VOL. CLXXII NO. 27
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Five chosen for MDF external review panel
MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH 23 LOW 3
By TIM CONNOR
The Dartmouth Staff
WEIJIA TANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
SPORTS
CLUB FENCING WINS TOURNAMENT PAGE 8
OPINION
YUANG: REFORMING TEACH FOR AMERICA PAGE 4
ARTS
BEYOND THE BUBBLE: TARA JOSHI PAGE 7
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An external review panel composed of five members will be tasked with evaluating the progress of the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” plan as it is implemented, the College announced on Monday. The panel — chaired by Tufts University President Emeritus Lawrence Bacow — is responsible for providing periodic evaluations of the advancement of “Moving Dartmouth Forward” to Hanlon and the College’s Board of Trustees. The other four members of the panel include director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s divi-
College President Phil Hanlon selected five panelists for external review of the progress of MDF policies.
SEE PANEL PAGE 2
Panhell, IFC and GLC elected new board members
B y PARKER RICHARDS The Dartmouth Staff
The Panhellenic Council, InterFraternity Council and Greek Leadership Council held elections for their respective executive boards for the spring and fall 2015 and winter 2016 terms. Panhell and IFC held their elections on Monday, Feb. 9 while the GLC held its elections on Feb. 2. Jordyn Turner ’16 will replace Rachel Funk ’15 as Panhell president. The new president of the IFC will be
Chase Gilmore ’16, who will replace Wil Chockley ’15. Elizabeth Wilkins ’16 will replace Alistair Glover ’15 as GLC moderator. The new leaders will be responsible for enacting their agendas in the wake of College President Phil Hanlon’s new policy initiatives under the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” banner, announced late last month. Turner, who is a member of the local sorority Kappa Delta Epsilon, said that the major goal of her presidency will be advocating for the localization
of sororities that are currently nationally affiliated. Turner said that she has been passionate about sorority localization for some time. “Most of the sororities would be on board with going local,” she said, later clarifying that she was speaking about her personal beliefs and not for Panhell. “It’s a matter of incentivizing their nationals to let them make that transition.” She also called for the reformation of sorority recruitment to remove stigmas associated with specific houses
Hassen ’17 testified on behalf of undocumented student bill B y LAUREN BUDD
The Dartmouth Staff
Seated before some of New Hampshire’s most senior legislators last week, Halimo Hassen ’17 drew on her personal experience in testifying on behalf of New Hampshire House Bill 675-FN, which aims to extend eligibility for in-state tuition rates to undocumented students in the university and community college systems of New Hampshire. Although the bill
and make the process more inclusive and accessible. Funk emphasized the need to view Panhell as a collaborative, consensusbased body, and noted that its leadership will also have to find a common agenda with the presidents of individual sororities and with affiliated women in general. Gilmore wrote in an email that he hopes to be closely involved with ongoing reforms to the Greek system SEE GREEK PAGE 5
ON THE LOHSE
remains unlikely to pass, according to two experts interviewed, the praised her remarks for their poignancy. A member and co-founder of the Dartmouth Coalition for Immigration Reform, Equality and DREAMers, also known as CoFIRED, Hassen described her parent’s journey to the United States and her brother’s winning of the Rhodes Scholarship in her remarks, which were close to five minutes in TREVY WING/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
SEE IMMIGRATION PAGE 3
Andrew Lohse ’12 gave a reading of his memoir at Left Bank Books yesterday.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 2
CAMPUS BLOTTER Jan. 6, 11:30 p.m., McLane Hall: Safety and Security officers responded to a physical confrontation involving an intoxicated member of the Class of 2018, who reportedly pushed another individual. The intoxicated student was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the night. Jan. 7, 11:02 p.m., Sarner Underground: Safety and Security officers and Dartmouth EMS assisted an intoxicated individual in Sarner Underground. The individual was transported to Dick’s House, and was taken into custody by Hanover Police after refusing to remain in Dick’s House for the night. Jan. 7, 2:26 a.m., Butterfield Hall: Safety and Security officers and Dartmouth EMS assisted a member of the Class of 2018 who was found unresponsive. The intoxicated student was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the night. Jan. 7, 3:14 a.m., Engineering Drive: Safety and Security officers observed an individual showing signs of intoxication on the corner of Engineering Drive and Tuck Mall. The individual was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the night. Jan. 8, 12:48 p.m., Fahey Hall: Safety and Security officers found an intoxicated individual near Fahey Hall. The student was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the day. Jan. 8, 12:57 a.m., Webster Avenue: Safety and Security officers and the Hanover Police Department found an intoxicated individual vomiting on Webster Avenue. The student was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the night. Jan. 8, 2:50 a.m., Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity: Safety and Security officers responded to a Good Samaritan call at Tri-Kap. The intoxicated individual was evaluated and transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
Panelists will review MDF progress FROM PANEL PAGE 1
sion of epidemiology and prevention research Ralph Hingson, Stanford University associate vice provost and dean of residential education Deborah Golder, executive editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Rachel Siegel ’12 and Vanguard Group Inc. analyst and former intern for then-senior assistant Dean of the College Inge-Lise Ameer, now interim Dean of the College, Malcolm Leverett ’14, the College reported. Concerning “Moving Dartmouth Forward,” the panel’s goals and Hanlon’s goals are entirely in line, Bacow wrote in an email. The panel’s job is to review the administration’s progress on various initiatives that constitute the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” plan and report the progress to the College’s Board of Trustees, Bacow wrote. Bacow served as the 12th president of Tufts from Sep. 2001 until July 2011, where he led initiatives to improve undergraduate education and campus life in response to a broad review completed by the university in 2003, the College reported. He was also a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 24 years, during which he was elected faculty chair and subsequently chancellor. As
chancellor, Bacow was responsible for reorganizing the university’s housing system after an undergraduate student died of alcohol poisoning in a fraternity house in 1997. Bacow wrote that he respects Hanlon’s efforts with the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” initiative and has addressed similar concerns throughout his career, adding that these problems are not unique to the College. Members of the panel were recommended by “various departments on campus” and then selected by Hanlon, College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote in an email. None of the other four members of the panel were available for comment. A staff representative from Golder’s Stanford office said that Bacow is the only member authorized to speak with the press. At Stanford University, Golder specializes in student residence management and development, the College reported. She served as assistant dean of residential education at Dartmouth from 1999 until 2001 and as associate dean of residential life and director of residential education at the College from 2001 until 2006. Hingson is currently a member of the World Health Organization’s coordinating council to globally reduce dangerous alcohol use and formerly
served as a professor and associate dean for research at the Boston University School of Public Health, where he researched underage and college drinking. Siegel graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth in 2012 with a degree in English and a minor in Native American studies. She was also a part of the Hill Winds Society, the Organizational Adjudication Committee and the Committee on Standards during her time at the College. Leverett graduated from the college last year with a degree in economics and a minor in Hispanic studies. During his time as an undergraduate, he interned for Inge-Lise Ameer during her time as senior assistant Dean of the College and assessed high-risk drinking at Dartmouth and similar institutions. He was a leader in Palaeopitus senior society, the Inter-Community Council and Beta Alpha Omega fraternity. Student Assembly vice president Frank Cunningham ’16 said he approves of the creation of a review panel. “I actually think that it’s a great idea,” Cunningham said. “I think that it holds Dartmouth to a higher standard, and it ensures that not only the Dartmouth student body or the faculty but Dartmouth College in general stays on the right track.”
THE DARTMOUTH DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION PRESENTS THE HARDIGG FAMILY FUND LECTURE
—COMPILED BY MAY MANSOUR
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
THE SECULAR BIBLE Biblical Scholarship & the University in the 19th Century
TOMOKO MASUZAWA
Professor of History & Comparative Literature University of Michigan
Thursday,
FEBRUARY 12, 2015 4:15 PM Rockefeller 2 Reception to follow Free & Open to the Public
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 3
Bill proposes in-state tuition for undocumented students she said. “People will really start to take notice.” Hassen said she has been falength. Although she was originally intimidated by public speaking, miliar with educational barriers Hassen said, she felt compelled to for undocumented immigrants testify in the hopes that her words since she attended high school in might have an impact on the issue. Georgia, a state which prohibits Representatives from the Amer- undocumented students from ican Civil Liberties Union also attending its top five public universities. Although Hassen is not addressed the State House. Under current law, New Hamp- undocumented herself, she said, shire requires prospective students as the daughter of an immigrant to provide proof of U.S. citizenship family who faced economic hardin order to qualify for in-state tu- ship she can empathise with the ition. According to the text of HB plight of undocumented students. “The fact that people were 675-FN, undocumented students who met all other in-state tuition denied education really made me criteria would be able to waive want to stand up,” Hassen said. this requirement provided that “Coming from low-performing s ch o o l s, g e t they had graduting an educaated from an tion was nearly approved New “A piece of paper does impossible for H a m p s h i r e not make a person me.” high school E v a or earned an an American. Just Castillo, a New equivalent New because we have HampshireHampshire an accent or are a based immiGRE and had gration activist lived in New different color does with the MasHampshire for not prevent us from sachusetts Imthree years bemigrant and fore obtaining excelling.” Refugee Advothe certificacacy Coalition tion. - EVA CASTILLO, NEW who was in atThough New tendance at the Hampshire has HAMPSHIRE-BASED State House , a small undocu- IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST said that activmented popuists had been lation, Hassen trying unsucsaid, she hopes cessfully for advocating for such reforms in the Granite State years to bring a bill addressing will help set an important prec- similar concerns as HB 675-FN edent for other states around the to the floor. Castillo said she was particularly impressed by Hassen’s county. “Having people on the floor who refusal to use the word “illegal” in attend top institutions speaking on her testimony, calling her remarks behalf of these issues makes this “powerful.” “I thought it was amazing because that much more visible,” FROM IMMIGRATION PAGE 1
cause usually we’re used to seeing adults talking, and she really did a great job,” Castillo said. “She even had some of the representatives in tears....Honestly, I was ready to cheer.” Despite Hassen’s strong performance, however, Castillo said she is not optimistic about the bill’s passage. Although similar bills have already passed in 16 states, Castillo said that the bill had essentially been killed in New Hampshire. Arnie Alpert, co-director of the Presidential Campaign Project of the New Hampshire chapter of the American Friends Service Committee, echoed Castillo’s assessment that the bill is unlikely to pass.
According to Alpert, the bill had been recommended as “inexpedient to legislate,” which he described as a “fancy way of saying ‘kill it.’” Alpert, who helped draft the bill, said that the legislation was conceived in response to a prior law that would have required all students attending public colleges in New Hampshire to sign an affidavit stating that they were legal citizens in order to qualify for in-state tuition. Representative Suzanne Gottling, who sponsored the bill, did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Although undocumented immigrants will still be able to attend universities in New Hampshire even if the bill does not advance,
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Alpert said, their costs of attendance will be significantly higher regardless of how long they have lived in New Hampshire. Even those who quality for in-state tuition under President Obama’s recent mandates, he added, would still not be eligible in New Hampshire. In spite of the bill’s likely failure, Castillo emphasized that the fight for immigrant education reform — both on college campuses and in state legislatures — is far from over. “A piece of paper does not make a person an American,” she said. “Just because we have an accent or are a different color does not prevent us from excelling.”
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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
CONTRIBUTING Columnist ZIQIN YUAN ’18
CONTRIBUTING Columnist CAROLINE HSU ’18
Reforming Teach For America
Ditch the Espresso
The Teach For America system is flawed and must be changed.
My cousin joined Teach For America when he graduated from college a few years ago, and I’ve wanted to be a part of the organization ever since. When I recently looked at their website, however, it was immediately clear to me that their entire system is flawed. Given how strongly TFA recruits at Dartmouth, with the College consistently being one of the organization’s highest contributing schools, students must be cognizant of the organization’s shortcomings before committing to the program. The biggest issue with TFA is the lack of training its teachers receive. According to the organization’s website, “Corps members teach summer school students for an average of two hours each day and are observed by experienced teachers” for up to five weeks over the summer. Forty hours of classroom experience is not nearly enough to train fresh college graduates, many with little teaching experience, to become fullfledged teachers. Teaching for two hours a day with supervision from experienced teachers is very different than handling a full classroom alone for upwards of six hours at a time. I spent a year tutoring students one-on-one, an hour at a time, and even in those brief sessions I was shocked by how short many of my students’ attention spans were. Though these tutoring sessions are not equivalent to TFA, many of the people who join the organization are likely similar to me — idealistic, book-smart people who have good intentions but little or no experience dealing with children for more than an hour at a time. Several news outlets have reported similar criticisms. In a Feb. 6 New York Times column, Motoko Rich noted that TFA has garnered criticism from “teachers unions, education schools and some policy makers,” arguing that sending naive and bright-eyed recent college graduates to low-income communities with only a few weeks of training often does not create quality teachers. A July 2013 article in The Guardian mentions a 2013 Free Minds, Free People education conference, at which teachers and community members both associated with TFA or otherwise echoed these criticisms, namely that TFA destabilizes
schools and disenfranchises communities. This same article touched upon the other large issue with TFA. In many low-income or struggling areas, like some neighborhoods in New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina, schools are hiring TFA teachers instead of professionally trained teachers because they can pay them less without worrying that the teachers will unionize or petition for higher wages. The same financial incentives that make TFA attractive to these low-income areas, however, are also negatively impacting their students, who must deal with the instability that comes with short-term, two-year teaching stints. Especially during high school, when teacher recommendations are essential for helping students — firstgeneration students in particular — get into college, a constant cycle of teachers coming and leaving can hurt students who need teacher recommendations. It is clear that TFA needs severe reforms. It’s a good concept, but its short training program and two-year cycle are not substitutes for real experience, especially in the classrooms that need experienced teachers the most. The simplest way to improve TFA may be to just increase the time commitment. A mandatory five-year commitment, with all teachers supplementing the current summer training program by spending one year shadowing experienced teachers, would help teachers learn how to handle real students in real classrooms. They would be able to observe full classrooms — not just summer school classrooms — and understand the dynamics among various types of students. Making teachers stay in schools for four years rather than two would benefit students by increasing continuity, allowing students to build stronger relationships with their educators. These reforms would not completely solve the problem of bringing better teachers to classrooms in low-income areas, but would get TFA on the path to training more qualified and committed teachers. If nothing else, people who are willing for commit to the program for five years rather than two are bound to be more devoted — and hopefully better at teaching.
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We should cut down on coffee consumption in favor of tea. Take a short walk through Baker Lobby, and you are guaranteed to see a few cups of King Arthur Flour coffee. Coffee maintains a pervasive presence on most college campuses, especially at a college with such a high-pressure environment like Dartmouth. Students crave a daily rush of caffeine — understandable, considering the many late nights that many of them spend writing papers or doing multivariable calculus problem sets. Coffee is an integral part of Dartmouth’s culture. I, however, want to make a radical proposal — ditch the coffee and pick up a nice cup of tea instead. There are a number of reasons to drink tea in place of coffee. Contrary to popular belief, tea will keep you energized longer than coffee will. Though caffeine content changes each time tea or coffee is brewed, an eight ounce cup of black tea has roughly half the caffeine as an eight ounce cup of coffee. Coffee, however, has a more significant depressing effect, eventually leading to a more extreme caffeine crash. Tea sustains your energy longer without the negative aftereffects once the caffeine begins to wear off. In addition to being more effective, tea also has greater health benefits. The abundance of antioxidants in tea is impressive, especially in green and black teas, which help to boost your overall health. Various studies show that tea can help prevent certain medical conditions, including cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure — benefits that are not shared by coffee. Polyphenols, chemicals found in black, white and green teas, are able to inhibit proteins that stimulate tumor cell growth, and two kinds of polyphenols — tannin and catechin — can prevent heart diseases. Catechin also lowers one’s risk of osteoporosis, another health benefit that drinking coffee does not provide. In addition to the numerous health advantages, tea is more practical than coffee. Although coffee is more commonly associated with a fast-paced lifestyle while tea is reserved for leisurely nights by the fireplace,
the latter is much easier and quicker to brew. While instant coffees exist, many people seem to prefer to make their coffee the traditional way. Waiting for a pot of coffee to brew through a coffee maker is more time-consuming than simply dunking a tea bag in hot water. Making some tea to go on the way to your 10A is quicker and cleaner than brewing your own coffee or waiting in line at KAF or Starbucks. Additionally, tea is not only easier and healthier, but also helps your appearance more than coffee does. A 2000 study in the International Journal of Obesity stated that green tea extract makes it easier to burn calories and shed fat. The Institute of Physiology at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland conducted a study that revealed that green tea increased thermogenesis by approximately 28 to 77 percent. Thermogenesis is the creation of body heat that results from metabolization of food, and increased thermogenesis leads to more efficient burning of calories and allows for more effective weight loss. More than simply aiding healthy and effective weight loss, tea helps maintain better dental health than coffee. Tea contains a small amount of fluoride, which improves the state of your teeth rather than discoloring them like coffee does. Tea can also aid your immune system by boosting your body’s ability to fight infection — something that everyone needs, especially in this wintry weather. According to a study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, certain components in tea help fight bacteria and viruses that could potentially harm the body and leave us in the questionably competent hands of Dick’s House. Clearly, a cup of hot tea is brimming with more health benefits than a cup of steaming Joe. I am not suggesting that you completely eradicate coffee from your life, but simply consider integrating more tea into your daily routine instead of being unswervingly loyal to that cup of coffee.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
PAGE 5
Panhell will focus on sorority localization, IFC on reforms FROM GREEK PAGE 1
as IFC president, wanting to ensure that future Dartmouth students have access to the same sort of Greek system he has known and enjoyed. Additionally, he emphasized the role fraternities have in curbing sexual assault and wrote that the IFC will focus on the creation of an interfraternity network in the near future to combat sexual assault on campus. This will be a standing committee with at least one delegate from each fraternity. Other prominent goals for Gilmore are the implementation and organization of certain “Moving Dartmouth Forward” policies — notably the third-party bartender and bouncer policy for parties — and focusing on student safety, rather than “the amount of beer in the basement.” Wilkins could not be reached for comment by press time, but incoming GLC vice chair David Bassali ’16 said that he hopes to address fundamental problems in the Greek system and to work with other GLC executives to overcome those challenges. “The problems that we are facing are definitely wider issues that are affecting not just Dartmouth but everyone, but I don’t think that’s an excuse to not address those issues,” he said. Bassali emphasized curbing sexual assault and binge drinking as a major objective for his time on the GLC. Taylor Watson ’16, the incoming GLC accountability chair, said that he wants Greek houses to shift attention away from themselves and instead focus on being social and academic spaces or “living rooms
for campus.” “If you look at the reality of campus, these [Greek organizations] are the main social groups,” Watson said. “They are the dominant forces for people’s efforts and activities, so it makes sense that rather than ignore that fact, [we] embrace that fact and have them take on more responsibilities, but also get more flexibility from the College in exchange. It’s a mindset shift away from ‘Greek houses for Greek houses’ and toward ‘Greek houses for campus.’” Watson called Greek houses “self-centered organizations” and said that he hopes to end the stigma associated with non-members studying, socializing and generally being present in Greek houses. “People talk about Greek houses in the day versus the night, because they really do not exist during the day outside of letters on shirts, but in the night is really when they’re present,” he said. “But think about a living room space — that’s present throughout the day.” Watson said that he hopes to make the position of accountability chair more visible to students, and said that he hopes to attend prerush events and Greek events for freshmen during their orientation. Election procedures for the three organizations varied greatly. Brett Drucker ’15, the outgoing IFC public relations and outreach chair, said that IFC houses nominate candidates as they see fit, and those candidates then make their pitch to assembled IFC house presidents. The candidates then leave the room and a secret ballot is taken, Drucker said. In several cases, a runoff ballot was needed to determine a winner, as races were very close, he said.
SPACE JAM
CHERRY HUANG/THE DARTMOUTH
Students attend a jam and chocolate tasting in One Wheelock.
Most houses put forward candidates, but Drucker said that house rivalries do not play into the election process. For Panhell’s election process, applications are first sent out to sophomores and juniors who are affiliated with a Panhell sorority, outgoing Panhell vice president for public relations Jessica Ke ’15 said. Interested candidates submit a resume and, for some positions, a writing sample, she said. The incumbent executive board is then responsible for holding 15-minute interviews with each candidate and selecting a slate of 10 individuals they feel would make the best new executive board. They then distribute this slate to the presidents of the Panhell sororities, who have the option of challenging the executive board’s recommendations on behalf of their own members who applied for positions and were not put on the final slate, Ke said. Four or five challenges were made this year, Ke said. In total, 45 women applied for positions on Panhell’s executive board. Of the 10 elected, nine were members of the Class of 2016 and one belonged to the Class of 2017. The applicant pool was larger than it has been in years past, Ke said. This process, which replaced
Panhell’s previous procedure of allowing each candidate to make a 30-second speech before the assembled sorority presidents, was more effective, Ke said. She noted that it is more than a popularity contest, unlike the former system. All but one Panhell sorority — Epsilon Kappa Theta — are represented on the new board, and Alpha Xi Delta, Kappa Delta Epsilon and Sigma Delta sororities are all represented by two members. There is no requirement that all Panhell sororities be represented on the executive board, but four members must be from local sororities and no house may have more than two members, Ke said. Ke said that the new board was selected in part because Panhell’s executives felt that they would continue the current board’s work in promoting scholarship opportunities, achieving equal representation on the GLC and altering the recruitment process. Funk said that the election process was more holistic than it has been in years past. “We purposely picked women who have a myriad of opinions,” Funk said. “They’re not all just coming from the same place, but they all have the same goal in mind, which is to try to improve the Greek
system.” The GLC uses a different process from those of IFC and Panhell. Resumes are collected from each candidate one week before the election. The current GLC board views the resumes and clears candidates to advance to a vote from all Greek presidents, GLC accountability chair Sarah Lucas ’15 said. The process went smoothly, Lucas said, but no applications were submitted by members of the Gender Inclusive Greek Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council or National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations. Elections for vice chair and accountability chair were quite close, Lucas said, while the election for chair was less so, with Wilkins — who presided over the GLC in the summer 2014 term — elected by a considerable margin. “She did a fantastic job over the summer, and the presidents just saw what a clear vision she has for the upcoming year, and they were just really excited about putting her back in as chair,” Lucas said. The new executives will now undergo a training process with the outgoing executive boards, with boards training future executives both in groups and on a one-on-one basis.
PAGE 6
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
DARTMOUTH EVENTS TODAY 11:00 a.m. Winter blood drive sponsored by the Dartmouth Red Cross, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Alumni Hall
6:00 p.m. “Voxmasters: Group Facilitation,” Rockefeller Center, Class of 1930 Room
7:30 p.m. “Argentine Tango Course and Practica,” for beginners and intermediate, Sarner Underground
TOMORROW 4:15 p.m. “The Secular Bible: Biblical Scholarship and the University in the 19th Century,” Rockefeller Center, Room 002
4:30 p.m. “Ebola in West Africa: Lessons from a Global Health Crisis,” Moore Hall, Filene Auditorium
7:00 p.m. “Flyin’ West,” play by Pearl Cleage, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Bentley Theater
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 01999931
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
PAGE 7
Student Spotlight: Tara Joshi ’18, Dartmouth Idol Finalist
B y amelia rosch
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
When Dartmouth Idol finalist Tara Joshi ’18 was young, she would only sing around the house. After her mother signed her up for a production of “The Sound of Music,” she decided she only wanted the part of Gretl von Trapp. “I was very shy, and I never sang in front of other people,” she said. “That’s why I wanted to be Gretl, since she has a small part and looks cute.” Joshi said her mother was confused when she found out that she wanted such a small, non-speaking part, since she always loved singing at home. After a conversation with her mother, she said she decided that she wanted to show off her singing voice and ended up getting the part of Maria, the lead role. “I realized it was something I really loved doing and I wanted to show people that I had a personality, and a lot of that came through singing,” she said. Since then, Joshi has continued to sing. This year she is the only freshman finalist in Dartmouth Idol. Joshi said that she originally decided to try out because of her interest in singing competition shows like “The X-Factor” and “The Voice.” “It was always something I wanted to try my hand at to see what would happen,” she said. “I
wanted to know what the process was.” In her first audition for Dartmouth Idol, she said she sang one of her favorite songs “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964) by The
“I know that singing will never be something that I just used to do in college. I always want it to be part of my life, not as a career but in some other manisfestation.” -tara joshi ’18, Dartmouth idol finalist Animals. For the semi-final, Joshi sang “If I Ain’t Got You” (2004) by Alicia Keys. She said that she chose to use it because she considers it the “ultimate expression of love” and because of its range. “It shows a lower register in the verse and then a higher belting chorus, which I really like,” she said. “It displays my range in a really nice way.” Joshi said that finding out that she had even made it to the final round of Idol was a huge shock — while she wanted to wait until
she got an official email about the results of the semi-final round, she ended up finding out from her mother. “I was still asleep, and my mom called me because she had heard about it somewhere,” she said. “I thought it was a mistake.” She said that she is still in the process of deciding what she is going to sing in the final round and that she will soon be meeting with Dartmouth Idol’s founder and director Walt Cunningham make a final selection of songs. She said that she is also getting ready to start rehearsals for the group numbers for the final performance. In addition to the performing experience that Idol has given her, Joshi said that she has enjoyed getting the chance to listen to the other Dartmouth Idol contestants. “That was another thing that was awesome about this experience, experiencing people’s talent because people are so busy and involved that there is rarely an outlet to just show one type of talent,” she said. Outside of Idol, Joshi sings in the a cappella group the Dartmouth Dodecaphonics, which she joined this fall. She said that being a member of the Dodecs has had a huge impact on her time at the College so far. “They’ve been like family to me,” she said. “They’ve really been my role models and helped me navigate my way through my first term and a half. It’s been a real honor.” Zak Meghrouni-Brown ’18, who
is a member of the Dodecs, said that Joshi has been a strong member of the group. In particular she sang “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)” (2013) during the group’s Winter Whingding over the weekend. “It was the most energized performance that the group has done since I joined,” he said. “She just absolutely killed it.”
“She’s really controlled in the way she sings. She has a jazzy, bluesy kind of voice, but she sings very modern pop songs really well.” -Morgan mcgonagle ’18, member of the dodecaphonics
Morgan McGonagle ’18, who is a Dodecs member and one of Joshi’s floormates, said that Joshi’s voice shows a remarkable amount of range and is suited for a variety of genres. “She’s really controlled in the way she sings,” McGonagle said. “She has a jazzy, bluesy kind of voice, but she sings very modern pop songs really well.” She said that she was aware of Joshi’s singing talents even before they both joined the Dodecaphonics, when the two had
an impromptu Sam Smith singing session in Joshi’s room. “We just started singing the exact same harmony which wasn’t in the song,” she said. “It was a really cool moment where we just connected.” Meghrouni-Brown said that Joshi also brings the Dodecs alive through the charisma of her voice, which makes her a natural leader in many of the group’s songs. In addition to singing, Joshi said that she has always had a love for classical Indian dance. She said that she and a friend from home who goes to the College meet once a week to dance together. She has also worked at the Shakti Dance Company in Los Angeles. While Joshi said she is still not sure which subjects she wants to study at the College, she is interested in studying international development and the surrounding issues after taking a class on the topic. While she does not plan to sing professionally, Joshi said she wants to continue to sing. “I know that singing will never be something that I just used to do in College,” she said. “I always want it to be part of my life, not as a career but in some other manifestation.” The last word with Tara Joshi ’18 Favorite thing from KAF: Roast beef sandwich Favorite study spot: Baker Lobby Artists she wants to see in concert: Sam Smith and Tori Kelly Meghrouni-Brown is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
THE SOUNDS OF BATTLE
ALICE HARRISON/THE DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth Idol finalist Tara Joshi ’18 loves KAF’s roast beef sandwiches.
TREVY WANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Kronos Quartet opened last night’s performance of “Beyond Zero: 1914-1918” with a nine-song medley.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
SPORTS KATELYN JONES/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
After a day of competition, the men and women’s club fencing teams placed first among club teams and eighth overall.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
WEDNESDAY LINEUP
SQUASH VS. WILLIAMS 5 PM
NATALIE CANTAVE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The club fencing team hosted a tournament over Winter Carnival in Alumni Gym.
Club fencing team hosts first tournament since 2008
B y EMILY WECHSLER The Dartmouth Staff
The men and women’s club fencing team hosted its first tournament since 2008 this Saturday on the Alumni Gym basketball courts, the last of three Northeast Fencing Conference tournaments for the 2014-2015 season. The tournament was attended by 10 colleges, including both studentorganized club teams and NCAA varsity fencing programs. After the tournament, Dartmouth was named the top club fencing team in the league, both overall and on the men’s and women’s sides individually. For all the fencers on the current team, including captains Adam Omar ’15 and Heather Szilagyi ’15, it was their first home tournament. “I think everyone who came was really excited,” Szilagyi said. “At least everyone I talked to had never seen fencing or anything like it before, they’ve just known it was this thing I’ve done for the past four years. They all said it was a lot more exciting than they expected it to be.” From taking initial measurements of the gym space to see if there was adequate space to host a tournament to driving around West Lebanon looking for some elusive gaffer’s tape at the last minute, hosting the tournament posed a series of challenges, and much of the responsibility for planning the event ultimately fell on Szilagyi and Omar’s shoulders. “It was a lot of work prepping for this tournament — it’s a small space and we had a lot of people coming out,
but I think everything went as well as it could have,” Omar said. The tournament finished early, which Szilagyi said is an extremely rare occurrence in the fencing world. Dartmouth’s fencing club first learned of the opportunity to host the tournament last spring when Scott Brookes ’14 was in his second year of captaincy and attended the conference coaches meeting. Now a student at Thayer, Brookes has kept up with the team and made hosting the tournament possible for the Big Green, Szilagyi said. “They were looking for someone to host it, and Scott said, ‘Well, we haven’t hosted it in a while, we’ll give it a try if you still need a space,’” Szilagyi said. “He talked to us about it as incoming captains, and we said ‘Yeah, we’d like to take that on.’” The team needed Brookes to be the point person on the day of competition, so Szilagyi and Omar could focus on fencing. “I was glad to be someone who wasn’t competing,” Brookes said. “The captains of the team, in general, do a ridiculous amount of stuff...because we have no coach on the team. To be in charge of this event that’s at Dartmouth while you’re still competing would just have been impossible.” Having Brookes still on campus was what made the fencing team agree to host, Szilagyi and Omar said. “It helps have someone who has been a part of the league for years and been captain of the team beforehand and knows all the coaches and the facilities well,” Omar said. Other than Brookes, the team did
everything themselves, associate director of athletics for intramurals and club sports Joann Brislin said. “They gave me a list of things they needed, and our ground crew — which is maybe the most awesome staff at Dartmouth — handled getting everything they needed,” she said. “But again, these are student run. They do a tremendous, tremendous job, so I tip my hat to them. I give all kudos to them. I might have to sign a form, I might have to give them a keycard, but they’re doing the work.” The team captains refused to take all the credit, instead citing Northeast Fencing Conference commissioner Taro Yamashita and a number of younger fencers who took on leadership roles to help make the event possible. Every member of the team helped with set up the night before. Club fencing treasurer Phoebe Liang ’17 helped organize the layout of the tournament, one of the team’s biggest issues. The space in West Gym was not enough for the 18 required “strips,” the boundaries in which each bout takes place. The captains took measurements and secured an extra multipurpose room for three extra strips, as well as space for teams to store equipment. Lily Ma ’17 took charge of another committee, which provided food for the referees, and fencing secretary Cecilia Lu ’16 headed another. The team has more fencers than spaces to compete, so athletes that weren’t fencing helped run the event throughout the day. The event wasn’t without its challenges. Some schools wanted to bring their “grounded” metal strips, glare
came in through the windows in Alumni gym and the gaffer’s tape — for taping down strips and wires — wasn’t available in West Lebanon. “It makes you appreciate how much effort goes into setting these events up because the slightest thing like tape can lead to just hours of stress, but it ultimately worked out,” Omar said. “It was quite the process, though.” The captains were happy with the way things went Saturday and said they’re hopeful that the team will be able to host again in the future, noting it will be easier having done it once. Despite the challenges brought on by hosting an event for the first time in nearly seven years, Szilagyi said that the experience was worth it. The Big Green fencing club has shown its capabilities in the past. With a mix of experienced and rookie fencers competing against recruited varsity squads, the team still continues to wins matches and ranks as the best club team in the nation. Last year, the team collectively was awarded Women’s Team Coach of the Year by the NFC, sharing the award among each of the team’s members since there is no official coach for the club. The men’s team earned the Men’s Coach of the Year award in 2012, the earliest year available on the NFC website. “Every year in the spring there’s a meeting with all the coaches, and I’ve been to two of them now, and we don’t have a coach, and we’re in a league with many varsity teams that have professional, full-time coaches, so when I sit down with them, it’s a little weird,”
Brookes said. “Over the last few years, Dartmouth fencing has been separating itself from the other club schools as really on par with these varsity schools. We’re very competitive when we fence against them. This [tournament] just adds on to that image that Dartmouth has just raised the bar a little bit higher, that we are sort of a legitimate program, despite not having a coach and being completely student-run.” While they finished as the top club team at the tournament, Dartmouth finished as the eighth overall team, placing behind several varsity programs. The men’s team finished seventh, and the women’s team claimed ninth. “Most of the experienced fencers I talked to were happy with how the day went [and] happy with what they did,” Szilagyi said. “There were also notable standouts among the rookies, which was great.” She cited the performances of newcomers Alexandra Berman ’16, Julia Decerega ’18, Jerrel Catlett ’18, Manuel Figueroa ’18 and Allie Fudge ’18 in particular. The team prides itself on training new members quickly so that they can take a team that is comprised of one-third newcomers to nationals and succeed, Szilagyi said. “It’s always exciting to see the newest fencers come together and just pull off victories, but also just have fun and enjoy learning from each other,” Omar said. The fencing team will head to the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championships on Feb. 21 at Vassar College. Dartmouth was the top club fencing team at this tournament last year.