VOL. CLXXIV NO.195
PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 43 LOW 27
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Tri-Kap suspended for College will not alcohol and hazing violations expand enrollment By THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
NEWS
Q&A WITH LIBRARIAN JAY SATTERFIELD PAGE 2
ARTS
FILM REVIEW: ‘PHANTOM THREAD’ PAGE 8
BOOK REVIEW: ‘HOW WE GET FREE’ COMMEMORATES BLACK FEMINISM PAGE 8
OPINION
LI SHEN: OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND PAGE 4
SAKLAD: IN SUPPORT OF FREE SPEECH PAGE 4 FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2018 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
NATALIE DAMERON/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity has been suspended for three terms by the College.
By JASMINE OH The Dartmouth
The Organizational Adjudication Committee suspended Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity for three terms, beginning this past fall, after the fraternity admitted to multiple violations of the College’s
hazing and alcohol policy. A police investigation into the fraternity’s conduct is ongoing according to Hanover Police lieutenant Scott Rathburn. The suspension, which ends on June 21, will be followed by four terms of alcohol probation and then two terms of College
probation, according to a Feb. 18 statement from College spokesper son Diana Lawrence. The alcohol probation will end on June 20, 2019 and the following College probation will end on Jan. 6, 2020. SEE TRI-KAP PAGE 5
The College will not expand undergraduate student enrollment, Board of Trustees chair Laurel Richie ’81 announced in a campuswide email on Sunday. The decision was made during the Board’s most recent meeting from March 1 to 3 following consideration of a report from the Task Force for Enrollment Expansion. At the meeting, the Board approved a recommendation from College President Phil Hanlon that the undergraduate student body “should remain at its current level,” according to Richie’s statement. The Board took into account input from community members, she wrote. “In reaching this conclusion, the board was guided by a commitment to Dartmouth’s distinctive model of close studentfaculty engagement in an intimate, collaborative community that honors our profound sense of place,” the statement read. Hanlon appointed the Task Force for Enrollment Expansion last September to assess the advantages and challenges
of increasing the College’s undergraduate student body by 10 to 25 percent. The Board also approved a 3.9 percent increase in tuition, fees and room and board for the next academic year, according to a College press release. Tuition will increase by $2,028, totaling $53,496. According to the press release, the Board also approved an operating budget for the 2019 fiscal year of $1 billion and a $250 million spending distribution, up 6 percent from the current fiscal year. The Board also allocated $51 million to a capital budget for projects including a $14 million expansion of the Thayer School of Engineering and the renovations of Dana Hall and Blunt Hall. The Trustees also asked for concepts and designs for a 350-bed residential complex, according to the press release. Locations for the project will be explored. Hanlon announced last week that the College will not build a proposed 750-bed residence hall in College Park due to financial constraints.
College applicants Dartmouth hires consultants will not be penalized to explore new power plant for activism By JACOB CHALIF The Dartmouth
By ALEX FREDMAN
The Dartmouth Staff
The Dartmouth admissions office released a statement on Feb. 23 advising prospective students that disciplinary actions resulting from protests or other activism will not negatively affect their chances of admission to the College.
In the wake of the Feb. 14 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, high school students across the country engaged in activism on issues of gun control and school safety. These actions, which have included protests and school walk-outs, have SEE STATEMENT PAGE 5
Dartmouth has hired Goldman Sachs consultants to explore options for constructing a new power plant. The College is also hoping to transition its steam heating system to a more efficient hot water loop system, said executive vice president Rick Mills. According to associate vice president of facilities operations and management
Fr a n k Ro b e r t s , t h e power plant next to the Hood Museum of Art, which was built in 1898, produces virtually all of the main campus’ heat and approximately 20 percent of its electricity consumption. The College is currently looking at potential locations for the new plant, which will replace nearly all of that energy production, Mills said. These energy infrastructure improvements
are all part of Dartmouth’s sustainability goals that College Pres iden t Ph il Hanlon outlined on April 15, 2017. By 2025, the College hopes to obtain 50 percent of its energy supply from renewables, and 100 percent by 2050. Goldman Sachs will aid the College in the search for private companies to help build the new plant, Mills said. This tactic of SEE ENERGY PAGE 3
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 2
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
Q&A with Rauner reference librarian Jay Satterfield By BERIT SVENSON The Dartmouth
Upon attending school to become a reference librarian, Jay Satterfield discovered his love of special collections. He has become a fixture of the College’s Rauner Special Collections Library beginning in 2004. As head of special collections, Satterfield serves as an administrator, collection developer and teacher. What brought you to Dartmouth? JS: It was an opportunity to try something out that I really wanted to try, which was fully integrating rare books, archives and manuscripts into a curriculum. It’s not just an add-on or a cool thing off to the side, but something that is an integral part of teaching and learning at the institution. Dartmouth seemed like a great place for that because it has terrific collections, terrific students and an open faculty. What made you interested in working in a library? What was your past experience? JS: When I got out of college, I lucked into a job with the National Park Service as an archaeological aid. I worked in a lab in Lincoln, Nebraska cleaning artifacts that were dug up all over the country. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my thing. I did realize that the thing that I most enjoyed was researching artifacts. So I decided to go to a library school
to become a reference librarian. When I got to library school, I got a job in special collections because I knew how to handle old things. I quickly realized that that was my passion: special collections. I went on and got a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in American studies focusing on the history of the book in the Americas and that took me into the field. What is your role at Rauner Library? JS: I’m the head of special collections. My job really has three different components. One of them is being an administrator and running the department. Another component is collection development, so acquiring all this cool material that we get to use. The third one — which is most important to me — is engagement with the community and the materials. I’m in classrooms teaching all the time. I’m also working with different groups on making sure that stuff is in the hands of the people who should be using it. What is your favorite item in the library? JS: The item I need that day. Everything here has a cool story behind it and is a fascinating object. My favorite thing is the one that satisfies the need of that day. If I have somebody who is really interested in the history of medicine, then it would have to be this amazing book from the Renaissance by [16thcentury physician] Andreas Vesalius. If
I’m working with a class on carnivals, then it’s this piece from 1939 talking about what women think of Dartmouth men on the now-defunct “Big Date” weekend. It’s fascinating stuff.
Do you have a favorite spot in the library? JS: I love the couch up in the top corner. I go up there at least once a day and spend some time up there because I can be away from the telephone. I have an open door policy for my office so anybody can walk in at any time to start talking to me. That’s great because I love talking to students and working with them, but every now and then I need space to get something done. It’s a study space that all the students use too so I become a student for a bit. What are your best tips for navigating through libraries and conducting research? JS: Ask for help. That’s the most basic one. There are people at our desk who are really talented and who love working with students. Another thing is to think of research as an iterative process, where rather than saying, “I read this; now I know it and I’m moving on to the next thing,” think about it as, “I’m looking at this document and then I’m going to look at 12 more. Those other 12 are going to help me understand that first one again.” By circling back through your research, you’ll see things the second pass through that you didn’t see
COURTESY OF JAY SATTERFIELD
Reference librarian Jay Satterfield has been at the College since 2004.
the first time because you didn’t have all the context that was out there. Whydoyouthinkthepreservation of the books in the special collections is so important? JS: For a lot of things that reside here, it is the only copy in the world. If that is destroyed, then that information vanishes. The preservation of those bits of information is really dependent on the preservation of the materials. Another reason is that we learn in different ways. Learning is cemented in our brains when we have a variety of stimuli that are teaching us a similar thing. If you learn something on an intellectual level, tactile level and an
emotional level simultaneously, then you’re far more likely to remember it five years from now than if you learn it just so you can get through the test a week from now. It kind of vanishes from your head. When you set a 500-yearold manuscript in front of somebody, they have an emotional response to the object; they have a tactile response to it; they have an intellectual response to it. Those things combine to help your brain process that information and make it real. I think the aura of the original helps a person learn and inspires them to learn more. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
College appoints members to sexual assault committee By GIGI GRIGORIAN The Dartmouth Staff
The College announced the members of the Presidential Steering Committee on Sexual Misconduct, which will review College policies on sexual misconduct, ensure they are clear and present recommendations on policy development, education and training. The committee members, announced on Feb. 14, hail from both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Leslie Henderson, dean for faculty affairs at the Geisel School of Medicine, serves as chair of the committee. Other members include senior associate dean of student affairs Liz Agosto ’01, assistant dean for postdoctoral affairs at the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies Victoria Blodgett, vice president
for institutional diversity and equity Evelynn Ellis, biology professor Mark McPeek, Title IX coordinator Allison O’Connell, director of M.S. and Ph.D. programs for the Thayer School of Engineering Brian Pogue, associate dean for faculty at the Tuck School of Business Richard Sansing, senior athletics director Megan Sobel and government professor Lucas Swaine. According to Henderson, the committee will present its recommendations on where the College can improve its education and policies on sexual misconduct to College President Phil Hanlon in late spring. The committee had its first meeting last week and will continue to hold weekly meetings until making its recommendations, Henderson said. “The committee is not tasked with actually making new policy, but instead with identifying areas for
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com. Correction Appended (March 5, 2018): The article “The Weekend Roundup: Week 9” previously stated the men’s squash team ended its season after losing in the first round of the Potter Cup when the team played two additional consolation matches on Feb. 24 and Feb. 26. The article has been updated to reflect these changes.
improvements,” O’Connell said. The committee is currently working to identify gaps in the College’s current policies, particularly in how information is spread to different divisions and individuals, Henderson said. Sansing said that the committee will work to ensure that policies concerning sexual misconduct are clear, consistent and coherent. Like Sansing, Henderson said that the committee’s work would ideally create clear, simple and inclusive policies. However, she noted that given Dartmouth’s complexity, simple policies might not be possible. “We have a very complex institution, and a one-size-fits-all, monolithic arrangement may not work,” she said. “We’re going to have to have some divergences that fit people’s different roles within the institution.” For that reason, the committee will consider whether and when the policies should differ across different divisions of the College, Henderson said. Sansing also noted that, in the coming weeks, the committee might also look to peer schools to “find examples of the best practices that we might want to emulate.” Henderson personally hopes that the committee will discuss education
and training across the institution, especially with faculty and staff and with graduate divisions at the College. “We have a number of good programs that have been put into place, especially at the undergraduate level, over the past few years,” she said. However, it is likely more difficult to ensure information on resources reach other members of the College, Henderson added. Henderson stressed that the committee was charged with making recommendations regarding how best to improve that spread of information. Because the steering committee will address sexual misconduct education, training and policies at all levels of the College, Henderson believes it is important for all of Dartmouth’s constituent schools to be represented with its members serving on the committee. “If you look at the guidelines and advice that are coming out of the [U.S. Department of Education’s] Office for Civil Rights, it is not limited to undergraduates,” Henderson explained. “Those policies pertain across the entire educational enterprise. We need to have policies to be making sure we meet expectations from federal guidelines.” Henderson also noted that because
sexual misconduct could occur at any level at the College, the committee will work to review policies and education throughout all of the College, not just at the undergraduate level. Sansing agreed that Dartmouth’s professional schools should have input as the College looks to evaluate its policies regarding sexual misconduct. “In practice, the professional schools tend to follow [the undergraduate college’s] policy with respect to defining these events [of sexual misconduct] and how the institution responds,” he explained. O’Connell said she appreciates the range of committee members because it will help the committee to better represent the diverse experiences of individuals affiliated with the College. “I think it’s important that we have people from all different areas of the school so that we can make sure that we’re gathering all the relevant feedback from constituents,” she said. In the spring, the committee will seek community input by holding forums for Dartmouth community members, O’Connell said. In order to maximize input from the community, Henderson hopes to establish different avenues through which individuals can present their ideas both in-person and anonymously.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 3
Six faculty members College explores different receive inaugural grant heating and power plant options Riley said he will be collaborating with composer Jonathan Berger and The Dartmouth English professor Vievee Francis to The Office of the Associate Dean create an opera-like music presentation recently announced that six faculty titled “Death by Drowning.” members have received the first New “[Berger and I] started thinking Directions in Humanities Scholarship about a long-form music presentation, and Arts Practice grants, funded by the not exactly an opera but something Office of the President. The call for along those lines,” Riley said. “[Berger] grant proposals asked for applicants will be composing the music for the to adopt a “sense of risk” in their project, [Francis] will be working on proposals and intends to encourage the libretto, so all of the words that will interdisciplinary study in the arts and be sung by the eventual performers, humanities. and then I will be contributing The inaugural grant recipients [drawings that will be] projected are religion professor Zahra Ayubi, throughout the presentation.” Spanish professor Antonio Gómez Ruoff will use the grant to apprentice López-Quiñones, studio art professor with New Hampshire Public Radio’s Enrico Riley, film and media studies Virginia Prescott to learn the ropes professor Jeffrey of podcast and Ru o f f, E n g l i s h “Since I need to be radio production. By professor Nirvana exploring these fields, Tanoukhi and music able to read huge Ruoff said his end goal professor Spencer bibliographies is to experiment with a Topel. new realm of digital art in Italian ... Ay u b i , w h o and media: non-fiction studies women in I was asking radio documentary. Islam, said she will [Dartmouth] for “Even though this be studying feminist isaresearchgrant,oneof p h i l o s o p hy o f financial help to the things I mentioned religion and Muslim [go to Italy] and in my proposal was biomedical ethics. eventually offering a learn Italian.” “The project course or courses in is about Muslim radio production in the ontological and -ANTONIO GÓMEZ department of film and philosophical media,” Ruoff said. understandings of LÓPEZ-QUIÑONES, He added that women’s bodies and SPANISH PROFESSOR he was attracted to locating religious the prospect of authority and studying radio by medical decisionthe comparatively making power in the context of lower costs of radio production in male-centered metaphysics and moral comparison to television and film. authority and control over women’s According to the College press souls in the ethics tradition,” Ayubi release, Tanoukhi will use the grant said. to undertake a study of context Gómez specializes in modern and meaning, known as linguistic Spanish culture and literature and pragmatics. She hopes to apply that said he will be using the grant to study to her current research on how travel to Italy and study Italian in readers, who lack cultural context order to undertake a study of the when reading a translated work, Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio create meaning from the literature, Gramsci as well as the cultural and according to the release. political impact he had on Spain. Topel said the grant will allow him “I’m trying to understand how to work at an architectural firm for a Gramsci was received and read in year, which will allow him to build on Spain in two different historical an understanding of producing largeperiods: the 1970s when Gen. scale sound installations by trying to [Francisco] Franco died and Spain merge the fields of architecture and was transitioning to a democratic music. system, and in the last 10 years,” “The two kinds of parallel currents Gómez said. “Since I need to be able in sound art right now are one kind to read huge bibliographies in Italian of emerging from artists, like studio that haven’t been translated into any art practices and music, and then kind other language really, I was asking of an interesting parallel track is in [Dartmouth] for financial help to [go architecture where architecture firms to Italy] and learn Italian.” are creating installations that create Gómez has already taken Italian sound or sound interaction,” Topel 1, “Introductory Italian I” and said. “My proposal was to find a way Italian 2, “Introductory Italian II” to bridge these two things together.” at Dartmouth and said he plans on The professors will begin traveling to Italy to further immerse undertaking their work in the 2018himself in the language and culture. 2019 school year.
By NICOLAS BERLINSKI
FROM ENERGY PAGE 1
finding private companies to build expensive projects, known as a public-private partnership, is increasingly common when universities pursue a project outside their zone of expertise, he said. A partnership of this type will free up “a finite amount of capital capacity that Dartmouth has to use on our more core academic missions like science buildings or undergraduate residencies — things that feel like they are very much the essence of Dartmouth,” Mills said. Mills said that the College is additionally using Goldman Sachs to explore partners to build new graduate housing, in which the College would give a private company rights to build new apartments in Sachem Village. This public-private partnership could take any number of directions in regard to the new power plant from the private company owning and operating the plant and selling the energy it produces to the College operating the plant entirely on its own, Mills said. Goldman Sachs is working with the College to decide which plan to pursue, a process that will take two to three years, Mills said. The timeline for a new power plant is still unknown, he added. Once the new power plant is operational, Mills said that the College is unsure of what will become of the current plant, which is in “prime real estate.” They are considering options ranging from the demolition of the plant and building something new in its place to turning it into a gallery modeled after the Tate Modern in London, which is located in a former power plant, he said. Mills said he expects that the new plant will use biomass, a renewable energy source, instead of the heating oil currently used. However, the College is open to new ideas from potential partners. The College is considering using wood chips as its biomass energy source, according to Mills. Since
burning wood chips releases much less energy than oil by volume of material burned, the plant would require a much larger storage capacity for wood chips than the current plant has for oil, Mills explained. Environmental studies professor Andrew Friedland said wood chips should not be the College’s final goal in its search for renewable energies. Instead, they should be used for a period of time as a transition to “true, non-depletable renewables like wind and solar,” he said. Friedland said that burning wood chips actually releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than burning oil. The difference, he said, is that some of the carbon dioxide will be drawn back from the atmosphere as the trees start growing in the place where the trees were cut. “When you cut down trees and turn them into wood chips, you’ve left this open area of the forest which can regrow new trees and, in theory, draw the carbon dioxide, which you’ve released into the atmosphere when you burn the wood, back down into some living plants,” he explained. Calling wood chips “the lesser of two evils,” Friedland said that they are better than fossil fuels because no part of the extraction or priming of oil offsets the carbon dioxide released from burning it. Building a new power plant is not the only project Dartmouth is pursuing to make its energy infrastructure more sustainable. The College is also hoping to upgrade its steam system to a district hot water loop, which will circulate heated water in a far more insulated system, Mills said. Currently, the campus currently uses a steam distribution energy system. While steam allows for a large transfer of heat, it is relatively inefficient, as a large amount of heat and energy is lost as steam travels through pipes underground, according to Mills. A hot water loop will not only
reduce losses of heat but also integrate the entire energy system. The current system can only add energy from the central power plant because steam is so hot and pressured, whereas the hot water loop would enable any building to add hot water to the loop for energy usage. This is beneficial because the College could, for example, be able to add solar panels to the roofs of buildings which would be able to easily add energy to the system. Changing to a hot water system will also result in quieter radiators. Since steam is hot, the radiators get quite hot but only briefly and are cool most of the time. The radiator’s quick heating and cooling is what causes much of the noise, according to Mills. With a hot water loop, radiators become less hot and operate more consistently at a more constant temperature, which should make radiators on campus much quieter, said Mills. He added that the College will take care of its internal i m p r ov e m e n t s r a t h e r t h a n partnering with a private firm to upgrade the buildings. Divest Dartmouth member Lily Zhang ’18 said that she is happy to see the College moving away from using fossil fuels. But, she added, the College’s energy usage “is not the whole picture of Dartmouth’s footprint in fossil fuels” because the College invests its endowment in fossil fuel companies. The town of Hanover also has strong commitments to renewable energies. According to Hanover public works director Peter Kulbacki, the town has the same goal as Dartmouth to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. He emphasized that it is important that the town meet its goals through methods that can be copied anywhere. “The goal is really meaningless unless we do something that other communities can do,” Kulbacki said. “Not every town has a Dartmouth in it.”
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST AVERY SAKLAD ’21
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST SABRINA LI SHEN ’21
In Support of Free Speech
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Dartmouth students risk silencing productive debate.
I do not believe in hurting others. It is important to me to live on a campus where the student body can feel safe and respected regardless of personal identifiers or beliefs, but I think there comes a point when political correctness begins to tread on people’s toes. When legitimate expression of political or otherwise controversial ideology becomes compromised or vilified on campus, students need to take a step back and understand the repercussions of responding with outrage. Equating disagreeableness with hatefulness intentionally smudges the line between exercising and abusing free speech, placing significant constraints on campus conversations. At the risk of reopening an old wound, Ryan Spector ’19’s guest column “You’re Not Tripping” can serve as an example. Like other feminists on campus, I found his piece to be an incredibly ignorant display of white privilege; unlike other feminists on campus, I am glad The Dartmouth published it. Spector’s outrage over the gender imbalance in the incoming First-Year Trips directorate was insensitive, but it was not hateful. His article contained no threats, slurs, harassment or otherwise unsafe language. He wrote a piece expressing an unpopular idea, and he was not overstepping his rights in doing so. I certainly do not support the content of his piece, but I do believe that calls to retract his article from The Dartmouth were unfounded. Choosing not to publish his article would have been an obvious obstruction of Spector’s right to free speech and equally as ignorant as writing the article. Dartmouth faced a similar conundrum on the subject of freedom of speech in the fall of last year when Dartmouth Students for Life and the College Republicans invited Kristan Hawkins to give a talk as part of her “Lies Feminists Tell” tour. As president of Students for Life in America, an anti-abortion student activist group, Hawkins attracted an audience consisting primarily of prochoice protesters. Following a heated questionand-answer session, some students argued that Hawkins should not have been invited to speak on campus at all, suggesting that her stance and language were too offensive to be given a platform on campus. Although Hawkins did lose her composure multiple times during her presentation and certainly did not behave in a professional way in response to well-founded oppositional inquiries, I maintain that it is important to welcome strong voices like hers on campus. Only inviting speakers whose viewpoints
are supported by the vast majority of the Dartmouth community creates a façade of accordance that can be suffocating to students with minority stances. Such a policy would inhibit dialogue by offering many members of this community no option other than to agree with the self-proclaimed majority. Excluding controversial public figures could be far more harmful than their potential to offend. Silencing voices who deviate from the current social justice narrative could force many students to hide their views and self-segregate. The Dartmouth community should lend a fair ear to those who are motivated to express their genuine opinions and initiate productive discourse over topics of disagreement rather than slandering them. Society has only progressed so far because many of its pioneers have tackled dissent head-on. By inviting unique and even controversial voices into campus conversation, students can benefit from the opportunity to grow and develop their own standpoints further by recognizing, considering and refuting counterviews. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a man called the “Pit Preacher” stands on a crate at the bottom of an outdoor auditorium in the central area of campus and spouts an endless stream of extremely right-wing Christian theory for hours on end, during any given day of the week. Students either ignore or heckle him, but UNC generally allows him to remain on campus. At a public university, his speech is protected. I am not saying that students need to invite a “Pit Preacher” to campus, but Dartmouth could take a page from UNC’s book and practice tolerance of unpopular opinions. Dartmouth is currently labeled a “red light” school by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, meaning the College implements some of the most restrictive policy on speech of any school in the country. Dartmouth’s “Acceptable Use Policy,” outlined on the College’s Information Technology website, bans publishing and distributing plagiarized, unsolicited, defamatory or discriminatory content. Its criteria are logical and generally irrefutable, but students risk applying them too broadly. Before they condemn speech as a violation of the campus’ “Acceptable Use Policy,” students should consider whether it is truly hateful or simply controversial. If it is the latter, supporters of free speech have the responsibility to prevent the silencing of distinct voices on campus.
6175 ROBINSON HALL, HANOVER N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600
RAY LU, Editor-in-Chief KOURTNEY KAWANO, Executive Editor ZACHARY BENJAMIN, Managing Editor SONIA QIN, Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS PARKER RICHARDS, IOANA SOLOMON
& ZIQIN YUAN, Opinion Editors
MARIE-CAPUCINE PINEAU-VALENCIENNE & CAROLYN ZHOU, Mirror Editors
NATHAN ALBRINCK, SAMANTHA HUSSEY, EVAN MORGAN & CHRIS SHIM, Sports Editors HALEY GORDON & MADELINE KILLEN, Arts Editors MELANIE KOS & YADIRA TORRES, Dartbeat Editor SAMANTHA BURACK & JEE SEOB JUNG, Design Editors ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN, Survey Editor
PHILIP RASANSKY, Publisher ERIN LEE, Executive Editor ALEXA GREEN, Managing Editor AMANDA ZHOU, Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS ALFREDO GURMENDI, Finance & Strategy Director ROSHNI CHANDWANI, Finance & Strategy Director SHINAR JAIN, Advertising Director KELLY CHEN, Product Development Director ELYSE KUO, Product Development Director EMMA MARSANO, Marketing & Communications Director MATTHEW GOBIN, Technology Director PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR TIFFANY ZHAI MULTIMEDIA EDITOR JESSICA CAMPANILE
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Elise Higgins, Divya Kopalle, Joyce Lee, Michael Lin, Tyler Malbreaux
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.
Mental health is not something to be ashamed of.
A few weeks into winter term, I called my her an ultimatum: Get antidepressants and parents crying for the first time in my life. They spend the summer at home or travel abroad were noticeably confused — I don’t cry often, but like she had planned without antidepressants. when I do, I never go to them This is a scenario that many until my tears are gone. students may “Mental health issues Dartmouth As it was, I could not fully find hard to believe, but explain why I was so upset. are more prevalent it is one that I have seen My dad, a psychiatrist, than ever on college far too many times. In my immediately asked me if senior year of high school, I had been feeling “blue.” campuses, but selfan Asian-American girl I responded that I had. I care is often the committed suicide. Later was tired, unenthusiastic that year, I had a brief bout last thing students and reluctant to spend time of seasonal depression. outside of my room. I had prioritize.” Had I not grown up in an trouble getting out of bed, environment where I felt not because I did not want safe and comfortable talking to leave the bliss of sleep but because I did not about my mental health, I’m not sure what state want to face the world. Everything felt “meh;” I would be in today. Though the general stigma I could hardly remember the last time I had felt around mental health issues in America has anything other than malaise. My dad told me to decreased significantly over the past few decades, get more sleep, see my friends more and exercise it hasn’t gotten much better for Asian-Americans. regularly. If I was still feeling this way in a week, he So what can we do? As always, it starts with suggested options such as therapy or medication. conversation. Taking conversation in a literal I called back a few days later, happy to report sense, the APA has found that most Asianthat I was feeling much better. He told me that Americans face a significant language barrier I had probably been going when seeking treatment. As through a slump brought “I could hardly such, the APA calls for more on by the winter weather or bilingual services and “more homesickness; whatever it remember the collaboration between was, he was glad for me that last time I had felt formal service systems and it had passed. He ended the community resources.” anything other than phone call with a reminder As students on a college that I could always talk to malaise. My dad told campus, talking about him about my mental state, me to get more sleep, mental health publically and and that was that. unashamedly is a definite A friend of mine recently see my friends more step toward alleviating the told me she was feeling and exercise regularly.” cultural stigma around suicidal. Three years ago, mental health issues. she had called 911 after V-February at Dartmouth almost committing suicide. Her parents pretended generates a significant conversation each year it had never happened. Like me, she comes from about gender-based violence and gender equity. an Asian immigrant family, and when she told Following that example, Dartmouth should me her story, I was reminded that my relationship organize more events to promote mental health with my dad is deeply unique. Psychiatry is awareness. a severely stigmatized field in China, where Mental health issues are more prevalent than my dad grew up, and the stigma surrounding ever on college campuses, but self-care is often the mental health in Asian cultures is enormous. last thing students prioritize. The frenetic pace Mental illness can be seen as a sign of personal of schoolwork, socializing and extracurricular weakness or family shame and considered a taboo activities keep students in a constant whirlwind topic. The American Psychological Association of action where they never pause to deal with reported that Asian-Americans have a 17.30 the toll it takes. Now that I am living away from percent overall lifetime rate of any psychiatric home, my dad’s habit of checking in with my disorder and a 9.19 percent mental health has carried 12-month rate. However, “Especially for the over into my daily life. I Asian-Americans are three ask myself the questions he Asian-American times less likely to seek used to ask me, taking the mental health services than community, it time to monitor my moods their white counterparts. is important to and behaviors for a better This may be why, ever since awareness of my mental I can remember, my dad remember that state. My dad did not ask has been fielding phone emotions are valid, those questions because calls from Asian-American he felt I was at risk for and there is always friends whose children depression — he asked them were experiencing mental strength in seeking because they are questions health issues. These phone help.” people should ask every day. calls were the closest to Regardless of what others professional help these kids may believe, people do a would get, since their parents would refuse to disservice to themselves when they neglect their make an official appointment. My dad did the mental health. Especially for the Asian-American best he could to offer advice. community, it is important to remember that Recently, my friend tried to get her parents’ emotions are valid, and there is always strength permission for antidepressants. They offered in seeking help.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 5
College says student applicants Tri-Kap suspended by will not be penalized for protesting College for three terms elect of the National Association announcing that students who are for College Admission Counseling, engaged in peaceful protest won’t generated concerns among college said that this issue is particularly face repercussions — in their case, applicants that disciplinary actions relevant because many colleges will admission to these institutions,” she from their high schools could hurt be releasing their admissions decisions said. “But really, why should they? their chances of admission. in the next two to three weeks. Protesting doesn’t lack integrity — in The College’s statement, which was “We were really impressed and fact, it shows integrity.” released on the College’s social media inspired by the actions and activities Taylor also noted that although accounts in response to these protests, of these young people — those admissions offices have been putting reads, “Dartmouth supports active in particular in Florida who were out these statements in response to citizenship and applauds students’ impacted by the tragedy in Parkland, the movement on gun control, she expression of their but [also] by does not think that the schools were beliefs. Participation others who are intentionally offering their support for “We were really in peaceful protest in now standing up specific policies. no way jeopardizes impressed and and taking a stand “I don’t think the gun control issue your admission to inspired by the against school was the motivating factor,” Taylor Dartmouth, even if violence,” Niles said. “I think the motivating factor you are disciplined actions and said. was to support students who want to or suspended. Speak activities of these Niles added that advocate, and support students who your truth.” she has heard from want to speak up.” young people.” A c c o rd i n g t o colleagues around Coffin confirmed that Dartmouth’s vice provost for the country that statement was not meant to specifically enrollment and dean -STEFANIE NILES, students have endorse gun control policies nor of admissions and been contacting directly endorse students engaging financial aid Lee DICKINSON COLLEGE a d m i s s i o n s in activism. He said that Dartmouth’s Coffin, the statement VICE PRESIDENT offices expressing policy regarding disciplinary actions was released in concern about prior to students’ matriculation at the FOR ENROLLMENT response to a growing p o t e n t i a l College has not changed and that body of questions MANAGEMENT AND d i s c i p l i n a r y the main purpose of the statement from both prospective PRESIDENT-ELECT actions resulting was to re-iterate the policy that the students and alumni from protesting. admissions department looks at interviewers asking OF THE NATIONAL She said that these disciplinary actions through the whether students ASSOCIATION FOR one office, in context in which they were given. who were considering the course of 36 “If you have something that matters COLLEGE ADMISSION becoming active on hours, received to you, don’t let your application be the this issue should be COUNSELING about 50 calls reason you hold your peace, whatever concerned about the from students and your opinion is,” Coffin said. ramifications for their families on this Coffin said that students are asked Dartmouth admissions application. subject. to report any disciplinary actions “Students should behave as they As a result, Niles said, admissions they have received on the Common see fit,” Coffin said. “Different [high] offices have been issuing statements Application, and that accepted schools are going to have different similar to the one from Dartmouth students’ high schools report any responses to what students are to ease those concerns. additional actions in the mid-year doing or saying or requesting, but “We want to respond in support of and final reports. The admissions distinguishing that voice from the act those young people,” department deals of applying to college felt important Niles said. with reports of “If you have to clarify.” B e v Ta y l o r, something that disciplinary Coffin added that the admissions founder and chief actions on a caseoffice has been receiving questions executive officer of matters to you, by-case basis, often from students and interviewers across college admissions don’t let your asking questions the country, especially in light of consulting firm Ivy such as whether or a planned “March for Our Lives” Coach, said she has application be not the school uses demonstration in Washington, D.C. been monitoring the reason you a zero-tolerance on March 24, which is expected to the statements by policy, he said. hold your peace, draw large numbers of high school admissions offices, “ We build students. noting that while whatever your a residential Coffin also noted that Dartmouth almost all other highly- opinion is.” c o m m u n i t y, ” has applicants from Stoneman selective schools have Coffin said. Douglas in its current applicant pool, put out statements, “Who are we but the admissions office has not D a r t m o u t h ’ s -LEE COFFIN, VICE inviting to join heard similar concerns directly from statement came out that community? PROVOST FOR any of those students. Coincidentally, relatively early. It’s part of my Dartmouth’s Florida admissions “Dartmouth and ENROLLMENT AND responsibility to representative had a phone call these other highly- DEAN OF ADMISSIONS do the best I can scheduled with the Stoneman Douglas selective colleges are to ensure that this counselor on the day of the shooting, letting students across AND FINANCIAL AID is a safe space.” he said. America know that Taylor said that Several other universities, they support them, that they stand this effort falls in line with Dartmouth’s including all of the Ivy League with them,” Taylor said. admissions strategy in general. schools, have released statements Taylor added that she thinks “Students who seek a better world expressing support for student protests colleges are sending a clear message are precisely the kind of students that and activism. Stefanie Niles, vice to prospective students with these the College on the Hill seeks in its president for enrollment management statements. incoming class,” she said. “Kudos to at Dickinson College and president- “We applaud colleges who are Dartmouth for backing all that up.” FROM STATEMENT PAGE 1
FROM TRI-KAP PAGE 1
The Hanover Police Department began an investigation into TriKap’s activities on Sept. 20., Rathburn said. The Hanover Fire Department initially reported Tri-Kap to Hanover Police after discovering “the interference of [a] fire alarm apparatus,” he said. Hanover deputy fire chief Michael Hinsley said he then advised Hanover Police to begin an investigation. Rathburn declined to comment on the current status of the investigation, as it is still ongoing. Interfering or tampering with a fire alarm apparatus is a Class B felony offense, per New Hampshire statute 644:3-c. After the police investigation ends, the Grafton County Attorney’s Office will deter mine if the charges are appropriate and decide whether to indict specific people or an organization, which would begin the felony process. An individual found guilty of a Class B felony could face, apart from a fine, one to seven years in prison, and an organization could face a monetary fine. According to director of Judicial Affairs Katharine Strong, Tri-Kap’s policy violations took place sometime between the end of September and the beginning of October, when the College investigation began. Both Rathburn and Strong said there was no significant recent disciplinary history that played into the decision to suspend Tri-Kap. Once the Office of Judicial Affairs concluded its investigation at the end of fall term, the OAC reviewed the report in its entirety and determined which allegations would go forward, Strong said. The OAC then notified Tri-Kap of the allegations against it, and the fraternity had a chance to respond to those concerns. Following winter break, Tri-Kap and the OAC met at the start of January to begin the hearing process to determine whether Tri-Kap
violated College policies, and if so, to determine sanctions. Both parties had the opportunity to review all the materials, and Tri-Kap responded to the allegations. Deliberations concluded by the end of January, Strong said. The College’s disciplinary procedures state that the suspension of a student organization requires the cessation of activities. Alcohol p ro b at i o n p reve n t s s t u d e n t organizations from hosting or sponsoring events where alcohol is served. College probation may include prevention of participation in College-sponsored activities, such as intramural sports, among other restrictions. Tri-Kap is not the only Greek org anization that has been suspended by the College this academic term. Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was suspended for one term this winter for violations of the College’s alcohol policy while on College probation. Sig Ep will also face two terms of alcohol probation, which will conclude at the end of the summer 2018 term, according to Lawrence. In the past, several organizations have been sanctioned for allegations of hazing. Tabard gender-inclusive fraternity was suspended for three terms in 2016 for hazing, alcohol and recruiting allegations. Last year, the women’s swimming and diving team was placed on probation and banned from three fall 2017 meets after violating the College’s hazing policy. Tri-Kap extended 21 bids this fall and none this winter. President of Tri-Kap Jonathan Schwartz ’18, chairman and vicechairman of the Tri-Kap Board of Directors, Gregory Smith ’85 and Michael Brasher ’10, respectively, did not respond to multiple requests for comment by press time. Interim director of Safety and Security Keysi Montás and director of the Office of Greek Life Brian Joyce declined to comment.
PAGE 6
DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
OLD AND WISE
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
JESSICA LINK ’17 TH’18
TODAY
4:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Seminar: “Local time extent of magnetopause reconnection X-Lines: from patchy to extended,” with Boston University researcher Ying Zou, Spanos Auditorium, Cummings Hall, Thayer School of Engineering
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Exhibition Opening Reception: “From Sketchbooks: A Senior Majors Exhibit,” Student Gallery, Black Family Visual Arts Center
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Technigala, co-sponsored by the DALI Lab and the computer science department, Hanover Inn Ballroom
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Performance: “Voices,” written and performed by Dartmouth students, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts
TOMORROW
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Exhibition: “Pilgrims, Parades and Politics,” photographs by Herb Swanson, 7 Lebanon Street, Suite 107
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Performance: “The Inspector General,” by Nikolai Gogol, performed by Russian 18/Theater 10 students, Dartmouth 105
ADVERTISING For advertising information, please call (603) 646-2600 or email info@thedartmouth. com. The advertising deadline is noon, two days before publication. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Opinions expressed in advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of The Dartmouth, Inc. or its officers, employees and agents. The Dartmouth, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire. USPS 148-540 ISSN 0199-9931
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
Fifth ‘Voices’ takes the stage tonight
“I really want to tell someone else’s story who can’t be there to tell it for themselves,” Zhao said. “Voices,” an annual original “I really hope that whoever wrote production performed, written this story, when they come to the and directed by self-identified show and hear me present it, they Dartmouth women, will conclude feel free from hearing their words this year’s lineup of V-February spoken aloud.” events tonight at 7 p.m. in Spaulding Zhao believes that a production Au d i t o r i u m . S t u d e n t s w h o like “Voices” is important to increase participate in “Voices” can choose empathy and understanding within to submit a story anonymously Dartmouth’s community because or not, perform an original piece it is difficult to dismiss a person’s or perform one of the submitted experience when they are in one’s stories in a showcase designed to presence. empower women and non-binary “In a performance like ‘Voices’ ... students to celebrate the diversity when you hear someone’s story like of their experiences at Dartmouth that, you can’t just say their story is and beyond. invalidated or their story isn’t true Alexis Wyatt ’18, a women’s, because there is someone right there gender and sexuality studies speaking in front of you saying these major and a psychology minor, is words,” Zhao said. “And you can’t performing her own poetry in the help but just accept them and listen show. Wyatt said that she hopes to them.” “Voices” will encourage others to Wyatt said that she finds it live their individual truths. empowering to share her piece “I think that telling such specific regardless of how it may be stories and really calling attention received. to how people experience this “I found some power in looking campus instead of generalizing the at myself and being like, ‘You can Dartmouth experience liberates do this,” she said. “You can speak people,” Wyatt said. “I think it can your piece to people who might liberate this whole campus to live in not believe you, but that’s not the their individual truth and not the point. The point is not to convince group truth of ‘I’m a Dartmouth people of your truth, it’s to speak student.’” it and therefore stand upon it and Wyatt said that she found the speak a platform for you to stand strength to overcome her fear of upon into existence.” being vulnerable and sharing her Zhao said that she has especially personal experience after reading a enjoyed spending time with the popular quote that said, “Courage Voices cast, which has been a is not the absence of fear but rather supportive and encouraging the judgment that something else is community for her. more important than fear.” “Sometimes, I feel like I don’t “T he idea of healing or want to go to certain meetings restoration or coming to terms with because I feel uncomfortable with an experience for myself or even just the people there, but I never feel getting to know some other people uncomfortable going to ‘Voices,’” was more important than my fear Zhao said. “I feel really comfortable, of something that I e ve n w h e n I ’ m already dealt with,” “Fear is valid. But stepping out of my Wyatt said. “Fear is comfort zone.” you need to ask valid. But you need In an email to ask yourself, ‘Is yourself, ‘Is that statement, “Voices” that fear keeping fear keeping you co-director Lydia you from something Freehafer ’18 wrote that can be valuable from something that ever since she to you?’ And if the that can be first got involved answer is ‘yes,’ then “Voices” her valuable to you?’ with do it.” freshman year, she Catherine Zhao And if the answer found it empowering ’20, a computer is ‘yes,’ then do t o c re at e s p a c e s c i e n c e m a j o r, where marginalized elected to perform it.” voices can be heard a p i e c e by a n publicly on campus. anonymous writer “I have loved -ALEXIS WYATT ’18 that she personally directing because connected with. being able to get Because Zhao often writes out her other people to love ‘Voices’ and own thoughts and feelings rather love the community radical space than expressing them aloud, she it creates is incredibly rewarding,” related to the desire to submit a she wrote. story anonymously. The piece, Zhao Admission to “Voices” is free, said, has an important story to tell. and the event is unticketed.
By ELIZABETH GARRISON The Dartmouth
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 7
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ is not magic By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
Dear Paul Thomas Anderson, I want to begin by affirming how much I respect your work. Although the rest of this letter will not be kind to your newest film, “Phantom Thread,” I don’t want you to doubt my admiration for you as a filmmaker. In fact, it is precisely due to this admiration that I found “Phantom Thread” difficult to watch. What happened, exactly? You, like so many who are pre-emptively declared wunderkinds, had a promising start with “Hard Eight” and “Boogie Nights.” But as M. Night Shyamalan has demonstrated, it is easy to squander a promising start. Instead of following Shyamalan’s path, you avoided the pitfalls and directed your magnum opus, the bittersweet, multi-stranded tale of chance, fate and sadness called “Magnolia.” Rather than rest easy on your laurels, you then proceeded to make your strangest project to date: the Adam Sandler-starring, romantic and dark comedy “Punch-Drunk Love,” arguably your most subversive film.
You followed it up with “There Will Be Blood” and “The Master,” two films that feel like masterpieces, the real deal. Then, just as you were riding the crest of your great creative wave, you made 2014’s “Inherent Vice” — and I indulged you. It wasn’t awful; it was funny in parts and had a few good performances. However, amidst all the on-screen chaos, it was hard to find the voice I had admired in your previous work. But I thought to myself, “Anyone who is this fresh and exciting with each new film is bound to make the rare dud.” Thus, I hoped everything would be back on track with “Phantom Thread.” Sadly, it was not. That said, Jonny Greenwood’s score was expectedly pulsing, mesmerizing and hypnotic in a way that feels both decidedly modern and oddly classical. I’m starting to think that you’ve noticed what an asset Greenwood is to your films; you’ve highlighted the score so thoroughly in “Phantom Thread” that it sometimes overwhelms the emotions and drama playing out on-screen. Of course, I can hardly blame you for recognizing talent. In addition, your collective
cinematography experiment seems to have paid off. “Phantom Thread” originally generated buzz for not having an official cinematographer; instead, it reflected the combined effort of many professionals. At the time, this seemed like a terribly risky idea, but you would never know while watching the film. It is as beautiful as any of your other films, rich with color, mood and texture. And, of course, it comes as a surprise to no one that Daniel DayLewis is superb as the main character, fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock. Woodcock, despite being the most respected couturier in 1950s London, is essentially a petulant child in the body of 60-something year-old man. He eventually falls in love with Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress who simultaneously becomes his muse and his greatest distraction. The rest of the film follows their toxic relationship, ostensibly filled with turmoil but actually filled with tedium. Day-Lewis has declared that this will be his last film role. Given that he’s already “retired” about a dozen times, I’m not holding my breath. But if this really is his swan song, he could do worse.
Indeed, most of the lead actors are perfectly serviceable; Lesley Manville has a few good lines as Woodcock’s sister, Cyril, and Krieps tries to breathe life into a frankly underwritten character. Try as the actors might, though, these are all horrible characters, and no amount of method acting shenanigans can circumvent that. For example, “Trainspotting” understands that its characters are deeply flawed, and it comments on this fact in fascinating and engaging ways. “Phantom Thread,” on the other hand, is too slow, staid and static to make an interesting film. The relationship between Woodcock and Alma is intentionally textbook. Yet, the cinematography and framing aim to be so objective that it’s almost impossible to tell what the point of depicting such a relationship could possibly be. I’m sure you thought you were commenting on abusive relationships, male misogyny, tortured artistry and obsession. Yet your love for ambiguity has proven to be detrimental. If you want to make something reminiscent of a European art house film, be my guest. I have loved such films time and time again. But know
that when directors make a film that is overtly cryptic, sometimes the audience fills in the blanks with their own wild imagination, resulting in a wonderful symbiotic relationship between art and spectator, and sometimes those blanks will remain just that — blank. None of this is helped, frankly, by the fact that you’ve chosen to focus on one of the most insufferable topics imaginable: the woes of a petty, privileged artist in 1950s Britain. Once again, I say this all with a heavy heart. American cinema needs directors like you, Mr. Anderson. It needs filmmakers who succeed by sticking to their uncompromising, bizarre visions. Because of that, I’m absolutely willing to forgive you for making a film that is as self-indulgent and torpid as “Phantom Thread.” That said, I’d like to remind you already made this film; in 2007; it also starred Day-Lewis as a man twisted by his own obsessions. “There Will Be Blood” remains one of the best films of the 21st century, and by watching it again, perhaps we can rediscover your old magic together. Sincerely, Sebastian Wurzrainer ’20
Review: ‘How We Get Free’ commemorates Black feminism By JORDAN McDONALD The Dartmouth Staff
“How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective,” edited by Princeton University professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, takes on the task of commemorating the inimitable 1977 statement made by the Combahee River Collective, a group of radical Black feminists that emerged after America’s Civil Rights era. The collective’s letter, a political declaration, revolutionized the way radical political change is talked about to this very day. “How We Get Free” includes the infamous statement in its pages, offering readers the opportunity to engage with the group that has shaped our political world yet remains unknown to many. The part of the letter that spoke to me the most was the section “What We Believe.” In this section, the women of the CRC explain that their politics evolved “from a healthy love of ourselves, our sisters and our community which allow us to continue our struggle and work.” The writers lay out their central belief that “Black women are inherently valuable, that [their] liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct
to somebody else’s” but “because of our need as human persons for autonomy.” They also make clear their investment in Black women’s humanity and disinterest in benevolent sexist platitudes, rejecting “pedestals, queenhood, and walking ten paces behind.” In their own words, “to be recognized as human, levelly human, is enough.” A collection of interviews with influential CRC members Demita Frazier, Barbara Smith and Beverly Smith, “How We Get Free” provides new insights into the CRC’s work as a template for political organization in the contemporary moment. Named after Harriet Tubman’s raid of the Combahee River in 1863, the Combahee River Collective existed as a tributary of black women’s prolific history of resistance in the United States. “How We Get Free” strives to establish a cultural memory of this resistance, archiving the organization’s efforts and legacy. The CRC’s political and historical importance as a Black feminist organization is unquantifiable; with this in mind, the work conveys the group’s accomplishments for new generations of activists. This work diverges from some of
Taylor’s traditional literary endeavors that focused on black politics and antiracist movements in the U.S. With the collection of interviews in “How We Get Free,” Taylor’s capacity as an interviewer is showcased as she engages in dialogue with the women who wrote the CRC’s letter decades earlier and the women whose activist work is in conversation with the statement today. If I had to choose, my favorite interviews in the collection were Taylor’s talks with activists and writers Alicia Garza and Barbara Smith. In her interview with Barbara Smith, a co-founder of the CRC, Taylor asks about her feminist education, the organizing of the CRC and the state of Black feminism today. When asked about the group’s political stance, Barbara Smith said, “We were Black women. Our value systems were not shaped primarily or initially by the airless ideological sectarianism of the white European male left. […] We came from a different place. We came out of Black homes, Black neighborhoods, and Black culture.” Her words helped to inform my sense of the women who made up the CRC, breathing life into the organization’s politics.
Garza, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, shared with Taylor the books that changed her life, experiences of college activism, the formation of the BLM movement and her perspective on contemporary activism. Garza, the only interviewee not directly affiliated with the Collective, offers her insights on the current political climate and her work with BLM, an organization and movement that has changed contemporary American politics and the dialogue surrounding police brutality. On the future of black activism, Garza said, “We need a new vision for Black power that doesn’t throw anyone away, and that doesn’t replicate the same s--t that we have now, which is not working for us, even when we think it does.” She understands her politics as being in conversation with the past, hopefully building upon the politics of those who came before her. Providing us with new language for talking about the world, women and injustice, our political lexicon is indebted to the women of the Combahee River Collective. Beginning with its title, the book asserts its intention to explore liberation as a collective and contemporary concern. A group whose
infamous collective letter introduced phrases such as identity politics and interlocking oppressions into our vocabulary, the CRC’s legacy is still in formation. As the decades pass, its work will continue to shape the world and people concerned with securing freedom for its inhabitants. “How We Get Free” understands the journey to political liberation as one which is ongoing; the title situates its subject matter in the present tense despite the work’s focus on a 40-yearold document. In this way, Taylor uses this book as an opportunity to reflect on the document’s significance nearly half a century later. Taylor’s work as writer, editor and interviewer culminates in part in a call for active remembrance where the CRC is concerned. The book reminds us of the ways that the CRC’s visionary political work continues to challenge the practices of the mainstream feminist movement and black civil rights efforts. “How We Get Free” argues that those of us who are concerned with social, political and economic oppression ought to practice a commemorative politic of our own, taking the spirit of the Combahee River Collective with us.