VOL. CLXXIV NO.158
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Winter cyclone brings sub-zero temperatures
CLOUDY HIGH 44 LOW 38
By GABRIEL ONATE The Dartmouth
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
OPINION
CHIN: NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS PAGE 6
STANESCUBELLU: INVASIVE ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 6
FISHBEIN: HOW TO DOG DARTMOUTH PAGE 7
GHAVRI: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TIME PAGE 7
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In Hanover, temperatures reached a low of -24 degrees Fahrenheit on Jan. 1.
A wave of cold weather struck the East Coast last week, setting record low temperatures in New Hampshire and nearby states like Maine and Vermont. Despite this, Hanover town manager Julia Griffin said she did not believe that Hanover itself broke any previous low-temperature record. The record low temperature
for Hanover is -40 degrees Fahrenheit, which was set on Feb. 16, 1943. Temperatures over the past two weeks reached a low of -24 degrees Fahrenheit on Jan. 1. Griffin said the sudden cold weather required immediate heavy maintenance of roads, pipes and structures. While this sort of maintenance is normally expected later in the winter, it was nothing that had not been SEE COLD PAGE 2
Fall recruiting applications dip for 2017 cycle By WALLY JOE COOK The Dartmouth
This fall, about 700 students submitted 6,929 applications for the 194 positions offered by 96 employers advertised through Dartboard, the Center for Professional Development’s online job portal. Compared to fall 2016, this past fall saw a similar number of positions available but a drop in the number of applicants,
applications and employers. According to Monica Wi l s o n , s e n i o r a s s o c i at e director at the CPD, the number of students offered interviews was similar to last year. These numbers account for applications submitted during the fall term. The data is a combination of senior-year job applications and junioryear internship applications. Offer totals have not yet been reported.
In fall 2016, 768 students submitted a total of 9,654 applications to the 127 employers offering a total of 193 positions. The year before, 489 students submitted 4,760 applications for 141 positions. Wi l s o n a t t r i b u t e s t h e decrease in applications to a shift in how recruiters operate. Between 40 to 50 employers shifted to recruiting on campus SEE CPD PAGE 5
ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Fewer applications were submitted during fall recruiting this year compared to last fall.
Students attend female Researchers investigate computing conference cancer in Honduras
By MIKE JEHOON LEE The Dartmouth Staff
Last October, 31 female Dartmouth students traveled to Orlando, Florida to attend the 2017 Grace Hopper Celebration, the largest gathering of female technologists in the world. Around 18,000 women participated in this year’s conference, which featured career workshops, panel discussions and keynote presentations.
The annual conference has highlighted the impact of women on computer science since its inception in 1994. This year’s conference, which ran from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6, was presented by nonprofit organization AnitaB.org, which supports women in technical fields, in partnership with the Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest computing society. SEE COMPUTING PAGE 5
By GIGI GRIGORIAN The Dartmouth
Since 2011, researchers at the Geisel School of Medicine and DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center have been conducting projects in Honduras that help citizens who lack medical care, in addition to furthering academic understanding of cancer there. This past winterim break, Dartmouth students also traveled to El Rosario, a rural village in Honduras, to educate
Honduran teenagers on leadership and public health concerns with non-profit Americans Caring Teaching Sharing Honduras. Linda Kennedy, the associate director of community affairs at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center who helped spearhead the research, was not a stranger to Honduras: For about 12 years, she has served citizens of rural Honduras through ACTS. With this SEE CANCER PAGE 3
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
DOC plans Swiss Alps mountaineering trip for women By JASMINE OH The Dartmouth
An upcoming Dartmouth Outing Club trip to the Swiss Alps will try to address gender discrepancies in the high-level outdoors. The trip, the first of its kind, will teach glacier travel and mountaineering skills to women, while focusing on risk management and gender dynamics in outdoors industry. The trip will take approximately 10 students to Chamonix, France, an area of the Swiss Alps, during the interim between spring and summer. Mountaineering involves steeper, larger mountains and permanent snow and ice and taps into both ice climbing and rock climbing skills. President of the DOC Mallory Byrd ’19, who is co-leading the trip, said she has always been invested in women’s issues at the College and within the DOC but got the idea for the trip when she met Margaret Wheeler ’97, the second American woman to become an internationally-certified mountain guide, which can take five years to achieve. Wheeler will be guiding the trip and teaching mountaineering skills. “[Deputy director of outdoor programs Brian Kunz A&S’00] was pretty upfront with the fact that we probably don’t have the skill base in the club now to just go out and randomly walk up a technical peak,” Byrd said.
“But we do have this wonderful alumni DOC because a common trait in the base and in particular, Margaret club is that there’s plenty of entry level Wheeler.” of female leadership, which is great In the last few years, Byrd said she because it gets people involved, but the has conversed high-level, technical w i t h o t h e r “I would like to think leadership is very female leaders underrepresented in in the DOC that the outdoors our body of female about how they is an incredible leaders,” trip cofelt they needed leader Anna Ellis ’19 resource for to be “higher said. t e c h n i c a l l y everyone, but when The trip will capable,stronger, you get down to the be subsidized by more prepared” the DOC and in than men in nitty gritty, you need particular, the DOC order to prove a lot of gear, money, Women’s Fund, themselves. which was created people who know When Byrd during the spring of f i r s t g o t t o what they are doing.” 2017. Both Byrd and Dartmouth, she Ellis expressed their said she eagerly belief that gender signed up to go -MALLORY BYRD ’19, disparity existed on hiking and DOC PRESIDENT in the outdoors climbing trips. industry and said However, she they hoped to see eventually noticed that most leaders an increase in technical leadership of for these trips tended to be men and women in the DOC. there was a masculine energy. Despite “I would like to think that the having a mixed gender friend group in outdoors is an incredible resource for Boulder, Colorado, Byrd said that she everyone, but when you get down to felt implicit biases against her outdoor the nitty gritty, you need a lot of gear, ability, since no one knew her well. money, people who know what they are “Aside from experience, my primary doing,” Byrd said. “That is typically motivation going into this trip is to really expensive, and the group that has that increase the presence and capability of is mostly wealthy white men.” female technical leadership in the Additionally, Kunz expressed his
Cold winter temperatures affect town and campus infrastructure FROM COLD PAGE 1
handled before, she said. “Our public works department has a very well-practiced protocol for managing the cold,” she said. Some of the protocols include ensuring that streets and roads have enough salt on them, as well as clearing out snow buildup around storm drains in order to allow proper flow, Griffin said. She added that the town’s building and fire inspectors have been busy dealing with furnace breakdowns and frozen plumbing, both on and off the College’s campus, but that such activity was normal. According to Griffin, the town is preparing for is the upcoming thawing of snow and ice caused by the sudden rising temperatures. She said that drastic changes in temperature lead to cracked pipes as hot water begins flowing through frozen pipes, which can cause the pipe to burst. She added that previously undetected cracked
pipes could also burst now as water begins to flow through them again. The Hanover Fire Department is anticipating many calls from residents whose houses may flood from such broken plumbing, she said. Todd French, maintenance services manager for Facilities Operations and Management, which is responsible for maintaining buildings on Dartmouth’s campus, said the cold spell that began on Dec. 28 made things difficult when it came to maintaining buildings because the lack of students and staff on campus meant few incident reports were filed. French added that this led to a number of problems, from leakages to frozen doors, from the moment students and staff returned for the winter term. Robin Guay, facilities work process manager at FO&M, said another part of the issue is dealing with how students perceive temperature. Some view 65 degrees Fahrenheit as cold, she said, while others might view that temperature as hot. This can convince
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students that leaving a window open is not a terrible idea, she said, thus leading to the problems the College is facing with frozen pipes and flooding. Griffin said she hopes students can be mindful about the weather and keep their windows closed to prevent snow from entering and prevent buildings from freezing. This also prevents pipes from bursting and avoids flooding, she said. French added that one of the problems his team has been working to resolve was a burst sprinkler line that flooded several classrooms in the Tuck School of Business. He added that staff have been working tirelessly since Monday night and were able to get everything cleaned up in time for class on Wednesday morning. The tremendous planning that went into preparation for the cold weather, which began weeks in advance, led to orderly assignments and effective implementation, he said. “I can’t praise the staff enough,” French added. Situations as extreme as the one experienced by Tuck are extremely rare for the College, according to Guay. She added that it was an effect of the extremely cold weather.
excitement in using the College’s adept, but also creating an environment alumni base to connect current and in which people double check their former students to embark on the gear and are comfortable pointing out mountaineering mistakes. trip, especially Participants to a region like “[Deputy director of will hopefully the Swiss Alps. outdoor programs also give back to Students will Brian Kunz A&S’00] the Dartmouth work closely community, such as with Wheeler was pretty upfront to Women in the throughout the with the fact that we Wilderness, a DOC trip. club, Ellis said. “[Wheeler] probably don’t have “I think it’s i s a g r e a t the skill base in the really cool to see educator and this trip happening club now to just go mountaineer,” because it’ll not Kunz said. “She out and randomly only get girls into and the group walk up a technical mountaineering, but will go across also [be] really good glaciers and peak.” at mountaineering, safely navigate which will mean that all the hazards they can teach other -MALLORY BYRD ’19, in mountains. girls and members, They can later DOC PRESIDENT which is a core part come back here of the trip,” Women and be more in the Wilderness prepared to president Lily Hanig climb America’s mountains. For many ’19 said. students, they’ll be doing more than Applications for the mountaineering they’re skilled for. So, they’ll be able trip are due on Jan. 15 and decisions to calibrate their skill level.” are expected to be sent out by the end Byrd said Wheeler hopes that risk of that week. Although students of management will be another focus all genders are welcome to apply, the on the trip as the DOC is constantly application will include a question on focusing on building a culture of safety. how gender has affected the prospective This entails not only being technically member’s outdoor experiences.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 3
Researchers partner with nonprofit to address public health
she said, adding that cervical cancer treated early, the cancer is usually Pedro Sula, as they hosted a clinic to developed by Thayer School of is “a wholly preventable disease.” treatable, but the same is not true for screen for high risk HPV at a factory Engineering doctoral candidate Norwich-based organization, she To address this concer n, cancer identified in more advanced with 2,000 women. Researchers Ethan LaRochelle. The team worked to address public health researchers and volunteers have stages. are working on developing an added a har mless fluorescent concerns and community building in opened two women’s health clinics I n improved method tracer to the chemicals that farmers rural areas by facilitating a program in rural Honduras and have been s p r i n g 2 0 1 7 , for reviewing the were spraying in the fields. After called La Fuerza para el Futuro, successful in screening hundreds of a f t e r m e n i n “For every woman samples obtained the farmers finished working, which is a leadership program for women for cancer. rural Honduras [who] dies of from this kind of researchers took pictures of their teenagers in rural Honduras and “We say that 40 to 50 percent requested the clinic. chemical-covered hands in a UV translates to of cancer is s a m e k i n d cervical cancer R e s e a r c h e r s light box that LaRochelle designed. “The Force preventable, o f t e s t i n g in a low-income have also established The images were then processed for t h e “We wanted to do bu t i t ’s n o t t h a t w o m e n a program to offer using LaRochelle’s algorithm to country, there’s at Future,” in a something that would p r e v e n t a b l e r e c e i ve d , t h e c h e m o t h e r a p y identify the areas on the hands that rural village. in [low- and research group least a handful of patients palliative were most covered by the chemical. I n be both scientifically and m i d d l e - hosted its first children who don’t c a r e t h r o u g h In addition to LaRochelle, 2 0 1 1 , s h e medically interesting i n c o m e ] cancer screening phone calls. When other students, especially those approached c o u n t r i e s clinic for men, have a mother.” experiencing pain from Geisel, have been crucial but also really help the G r e g b e c a u s e i t ’s a c c o r d i n g t o and side effects of to facilitating and developing the Ts o n g a l i s , people in these villages p r e v e n t a b l e Tsongalis. their diseases and projects in Honduras, Kennedy a G e i s e l in Honduras and be by life choices In the clinics, -LINDA KENNEDY, treatment, cancer added. professor of and screening.” r e s e a r c h e r s ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR patients can call CLARO and the researchers’ p a t h o l o g y sustainable.” Kennedy said. utilize low-tech OF COMMUNITY t r a i n e d n u r s e s work to help qualified medical a n d “A s i t t u r n s m e t h o d s t o in Honduras for professional in their analysis of l a b o r at o r y out, people in screen for cancer AFFAIRS AT THE advice about pain samples obtained from cancer -GREG TSONGALIS, GEISEL medicine, those countries and based on NORRIS COTTON a n d s y m p t o m screenings. This is significant w i t h t h e SCHOOL OF MEDICINE aren’t aware of t h o s e re s u l t s, management. This because there are only a handful of idea o f PROFESSOR OF PATHOLOGY those choices t h e m e d i c a l CANCER CENTER kind of care allows pathologists in the entire country. establishing and they don’t p e r s o n n e l patients to remain Due to this development, Tsongalis a m e d i c a l AND LABORATORY MEDICINE have access to determine which strong enough to and his team are now working to research screening.” patients need high-tech screening finish their cancer treatment. establish a telepathology system aspect of the Nearly all cases of cervical cancer through Liga Contra el Cancer, An additional CLARO project with a cancer center in Honduras, College’s work in Honduras. Since occur when women contract HPV. the partner cancer center located investigated the potential for where the medical personnel in then, they have begun conducting In developed countries like the in San Pedro Sula. farmers’ exposure to agricultural Honduras would prepare the ongoing projects together, which U.S., there is wide access to the Due to the success of these clinics, products like pesticides and samples on slides and then send fall under the umbrella of DHMC’s HPV vaccine. Additionally, women Tsongalis hopes to continue hosting herbicides, many of which are electronic images of them to College Community-Led Action Research in the U.S. undergo regular Pap them for men and women biennially. outlawed in the U.S., for causing researchers in the U.S. for future in Oncology, or CLARO, a program smears to check for cervical cancer This year, researchers broadened cancer. analysis, potentially aiding the which emphasizes the importance and potentially malignant cells. If the reach of their work to include To conduct this research, timely treatment of cervical cancer of addressing community needs malignant cells are spotted and urban Honduran areas, such as San College faculty used a technique and preventing backlog. through research. “[With CLARO], we take the ideas for the research projects from what Hondurans need,” Kennedy said. “They’re our partners. Our scientists come up with the methods but concerns arise from the community.” Tsongalis echoed the importance of furthering medical research while also providing much-needed care for Honduran citizens. “We wanted to do something that would be both scientifically and medically interesting but also really help the people in these villages in Honduras and be sustainable,” he said. One of the largest points of focus for the College’s research in Honduras is cancer, particularly the prevalence of cervical cancer in Honduran women. In developing countries like Honduras, women lack access to the human papilloma virus, or HPV vaccine, Pap smears and cervical cancer treatments. Nationwide, Honduras has the second-highest rate of cervical cancer in Latin America. According to Kennedy, it is “a public health disaster” with a devastating effect on Honduran families. “For every woman [who] dies of cervical cancer in a low-income COURTESY OF ETHAN LAROCHELLE country, there’s at least a handful of Dartmouth researchers work with nonprofits in Honduras to host health clinics for people in rural areas and analyze samples obtained from cancer screenings. children who don’t have a mother,” FROM CANCER PAGE 1
PAGE 4
DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
18WHY IS IT SO COLD?
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
NEELUFAR RAJA ’21
TODAY
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Hacking Trust” with University of Chicago law professor M. Todd Henderson, Rockefeller Center 003
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Malpaso Dance Company, contemporary Cuban dance performance, Moore Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts
7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Film: “Moonlight,” directed by Barry Jenkins, Loew Auditorium, Visual Arts Center
TOMORROW
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Haitian Graffiti Artist Jerry Rosembert Moïse live demostration of work, Baker-Berry Library Main Hall
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Dartmouth and its Shattuck Observatory: Science and Identity at a ‘Small College’ from 1848 to 2018” with history professor Richard Kremer, Wilder 104
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Documentary: “Lives Worth Living,” Oopik Auditorium, Life Sciences Center
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
PAGE 5
Students go to computing conference CPD sees drop in recruiting applications FROM COMPUTING PAGE 1
computing society. Computer science professor Thomas Cormen, who led this year’s cohort of Dartmouth participants, said the College has participated in GHC since 2012. Last year, 16 students attended, about half the size of this year’s group. “In 2012, I was the department chair, so I controlled the department budget,” Cormen said. “I saw the announcement of the Grace Hopper Celebration looking for academic sponsors, and I realized we had an opportunity there.” This year, the College was a platinum sponsor of the conference, Cormen said, along with schools such as Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University and Washington University in St. Louis. This represents the highest level of academic sponsorship for the program. When the College began attending the event, it was a gold sponsor, the secondhighest level. Platinum, gold and silver academic sponsors at GHC are given different branding benefits and assigned different booth locations. Jane Lee ’19, who attended the conference for the first time this year, said the most memorable event was the keynote presentation by Fei-Fei Li, a computer science professor at Stanford University. Lee said Li’s
discussion of the potentially negative consequences of artificial intelligence challenged her assumption that artificial intelligence would improve people’s quality of life in the future. Overall, Lee said the conference educated her in detail about topics in computing and technology that she had only vaguely understood in the past. However, Lee added that the conference could have hosted more programs relevant to celebrating women in computer science. Since career workshops and other events took place at the same time, Lee was unable to attend as many panel discussions and presentations as she had wanted to. “If you were going to go to [2017 GHC] for the purpose of finding a job, you would never get the chance to hear from the speakers,” Lee said. “My purpose was both — learn about how women are empowering themselves in technology and at the same time meet different companies.” Shirley Zhang ’19, who attended the conference in 2016 and 2017, said she especially enjoyed listening to different women who have made strides in the computer science field, as well as to her peers. “Meeting people my age that are also trying to find what they like resonated with me, because we were in a similar position,” Zhang said.
Cormen said that encouraging women in computer science has always been a priority of the College’s computer science department. Accordingly, his goal in attending the conference each year is not only to support the faculty participants but also to recruit female graduate students and faculty. “[Gender inequality in computer science] at Dartmouth is not as bad as it is in other places, but I would love to see computer science at Dartmouth look like Dartmouth [as a whole] — that would mean half of our majors would be women and students of color would be better represented,” Cormen said. “We are better than we were, but we are not there.” Cormen also highlighted how the GHC’s technical and career-oriented talks can provide students with a deeper insight into the computer science field. “I think it’s really inspirational for students to see what the career opportunities are,” he said. “Also, some of the talks are about not only about opportunities but also overcoming obstacles.” Lee also echoed the importance of achieving gender equality in the computer science field. “If there are just males working on technology, we are never going to produce technology that will cater to the world, which is the ultimate goal of computer science.” Lee said.
more personalized aid in their job searches, and that the CPD is often during sophomore summer instead very helpful in guiding students of the fall. In turn, this meant that toward jobs that suit their interests. Ayanda Heita ’18, a co-president fewer students applied for jobs this fall, because they had already gone of Dartmouth Women in Business, shared similar observations to through recruiting this summer. “More and more entry level Kenneally. “The general sentiment on employers are hiring exclusively from their internship pool to fill campus is that the CPD only caters their first-time roles, so there toward finance and consulting,” Heita said. were also fewer “I think they employers are trying r e c r u i t i n g i n “The general to increase the fall for full sentiment on campus opportunities time,” Wilson is that the CPD only for people added. outside of those W i l s o n caters toward finance two fields.” said that the and consulting.” Heita decreases may emphasized the also be the work that groups resul t of th e -AYANDA HEITA ’18, like WIB and introduction of the Dartmouth having students CO-PRESIDENT OF Minorities f i l m v i d e o s DARTMOUTH WOMEN IN in Business responding to a BUSINESS Association set of interview have done to questions as try and make part of the corporate recruitment recruiting more process, so accessible to recruiters did traditionally not need to travel marginalized to Dartmouth groups. to interview each student “Nothing good can come and has individually. According to Wilson, the come out of a corporate ecosystem majority of the available positions that excludes and/or alienates were in finance or consulting. women and especially women of However, she added that the CPD color,” Heita said. “If groups like is seeing an increase in other fields, Dartmouth Women in Business such as tech recruiting, digital and Dartmouth Minorities in marketing and data analytics. Business weren’t doing the work Wilson also said that the CPD they are doing to promote these can help students find jobs at opportunities to these sub-groups, companies that don’t recruit then what would the picture look like?” through Dartmouth. Members of DFS expressed “The CPD will assist students with other interests in sourcing other concerns about recruiting, potential employers in other specifically how students interested industries and preparing for those in finance choose their field. “A lot of students aspire for interviews,” she said. A c c o r d i n g to A n u p jobs in finance without really Chamrajnagar ’18, a vice-president knowing what that means,” said of the Dartmouth Finance Society, Anish Chadalavada ’18, another students and the CPD alike are vice-president of the DFS said. overly focused on jobs related to While the CPD provides many resources, DFS members said the finance. “In general, if students are club tries to educate students on unsure where they want to work, the financial industry. Xander Fong ’18, co-president the CPD gently pushes them towards consulting or finance,” of the DFS, agrees that student said Kevin Kenneally ’18, co- organizations can play an important role in educating students. president of the DFS. “Coming to Dartmouth can Ke n n e a l l y ex p l a i n e d t h at students who superficially interact be daunting because there are with the CPD often end up so many opportunities in front applying to consulting or finance of you,” Fong said. “We try to firms because those are the most establish a foundation for freshmen prevalent organizations that visit who are interested in finance campus. He added, however, that before the CPD really kicks in students who engage in one-on-one during late sophomore and junior meetings with the CPD can receive year.” FROM CPD PAGE 1
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
STAFF COLUMNIST SOFIA STANESCU-BELLU ’20
STAFF COLUMNIST CLARA CHIN ’19
Invasive Entertainment
Not Like Other Girls
Internet oversharing has reached an all-time high, but at what cost? When most people stumble upon something horrific, their first reaction likely isn’t taking out a camera or recording device — at least this was not the case a mere few years ago. Now, with the advancement of technology and the changing role of social media platforms, such an event would be shared via Snapchat, live-streamed, posted on Facebook or added to Instagram stories. In the case of vlogger Logan Paul, his medium of choice was YouTube. Last week, Internet celebrity Logan Paul rightly faced backlash after he stumbled upon the body of someone who had committed suicide in Japan’s “Sea of Trees” at the base of Mount Fuji. Paul filmed the entire event, including his and his entourage’s reactions, and uploaded the video with a thumbnail showing the victim on YouTube. Fingers could be pointed at YouTube for allowing the video to go up in the first place, and for not taking it down, and most evidently at Paul himself for filming the scene, taking the time to edit the video and uploading it anyway. But a finger could, and should, be pointed at “us,” the audience. What Paul did is despicable and should be condemned. Yet, as he stated in the first version of his public apology, “I get views” — millions in fact, with the average video on Paul’s channel racking up five million views. Every outrageous stunt he performs increases the views on his videos and consequently, his revenue. Without some interest in his content, Paul would not have achieved the level of Internet fame that he currently does. Society today has acquired a morbid curiosity for the invasive and ridiculous. The “click-bait” epidemic on sites like YouTube lures people to videos with titles, such as “THE TRUTH ABOUT MY PAST,” “KISSING PRANK ON STRANGERS” or in the case of Logan Paul, “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest…” Why do titles like these draw millions of clicks and views? Because humans are nosy creatures, and social media has only nourished this addiction. Established companies like Snap cater to
this nosiness by adding features such as maps, allowing users to see where their friends are located when they utilize the app. Everything is voluntary, of course — each user has the option to opt out of this feature and keep their location hidden, but the simple fact that such a feature is available is a testament to this addiction to oversharing, an intrusive and almost voyeuristic desire for content that one normally cannot access: someone’s location, intimate moments, shame when subjected to an embarrassing prank and, apparently, now even death. What has happened to basic human decency? Television shows like Netflix’s “Black Mirror” claim that technology is to blame for events like these, for the loss of control over our lives and for the invisible switch that seems to have been turned on to make every step we take (literally) a public affair for tens, hundreds, thousands and even millions of people. But we cannot fully blame technology for allowing things to get this far. We ought to take a more introspective look at the role we have played as a society — not just as an audience, but as distributors of this content. Those of us who have chosen to share parts of our lives on the internet have directly fed into this phenomenon. This is not to say that we should not post anything personal online — that would be hypocritical. I do it, you probably do it and so do at least two billion people worldwide on Facebook alone. For better or for worse, sharing information online has become a part of many of our daily lives, with considerable benefits. I am, however, arguing for a sort of conscious consumerism: to distinguish between entertainment and an invasion of the minimum basic level of human privacy. Entertainment should not be used to take advantage of, hurt, offend or expose a part of someone’s life without consent. If we as viewers and users of the internet do not take action, we may find ourselves in a not-so-distant future in which no part of our lives is sacred and everything we have is aired out to the world for public scrutiny or enjoyment.
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Feminine aesthetics serve as both exclusionary and liberating forces. If you’re at all familiar with the niche insecurities for those who wear too much or meme community, you’re probably aware too little makeup, making a fashion statement of the “I’m Not Like Other Girls” meme, with dramatic eyeliner or choosing to expose which satirizes girls who go out of their way facial imperfections. Other aspects of the to distinguish themselves from traditional “basic” girl seem arbitrarily assigned to notions of femininity. “Starter pack” memes femininity, such as liking frappuccinos. But characterize these “unique” women as those liking a sugary drink should have no such who wear checkerboard pants, Kurt Cobain- negative connotation — even if it is bad for esque clout goggles and Doc Martens. They your health. It’s ridiculous to assume that identify “Lolita” as their favorite book or “basic” women should be associated with movie (a perfect combination of the ironic consuming sweet beverages. and subversive) and drink black coffee (black More problematically, these stereotypes like their soul). Satirizing this behavior is an are the vehicles within which mainstream important critique of internalized sexism. feminism has evolved to favor certain Thus, it is also important to consider that types of women over others, which some of the “feminine” characteristics subsequently proposes a far too simplistic that “I’m Not Like Other Girls” resists brand of feminism. The face of feminism are actually worth resisting, and that there as popularized by celebrity figures like should be room for multiple femininities. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé has a tendency Separate from the “I’m Not Like to perpetuate a certain look for women. Other Girls” meme is the “Other Girls” By denouncing women who identify with a meme, often construed as the types of different aesthetic, feminism can often feel “basic” girls who drink exclusionary, insofar as Starbucks frappuccinos, it seems welcoming of wear “natural” makeup, “It is true that the feminine women only. own multiple pairs of collective effects One conclusion Lululemons and enjoy that would resolve the Sunday brunch. The of women aspiring tensions between the meme of the “Not Like to femininity could alt-basic binary would Other Girls” girl, which be non-essentialism, a potentially be is usually simplified as concept that Simone the “alt” girl, ironically negative, since they de Beauvoir wrote listens to Lana del Rey, result from social about in “The Second while the Other Girl Sex.” She wrote of the unapologetically listens constructs catering to “myth of woman” — to Taylor Swift. The men. But the solution a conceptualization of alt girl uses Instagram inequality resulting may not necessarily be the for ironic memes, and from understanding the the Other Girl uses to disown femininity woman as “Other” to Instagram for un-ironic altogether ...” man. De Beauvoir argues group selfies. There that femininity is a social is nothing inherently construct often defined wrong with Starbucks or Lululemon; the by men. It is true that the collective effects patronizing attitude that alt girls sometimes of women aspiring to femininity could hold against this culture can be tied to potentially be negative, since they result from internalized sexism. Because this aesthetic social constructs catering to men. But the is attributed to femininity, some women solution may not necessarily be to disown choose to distance themselves from it. femininity altogether — instead, aesthetic Neither of these behaviors should be femininity should be separated from wrong. After all, they are just a matter of essentializing femininity. Femininity as an personal taste. Nevertheless, the feminist aesthetic choice, such as preference of dress debate has created a litany of shifting style, identifying with “feminine” literary connotations upon these two groups, characters and listening to “feminine” music, sometimes shaming the superficiality of what removes some of the political consequences it means to be a basic girl and sometimes and social inequality that results from casting light on the internalized sexism of associating femininity with gender. the Not Like Other Girls girl. It is difficult Embracing femininity as an aesthetic to distinguish between qualities that are could be a freeing act for many. First, it arbitrarily associated with femininity or creates room for multiple femininities, so being a woman (and are thus frowned women can embrace feminine aesthetics upon), and qualities that stem from sexist without connoting generalizations about norms and stereotypes about women. This being a woman. Further, women can dress is why internalized sexism is often a fraught in less stereotypically feminine ways without combination of resistance to femininity and feeling a false sense of harbored internalized to societal constructs that took shape during sexism. Finally, understanding femininity as a long history of media outlets controlled an aesthetic realizes the ways that certain by men. male attitudes and desires have imposed It is important to complicate traditional themselves on what femininity means. notions of femininity. Societal pressure Understanding this collective feminism to appear flawless accounts for the desire makes room for women to adhere to other to wear unnoticeable makeup, creating gender performances.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
PAGE 7
STAFF COLUMNIST ANMOL GHAVRI ’18
STAFF COLUMNIST DANIEL FISHBEIN ‘19
Our Relationship with Time
How to Dog Dartmouth
Perpetual news and media alienate us from our relationship with time.
When was the last time you sat down with pen and paper and wrote a letter to someone in your own unique and imperfect handwriting? When was the last time you sat down with a cup of coffee and a print newspaper to read about recent events? Like many people my age, I rely on the invisible wings of 20th and 21st century technology to carry my messages instantaneously to my friends and loved ones. I almost exclusively rely on digital and broadcast journalism — especially notifications from iPhone applications and pages I follow on Facebook — to receive updates and stories on current events as they happen. These technologies have made staying in touch with loved ones, friends and current events more seamless and convenient than ever before and have undoubtedly made our lives better. But we should be more mindful as to how we use them and understand the adverse effects they can have on our lives. President Donald Trump’s administration’s feverish first year and its symbiotic relationship with the 24/7 news cycle and conspicuous Facebook opining has made me reflective on how we perceive the passing and experience of a “global” time at the expense of “local” time. The constant communication, opining, “memeing” and instantaneous sharing of ostentatious news has served as a drug, displacing many from the historical human relationship with time. This relationship, rooted in localized goalposts and milestones, prioritized the local passing of events and time as well as our engagement with our own physical body and those in our immediate lived experiences, spaces and communities. In contrast, the passage of time in contemporary life is perceived by many through the lens of global events instigated through the agency of governments, politicians and cultural institutions. Additionally, many people, especially those my age, judge the progress and meaning of their lives against the artificial goalposts and conspicuous “doing of things” by their peers and celebrity personalities as shared on social media. The passage of time is no longer grounded in local events but distorted by a new global pace. This global time alienates us because despite what media may portray, people live their lives locally and intimately through the communities we are active participants in — families, close friends, colleagues. No one actually has 1,000 or 1,500 friends in real life, though they may on Facebook. Yet we base the progress of our own lives on carefully curated snapshots of other people’s lives as shared on social media; we base our perception of time on our Facebook feeds off the pace set by 24/7 world news; we inevitably get hurt when our real lives don’t live up to these distorted standards. In a July 2017 lecture at Dartmouth titled “Public Events, Private Lives,” Sir Salman Rushdie offered his perspective on how the modern 24/7 news cycle and general frenzy of contemporary life have altered our perceptual rooting in space and time. For most of human existence, people rarely knew anything outside of their direct and localized sphere of experienced life. With the printing press and
ability to distribute novels and fiction with ease, Rushdie argued, the author became a vehicle for educating and communicating “truth” and knowledge about the human condition and how societies are or are not changing. In effect, novels and authors became the carriers of “news” regardless of how true it was, and the essence of current affairs were portrayed through the lens of fiction. Yet the state of the world was still carried slowly on the wings of printed books. Humans had an intimate and slow-burning relationship with the pace of “current events;” we still prioritized localized and intimate experiences and relationships with people in immediate vicinities and locales. We experienced our lives through these local benchmarks in time rather than those imposed globally and instantaneously. This slower lifestyle did not just suddenly disappear but rather evolved slowly over centuries with the advent of daily newspapers, cable news, quicker and more advanced forms of transportation and new forms of instantaneous communication. Current arguments about the adverse effects of certain modern-day institutions and technologies like 24/7 broadcast news, smartphones and social media can often be made about earlier technologies like the telegraph and the wired phone. However, the technologies we have today have scaled up and exacerbated the adverse effects that quick communication and connection have on our human experience of the passing of time. My critique of one alienating aspect of modern civilization is not meant to call for complete rejection of the technology and institutions facilitating instantaneous communication. Indeed, the internet age has bestowed numerous benefits on the world as a whole. Instantaneous communication has saved lives and has made information for the purposes of education, employment and otherwise improving lives widely and easily available and accessible. When used in certain ways, these technologies can actually facilitate maintenance of intimate and localized communities despite geographic distance. They have made humans more aware of the conditions of their brothers and sisters across the world and linked us despite cultural, social, national and religious differences. My point, rather, is to call on each and every one of us to reclaim some form of our relationship with the localized passing of time. A great deal of our daily activities can be rethought to provide a more intimate relationship with people, regardless of physical distance, and a more sophisticated consumption of current events, without alienating us from our environments and communities. Like most people, I am incredibly reliant on the very institutions and technologies that I critique. However, the comforts and conveniences that they provide do not exempt us from being more self-aware of the alienating effect they can and often do have in our lives. By being more mindful of how we use and consume certain technologies, we may be able to reconcile our experiences of the passing of “local” and “global” times.
Some tips to reduce stress I’ve learned from my canine companion. I’ve struggled throughout college to find an pheromones he has deposited on your front alarm clock that really works for me. Apple’s doorsteps. In this dog’s mind, he belongs “chimes” sound is too calming, and “radar” there just as much as you do. is too harsh. Custom tones have not worked 2. Smell everything, everywhere: Jacoby either: I had my alarm set to Arcade Fire’s never knows what he might find in previously “Wake Up” for a while before I realized that undiscovered areas. Perhaps there’s even I had the rest of the day to a forgotten peanut butter channel my hipster-dom cookie from KAF in the and didn’t want to start “Sometimes a bottom of his owner’s that performance so early whine, more often backpack! in the morning. 3. The woods are lovely, I have yet another a bark, this sound d a rk a n d d e e p : T h e alarm sound this term, emanates at 8 a.m. morning after Jacoby and I and so far, this one does got here, my Weather not from an iPhone first its job well. Sometimes a app indicated a -23ºF whine, more often a bark, speaker but from temperature with a wind this sound emanates at 8 the larynx of Jacoby, chill that made this place a.m. not from an iPhone colder than Mars. “It’s not speaker but from the my lab-hound mix. my fault humans haven’t larynx of Jacoby, my lab- He has made all the evolved to grow fur,” his hound mix. He has made look seemed to say to me, difference.” all the difference. and, unable to disagree, I Scientists have found threw on three layers of long that dogs provide their underwear. His eagerness owners with numerous health benefits, from to brave the cold proved rewarding for both lowered blood pressure to reduced symptoms of us. Watching him frolic through the snow of stress-related disorders. With his ability to falling on cedars beside a frozen Occom Pond, trigger my brain to release serotonin, Jacoby I took a moment to reflect on the natural more than makes up for the dreariness of the beauty of my surroundings, a wondrousness Hanover winter. He also has I have not fully appreciated until helped me address the root this point. “Enjoy being causes of potential stress. 4. Everyone you meet After going on our early yourself: is a person who could throw morning walks, the rest of my Jacoby you a bone: My dog does not day feels easier. When Jacoby discriminate in choosing friends. does not feel inclined to lie does not Whether you’re a ’21 who still down on the keyboard of understand looks lost, a jogging townie or a my open laptop, he provides staff member, Jacoby will try to numbers; my much needed companionship lick your face. Seeing his fervent during the hours-long grind GPA means attitude in getting to know people necessitated by a full course nothing to has opened my eyes up to the fact load and research position. that, despite feeling as though I Beyond balancing out him.” have been at Dartmouth for a long my stress levels, Jacoby time, there are so many people has helped me take a new around me I still do not know perspective on my own position here at the anything about. College. This winter, I have seen this school 5. Enjoy being yourself: Jacoby does not only as a student returning from an not understand numbers; my GPA means English foreign study program in Dublin but nothing to him. He does not have social as a canine exploring it for media accounts and cannot see the first time. many likes my last picture “... with both the how Re f l e c t i n g o n h i s of him registered. He takes the exploration from my anxiety-reducing time to relax on my bed without vantage point as a nostalgic, presence of chiding himself for laziness. He weathered junior, more loves me because I feed him, pet than halfway done with Jacoby and him, love him — because I exist. college (a shroud of dread an attempt As the term progresses, descends upon me as I my workload will intensify, and come to that realization), I to emulate I don’t see the weather getting have learned the following some of these warmer anytime soon. Yet, lessons: with both the anxiety-reducing behaviors of his, 1. Make your presence presence of Jacoby and an felt: To the house men I have found a attempt to emulate some of these and women of the Greek new sense of behaviors of his, I have found a organizations on Webster new sense of confidence — that Avenue, I, on behalf of confidence ...” I can turn in my assignments, go Jacoby, humbly apologize. to class, socialize, keep my room While most of your organizations, to my clean and fulfill my responsibilities while not knowledge, do not have a rush term for dogs, having my cortisol levels blow through the he has nonetheless claimed a stake in your roof. That I can, at the very least, get out of houses, through whatever territorial-marking bed.
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
TV review: ‘black-ish’ spin-off ‘grown-ish’ is fresh, fun, colorful By JORDAN McDONALD The Dartmouth Staff
On Jan. 3, Freeform debuted the first two episodes of “grown-ish,” the highly-anticipated spin-off of ABC’s “black-ish.” “grown-ish” follows Zoey (Yara Shahidi), the eldest Johnson daughter, through her freshman year of college and journey into adulthood. The show is fresh, colorful and fun, featuring a diverse cast of characters and strong writing. “grown-ish” manages to build on the success of “black-ish” while asserting itself as distinct and worthy of anticipation. The show retains many of the core elements that allowed “black-ish” to rise as a critically-acclaimed sitcom on ABC. For example, “grown-ish” also stresses audience education, offering brief insights into character background and historical context, a practice which takes on new meaning as Zoey is tasked with learning who she is, where she comes from and how she wants to exist in the world. When news of the spin-off first broke, it quickly became clear that “grown-ish” would have to contend with the impact and expectations set by “The Cosby Show” spin-off, “A
Different World,” which focused on an elder daughter Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) during her time at the fictional Hillman College. Luckily, “grown-ish” is no mere “A Different World” reboot. While it is a college show with a black female lead that makes a concerted effort to tackle topics that are pertinent to college life, including drug use, hookup culture, roommates and class registration, it is also an ode to a very particular generation that has emerged in the decades following “A Different World.” “grown-ish” is unapologetically engaged with pop culture and the way it has informed the generation of young adults born at the tail end of the 90s. With a nod to “The Breakfast Club,” the first episode picks up when Zoey has to take a night class, where she forms an unlikely bond with a varied assortment of her peers. Faced with an unreliable professor, played by Deon Cole reprising his role as Charlie Telphy, a zany coworker of Zoey’s father, the rag-tag group of college kids begin to share their stories with one another, building a friendship that grounds the series. Alongside her friends Vivek, Aaron, Nomi, Luca, Sky and Jazz, Zoey undergoes
a college transition that is a messy adventure filled with some big personalities. Vivek (Jordan Buhat) is a first-generation Indian-American who idolizes Drake and sells drugs to maintain his aesthetic. Aaron (Trevor Jackson) is a student activist who is painfully oblivious to Zoey’s crush on him. Nomi (Emily Arlook) is a spunky “Jewish-American princess” exploring her bisexuality now that she is out from under her parents’ gaze. Luca (Luka Sabbat) is a laid-back, perpetually high “fashionisto.” Jazz and Sky (Chloe and Halle Bailey) are twin track stars trying to overcome their socioeconomic circumstances. Each of them adds to Zoey’s new world, an environment in which she is faced with people from backgrounds completely unlike her own. For “black-ish” fans, “grown-ish” is a compelling introduction to Zoey in a position we have never seen her in before. On “black-ish,” her character is relatively consistent in comparison with her siblings. She’s the confident, popular one who surprises the audience every few episodes by offering a brief insight into her inner life while maintaining her glossy exterior. In “grown-ish,” the gloss is finally stripped away as
Zoey is thrown into an environment where everything she thought she knew about herself and the world is put to the test. In this way, the spinoff sets out to introduce the show’s ancestral fanbase to a version of Zoey we have never truly met. In “grown-ish,” we witness Zoey’s first real mistakes and missteps in adulthood. In the very first episode, we explore Zoey’s cowardice after she betrays her roommate, Ana (Francia Raisa), a Catholic, Republican Cuban-American living outside of Miami for the first time in her life. Preoccupied with impressing upperclassmen, Zoey abandons a vomiting Ana at their first college party, severing the first friendship she’d made on campus. Oddly enough, watching Zoey stumble and reassemble a relationship she’d broken over the course of the episode is what cements the show’s investment in exploring who Zoey Johnson is in ways that “black-ish,” a show anchored in her father’s vision
of the world, does not. While “black-ish” introduced the world to Zoey as Andre’s favorite daughter, “grown-ish” reinserts Zoey’s voice into the conversation about her character. Passing the narration over to Zoey from her father, “grown-ish” puts her in the driver’s seat of her life. Each episode is a part of her journey in figuring out what direction she will be going next. The show will be a group effort, bolstered by the chemistry of the main cast and the quippy writing that strives to approximate a generation’s angsts, apathies and values. In this way, the show’s title, “grown-ish,” a major improvement from the original title “college-ish,” effectively encapsulates the show’s energy and feel. In a transition from networks and narratives, moving from ABC to Freeform and from Andre’s story to Zoey’s, the show is a major leap within itself, and I believe “grown-ish” and Zoey will stick the landing.
BREAKFAST WITH THE ARTS
LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT
MADELINE KILLEN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Top of the Hop glows with bright colors on a chilly evening this winter term.
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Haitian graffiti artist Jerry Rosembert Moïse spoke at Dartmouth on Tuesday.