VOL. CLXXIII NO.12
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Smedinghoff remembered for talent and kindness
PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 24 LOW 11
By ERIN LEE
The Dartmouth Staff
COURTESY OF LINDA SMEDINGHOFF
SPORTS
TENNIS DESTROYS OPPONENTS PAGE 8
Scott Smedinghoff GR ’17 was a talented musician and mathematician who died last week.
OPINION ASKS: POLITICIANS ON CAMPUS PAGE 4
ARTS
REVIEW: ‘TWELFTH NIGHT’ PAGE 7
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SEE SMEDINGHOFF PAGE 5
Students discuss perspectives gained from terms abroad
By ALYSSA MEHRA OPINION
Scott Smedinghoff GR ’17 could astound a room with his virtuosic musical talent, but he had a way of bringing out the best in everyone else around him as well, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble director Matthew Marsit said. He was a kind, passionate, hard-working person with a goofy streak, and his exceptional musicianship and mathematical brilliance were obvious, Marsit recalled. Smedinghoff was found dead at his Lebanon apart-
The Dartmouth
The seventh annual Student Forum on Global Learning, which took place this past Monday, gave students a opportunity to reflect on world perspectives they gained during time they spent off campus. The event attracted students, professors, Upper Valley members and high school students from Kimball Union Academy and St. Johnsbury Academy — private schools in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Opening with a keynote address by associate professor of anthropology Jeremy DeSilva, the event was split into two sessions, with four presentations in each session. DeSilva spoke about discovery, developing a curiosity about the world and bringing that curiosity to Dartmouth. He drew parallels from his recent discoveries of two new species in South Africa to the self-discovery students experience in the process of gaining a world perspective. “My science is operating at a level
of the origin of species and this amazing thing students do, becoming global learners and becoming part of the global community, is very much an exercise in discovering individual selves,” DeSilva said. “I really wanted to impart this message of curiosity and exploration and this idea that there’s a lot more out there still to do and learn and many more discoveries yet to come and here’s evidence of that.” Students who wished to present at this forum needed to apply last fall, and were notified before winterim of their accep-
tance. The forum accepts applicants who are undergraduate or graduate students at the College. Students were then sorted into groups based on the themes of their off term experiences, program manager of the Dartmouth College-American University of Kuwait program Elizabeth Hindmarsh, who helped coordinate the event, said. Tim Rizvanov ’17, whose presentation was named “Maximizing Experiential Learning through the D-Plan,” SEE FORUM PAGE 3
Documentary screening followed by panel discussion By SUNGIL AHN The Dartmouth
Last night, the Truman National Security Project and the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy hosted a screening of the documentary film “THE BURDEN: Fossil Fuels, the Military, and National Security.” The screening was followed by a panel discussion with former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, Truman Project executive director Michael Breen and former Assistant Secretary of Defense. They spoke to a crowd of 30, five of whom were students, on America’s oil dependence, climate change, and how
both affect national and international security. Communications and program manager at the Truman Project Victoria Glynn, who organized the event, said that she wanted the film and the discussion to communicate to the audience that issues of clean energy and climate change are important regardless of political affiliation, as they affect both the military and national security. The film, which featured interviews with many active and former military servicemen and servicewomen, opened SEE DOCUMENTARY PAGE 3
SEAMORE ZHU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
“The Burden,” a documentary on fossil fuels and security, was screened on Tuesday.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DAILYDEBRIEFING The Boston Globe reported that Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory will merge, creating a central training ground for students interested in pursuing an education in music, dance and the performing arts. The board of trustees from both Berklee and the Boston Conservatory voted unanimously to unite the two institutions. In June, both schools signed a Memorandum of Understanding prior to launching a six-month process to explore the potential union of the two schools. After the merger, the former Boston Conservatory will become the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. The newly merged schools will combine facilities, faculty and programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that only 14 percent of community college students transfer to a four-year university and earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. The report was conducted by institutes within Columbia University, the Aspen Institute and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The groups involved hope to improve success for students and cut down on the waste of taxpayer money that occurs when students drop out or lose credits. In the best states, 20 percent of community-college students transfer and in the worst states, transfer and graduation rates are in the single digits. The likelihood of community college students transferring to four-year institutions is even lower for low-income students in community colleges. A survey finds that black college students are less likely to seek help for mental-health problems, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The survey was an effort between the Jed Foundation and the Steve Fund and was undertaken in hopes of improving the emotional well-being of minority college students. African-American respondents were more likely to report feeling overwhelmed and twice as likely to consider transferring during their first semester. They were also more likely to turn to a religious figure for support and less likely to feel pressure to drink alcohol as a part of their college experience. - COMPILED BY AMANDA ZHOU
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com. The original version of the Jan. 7 article, “Tuck ’15s see high job placement,” incorrectly stated that Bain Capital was one of the three firms that 18 percent of the graduating class accepted offers from. The firm was in fact Bain & Co. not Bain Capital.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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Forum gives students time for reflection Panel discusses oil dependence and climate From the internship, Cantave said she learned that disparities, though said his group met once before they visible, are often easy to forget about. presented to iron out details such as She said that she hopes people attendpresenter order and how much time ing the presentation make a conscious each presenter would speak. effort to understand different perspecKripa Dongol ’16, who worked tives. on the same presentation as RizThe forum included a poster sesvanov, said that sion in the Russo the D-Plan allows “We should all travel Gallery by the students to have Paganucci Felmore control everywhere, because lows, students over their expe- as individuals, we have who spoke about rience and do consulting very limited ability to their more with their work for a Beitime. grasp the impact of jing education “ D o n’t b e anization, large scale dynamics org afraid to get out the Dandelion of Dartmouth,” and networks of other School. Dongol said. “I T h e people and especially know it can be event was hosted terrifying to not of large numbers of on Martin Lube [here], to not people.” ther King Jr. day. see your friends DeSilva said that and to be gone the theme of for so long and -REBECCA BIRON, DEAN world perspecmiss out on evtives aligned with erything. But the OF THE COLLEGE the holiday, as world is bigger widening worldthan Dartmouth, views can help people appreciate and there’s so much to explore and the the similarities between each other, a connections you have don’t really go characteristic that King embodied. away.” “He was so gifted at seeing the world Natalie Cantave ’16 spoke as a in a much broader space than a lot of panelist in a presentation titled, “From his contemporaries did,” DeSilva said. Here to There: Examining Social Dean of the College Rebecca Impacts on Immigrant & Refugee Biron gave the closing address. She Communities.” Cantave discussed her spoke about how cultivating a global internship in New York City in which perspective requires attention both on she studied how social networks and a grand scale and also on the “tiny, social capital affected health outcomes intimate and personal” level. for West African immigrant communi“We should all travel everywhere, ties. because as individuals, we have very FROM FORUM PAGE 1
limited ability to grasp the impact of large scale dynamics and networks of other people and especially of large numbers of people,” Biron said. Ten students and two teachers came from Kimball Union Academy to the College in order to learn about the global community and listen to student perspectives, Kimball Union Academy student Arthur Hwang said. He added that he enjoyed the presentation called, “A Kilometer in Their Shoes: The Importance of Respect and Cultural Understanding in Research,” because he related to one of the presenter’s perspectives of having a complex ethnic identity. The presenter, Andres G. Mejia-Ramon ’16 talked about his experiences living in both American and Mexican cultures. Ashley Kehoe, associate director of the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning’s Experiential Learning Initiative, said that the forum carves out a day for students to reflect on their experiences and give them meaning. Kehoe introduced DeSilva at the star of the day’s events. “Dartmouth is really good at giving students experiences,” Kehoe said. “Something that I think we have a lot of potential to do more of is this reflecting on those experiences and helping students see that connection between the different things they’ve done while at Dartmouth.” Amy Newcomb, Dickey Center for International Understanding’s student programs officer, said that often students returning from rewarding off terms or study abroad programs immediately got thrown into the shuffle of Dartmouth life without an opportunity to share what they had learned. She noted the value of sharing the deeper reasons to work abroad with other students. She said feedback from students who wanted to share their experiences with others led to the forum’s creation. Kehoe said that she hopes students grasp the importance of both experience and reflection, especially “how powerful they can be when put together.” “The experience in and of itself is valuable, but actually taking the time to reflect on the experience is really what draws it out,” Kehoe said. “Developing a world perspective isn’t just about going places but really about the attitude you bring to the places you go.” The forum was a joint effort by the Office of the Provost, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, the Dickey Center, Dartmouth Center for Service, the Rockefeller Center, the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research, Dartmouth CollegeAmerican University of Kuwait program, Dean of the College, DCAL, the Office of Residential Education, Center for Professional Development, Tuck School of Business’ Center for Leadership and the Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education.
national security, improve international security, create millions with an active military officer of jobs, save the U.S. from sending commenting on the difficulty and billions of dollars overseas every the necessity of supplying soldiers year or clean up air for the cition the field with oil, sometimes zens, solving oil dependence and resorting to dropping barrels from combatting climate change would help mitigate all of these issues. the air in dire situations. A soldier interviewed in the film Interviewees in the film said that the U.S. is too dependent on echoed the importance of preventoil, which creates strategic vulner- ing conflicts caused by fossil fuels. “We’ve already lost too many, ability for the military. Transporting oil requires large amounts of far away from home, because we money, manpower, resources and didn’t think about energy enough,” lives, with one casualty occur- he said. T h e ring on average per 24 convoys. “They are controlling film ended by for alterThe U.S. must it, no matter what the calling native sources also defend “oil of energ y as checkpoints,” price of oil is.” an investment pathways in the future. through which In the much of the oil -GREG BALLARD, FORMER panel followfrom the Mid- MAYOR OF INDIANAPOLIS ing the screendle East flows. ing, Burke said The volatility that though the of oil prices also hurts the American economy, ac- price of oil has decreased from $100 to $30 per barrel since the cording to the film. The film pointed out the danger documentary was made, the film of depending on countries with remains relevant because oil is still interests adverse to those of the a globally-priced commodity. She U.S. for oil, especially when the noted that the risks the nation is military is the largest consumer exposed to will not change as long as the U.S. is using oil. of oil. Ballard concurred, pointing out However, because oil is an internationally-traded commodity, that the U.S. is not independent the oil transactions of other coun- from other countries’ effect on the tries can indirectly affect the U.S. oil market. “They are controlling it, no For example, even if the U.S. were to become completely energy- matter what the price of oil is,” independent, the film stated that he said. During the discussion, Burke U.S. allies in Asia would still have to buy half a trillion dollars worth said that an alternative to oil that is cost-effective, high in energy of oil from outside sources. Overdependence on carbon and easy to access remains to be fuels such as oil affects not only found. Throughout the film and the national security, but also the environment. The consequences of discussion, the three continually climate change and other effects voiced that the need to move to of excessive fuel consumption an alternative energy source is no can contribute to international longer a partisan issue. Ballard recalled that during his instability, the film noted. For example, an officer inter- time as the mayor of Indianapolis viewed in the film said that the he and his office calculated that melting ice in the Arctic has re- the cost of switching to hybrid sulted in competition from several and electric cars would save the nations for resources in the area. city money almost immediately. The panel concluded with all In addition, he said that this effect has allowed Russia to pose a greater the speakers calling on the audience members to advocate for the threat to U.S. shores. Burke said in the film that wa- importance of oil independence ter shortages in already-unstable and climate change awareness regions caused by climate change regardless of political affiliation. After the event, Thayer School further perpetuate instability in those regions. The film also said of Engineering professor Ulrike that the increased incidences of Wegst said that she found the film’s natural disasters strain the U.S. fresh view of the oil dependence military, which serves a large role problem interesting, especially as a first responder around the the role that oil plays in the U.S. military. world. She said it was “an important Ballard noted in the film that whether one wants to improve angle I have not seen yet.” FROM DOCUMENTARY PAGE 1
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION STAFF
Opinion Asks
Do you attend events candidates hold on campus, and do you think they’re valuable? Why or why not? Although the 10-week term can get busy, I do make an effort to attend events that “Due to limited candidates host on campus. These are imspace on campus mensely valuable to all students, regardless of political affiliation. Students who lean and the high demand right should go out and see Democrats, surrounding meeting just like students who lean left should go out and see Republicans. In such a polarpublic figures people ized political climate, we should be making like me, who have not every effort to listen to what the other side made up their mind of the aisle has to say, instead of dismissing it as white noise. Campaign events are the on which way they perfect venue for such dialogue. Likewise, will cast their ballot, events on campus are a great way to get past the talking heads that populate the political usually get squeezed arena. By attending, we have the opportunity out of candidate-held to judge candidates for ourselves instead of events.” relying on outside analysis. We can ask questions and think critically about candidates’ responses. To an extent, we get to set the agenda. With the New Hampshire primary I try my best to attend the on-campus quickly approaching, this is a chance that no events held by candidates, but I find them to be unhelpful in informing my voting Dartmouth student should pass up. for a very basic reason: I never get in. -Sarah Perez ’17, Opinion Editor Due to limited space in venues and the high demand surrounding meeting public figures people like me, who have not made up their mind on which way they will cast “Students who lean their ballot, usually get squeezed out of candidate-held events. Fervid supporters right should go out and of candidates such as Hillary Clinton see Democrats, just like and Bernie Sanders seem to be willing to students who lean left arrive hours before doors open in order to ensure themselves a spot. This leads should go out and see to a problem: the price of waiting two Republicans. In such to four hours in line is often too high for the everyday voter who has yet to make a polarized political up his or her mind. And, because of this, climate, we should be the presenting candidate often addresses making every effort to a crowd of loyal supporters rather than reaching the people who hold the votes listen to what the other that are still there to be won.
I do attend some candidates’ events on campus, but I do it more out of support for the candidate or pure entertainment value rather than to learn about the candidates’ policies. At this point in the cycle, I’ve already heard a lot about the various platforms and most events don’t present a lot of new information. However, it’s always exciting to experience a candidate engaging with voters, especially young voters.
“I enjoyed hearing Bernie speak but I wish we had more time to ask him questions. Even though efforts were made to answer as many questions as possible, I felt that more Upper Valley citizens had a say in the town hall than actual Dartmouth students.”
-Michelle Gil ’16
“It’s always exciting to experience a candidate engaging with voters, especially young voters.”
side has to say.”
-Ben Szuhaj ’19
I attended Bernie Sanders’ town hall last week. As much as I enjoy standing for hours outside the Hopkins Center in subzero temperatures, the thrill lies in seeing a potential future president speak and defend his stance in real time. Although many Dartmouth students attend these events, I did see a large showing of people from across the Upper Valley. Dartmouth’s facilities and New Hampshire’s significance in the primaries give us unique access to candidates. I enjoyed hearing Bernie speak but I wish we had more time to ask him questions. Even though efforts were made to answer as many questions as possible, I felt that more Upper Valley citizens had a say in the town hall than actual Dartmouth students. Nevertheless, it is very exciting to be at Dartmouth during an election year as the young adult demographic becomes increasingly important, and New Hampshire continues to carry political significance. -Hansa Sharma ’19
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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Smedinghoff inspired others through music and math ability FROM SMEDINGHOFF PAGE 1
ment on Jan. 15. He was 28. Two police officers went to check on him as he had not been heard from for several days, according to a Lebanon Police Department release. The circumstances of his death are currently under investigation, the release stated. Friends and family remembered Smedinghoff for his dry, witty sense of humor and boundless generosity in addition to his talents as a gifted musician and accomplished student. He had a distinctive, booming laugh that some dubbed the “Scott Smedinghoff laugh,” his Williams College voice teacher Kerry RyerParke said. Smedinghoff earned his bachelors degree in mathematics and physics from Williams in 2009. He worked as an organist and choir director at several churches before starting graduate school at Dartmouth in 2012. He was a fourth year doctoral student in the College’s mathematics department. Smedinghoff loved music from a very young age, his mother Linda Smedinghoff said. He sang with the Chicago Children’s Choir and started playing the piano when he was four-years-old. “He always had a song to sing,” Linda Smedinghoff said. “I think one of my favorite things about him was that he became very giving with his music.” In high school, Smedinghoff picked up the organ, a difficult instrument he enjoyed for its intricacy and quantitative complexity, Ryer-Parke said. Williams’ organ and piano teacher Edwin Lawrence said Smedinghoff made a memorable impression the first time Lawrence heard him play the organ. He was a facile artist who had broad-ranging musical interests, though he was partial to contemporary music, Lawrence said. Williams music professor Ed Gollin wrote in an email that he was impressed by Smedinghoff ’s aptitude for analyzing music theory, as well as his creative compositional talent. His composition projects were always the biggest and most involved in his first-year class, Gollin said, recalling that Smedinghoff wrote a “Bach-sized” organ fugue for his final project. Outside of his musical studies, Smedinghoff also accompanied other students at Williams and was enlisted to play the more advanced repertoire for singers, Ryer-Parke said. “He really could play anything and transpose music — he was really understanding the math behind the music,” she said. After graduating from Williams,
Smedinghoff decided to stay in in black holes, she said. He wanted with the Wind Ensemble as soon “The first rehearsal when he the area as a musician, working to read every book on the subject as he arrived at the College, Marsit played, students would stop playat several churches, including the he could find, which led to trips to said. ing because they couldn’t believe Lyme Congregational Church in every library in the area. “There truly was nothing he what he was capable of,” he said. Lyme and the First Congregational “He was always asking lots of couldn’t play immediately and on The Wind Ensemble performed Church in Thetford, Vermont. questions,” she said. “When he got the spot,” Marsit said. the Stravinsky piano concerto On Sundays, he would play the interested in something, he wanted Smedinghoff continued to ac- as part of their spring concert organ for the service at one church to know everything about it.” company students at Dartmouth, at Dartmouth last year, but they and then rush to another church Many described Smedinghoff and he always made sure everyone also traveled to Williams, Smedto play again, Ryer-Parke said. as having a quiet, self-possessed he worked with felt great about inghoff ’s alma mater, to perform “He made confidence their performance, Marsit said. there. Many of his friends and his living in a t h a t g a r - Even when students showed up late former professors attended the rural area as “Though his standards in n e r e d t h e or came in unprepared, he never let concert. a musician, music for himself were re s p e c t o f that stand in the way and wanted “That performance was really which is not his peers. the music to be as successful as it very special,” Lawrence said. “I easy to do,” extremely high, he was “ H e could be, he said. really can’t tell you how thrilled we she said. was confi Justin Richardson GR’15 said are that we had that opportunity accepting of all levels of In Lyme, dent, but not he was introduced to Smedinghoff with Scott.” Smedinghoff ability. He had a quality cocky — he as a fellow pianist. They formed Linda Smedinghoff said when accompanied that made everyone feel didn’t make a classical piano club, and even she recently asked her son what and sang with other people though Smedinghoff was the most he wanted to do after earning his the commu- special.” feel small,” experienced and skilled in the degree, he said he did not know nity singing W i l l i a m s group, he was always patient and which direction he wanted to go, g roup Full s a i d . “ H e loved listening to everyone else but she believes he enjoyed the -JENNIFER YOCOM, LYME Circle, bringw a s c o m - play, Richardson said. teaching he was doing at the Coling his per- CONGREGATION CHURCH fortable with “He was such an interesting lege. f e c t p i t c h , CHOIR DIRECTOR his mathe- child to raise, always bringing Smedinghoff would often joke keen sense of matic ability, interesting people to our lives,” about choosing between music rhythm and but he knew Linda Smedinghoff recalled. and mathematics, Marsit recalled, infectious he needed Marsit said one of his fondest adding that Smedinghoff would laugh, Lyme to lear n a memories is performing a Stravin- have undoubtedly found a way to Congregation lot more as sky piano concerto last spring with combine his two great passions Church choir director and Full well.” Smedinghoff as a soloist. Usually, with his characteristic humor. Circle director Jennifer Yocom Friends said he was tireless in when a student auditions to be a “There was never a time said. pursuit of his passions. soloist, it takes an entire year to together when we weren’t just “Though his standards in music “He was the sort of person prepare for the audition. After a laughing,” Marsit said. “He had for himself were extremely high, who was unfazed by a challenge, casual conversation with Marsit, a smile that never faded.” he was accepting of all levels of whether it be mastering a difficult Smedinghoff saw the score of A memorial service will be held ability,” Yocom said. “He had a piano work, tackling a complicated the notoriously challenging piece for Smedinghoff on Saturday, Jan. quality that made everyone feel dinner recipe or accomplishing for the first time and played an 23 at 11 a.m. in Rollins Chapel, special.” insanely long bike rides,” Megan audition one month later that was followed by a reception hosted by He also played with the Ben- Martinez GR’15 wrote in an email. “fully memorized and flawlessly the College mathematics departnington Children’s Chorus, di- Smedinghoff started playing prepared,” Marsit said. ment. rected by Ryer-Parke, for two years. The children adored him for his sincerity and sense of fun, she said. “He was very awkward in the beginning until he realized he could be his quirky, musical self, wearing his piano socks and Bach t-shirt,” Ryer-Parke recalled. “We loved to delight in the wonderful oddness of certain kids.” He developed unique, silly vocal warm-ups that the children still continue to request, she said. College math department chair Dana Williams said Smedinghoff “sailed” through the preliminary portion of the graduate program. While other students were preoccupied with passing their exams, Smedinghoff was interested in starting research early on top of his coursework. “He was certainly one of the best and brightest of his group, maybe even in the last 10 years or so,” Williams said. He studied noncommutative geometry, a branch of functional analysis, in addition to teaching sections of introductory math. His mother said he was interested in math and physics from a SEAMORE ZHU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF young age. When Scott was about 10-years-old, he became interested Students attended a Management and Leadership Development Program talk at the Rockefeller Center yesterday.
A ROCKY ROAD TO LEADERSHIP
PAGE 6
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY 12:00 p.m.
Town Hall Meeting with Dartmouth Executive Vice President Rick Mills, Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts
7:00 p.m.
“Swan Lake,” presented by South African choreographer Dada Masilo, Moore Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts
7:00 p.m.
“The Liberator (El Libertador),” Starring Edgar Ramírez as Simón Bolívar, Loew Auditorium, Black Family Visual Arts Center
TOMORROW 4:00 p.m.
“Explaining Conservative Politics in America,” Professor John Thompson, University College Dublin, Wren Room, Sanborn
4:00 p.m.
“Transational Modern Understanding of Indian Raga Music,” Aditya Shah ‘15 and Professor Thomas Metcalf, Carson L02
4:30 p.m.
“Rising Fences: Migrants, Borders and a New Frontier of Ethics,”Joel H. Rosenthal, Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
PAGE 7
Filter Theatre’s ‘Twelfth Night’ pushes boundaries of theater By MAC EMERY
The Dartmouth Staff
Often in theater a web of conventions, precedents, proprieties and restrictions surrounds the stage. This holds especially true with the exalted works of William Shakespeare, which have been marbleized by centuries of prestige. British stage company Filter Theatre crashed through that web in their raucous, heady rendition of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” (1602) last Friday and Saturday. Arriving at Moore Theater, newcomers might have worried they had accidentally stumbled upon a garage band jam session after seeing the tangle of wires, instruments, computers and people that cluttered the stage. A fully installed drum kit and an electronic soundboard generated as much puzzlement as interest. The actors, dressed normally if not sloppily, milled around idly as if converging around the stage by coincidence. Just as the audience sorted into their seats, the company launched into an unannounced, unexplained musical romp. A few actors ripped away at their instruments; another performer wildly bounced around the stage and through the crowd, gesticulating with a flamboyance more typically associated with the hard rock milieu. The distorted, brash music announced
what the crowd already suspected — that Filter Theatre was tackling Shakespeare on its own terms. With the audience disconcerted and more than a little curious, the play began in earnest. Which for the risibly self-aware company meant that the play’s power figure, Orsino, intentionally fumbled through the iconic first lines of the play, then drowned out his blunder with yet another techno-rock outburst. The play (eventually) proceeded to the core plot of identity and gender confusion between Orsino, the lady Olivia and the cross-dressed Viola. By condensing the original material and liberally stirring in their own madcap gags, the company fermented comedic alchemy that bubbled for the play’s entire duration. Leaping far beyond textual dictations, Filter Theatre relentlessly interspersed outbursts of music and hilarity that flouted any prior interpretation of the famous comedy. “I love devised work. I love the process they used to create this work,” theater professor Jamie Horton said. “[It’s] irreverent, engaging.” The entire subplot of Malvolio, a prissy servant with aspirations to marry his way up the social ladder, was entirely restructured into a hilariously humiliating fantasy crashing before our eyes. The entirety is too outrageous
to describe briefly, but involves a hearty serving of golden underpants. “I’m really impressed with the liberties they took,” Andrew Dewhurst ’16 said. “The way they modernized [the play].” Underneath the play’s sturdy comedic core, the laughably sodden character Sir Toby Belch punctuated the action with his drunken rambling and interruptions. Though ironically the only character in period costume, the aptly named Belch wrecked any normalcy as he lumbered through scenes and into the audience, swigging his conspicuously modern beer cans and seemingly dragging any seriousness along with him. So forceful was the play’s comedic bend that for periods Belch seemed the central character of the production. But traditional, carping critiques of specific actors barely apply to a play that shuns such formality. Instead, the cast meshed seamlessly into one raucous unit, playing off each other’s oddities and never getting too caught up in their own deliveries. Instead, the delivery was mutually sharp and spontaneous, often resembling ad lib even when it wasn’t. “I think the improv and the level of spontaneity was really what drove the show and kept the audience so engaged the entire time,” Claire Feuille ’18 said. “I know when you’re acting, like having
someone improve on stage with you, is a really unique and awesome thing to have, because it changes the show every night for you, it makes your reactions more genuine, it makes the show unique each time you do it.” Never too pretentious, the performance transpired almost exclusively outside the fourth wall and constantly invited the crowd to participate. With an amusing self-awareness, the actors cleverly roped the audience in and dissolved the typical screen between the ephemeral world of the performance and the real world. The actors jumped through the crowd, asked audience members for responses or clothes, tossed props into the sea of heads and even invited onlookers onto stage. A few lucky ones even got pizza. “[It was] definitely different and refreshing,” audience member Ebenezer Sefah said. “One of the things I loved was how much they used the audience.” The music was a force in itself, buoying the action and reasserting classic theater’s musicality that academia often chooses to sieve out. The early outpourings began by signaling the play’s nonconformity with its genreless jamming, but by the play’s end the skillful mixture of electronics and live instrumentation was thoroughly winning and underscored the company’s diverse talents. One of the night’s
highlights was essentially a sign-along in which the audience lobbed colorful balls at Velcro-helmeted performers on stage. Suitably, the performance was sometimes its most brilliant when it was most distant from the script. “The way they brought in the audience and engaged them, and physically actually drew them into the story of the play was absolutely fantastic,” Annie Furman ’19 said. “[This was] Shakespeare in the most involving, engaging manner that I’ve ever seen.” Ironically, by deviating from literal interpretation, the performance arguably resurrected the original anarchic and rambunctious atmosphere of the play, which it has since lost in centuries of reverent reiteration. This deviant freshness and approachability invigorated the audience and the crests of laughter only swelled as the night advanced. “This show just opened my mind up to how Shakespeare can be played,” Laura Calderon ’19 said. “This wasn’t anything I ever expected. And what they did made it so easy to understand the text and the characters. It was fun and exciting. There were scenes where I was floored by how genius they were. It was just so creative. And you don’t see a lot of that when you see Shakespeare performed on stage, it’s very stoic, very traditional.”
Alumnus Q&A: Award-winning author Tom Maremaa ’67 By MADELINE KILLEN The Dartmouth
Tom Maremaa ’67 graduated from Dartmouth as an English and German double major. He spent 17 years as an Apple software engineer and now works in Silicon Valley. His novel “Metal Heads: A Novel” was named an American Library Association Notable Book in 2009. His eleventh and most recent novel, “Of Gods, Royals and Superman” (2015), takes place at Dartmouth. This is your eleventh novel. Why did you decide now to set a novel at your alma mater? TM: I wrote the novel because Eleazar Wheelock told me to write it — because I wanted to write it, because I had to write it, because it was due. I like that quote from [Jorge Luis] Borges that, “Time forks perpetually into countless futures.” And in one of those futures I was destined to write a novel about Dartmouth. So the time arrived, and Christopher Reed, the main character, came to life and begged me to write the story, and I had to tell that story about how he got kicked out of school as president of his frat house for the bad behavior of his classmates and brothers, and what he tried to do to redeem himself. Redemption is really a fundamental
theme in the book. What can you do to redeem yourself ? Is it even possible?
Why did you decide to start writing novels? TM: I started writing novels my freshman year at Dartmouth, when I went and read Faulkner in the library with the Orozco frescoes surrounding me. I said, “Man, this is my destiny.” I had a great professor, James Cox; he was my inspiration, and I knew then that even though I had come to Dartmouth to become a doctor, that had all changed. I ended up becoming a writer and the rest is history. But I have a passion for technical work, and I taught myself programming and took programming classes. I had my own software company at one point. I like to think that the worst thing that could happen to a writer is to become a writer. It’s better to be a software engineer who writes, and then you begin to discover that you can adjust and you can adapt and you can do different things and the writing has some basis in your own experience. Can you describe your writing process? Where do you get your inspiration? TM: A lot of it is discipline. I tend to get up very early in the morning, and I’ll sit down in that early dawn part of
the morning and basically try to write spontaneously. I try to write what I don’t know. The tendency that a lot of writers get into is that they think, “I have to write what I know.” The best parts of your writing are the parts you discover; you write to discover. And passion essentially dictates the form of what you write. If that passion drives you to write a biography, to write a computer program, to write specs for designing a house, to write an essay about Ezra Pound or T.S. Eliot or James Joyce, that’s where the passion drives you. In my case, the passion drives me to write imaginative works that create landscapes that have many characters. Then typically, these characters come after me. They knock on my door, they want to come in my house, they live in my neighborhood, they say hello to me. They want me to write their story. They pester me; eventually I relent and then I let it run from there. Leave the critic on the sideline. Make a peace with that critic; say, I’m not neglecting you, I respect what you have to say, but you have to step out of the room and let me write first. Otherwise, that critic will come in there and just look over your shoulder and say, “Oh no, that sentence is no good, that paragraph is terrible.” Before you know it, they’ll beat you to death and you lose that energy. But at some point, you have to let the critic in the door. Open up the door, let the
COURTESY OF TOM MAREMAA
Tom Maremaa ’67 writes novels while also working as a software engineer.
critic come in, and say, “Okay, have at it.” I tend to write and write and write and I tend to edit and edit and edit. I do it kind of compulsively. Great work has to be at first spontaneous, and then you have to go back and re-cast it and reshape it and find the language. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers at Dartmouth? TM: Number one — you have to read and read and read. This was the beauty of my Dartmouth education — it really taught me to read, and to read as if my life depended on it, as if I were on the planet of Mars and only had a couple of books with me. So you learn to read,
and then you dive into the classics. You get your footing and grounding in the classics. You learn, also, to love language and to cultivate your knowledge of language. From language, you learn how to cast your memories. As I look back at Dartmouth, I remember in great detail these cultivated memories. Also, as a writer starting out, you want to travel and open up the world. You want to study art in Florence or climb the Himalayas or go to medical school or solve the most complex mathematical problem or create new algorithms, but you really want to explore and discover. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
WEDNESDAY LINEUP
No athletic events scheduled
Men’s tennis annihilates back-to-back opponents 6-1 and 7-0 By MARK CUI
The Dartmouth Staff
The No. 42 Dartmouth men’s tennis team kicked off the new year with a pair of dominating home wins last Saturday over the State University of New York at Buffalo and Bryant University, with respective team scores of 6-1 and 7-0. The Big Green defeated Buffalo 6-1 on Saturday, compiling a 2-1 record in double matches and 5-1 in single matches. The doubles matches for the day were best of one set, whereas the singles matches were best of three sets. “I think we played well. It’s always nice to win at home the first two matches,” Dovydas Sakinis ’16 said. “It gets our confidence going before tougher opponents come in. It’s always good to start off the season well.” The Dartmouth double tandem of Sakinis and Brendan Tannenbaum ’16 easily won their first match 6-0. Diego Pedraza ’17 and Roko Glasnovic ’19 also won, grinding out a thrilling 7-6(7) victory over Pablo Alvarez and Amar Hromic. The third doubles team of Max Fliegner ’18 and George Wall ’17 lost in a close 4-6 battle to Sergio Arevalillo and Ehtan Nittolo. On the singles side, two matches went into three sets, of which Dartmouth won both. After dropping the first set, Ciro Riccardi ’18 won two straight over Alvarez for a final score of 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, while Fliegner also
dropped the first set before winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Sakinis, Tannenbaum and Wall claimed victory in straight sets, with respective scores of 7-6(3), 6-4; 6-1, 6-3; and 6-4, 7-5. The lone singles loss was from Pedraza, who lost a hard fought battle against Arevalillo 4-6, 4-6. The Big Green followed with a 7-0 shutout against Bryant in the same day, going 3-0 in doubles and 6-0 in singles. The team switched around its doubles lineup for Bryant. “This is normal at the start of the year,” Wall explained. “We often try a number of different combinations in doubles to try and find our best lineup. As the season progresses, there will be fewer changes in the lineup across singles and doubles.” In spite of the change, the three Dartmouth double partnerships of Fliegner and Wall, Tannenbaum and Max Schmidt ’17 and Glasnovic and Joey Haig ’19 all won with respective scores of 6-2, 6-2 and 6-4. On the singles side, four of the six Dartmouth victories came through straight sets. Sakinis, Fliegner, Eddie Grabill ’19 and Schmidt won their respective matches against Max Vogt, Oliver Welsh, Luke Lorenz and Michael Plutt with final scores of 6-2, 6-2 for Sakinis, 6-3, 6-1 for Fliegner, 6-2, 7-6(3) for Grabill and 6-4, 6-2 for Schmidt. Aman Agarwal ’18 and Paul Midgley ’18 also emerged victorious against Artur Jakubowski and Jorge Ortiz-Garcia, respectively, pulling
out resilient 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) and 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victories. Despite the deceptively lopsided final team scores against Buffalo and Bryant, Sakinis noted that the individual games were still a good challenge for the team. “It was really tough,” Sakinis said. “[Buffalo and Bryant] were unranked but hungry to win. The result doesn’t show how hard it is. A lot of the matches were really close. It was a good test.” For many on the team, the games were a good way to bounce back and prepare for the long season to come. “I just wanted to find my game,” Sakinis added. “It’s difficult after the long break. We didn’t practice as a team for six or seven weeks. I practiced back in Lithuania, but it’s a different court, different ball. As more matches come, I hope to be back to my best shape. Although I didn’t play my best the first match, I’m just happy I found a way to dig deep and win.” The games were especially good for the freshmen, Wall added. “We were able to get our feet wet in this new season and start out on a positive note,” Wall said. “It was great to give all three of our freshmen their first taste of a dual match.” Overall, the team was happy with both the process and the outcome. “I think we wanted to get ourselves back into the dual-match setting,” Pedraza said. “Obviously, we wanted to
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Men’s tennis stunned competitors, dropping just two of 18 matches on Saturday.
win, as we always do. However, these matches were great opportunities to see where some guys were in terms of preparation. We knew both teams had nothing to lose and that they were going to come for us. We simply wanted to execute our games and stay calm when things got tight. And that is exactly what we did.” After an encouraging last season in which the team barely missed the cutoff for the team tournament, the goal for the end of the new season remains the same. “We finished second in the Ivy League last year and missed an NCAA Tournament berth by two spots in the national ranks,” Wall said. “That hurts.
So this year our goals are simple.” Sakinis also emphasized the same goal, expressing confidence in the team’s ability to achieve it. “I think the team is very capable this year,” Sakinis said. “A lot of guys play at a high level, and can be in the lineup. Lineup decisions might be hard for the coach but it’s a good thing. We have great depth.” Although Pedraza, like the rest of his team, looks forward to accomplishing these goals, he cautioned that “there is still a lot of work to do, and it’s gonna take a team effort to accomplish them.” The team will next play a string of home games, starting with Clemson University on Jan. 22.
Shoot for It: With Alex Lee ’16 and John Beneville ’16 By ALEX LEE AND JOHN BENEVILLE
The Dartmouth Staff
The Oklahoma City Thunder have quietly amassed a solid 30-12 record behind their two superstars small forward Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook. This season, Durant is averaging 26.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 4.4 APG while Westbrook is averaging 24.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 9.6 APG. Today, we debate who is better: Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook? Alex’s Take: All hail the Durantula. This onetime MVP has been the epitome of efficiency since entering the league, a quality that Westbrook has sorely lacked. While their raw statistics are similar, KD is shooting .513 from the field and .403 from three whereas Westbrook is shooting .455
and .301. I concede that Russell Westbrook is a supreme athlete, who has improved his basketball IQ , but clearly he still shares too many tendencies with Nick Young. If Russell Westbrook is so good, why didn’t the Thunder make the playoffs last year? It’s not as if without Durant, the Thunder have no pieces: Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters are no scrubs. However, the Anthony Davis-led Pelicans took their slot in the final few games of the season. Though Westbrook was on a historic statistical run, he’s the kind of player that can stuff the stat-sheet, but his play does not necessarily translate to winning games. Moreover, I find it hard to like Westbrook. He carries himself with the swagger that a player who has neither won a championship nor an MVP award does not warrant. In his younger days, this used to
translate onto the basketball court as West “brick” would often chuck up ill-advised shots much to the dismay of KD standing wide-open in the corner. Though, I admit that Westbrook has much improved this sort of play today. Even with KD’s “I hate the media” attitude over the past few years, we can all appreciate his quiet confidence as a player. Ultimately, Durant is the better player because of his clear edge in efficiency, which likely stems from his attitude on the court.
John’s Take: Both players have evolved over the last few years. Although Durant and Westbrook have been superstars for quite some time, attitude changes and small adjustments have allowed them to rise to the top. Durant is, perhaps, the less controversial player, given that he
has consistently played smarter basketball and done fewer infuriating things (technicals, wild-shots, etc.) than Westbrook. Interestingly however, Durant over the last couple of years has taken part in a media war that is unbecoming for a man so talented. My guess is that Durant has felt the pressure of never having won a championship, and that he may be more sensitive (rightfully so, perhaps) to criticism. Westbrook, of course, is in the same boat when it comes to championships: he hasn’t won anything. That being said, I’m surprised Alex takes issue with players carrying themselves with “swagger” despite never winning a championship. I’m thinking of a particular player that Alex is quite fond of (LeBron “King” James) who tattooed “CHOSEN1” on his back before playing his first game in the
NBA. I’m thinking about that man walking around with a smile on his face days after, when to quote Stephen A. Smith, LeBron “wet the bed in the fourth quarter.” In fact, thinking about this makes me realize how disrespectful Alex’s comments about Westbrook are. Westbrook may be explosive and even a little unhinged at times, but I’m much happier watching him give everything he has night in and night out than watching LeBron take selfies during games and “raise the roof ” after performing a boring, wide open dunk . Westbrook plays with a fire that demands respect, and his desire to harness this fire, to reign it in when necessary and to unleash it when necessary is laudable. Durant is the one who has been too passive these last few years, and his complacency with that passing grade is starting to get on my nerves.