs to a global wave that was far too strong for the Democratic Party to block. Clearly, we drowned under that wave. But France did not. For those of us standing against the far right, Macron’s victory needs to feel like more than just weight lifted off. It is good news and a reason to feel relief and joy. But it is also an opportunity for self-reflection. Over the next few months, we will need introspection to figure out why we have Trump while France does not have Le Pen. We must reflect on the factors that drove us to our current economic, social and political junction. That is the only way we are going to understand what happened, provide solutions to those who felt excluded and move forward. We have done a lot of looking inward, but France’s election result gives us an opening to look outward, to compare, review and effectively correct our course. A few parallels are worth noting. Macron represents change and much of what made him appealing to the French electorate is also what drew many Americans to punch a ballot for Trump. At the age of 39 and with no significant history of political commitment, Macron was at first an unlikely contender. Despite being a graduate of France’s foremost administrative university, Macron has never held elected office. He is notably a former Rothschild investment banker who ran on a vague agenda, offering a platform that was enticing because of its general optimism but lacking specificity. Macron’s outsider status and anti-establishment appeal has to ring a bell. It is perhaps that aspect which fueled his rise and less so the content of his promised
policies. We can never know for sure, but had Sen. Bernie Sanders been the candidate facing Trump in the general election, American voters would have had two similarly anti-establishment choices, both candidates promising radical change. The revolution’s direction would have mattered more than the candidate committing to it. The 34 percent of votes garnered by Le Pen — and France’s historically high abstention rate, including the worst turnout since 1969 — is still concerning. It means that Macron will not have an easy time building support for his program, but also that nationalism, xenophobia and an extremist call for divisive authority are not forces we can ignore. They did not succeed now, but left unchecked, it may have a chance in five years. A far-right global movement is a reality, but what the American and French elections show us may be the key to stopping it. Posing hard questions, having thoughtful conversations and reflecting meaningfully are still necessary, but the first thing we know is that the people winning elections and wielding power in the very near future seem far different from what we might have expected. For the last 50 years, politics has been a lifelong career path with the same kind of decades-long trudge to the peak faced by lawyers and doctors. Now, modern voters demand more of an outside perspective. That desire is unsurprising — a common axiom in problem solving is that the person who can bring the best and most creative answer to a problem is the one who knows the least about it. If career politicians have been unable to create the kind of change their constituents need, it is only natural to seek a radical alternative. The future of national administrations, on a global level, lies in younger, more creative, less entangled — but equally capable — leaders. As the generation who will fill those roles, we have an immense opportunity to understand real needs, foster real change and do so much earlier in our lifetimes than anticipated. For those of us on the verge of a political career, but worried about how long it might take to make it the top, that is good news. That is why the conversation needs to start now. The earlier we reflect, the earlier we understand how and why we failed — and the earlier we can change our course for the better.
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ISSUE
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
NEWS LAYOUT: Joyce Lee, Marie-Capucine Pineau-Valencienne
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.
Article 9 is a wake-up call for Dartmouth. Students must act together. Today, the town of Hanover will have its the message that it sends the College. annual ballot to vote on new zoning articles Through its action and rhetoric, the and town officers. Potential new laws are of administration has made it clear that special interest to the Dartmouth community. regulating student social life and behavior This year, Hanover’s town meeting is acutely are issues central to its agenda. Especially relevant to the College, thanks to one high- after the Board of Trustees decided against stakes petition article. Alpha Delta’s possible re-recognition because Article 9 on the ballot of the annual Town it could undermine Moving Dartmouth Meeting would change the definition of a Forward — despite the fact that AD would not “student residence” to “a building designed directly impact any of its goals more than any for residential student occupancy, which may other Greek letter organization does — I’m include individual living units with social confident that MDF aspires to nothing more rooms and kitchen facilities for any number of than micromanaging student misconduct. students.” Student residences would thus no AD’s re-recognition should have no effect on longer have to be recognized by the College. the prospective success of MDF’s supposed Though it is a reasonable definition by any goals, especially given the high proportion standard, the Dartmouth administration of affiliated students on campus. If the scope and Hanover planning board have come out of the administration’s vision can’t extend strongly against the bill, beyond Webster Avenue arguing that the article “If the scope of the and West Wheelock is bad policy and will Street, I’m concerned be dangerous for public administration’s that the administration safety. This is a strange vision can’t extend is failing at implementing argument to make, as any meaningful, lasting many college towns have beyond Webster change. There are many similar zoning codes Avenue and West legal and logical reasons for universities but do to justify the College’s not require that student Wheelock Street, involvement in student housing and residences I’m concerned that life. However, the effort be recognized in the that Dartmouth has put same manner as Hanover the administration into regulating student has. Furthermore, some is failing at life is detrimental to the residents of Hanover institution, its students argue that rejecting the implementing any and the town of Hanover. article would in fact meaningful, lasting Dartmouth needs hurt the town, politely a wake-up call. The pointing out that many change.” administration has students, lacking other devoted incredible options, would simply amounts of time and move into what is current residential housing energy into what effectively amounts to en masse. social engineering but has little to show for it. For anyone who’s been paying attention The Greek system is not an irreplaceable or to Hanover news, the implications of the wholly benevolent presence here, but neither article are obvious. The previous definition of is any institution on this campus, the current “student residences” required that any such administration included. Scapegoating building be recognized by an “institution,” Greek organizations does little to change a rule that in Hanover is typically occupied Dartmouth’s overall social and academic by Dartmouth College. This legal quirk condition, especially given the College’s was the chief rationale behind the New lack of earnest investment in thorough and Hampshire Supreme Court’s ruling that thoughtful alternatives. A vote of “yes” on Alpha Delta fraternity house can no longer Tuesday would show the school that it cannot house students. If the proposed article rely solely on force to solve Dartmouth’s passes, then any building that meets the new many issues. standards could establish itself as a “student The ostensible narrative of this vote residence” regardless of its status in the eyes is that of a fight between the Greeks and of the College. Anyone, student or resident, the administration. While true, this is not who wishes to see a reorientation of town all that Article 9 can represent. To create and College policy to create a healthier a healthier and stronger campus, there environment for all, should vote “yes” on needs to be dialogue between students, the May 9. College and in many cases, the residents of Most students have a vague idea of what Hanover. We cannot have such discussions the immediate consequences would be when the administration’s agenda is so clearly if the article passes. The terms of Sigma misguided. Vote “yes” on Article 9, not just Alpha Epsilon’s pending court case may because your affiliated friends asked you change significantly, and any subsequent to, nor simply because you find the current legal battles between the town, Dartmouth definition of a “student residence” archaic. and Greek letter organizations would occur Vote “yes” today to signal a unified student under rules very different from the ones voice against the College’s direction. If that applied in Alpha Delta’s case. But even restructuring Hanover’s zoning laws is what those unconcerned with the future of the it takes to make the administration realize Greek system should support Article 9 for that, then so be it.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
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Article 9 could change zoning definitions of student residences FROM ZONING PAGE 1
districts. Both define student residences as buildings occupied by students in conjunction with another institutional use, which refers to affiliation with the College. If passed, Article 9 would replace both definitions with a new, general definition: “a building designed for residential student occupancy, which may include living units with social rooms and kitchen facilities for any number of students.” The main difference between the proposed Article 9 definition and the two current definitions is that student residences will no longer need to operate “in conjunction with another institutional use.” Phi Delta Alpha corporation president George Faux ’84, who has been involved in the effort to pass Article 9, said the measure is a way of maintaining and protecting property rights. He added that there is currently a lot of ambiguity in private property laws in the town, which Article 9 would help clarify. “The College has its own rules ... but the town rule has been ambiguous, and we think there’s been some significant ramifications of that,” Faux said. “We see students in housing that’s crowded, we see students move into residential neighborhoods, we feel this could help reverse that and bring people closer to campus where they belong.” If approved, the amendment could allow derecognized fraternities Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Delta to operate as student residences without official recognition from the College. A group of individuals submitted a warrant article, signed by 25 Hanover-registered voters, to put Article 9 on the ballot, Hanover town manager Julia Griffin said. In New Hampshire, anybody can submit a warrant article to amend the zoning ordinance, and as long as the measure has 25 signatures, it automatically goes on the official ballot. Griffin said the College submitted a petition to the town approximately a week ago that will require Article 9 to receive two-thirds of all votes, a “supermajority,” to pass, instead of the usual simple majority. Any entity that owns more than 20 percent of the land in the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s area of oversight has the right to submit a petition requiring a supermajority vote, she said. According to town documents, the Hanover Planning Board recommends that the amendment be disapproved because the Zoning Board of Adjustment has issued two rulings clarifying the current definitions of student residencies
in regard to AD and SAE. The SAE court case is still under current litigation, while the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled against AD and in favor of the town on April 11. According to the Planning Board, the proposed Article 9 amendment would eliminate direct health and safety oversight of student residences, which is currently provided by the College. The Planning Board recommended approving the eight other measures up for vote. The Planning Board’s recommendations will be indicated on the ballot. The College also opposes Article 9 due to the possible public safety implications and reduced oversight by College officials, according to a College press release. Griffin said the town is against changes proposed by Article 9, even though currently the College faces the burden of regulating Greek letter organizations and not the town. If the zoning system was to change, the town would be responsible for the regulations and liability of student residences not operated by Dartmouth. Griffin said that Hanover’s police and fire departments are not large enough to ensure comprehensive enforcement. Town documents also state that the town “would consider implementation of a fee” to cover the additional incurred costs of fire safety and health inspections. Griffin said that if the article passes, the town will consider denying place of assembly permits, which are required to host large gatherings, and would require private residences to obtain a liquor license from the state of New Hampshire. Last February, the College derecognized the College’s SAE chapter after the fraternity was suspended from its national organization for violation of hazing policies. Following their derecognition, SAE filed an appeal with the town to continue to be considered a student residence, testifying that the organization should be “grandfathered” in under previous zoning ordinances. The zoning board accepted SAE’s appeal last April when the College failed to present any evidence countering SAE’s claims. Later, the College requested a rehearing, and the zoning board reversed its decision last July. As a result, SAE lost its status as a student residence. As part of their appeal in Grafton County Superior Court, SAE has attempted to claim that the organization itself could serve as an “institution,” thus granting it student residence status. If Article 9 is passed, the “in conjunction with” clause would be removed entirely from the zoning ordinance. The
case was heard in March and is awaiting decision. Faux said the SAE case and Article 9 are two separate issues, as he believes Article 9 is beneficial to not just students in Greek letter organizations, but also other students who want to live off campus. The current SAE president, who asked to remain anonymous due to SAE’s derecognized status, said he hopes the amendment will allow the Greek system to have the authority to continue improving on campus. “This will make the Greek system [have] less of a combative relationship with the College,” he said. “I think this will allow frats to be at a much more equal footing with the College and work with them to make important improvements because the system needs improvements.” The SAE president does not believe that there will be an immediate push for other student organizations to disaffiliate from the College. “It’s important to know that we do acknowledge there are benefits to being supported by the College, and I don’t think this is going to
create a system where everyone is suddenly independent,” he said. V i c e president of communications Justin Anderson wrote in an email statement that “allowing fraternities and other groups to house large numbers of students without any affiliation or supervision by Dartmouth College has significant public safety implications for the town.” The SAE president recognized that the College had legitimate complaints about the current Greek system, adding that members within it were also hoping to make lasting changes to improve the system as they too do not want an unhealthy Greek community. The SAE president noted that many student apartments in the town are operating without problems and are not currently monitored by the College. If Article 9 passed, SAE would operate under the same fire safety codes and other regulations that these apartments do, which differ from College regulations. “In no other town do they need student oversight for college residences,” he said. “The fire department will still do walkthroughs and check for safety, and
an adult will own the house and is liable for something goes wrong. This is not a wildcard for any student to just do whatever they wanted; there is still legitimate oversight.” Griffin said most town meetings usually see 500 to 800 voters. Hanover currently has 8,000 registered voters. She said she expected to see a higher voter turnout at this year’s meeting because of the heightened interest related to Article 9. Faux said that he does not know whether or not Article 9 would pass, but that at the least the issue has started a dialogue that will continue past the proposal. “We are hoping to maximize turnout and do what we can,” the SAE president said. “For students, this will improve the Greek system because it will make real change possible, make off campus housing more affordable, closer to campus and safer.” Ballot voting will last from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Hanover High School. During the annual town meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., the results will be announced and posted on the town’s website later that evening.
PHENOMENAL WOMEN
KOURTNEY KAWANO/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Invited speakers at a conference called “Phanem-anon: Celebrating Indigenous Women and Leadership” gave closing remarks.
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
PAGE 6
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY
4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Lecture: “God-Like Power? Rome’s Imperial Women and Religion,” with Duke University professor Mary T. Boatwright, Rockefeller Center 002
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Film: “Toxic Puzzle: Hunt for the Hidden Killer,” directed by Bo Landin, Loew Auditorium, Black Family Visual Arts Center
TOMORROW 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Lecture with former acting solicitor General of the United States Neal Katyal ’91, Haldeman 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Debate: “Should Drugs Be Legalized?” with University of Florida professor Kevin Sabet and Harvard University professor Jeffrey Miron, Dartmouth Hall 105
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Cultural Matching and Dynamic Tie Persistence in Personal Networks,” with University of Notre Dame professor Omar Lizardo, Carpenter Hall 013 RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 TV drama whose title appeared on a California license plate 6 Beatrix Potter’s “The __ of Peter Rabbit” 10 “Right away!” letters 14 Yellow-and-white daisy 15 Goat with recurved horns 16 Circle dance 17 Gadget used on carrots 20 Inventor Whitney 21 No-win situation 22 Expression of woe 23 Seasonal sack toter 26 Whisperer’s target 27 Utter 28 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe 32 Slanted type 33 Bronze component 34 “Baseball Tonight” network 38 Swamp reptile 39 Lobbying gp. 40 __ New Guinea 41 Mets’ home through 2008 42 Roguish 43 Arcade machine inserts 44 Inhales 47 Key near Caps Lock 50 Spy org. 51 Time to chill, briefly 52 Dozing 54 CDX x V 55 Extinct New Zealand bird 58 Activity one might see at a circus ... or in the Across answers containing circles? 62 Sharp flavor 63 Rummikub piece 64 React to pain 65 Wraps up 66 Attacking the problem 67 Soft drink size
DOWN 1 Adore 2 Skater’s leap 3 Make laws 4 Shipboard affirmative 5 Like an unfun blanket? 6 Related to the shinbone 7 Up to the task 8 Calm side 9 Clarify 10 “If I may interject ... ” 11 Shoe undersides 12 Sports venue 13 New Year’s Eve staple 18 High point of a home tour? 19 British nobleman 24 Bobbing on the waves 25 Gritty film genre 26 “Iliad” or “Aeneid” 28 Jobs for a band 29 The Beehive State 30 Corset stiffeners 31 Released without authorization 35 Gum flavor 36 Many a fourthdown play
37 Singer with Crosby and Stills 39 Courtroom entry 40 Lewd literature 42 Reaches without reading the intervening pages 43 Pre-Little League game 45 Scored 100 on 46 Sleeve band 47 Sense of style
48 Egypt’s __ High Dam 49 Fair-haired 53 Work units 54 The Niger River flows through it 56 “__ upon a midnight dreary ... ” 57 Stress, so they say 59 Come out on top 60 Nocturnal hunter 61 Nintendo console
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
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Film Review: Charlie Hunnam shines as ill-fated explorer Percy Fawcett in ‘The Lost City of Z’ By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
“The Lost City of Z” is one of the most confounding cinematic experiences I’ve had in some time. I was never bored by it, but I was also never really enthralled. I was awed by the gorgeous cinematography yet simultaneously frustrated by the odd filmmaking choices. I was frequently intrigued but never fully invested. In these respects, “The Lost City of Z” is rather like a Russian nesting doll — intricately crafted but hollow at its center. The film is based on a novel that is itself based on a true story, though undoubtedly there have been changes in the translation from form to form. That being said, Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) was a British explorer from the early 20th century who became convinced that there was a lost city called “Z” located in the Amazon rainforest. “The Lost City of Z” chronicles three of his expeditions in South America, the last of which ends with — well, I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending, now would I? Suffice it to say the ending is one of the trickiest
things about the film. No one knows what happened to Fawcett, so the film inevitably needs to craft a conclusion that combines some historical evidence with fanciful storytelling. On its own terms, the ending is about as good as one could hope for: It manages to be ambiguous, thus paying respect to the real events, while feeling at least somewhat satisfactory. Hunnam easily has the most difficult role, and impressively he manages to be the film’s one permanent bright spot. Most narratives about obsession end up being about the cost of that obsession, detailing how it leads to the central character’s downfall. One could certainly argue that Fawcett’s obsession also led to his own downfall, but the film never depicts him as gradually becoming deranged, cruel or dangerous. He is simply a decent man with an intense passion. Resultantly, Hunnam can’t easily fall back on acting clichés that one might use to convey a tortured character who falls from grace. Nonetheless, he rises to the challenge and delivers a performance that surges with intensity and infinite complexity.
By and large, the rest of the cast is also effective. Sienna Miller is given the thankless task of playing Fawcett’s oft-abandoned wife. The character archetype may be overused, but Miller imbues her performance with real humanity. Robert Pattinson is totally unrecognizable as Fawcett’s best friend and traveling companion, Henry Costin — in fact, while watching the film I encourage audiences to play a variant of “Where’s Waldo” called “Spot the Pattinson.” He turns in good work and once again proves that the “Twilight” films were completely beneath his talents as an actor. Tom Holland, who portrays Fawcett’s son in the latter portions of the film, isn’t so much miscast as he is out-acted by everyone else on screen. In particular, he seems totally overwhelmed by the fierce, dominating power of Hunnam’s presence. Holland, however, is the least of my grievances with the film. It runs at almost two and a half hours long and the Rotten Tomatoes consensus refers to its pace as “stately.” I’d say that’s a fair assessment, though I’m not convinced that the pace is exclusively to the film’s benefit. I admire director
James Gray’s self-confidence — he refuses to cheapen the effect of the story with fast editing or unnecessary action-adventure sequences. The problem is that the film painstakingly chronicles not just Fawcett’s three expeditions but also many of the events surrounding them. Because of the rather unresolved nature of the story, you’re left to question the purpose of large chunks of the film. For example, the sequence exploring Fawcett’s time in World War I probably should have been cut for the sake of creating a tighter and more engaging narrative. Gray also makes a few other unusual directorial choices that I occasionally questioned. Much of the film is beautiful to look at, but periodically, the lighting and color palette were so dark that it became exceedingly difficult to see exactly what was occurring. There are also moments of blatant exposition that exist purely to introduce information that probably could have been incorporated more subtly. While I appreciate that the film addresses the disconnect between early 20th century attitudes and contemporary progressive perspectives, I’m not sure it really does anything more
than simply address it. Specifically, the screenplay acknowledges the rampant patriarchal unfairness of British society at the time, as well as the tendency to imagine the natives of South America as “savages.” But I wish the film had done more than merely admit that these inequalities and prejudices happened to exist, especially because in many ways those continue to plague society today. To be clear, “The Lost City of Z” is a far cry from a “bad film.” In some respects, it is a very good film. The experience is regularly engaging and occasionally hallucinatory. However, while watching it, I suspected that this story would make for a fascinating historical non-fiction read. But as a film, it is simply too conventional to play like a piece of art cinema and too unconventional to work as a straightforward disposable actionadventure biopic. It is haunting, but really more for its ideas than its execution. Though, of course, there is always that performance by Hunnam, which makes up for many of the film’s flaws. Maybe it’s his pecs. Rating: 7/10
Review: Rude Mechanicals tackle ‘Richard III’ in spring show By HALEY GORDON
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
Nestled in between the parties hosted on Webster Avenue and the first-year family activities hosted by the College, the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals performed an abridged conception of “Richard III” to an audience comprised of students and curious visiting parents in House Center B. The choice of tragedy presents an immediate challenge to an 11-member performance group: How to appropriately cast the show so that all of the central characters can be represented in the clearest light, without over-simplifying the plot. This production chose to emphasize eye-catching, distinctive pieces of costuming to distinguish the members double-cast. The pieces that were intentionally distinctive, like the red cloak of the queen and the purple shirt worn by the Duke of Buckingham, were beautiful and successfully brought life and color to an otherwise bare set. Annie Furman ’19 designed and created many of the garments, which evoked the era but did not attempt a full imitation. Some actors dressed in full period pieces while others paired pieces with contemporary clothes. Unfortunately, due to the reliance on double casting, costume changes were limited and not always
effective in conveying a change in character. A family chart included in the program may have helped some follow along, but without the aid, one might simply abandon the urge to keep track of everyone and focus on the action. The production incorporated fight scenes, mixing real weapons with prop stand-ins to further the eclectic presentation. The actors skillfully managed the spacial limitations to provide exciting bursts of action that were sorely needed in a play filled with promises made and broken, stratagems discussed and deals brokered — in other words, it was wordy. Sid Mehra ’18 held the iconic title role, forgoing the traditional humpback and withered ar m and instead adopting a stoop, a stagger and a sneer. At times, the tiny performance space felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of characters present, and key players were lost in the crowd. However, Mehra shined in asides and monologues directed to the audience with a conspiratorial stage whisper, even with his company beside him. Caroline Hattier ’18 and Laura Calderón ’19 both portrayed mothers of murdered sons, the Dutchess of York and Queen Elizabeth, respectively. The two approached the task differently, but
both succeeded in portraying tearfilled reactions to the deaths of their loved ones. Calderon’s Elizabeth, distraught and yearning to strike back with a curse, finds her words failing her at a crucial confrontation. In contrast, Hattier, as Richard’s mother, rises to condemn her son with convincing venom. Another high point of the performance came from Furman, who in her turn as Queen Margaret, the widow of King Henry VI, spanned from powerful, violent leader to usurped, mourning woman to foreboding, ominous narrator. The performance ran about an hour and a half long with no intermission. Naturally, such a run time meant that not every word of Shakespeare’s text survived abridgment. Certain plot points suffered under the acceleration, like the details of Richard’s marriages and nature of the illness that killed Edward of Westminster and Lady Anne Neville. Altogether, however, the play retained the most recognizable and powerful speeches and the most important aspects of the plot, and a viewer more familiar with the original work might more easily fill in the gaps. Housing Center B offered most of its first floor to the Rude Mechanicals’ production, but between the backstage area and the
COURTESY OF ANNIE FURMAN
The Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals produce one Shakespearean show a term.
audience seating, little room was left for the actual stage. A simple backdrop of curtains served as scenery, with one central window blacked out with fabric. Props were sparingly used, and the sole adornment to the set was a hefty throne that arrived occasionally, always in the arms of an actor.
Overall, the fully student-run group performed without relying on traditional staging conventions. Whether by choice or by necessity, it was a testament to the quality of the complete collective that the actors were able to not only keep the focus of the audience but also transport them to an alternate world.
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
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TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017
Student Spotlight: artist and creative writer Lily Citrin ’17 By ISHAAN JAJODIA The Dartmouth Staff
For Lily Citrin ’17, the impulsive need to create has marked her artistic process since childhood. When Citrin was in the fourth grade, she told a teacher that she was going to write a book and received a patronizing reply. This dismissal motivated her to write her first novel — 80 pages long. Citrin said that her journey as an artist is rooted in her arrival and time at Dartmouth, but that she actively strove to be creative during high school. In her junior year, she recorded videos of her friends. One particularly struck a chord with her — a “ridiculous” argument between friends over a boy, due to their false perception of low self-worth. Citrin transformed the audio of this fight into an upcoming video installation called “Atmospheric Tinsel.” Citrin removed any visual markers tying the piece in reality, choosing to pair the audio with an animation of a moving piece of shiny metal foil. A motif that spans Citrin’s work is the bathroom. In March, Citrin put up an installation at the Psi Upsilon fraternity house. The bathroom itself was her installation, titled “Martial and Juvenal (as well as in Plinny and Quintillian).” In the tradition of galleries and museums, Citrin put wall text on the inside of the door of the bathroom, writing in third person about her own work, and included instructions on how to “experience” the installation. Citrin intended for her art to be taken seriously and even threw an official opening for the installation, complete with wine and cheese. “[Citrin] builds off of initially playful ideas that grab your attention by their absurdity or unexpectedness,” said Marina Massidda ’17, a studio art major and friend of Citrin’s. “Yet as you spend time with the work, it also provokes a deeper conversation.” The bathroom was a safe space within the male-dominated space of the fraternity house, Citrin said, where women sought validation and support from each other. The installation was also a living installation: The mirror was marked with Citrin’s cell phone number, soliciting mirror selfies of people who used the bathroom. She curated these submissions and arranged them into an additional printed piece. “[Citrin’s] work speaks to the very subtle ways in which young women in particular are using photography,
ISHAAN JAJODIA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Lily Citrin ’17 sits within her senior studio art exhibition piece entitled “Sanctuary.”
social media and modern technology to create relationships,” said Hannah Nelson, a photography fellow with the studio art department. Citrin’s final remnant of that work, the print, harkens back to artists prompting audiences to contemplate authorship, like photographer Doug Rickard in his Google-Earth inspired photo series. Nelson, who has worked closely with Citrin, said that the nature of photography has changed. “The artist no longer has to be the author of the photograph,” Nelson said. “[Citrin] is running with that; the photographs are just a vehicle for the viewer’s interactions with the space, each other and the work itself.” The bathroom was not Citrin’s first foray into living installations and art. When the third floor of Berry Library was being renovated, blue plastic draped the walls and covered the floors. Citrin thought that it was artistic and presented this as a ready-made, much like Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain.” The underlying principle was that found objects can take on aesthetic and artistic qualities when considered to be art by an artist. Titled “Construction,” Citrin inaugurated the exhibit with her friends, declaring it open and living. Her art is a mediation between the
tangible and the conceptual, and that is what makes it unique. For her studio art exhibition this year, she chose to construct a bathroom, titled “Sanctuary.” Hung from the roof, the shower curtains drape themselves
across the airy and open space that she created. The stool in the bathroom, too, is measured to the exact height of the average pot, Citrin said. A roll of toilet paper is a means for people who “experience” the installation to write
down their thoughts and put it in the trash can, remnants which other people can later pick up and read. At first sight, the installation looked like a brandnew, enclosed version of Eva Hesse’s “Contingent.” Citrin’s style is the reconciliation of the conceptualism and Dadaism that Duchamp championed and the post-minimalism of Hesse. A history major modified with creative writing — or “storytelling,” as Citrin refers to it — and a studio art minor, Citrin’s academic career at Dartmouth is far from conventional. The construction of narratives is important to the way that Citrin approaches her art, and she emphasizes this when she talks about her work. For Citrin, history is just another story, and she weaves this into her creative process. “The Black Family Visual Arts Center is where I take refuge from Dartmouth,” Citrin said. “It is my escape, and I spend long hours here.” On her frequent trips to dollar stores, she sifts through vast lots of items to figure out what she would like to work with, Citrin said. Her inspiration is from the mundane, but her art transforms these objects into something meaningful and introspective, prompting the viewer to ask questions. Citrin is no radical, but she is part of an important avantgarde in contemporary art, placing focus on the human condition and the experience of the creation of art itself.
COURTESY OF LILY CITRIN
Lily Citrin 17’s “Martial and Juvenal (as well as Plinny And Quintillian)” was installed in Psi Upsilon fraternity’s bathroom.