The Dartmouth 9/15/2016

VOL. CLXXIII NO.108

SUNNY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

College ranked 11th by U.S. News

FARM FRESH FALL AFTERNOONS

HIGH 72 LOW 43

By MEGAN CLYNE

The Dartmouth Staff

SEAMORE ZHU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

ARTS

FLEXN PERFORMS AT THE HOP PAGE 8

Students enjoy the first farmers market of the fall term.

STUDENTS TALK AUDITIONS PAGE 7

OPINION

SOLOMON: SICK POLITICS PAGE 6

READ US ON

DARTBEAT SENIOR YEAR VS. FRESHMEN YEAR FIRST-YEAR INNER MONOLOGUE FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2016 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.

SEE RANK PAGE 2

Paganucci Fellows collaborate with Positive Tracks

By TIANHONG DANG

ARTS

This past Tuesday, U.S. News and World Report announced that the College from 12th to 11th place in the 2017 college rankings.

In the 2015 rankings, the College was also listed 11th.

The rankings, which are generated from 2015 data, are among the most watched of their kind in the country. This year, Ivy League schools Princeton University, Harvard University and Yale University took the top three spots respectively, with the

University of Chicago tying Yale for third place. Johns Hopkins University ranks directly ahead of the College at 10th place, while the California Institute of Technology falls behind. Last year, Dartmouth was tied with Northwestern University for 12th place.

In U.S. News’ rankings of institutions with the best undergraduate teaching, the College placed seventh, down from placing second in the category last year.

The Dartmouth Staff

This summer, five students — Alexa Sonnenfeld ’17, Steffen Eriksen ’17, Kelly Moore ’18, Robert Crawford ’19 and Kelly Chen ‘18 — helped Positive Tracks, a Hanover-based nonprofit, improve their philanthropic U23 challenge program through an eight-week long consulting project. The students, who were selected for the annual Paganucci Fellows Program, also

worked and learned from Tuck School of Business faculty.

According to Nini Meyer, the president of Positive Tracks, the U23 challenge is designed to help young people “sweat for good.” The name “U23” indicates the targeted demographic: youth across the world, especially those under 23 years of age.

Positive Tracks accepts submissions for ideas that combine philanthropy and athletic events. The nonprofit then chooses ventures to support throughout the whole process by help-

Gifts to College increase from last year

By THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Gifts and commitments to the College for the 2016 fiscal year totaled over $318.8 million, a 2.8 percent increase from the previous year’s record-setting level of giving. The money will address a wide range of initiatives across campus, including research, athletics and the new housing communities.

ing with organization, fundraising and event support.

“We call that ‘Philanathletics,’” Meyer said.

Sonnenfeld said that they embarked on the consulting project by interviewing 55 individuals in the Upper Valley — including both those who had and had not heard of Positive Tracks — to evaluate the U23 challenge.

In their final presentation, the fellows offered Positive Tracks several recommendations, including the

initiation of a Youth Mentorship Program, the modification of the nonprofit’s digital platform and the improvement of an existing fund-matching system.

“We came up with the idea of the Youth Mentorship Program as a group,” Moore said, adding that her past experience in similar girls’ skiing mentorship groups helped her contribute to the proposal.

In order to accomodate Positive SEE FELLOWS PAGE 3

A SERVICE TO OTHERS

The 10 new academic clusters and the 30 new faculty members the clusters include will be supported by a $150 million investment that includes gifts from the previous two years.The clusters address a number of global challenges, including poverty alleviation and health care delivery. The 10 clusters are titled: “Breaking the Neural Code,” SEE GIFTS PAGE 5

LAUREN GRUFFI/THE DARTMOUTH

Students explore volunteering opportunities at the fair in Collis Common Ground.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 2

DAILY DEBRIEFING New Hampshire’s incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative Ann Kuster ’78 will face Republican challenger Jim Lawrence in the race for the second Congressional District, WMUR reports. Lawrence won the Republican primary election with 40 percent of the vote, compared to challenger Jack Flanagan’s 28 percent. Kuster has been the district’s representative since 2013.

Colin van Ostern won the Democratic Party’s nomination for Governor of New Hampshire on Tuesday with 52 percent of the vote, defeating his challengers Mark Connolly ’79 and Steve Marchand, the Valley News reported. The Republican primary was too close to call late in the evening. State Representative Frank Edelbut and Executive Councilor Chris Sununu are currently fighting for the nomination.

Incumbent Senator Kelly Ayotte won the Republican nomination for an opportunity to serve a second term with a landslide majority against challenger Jim Rubens, WMUR reported. She will run against Democratic nominee and current New Hampshire governor Maggie Hassan this November.

— COMPILED BY PRIYA RAMAIAH

CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Teaching ranking falls to seventh FROM RANK PAGE 1

The publication announced that the ranking methodology for its best colleges list fell under two broad categories of consideration: the views of educational experts regarding the rigor of the academic education as well as the publication’s vision of what a higher educational experience should entail.

Specfically, U.S. News used the following criteria to assess schools for its 2017 edition: graduation and firstyear student retention rates, faculty resources, assessment from administrators at other institutions, financial resources, selectivity, alumni loyalty, graduation rates and high school counselor college ratings.

For the Class of 2020, 53.1 percent of students accepted offers of admission. In previous years, Dartmouth’s yield rate has fallen below 50 percent.

Just under half of the Class of 2020 received need-based scholarships, with the average scholarship amounting to over $46,000.

While most criteria remain unchanged, the report indicated that there were a few adjustments in its annual assessment of the best colleges and universities.

First, the publication started using the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a way to classify institutions in the United States

based on the following categories: doctorate-granting universities, master’s institutions, associates colleges, baccalaureate colleges, tribal colleges, special focus colleges and universities and institutions not classified. This system has been frequently used by the U.S. Department of Education and other higher education researchers.

Due to the adoption of the Carnegie Classification, more than 10 percent of the schools for this year’s U.S. News report changed from their previous placement. Under this system, an institution formerly considered a regional university might now be referred to as a national university.

In addition to this classification model, the publication altered its analysis of class size ranking for the new edition. Forty percent of the total faculty resources criterion is evaluated based on class size, which was previously divided into two components. Class size was previously measured by calculating the proportion of classes with less than 20 students as well as by the proportion of classes with 50 or more students.

These proportions accounted for 30 percent and 10 percent of the faculty resources score, respectively.

U.S. News now only calculates one class size component, which still accounts for 40 percent of the faculty resources score.

The publication said that this change

helped to utilize all of the information that schools have released regarding class size.

Dan Lee, one of the co-founders of Solomon Admissions Consulting, said that the students his company works with are strongly affected by U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Some students almost look at the rankings exclusively, he said, which causes them to overlook other factors like fit and finding a place that may be an overall better option for them.

Lee emphasized that students should ultimately focus their college selection process based on their goals and aspirations.

Grace Replogle ’19 agreed with Lee, noting that fit has always been most important to her. She said that the rankings are not her biggest priority, and that she is just happy to be in the Dartmouth community.

Ethan Klaris ’20 said that his high school emphasized the prestige and ranking of colleges and universities.

However, Klaris also said it was important to him that he balance prestige and fit.

Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Lee Coffin said he is pleased with the 2017 rankings.

“I see all of Dartmouth’s outcomes as broadly positive,” he wrote in an email.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

PAGE 3

Project combines consulting work with non-profit sector FROM FELLOWS PAGE 1

Tracks’ expansion as an organization, the fellows recommended that the original digital platform be modified to more efficiently deliver the philosophy and mission of Posi-

tive Tracks to new users. Eriksen said that they divided working on the platform into two parts. First, the organization would explain its “Sweat for Good” curriculum and why it is meaningful to participate in the U23 challenge. The second

part would feature a “Tool Kit” that displays the resources Positive Tracks can offer to users.

Eriksen also explained that their newly designed fund-matching system could encourage participants to raise more funds. Previously,

ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The Paganucci Fellows work closely with faculty members from the Tuck School of Business.

Positive Tracks would donate 23 the fellows. dollars once a participant sucMeyer said the new digital platcessfully raised more than 23 dol- form is in progress and “hopefully lar s. After will be finished in careful conthe fall or winter.” sideration, “We received a fullFurthermore, Posih o w e v e r , fledged consulting tive Tracks is now the fellows considering a mos u g g e s t e d for free, which was bile app to reach t h a t Po s i - really helpful for a out to more young tive Tracks people. s h o u l d nonprofit like us who “We received a m a t c h a s cannot really afford full-fledged consultmuch money for free, which service like this from ing as a particiwas really helpful pant could elsewhere.” for a nonprofit like collect, up to us who cannot re23 dollars. ally afford service M e y e r - NINI MEYER, PRESIDENT like this from elsesaid she was OF POSITIVE TRACKS where,” she said. really satisBesides working fied with the in Hanover, the felrecommenlows also travelled dations. She to South Africa to said Positive Tracks initiated the see how other nonprofits were Youth Mentorship Program imme- already practicing the philosophy diately because it could help their of “Philananthletics.” previous participants “stay in the Crawford said, “Part of the network” and also help introduce reason we went to South Africa others. She said she was amazed was to see a could-be pilot of the by the level of detail provided by U23 program near Johannesburg.”

For example, the fellows saw “Yoga4Alex,” a nonprofit in Alexandra, “a low income and extremely densely populated neighborhood,” Eriksen said. Yoga4Alex offers free yoga classes to youths to help them deal with everyday stress and anxiety. However, due to various regulations, Yoga4Alex could not be designated as an official pilot for Positive Tracks’ program outside the US. Eriksen said that the fellows met with 12 nonprofits, many of which dealt with youth development and education.

“We talked to people about what went right and what went wrong, which really helped us to form our recommendations and final presentations,” Crawford said, The fellows also attended events held by various nonprofit organizations in South Africa.

“One of them was Football Center for Hope in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town,” Eriksen said. “The curriculum they delivered was not only about soccer, but also included HIV and AIDS prevention, general women’s health.”

Crawford, who is interested in consulting, said he applied for the fellowship because it offered deeper responsibilities than “what a normal intern would do.”

Richard McNulty, the faculty advisor and co-founder of the program, said he looks for nonprofit organizations that a team of fellows could actually make a difference with. In the future, McNulty said the fellowship will look for more international opportunities.

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

PAGE 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Literary Magazines Open House, learn about Dartmouth’s creative writing clubs and publications over gelato, Sanborn House Library

4:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.

“War, Trade, and Settlement in the 17th Century Atlantic World,” history professor Wim Klooster, Clark University, Room L01, Carson

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

FLEXN, dance performance, directed by flex pioneer Reggie Gray, Moore Theater, Hopkins Center

TOMORROW

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Discussion of “ORWELL IN AMERICA” with readings by the cast, Bentley Theater, Hopkins Center

3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Dartmouth Field Hockey v. University of Vermont, Athletic Playing Fields Chase Astroturf

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

“Explaining the Diversity in the ‘end state’ of Galactic Evolution,” Doctor Alison Crocker, Reed College, Room 104, Wilder

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, September 15, 2016

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Host of “Late Night Joy” 6 Pennant contest 10 Herbal seed used in smoothies 14 Truly impress 15 Screen image or screen idol 16 Called 17 Eleventh hour 19 Language of Pakistan 20 Beach toy 21 “Otello” composer 22 She played Jackie on “Nurse Jackie” 23 Age of Reason philosopher 25 Short fiction 27 Sloth and envy 29 First name in scat 30 Super __ 33 Words after save or take 36 Afghan capital 39 Lamb nurser 40 Speaker’s stand ... or what each set of circled squares graphically represents 42 Mama bear, in Baja 43 Sauce made with pine nuts 45 Roll dipped in wasabi 46 __ cabbage 47 Drawn tight 49 Big name in golf clubs 51 Bugs’ voice 55 Storied monsters 58 Airline known for tight security 59 About 61 Algerian seaport 63 Humorist Barry 64 Unparalleled 66 Plugging away 67 Heated contest, in more ways than one 68 Aquafina rival 69 Some skinny jeans 70 Torah cabinets

71 Like a neglected garden

31 Reverence 32 Observation with a sigh 34 Kwik-E-Mart clerk 35 Kitchen amt.

37 Take for a sucker 38 Little fellow 41 Many an Indian fan 44 Computers that travel well 48 Puget Sound city 50 It’s on the record

51 Wartime award 52 Fill with joy 53 Forty-__ 54 Links hazard 56 Banks with a statue at Wrigley Field 57 Course with leaves 60 Jazz lovers 62 Part of a Wall St. address 65 Meadow drops

DOWN 1 Refuse to, with “at” 2 Outlook messages 3 Lacks choices 4 Quetzalcoatl worshipers 5 High-__ image 6 Jasmine __ 7 Part of an autumn stash ANSWER TO PREVIOUS 8 Many a beach rental 9 Bitter green in mixed greens 10 Fur-loving de Vil 11 Work that may be imposed with a prison sentence 12 29-state country 13 Feverish bouts 18 “Still ... ” 24 Honda Fit competitor 26 Warning sign in the Rockies 28 High waters 30 Abundance in the cheerleading squad xwordeditor@aol.com

PUZZLE:

ADVERTISING

09/15/16

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 01999931

By C.C. Burnikel ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

09/15/16

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 5

Gifts will fund renovations on campus FROM GIFTS PAGE 1

“The Jack Byrne Academic Cluster in Mathematics and Decision Science,” “The Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization,” “Meeting the New Challenges of Cybersecurity,” “Digital Humanities and Social Engagement,” “Global Poverty Alleviation and Human Development,” “Arctic Engineering in a Period of Climate Change,” “The Susan J. and Richard M. Levy 1960 Academic Cluster in Health Care Delivery,” “The William H. Neukom Academic Cluster in Computational Science” and “Personalized Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis.”

Through the end of the 2016 fiscal year, which ended in June, $40.5 million had been committed towards the Hood Museum of Art’s $50 million expansion and renovation project, while $8.7 million had been committed to the reconstruction of the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. The Lodge donations come after George Battle ’66 and his children Daniel Battle ’01 and Emily Battle ’05 challenged the Dartmouth community to raise $10 million for the building’s reconstruction. In an interview

with The Dartmouth last October, Battle said that the new Lodge would have modernized function but the design would retain the old building’s feel.

The College’s athletic department received over $25 million in gifts, which will fund the construction of a new indoor practice facility, the construction of which is scheduled to begin this fall and conclude in November 2017.

Forty-two percent of all Dartmouth alumni participated in giving to the Dartmouth College fund, amounting to $44.9 million. The fund provides funding for the over 44 percent of undergraduate students receiving financial aid. The Class of 1991 gave $8.1 million as a 25th reunion class gift, while the Class of 2000 set a College record for its 15th reunion gift of $1.21 million. Donors also increased the endowment by over $71 million over the 2016 fiscal year.

The Tuck School of Business received $7.1 million in annual gifts, with an alumni participation rate of over two-thirds. The Geisel School of Medicine received $1 million, while the Thayer School of Engineering’s annual fund received $1.6 million.

NEWS SPORTS ARTS OPINION MIRROR BLOG DESIGN PHOTO VIDEO

JOIN

The Dar tmouth Staff OPEN HOUSE TODAY

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 6

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION STAFF

STAFF COLUMNIST IOANA SOLOMON ‘19

Opinion Asks

Sick Politics

In the U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of institutions with the best undergraduate teaching, Dartmouth placed seventh, down from placing second last year. Do you agree with this ranking, and if so how can Dartmouth improve its undergraduate teaching?

I disagree with the downgraded ranking. I believe Dartmouth’s undergraduate teaching is top-notch. The small class sizes for the majority of courses are conducive to fruitful class discussions, and the openness of professors’ office hours promote strong professor-student interaction.

I often go to my professors’ office hours, and I am constantly impressed by how they make themselves available to students and how they genuinely want us to succeed.

Perhaps one way that Dartmouth could make its undergraduate teaching even stronger is by making introductory STEM classes smaller in size. I sometimes find that, even though there is limited class discussion compared to humanities classes, it is easier to get lost during lectures in a giant class, and I am less likely to ask questions.

-Caroline Hsu ’18 While I believe, from firsthand experience, that Dartmouth remains one of the best undergraduate experiences in the country, it’s extremely alarming to see the drop in rank. In looking at the rankings, I think it’s important to remember what factors into each specific category — which, in the case of the undergraduate teaching rankings, are based on the reviews of top academics, the peers of our faculty and our administration.

As this drop is not just a drop in merely one or two positions for Dartmouth, I find the change incredibly significant. Given other factors of growing discontent on campus in the past year, it makes me wonder why Dartmouth specifically has dropped so far in the estimation of the peers of our faculty and administration and what this drop might be based on.

-Mercedes De Guardiola ’17 As Dartmouth students who have seen the College’s teaching standards for ourselves, we are uniquely qualified to comment upon its exceptional quality. No matter what U.S. News

and World Report tells us, it is obvious to me that the learning experience at Dartmouth is of a quality unmatched anywhere else. The passion that our faculty brings to our college and the intimacy with which students are introduced to their teachings are unparalleled among learning institutions, and without having taken classes here for oneself, it is impossible to truly grasp how unique the Dartmouth experience is.

That said, our falling rankings should serve as a wake-up call that the world is taking notice of our administration’s lack of proper management.

The low numbers reflect poor leadership — not poor education.

-Jinsung Bach ‘17 The fact that Dartmouth dropped significantly in the ranking this year somewhat reflects the administration’s largely misguided priorities, which have relegated excellence in undergraduate teaching second compared to superficial and largely nonessential qualities. Rather than taking pride in our traditions, our distinct and engaged undergraduate faculty or our vast mine of international opportunities, the administration seems to have opted for a different focus.

Purely from a budget perspective, we need more competitive compensation for faculty and even smaller class sizes to attract professors as well as investment in new study abroad opportunities and those that already exist. We already have a beautiful campus, and the current heavy spending on infrastructure seems extravagant and misplaced. For example, the housing system is fine but shouldn’t require such a hefty price tag. Rather than trying to change so much of the College’s identity and focusing so much on its outward appearance, we need to refocus our priorities, take pride in our strengths and drastically alter our course back toward the values that made this institution the place I am proud to call home.

-Ioana Solomon ’19

6175 ROBINSON HALL, HANOVER N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600

REBECCA ASOULIN, Editor-in-Chief ANNIE MA, Executive Editor

RACHEL DECHIARA, Publisher NICOLE SIMINERI, Executive Editor

SARA MCGAHAN, Managing Editor MICHAEL QIAN, Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS ANDRES SMITH, Opinion Editor ZIQIN YUAN, Opinion Editor LAUREN BUDD, Mirror Editor HAYLEY HOVERTER, Mirror Editor GAYNE KALUSTIAN, Sports Editor KOURTNEY KAWANO, Sports Editor HALLIE HUFFAKER, Arts Editor

PRIYA RAMAIAH, Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS HANNAH CARLINO, Finance & Strategy Director HAYDEN KARP-HECKER, Advertising Director ADDISON LEE, Advertising Director BRIANNA AGER, Operations & Marketing Director ALISON GUH, Design Director JEREMY MITTLEMAN, Technology Director

MADELINE KILLEN, Assistant Arts Editor GRACE MILLER, Dartbeat Editor LUCY TANTUM, Dartbeat Editor KATELYN JONES, Multimedia Editor KATE HERRINGTON, Photography Editor ANNIE DUNCAN, Assistant Photography Editor TIFFANY ZHAI, Assistant Photography Editor

ISSUE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

NEWS EDITOR: Lauren Budd, LAYOUT MANAGER: Jaclyn Eagle, TEMPLATING EDITOR: Jaclyn Eagle.

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.

We should consider but not condemn presidential candidates’ health.

President Barack Obama’s gray hair, tired public view, his illness was widely recognized eyes and wrinkled forehead tell us one thing: and for the most part not used to discredit leading this country, carrying its weight on his merits as president. your shoulders and pushing it through all the Donald Trump’s doctor recently released hurdles that come its way is not easy. His job a bombastic description of his health, using demands an incredible amount of stamina superlative language to make bizarre and — enough to travel to multiple countries in medically improbable assertions. In saying a week, giving speeches in all of them while that Trump’s recent physical exam is “showing making monumental military decisions and only positive results,” that his laboratory tests staying on top of domestic issues. It demands have come back “astonishingly excellent” and the agility and intellectual capacity to process that, if elected, Trump “unequivocally, will be information quickly, make swift yet calculated the healthiest individual ever elected to the decisions and handle almost inhumane levels presidency,” Dr. Bornstein sounds much more of stress. like the candidate himself When we elect our than like a respected presidents, we expect “We see medical medical professional and that they know what issues as a raises doubts about the this job requires and veracity of his claims. are willing to take on battleground for The Trump campaign these hardships. We conspiracy theories has also attacked Hillalso expect that they ary Clinton’s health. and vile attacks over are physically and menSuch concerns may be tally capable of doing conditions neither amplified for some after what they need to do footage appeared candidate can actually video for this country, espein which she needed to cially in times of trouble. control.” be propped up and helped Naturally, their health into her van by staff. Her comes into question. campaign later admitted As responsible citizens, we should worry that Clinton had been recently diagnosed with if we think one of our candidates is in any pneumonia and was suffering from dehydraway unequipped to serve us well. Wanting tion. Even this can be unduly harmful for her transparency in their medical records and campaign — sexist stereotypes that enforce voicing concerns over their health is thus an image of women as generally frailer and entirely justified, but there comes a point weaker are likely to make any health-related where we need to draw a line between what accusations seem more probable to the genis a genuine concern and what is simply a eral public. Yet there is also something simply petty attack. In this election, we have been inhumane about constantly attacking a person leaning toward the latter. for entirely normal vulnerabilities.

This fixation over candidates’ health has Just like everything else in this election, reached an unacceptable level. Instead of partisans’ focus on health has gone too far. genuine, realistic worry about our candidates Regardless of who wins, we will have the oldas human beings, we see medical issues as a est president in history. If we want supremely battleground for conspiracy theories and vile healthy individuals, then it is on us to push attacks over conditions neither candidate can younger people to get involved in politics, actually control. streamlining the path Historically, many “Regardless of who toward the presidency so candidates running that candidates are more for national office have wins, we will have likely to be in their 40s and had some sort of medi- the oldest president 50s and not in their 60s or cal complication, and 70s. most have attempted to in history. If we want Faced with the options withhold that informa- supremely healthy we have now, we shouldn’t tion. MSNBC political overemphasize the need reporter Alex Seitz- individuals, then it is for perfect health. ElecWald notes that “Bob on us to push younger tions are a tiring, stressful Dole, John Kerry and and grueling process, and John McCain were all people to get involved while the real job is far cancer survivors who in politics.” worse, we must underhad been wounded in stand that the candidates combat. All three are are human. We have still active: Kerry is secretary of state, Mc- resources in place to help them do their job Cain is running for reelection in the Senate even when they aren’t at 100 percent, we in Arizona and Dole, at 93, attended the have established chains of command for Republican National Convention and still worst-case scenarios and we have so many gives interviews.” examples of leaders who, despite not having Presidents especially strive to keep their perfect health, have shaped this country in medical issues separate from the public incredible ways. Let us regain our decency perception of their work. Franklin Delano and respect, let us start becoming more Roosevelt served as president while paralyzed compassionate and understanding without from the waist down. While the extent of losing our rationality and let us refocus on his paralysis was kept relatively hidden from the issues that truly matter.

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

PAGE 7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Upperclassmen shed light on performance group auditions

By MADELINE KILLEN The Dartmouth Staff

Whether first-year students have been dreaming of joining the Aires since their first solo in their high school choir, curious about Ujima since the dance showcase or thinking they might just wing it at the Dog Day Players auditions, the start of classes brings with it the first opportunity for first-years to show off their talents to student performance groups at Dartmouth. As auditions kick into gear, upperclassmen in performance groups share their own audition experiences and wisdom with the arts section.

Nick Vernice ’18 joined the Sing Dynasty his freshman fall and described the group’s welcoming nature as what drew him in.

“They had a few members in the hallway who just seemed so genuinely interested in getting to know me,” Vernice said. “I just remember how easy-going and laid back the group was.”

Vernice remembers that the Sings’ open nature calmed his nerves despite the fact that his audition process involved singing his solo in front of five other a cappella hopefuls before listening to their solos. This structure is no longer in use. Singers now individually enter a room to audition for the a cappella group.

Fellow Sings member Matty Treiber ’18 said that he was surprised by how welcome he felt when auditioning.

“I didn’t expect [that] because I wasn’t a freshman,” Treiber said.

Christian Williams ’19 auditioned for X.ado last fall and also remembers how upperclassmen in his group were “warm and welcoming” towards him.

Like Vernice’s, his audition process was a bit different than the current audition process ­— last year, X.ado held separate auditions from the other a cappella groups, so Williams only auditioned for X.ado. This year, X.ado has voted to participate in group auditions with all of the other coed a cappella groups.

“We’re excited to be with the rest of the groups,” Williams said.

Williams did not enter college expecting to get involved with a cappella, but decided to audition for X.ado the morning of auditions.

“I auditioned for one of the improv comedy groups but didn’t get in, so then I auditioned for an a cappella group just because I thought it sounded fun,” he said. “I didn’t sing at all before college.”

Zach Schnell ’18 similarly auditioned for his improv group, Casual Thursday, on a whim sophomore year.

“I didn’t audition for Casual Thursday my freshman year because I figured my floor meeting was mandatory and there was no way around it,” Schnell said. “Little did I know, four people who wound up in Casual Thursday did not go to the meeting.”

Schnell only auditioned for Dog Day Players his freshman year, and has fond memories of the audition process despite not getting in, he said.

“Sophomore year, I just auditioned for Casual Thursday for fun,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to get in, but I figured, ‘Why not?’”

Olivia Deng ’18 agrees that performance group auditions are a good time to experiment — because of this, she is glad that dance group auditions require dancers to try out for Fusion, Ujima, Sugarplum and SHEBA at the same time.

“You don’t know which one you’re going to like,” Deng said. “It’s good to spend time with all of the groups.”

Deng is a member of SHEBA but only dabbled in hip-hop in high school, she said.

“Don’t worry about dance experience,” she said. “Most of us either didn’t have dance experience or didn’t have relevant dance experience.”

For example, Deng largely focused on ballet before college, she said.

“Auditions are mostly about confidence and about projecting yourself and not being afraid to go full-out,” she said.

Schnell’s advice for those interested in auditioning is similar.

“Our old president used to have a saying that people’s peak is at auditions because they’re just being themselves without thinking about the ‘rules of improv,’” he said. “It takes years for them to get back to the level where they were at their audition.”

Because of this, he advises auditioning students to just have fun and be themselves.

Treiber and Vernice offer some slightly more pragmatic advice for a cappella hopefuls.

“Sing the song that you’re most comfortable with, that you’re proud of and that you know well,” Vernice said.

“Also, prepare a backup song for callbacks. Some groups will want another song, but I remember the Sings didn’t tell me that my year.”

Vernice auditioned for the Sings with “One Song Glory” from the musical “Rent,” while Williams chose “The Longest Time” by Billy Joel and Treiber sang “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson.

“It’s iconic,” Treiber said of his song choice.

Treiber advises singing in front of floormates prior to auditioning.

“The more people you sing in front of, the less nervous you’ll be for the actual audition,” he said.

Alternately, for those who would love to be involved with a performing group at Dartmouth but worry they will not have the time, Street Soul offers a time-flexible, no-audition alternative.

Angie Lee ’17, co-director of Street Soul, got involved with the group her freshman fall. She entered college with a background in street dance and loves Street Soul because it gives her an opportunity to teach others, she said. Her advice to first-years interested in the

group revolves around consistency.

“Literally just show up,” she said.

“If you come, you improve. If you’re a beginner, you’re not the only one.”

Lee credits Street Soul’s cohesion as a group to its open nature.

“People stay because they like being there, because it’s so open,” she said.

Across the board, these upperclassmen credit their performance groups with critically shaping their Dartmouth experiences.

“I was a lot more timid before SHEBA,” Deng said. “It brought out my self-confidence, it made me not afraid to do what I think is fun. It’s become part of my identity.”

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

The Dodecaphonics are one of the a cappella groups holding auditions.

America’s Oldest College Newspaper

Bring The Dartmouth into your home.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

PAGE 8

FLEXN, at the edge of art and activism, to perform tonight

By KAINA CHEN

The Dartmouth Staff

The creativity that saturates the atmosphere when FLEXN performs is apparent to any outsider.

With lights dimmed and music pounding, improvisational street dance group FLEXN showcased its skill on the dance floor at School House’s kick-off event for the year.

The event began with an introduction to the members of FLEXN and the dance style, flex, followed by a video showcasing solo performer Regg Roc. The movements are part sharp, part fluid and part improvised, but wholly mesmerizing. The impact of these bodily expressions is accentuated when the stage is filled with dancers — sometimes synchronized, sometimes not.

The show is the brainchild of Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray and Peter Sellars. Gray, born in New York, began dancing at a young age and competed at an elite level in various competitions, eventually becoming the creator of the identity flex has taken on today. Peter Sellars is an internationally known master of creative interpretation of staged pieces that are often steeped in tradition, such as Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” bringing them to the front and center of the present, often with diverse

casts and engaging staging.

Samuel ‘Sam I Am’ Estavien was Central to their work and artistic similarly inspired by his experience expression are their performances’ in the aftermath of Trayvon Martin’s intersections with social justice. shooting.

They take activism from the streets “I felt the climate of what was to the stage, speaking and sharing going on, felt a certain kind of rage,” their platform through movement. Estavien said. But he realized that Beyond the stage, FLEXN is active “anger isn’t going to save anything; in studios around the world, from I’ve got to be the change.”

Australia to England and Italy, teachBecause of flex’s freestyle nature, ing and interacting with students. the nuances in the meanings of this However, the activist identity that dance style’s different movements this form of art has taken on wasn’t often take shape through a collaborameasured or deliberate. Instead, tive process. If a movement can take art and activism on a deeper converged naturally “We don’t call or different for the dancers of ourselves activists or m e a n i n g, FLEXN. the danc“For us, we tried artists, we just speak ers will let to talk through dance out when there’s those ideas and movement, and roll into the now, it’s become a something we can c o nv e r s a part of everyday speak about.” tion when life,” Gray said. “We they get todon’t call ourselves gether and activists or artists, we -REGGIE “REGG ROC” start improjust speak out when GRAY, PERFORMER vising. there’s something we “When can speak about.” [a dancer] Yet their grassdoes a new roots nature enables them to speak bone-break or a new connect, it can through performance about social represent a broken body or broken issues, including race and police bru- mind, depending on how a person tality, because they were “raised up feels,” Gray said. in the environment” and “perfectly The evolution from a nuanced fit to showcase it,” Gray said. street style to an internationally While creating one of his pieces, renowned art form was done step by

PAULA MENDOZA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

FLEXN mixes improvised movements and dance technique with social activism in their performances.

PAULA MENDOZA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

FLEXN performed at the School House kick-off event on Tuesday.

step, show by show. Gray, speaking about how everyone wildly cheered in the audience of a Brooklyn show, knew that he had something special, because he had just “impressed one of the hardest crowds in the world, [his] hometown.”

FLEXN’s visit to Dartmouth marks the last leg of its 2016 tour.

For Gray, it was important “to go to different cities and places that really don’t know too much about [flex], and the social movement”.

For Charlotte Brathwaite, associate director of FLEXN, emphasis on the scholarship in addition to the performance of a new art movement is paramount, and by visiting colleges and universities, this movement has the opportunity to gain exposure to the “cutting edge of the next new thing, in a place where there are so many new subscribers to dance, theater and art,” she said.

The international stage has a few downsides, as expected. For Sean ‘Brixx’ Douglas, the different cultures that naturally come with travel to foreign countries are challenging to navigate. Yet, he notes that there is a universality through dance — “people relate to the message and feel the same things, even though they might not get the language.”

The worst part? The ear-popping pressure on flights, Brixx said with a

wide smile.

The future of FLEXN is headed towards an even more diversified portfolio. In the next five to ten years, there is talk about a documentary, opening buildings and, of course, the continued evolution of its current piece.

The creativity that saturates the space around FLEXN is evident through a culture and language FLEXN can call its own, such as “modd” and “labbing” — a mark of ingenuity to outsiders but that comes completely naturally to the dancers. This language is further evidence of their immense creativity, notes Brathwaite, adding that, “this is one of the most innovative and creative groups I work with, constantly developing new moves, new heights of experience.”

“The life of this piece and company is so inspiring. You could repeat [the piece], but to actually repeat it would be to create something completely new,” Brathwaite said. “It’s being created right in front of your face.”

Asked about what audience members can expect during the show, Estavien said just one word: “revolution.”

FLEXN’s final performance will take place tonight at 7 p.m. in the Moore Theater.