VOL. CLXXIII NO.146
SUNNY HIGH 57 LOW 37
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Obama campaigns at UNH Board elects
Richie ’81 as chair By ALEXANDRA STEINBERG
African Americans in Sports. Current Board of TrustThe Dartmouth Board ees Chair Helman described of Trustees elected Laurel Richie as “much, much better J. Richie ’81 as chair of the than I am,” adding that “She Board at its meeting this will be a terrific board chair weekend. Richie will succeed and a terrific leader for the current Chair Bill Helman ’80 Dartmouth community.” “I’m honored, I’m excited. at the conclusion of Helman’s three-year term on June 17. I have great love for DartPolicy studies major Richie mouth, so to be able to serve joined the Board in 2012 as a as its chair is a real honor,” Charter Trustee and current- Richie said. Richie exly serves as Vice-Chair. “We are looking to plained how her past exRichie bring more focus, perience at will be the Girl Scouts first African more transparency of the USA A m e r i c a n and more and the to chair the accountability.” W N B A board. influences Susan her desire Dentzer ’77 -LAUREL J. RICHIE ’81, to bring her is the only strengths in other wom- BOARD OF TRUSTEES creativity an to serve CHAIR and comas chair of munication the Board, to the Board as chair. serving from 2001 to 2004. Richie cited the appointRichie, who currently sits on the board of Synchrony ment of College President Phil Financial and previously Hanlon as the most significant served on the Naismith Na- event during her tenure on the tional Basketball Hall of Board thus far. She explained Fame board, is known for her support of the new house her marketing and manage- communities, the Inclusive ment expertise. From 2011 to Excellence Initiative, and 2015, she was president of the Hanlon’s commitment to a Women’s National Basketball “world-class” faculty. “I think diversity and Association, making her the first leader of color in a major inclusion have always been national sports league. Before a part of Dartmouth’s core joining the WNBA, Richie values,” she said. “Now we are worked at Girl Scouts of the looking to bring more focus, USA as senior vice president more transparency and more and chief marketing officer accountability.” As Board chair, Richie and at Ogilvy and Mather, an advertising agency. Richie hopes to share Dartmouth’s worked at Ogilvy for 20 years special character. “Every time I cross the and, upon leaving, served as a founding member of its Connecticut River and go up external Diversity Advisory the hill, I still get chilly bumps Board. Several organizations when the Green appears,” have recognized Richie for she said. “It’s just a very, very her work, including Black unique place, and I hope to Enterprise, which named her be a terrific ambassador for one of the Most Influential Dartmouth.” The Dartmouth Staff
ARTS
ARTS STUDENTS SEEK JOBS PAGE 7
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‘THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN’ REVIEW PAGE 8
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Q&A WITH DIRECTOR NATE RUEGGER ’06 PAGE 8
ANNIE MA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
On the eve of election day, President Barack Obama spoke at the University of New Hampshire.
By PRIYA RAMAIAH The Dartmouth Senior Staff
On the eve of Election Day, President Barack Obama freely shared his views at a Get Out the Vote rally for Hillary Clinton, criticizing Republican nominee Donald Trump and emphasizing the need
DUNCAN: AMERICA’S REALITY CHECK PAGE 4
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the presidential race. The rally was the penultimate campaign event for Clinton before voters head to the polls today. Obama delivered a speech in Michigan prior to the event at UNH and left soon after for Philadelphia, where SEE OBAMA PAGE 3
Faculty meet, talk compensation
By MIKA JEHOON LEE OPINION
for Democratic votes up and down the ticket. The president’s comments, delivered to a packed Whittemore Center Arena at the University of New Hampshire, also highlighted the critical role of New Hampshire in the election, as the state’s voting results could tip both the U.S. Senate majority and
The Dartmouth
Yesterday afternoon, about 90 Arts and Sciences faculty members gathered for the termly general meeting in Alumni Hall to discuss the general state of the College as well as the Committee on Priorities’ report on faculty priorities. At College President Phil Hanlon’s proposal, the portion titled “Conversation with the President” was held during a 90-minute executive-only session, which was closed to outside observers including
the press. The faculty voted in favor of holding the executiveonly session, during which the faculty discussed the College’s vision, competitive positioning and resources. After the session, chemistry professor and Chair of the Committee on Priorities Jane Lipson said that the College plans to increase compensation to faculty members by $5 million. She said that the administration wants to provide incentives to faculty for their pedagogical excellence without reducing the College’s budget for academic objec-
tives. Lipson noted that the compensation increase comes at a time when the College is trimming its budget. At a town hall last week executive vice president Rick Mills announced that the College would cut $20 to $25 million from the non-academic areas of the budget. At the meeting, Mills said that the main revenue streams of the College — tuition, federal research funding and endowment returns — were “under immense pressure.” SEE FACULTY PAGE 2
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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Faculty, admins hold closed staff meeting FROM FACULTY PAGE 1
Mills proposed reducing the budget by not filling open positions and voluntary and non-voluntary separations. At a Board of Trustees meeting in September, the Board endorsed a faculty compensation strategy which would ensure Dartmouth faculty salaries would be competitive with those of faculty at peer institutions by finding a benchmark to measure up to. In 2015, the College compensated the average tenure-track faculty member with salary and benefits of $177,000, which is approximately $15,000 less than the rest of the Ivy League, according to data compiled by the American Association of University Professors. For the previous 10 years, the College benchmarked salaries against the median of a subset of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, an organization which comprises of 35 institutions including the entire Ivy League, according to a 2014-15 Committee of the Faculty report on faculty salaries. The report recommended benchmarking by the AAUP data in
addition to the COFHE data. In her presentation, Lipson advocated for the faculty’s role in College governance. She also discussed institutional priorities noted in the report including space allocation, faculty compensation, budget issues and recent proposals for changes in the College’s infrastructure. The Committee is responsible for promoting the faculty’s priorities through allocation of resources. Lipson discussed the development of the new Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society and the expansion of West Campus, which includes the construction of five additional buildings to supplement the Thayer School of Engineering and the computer science department. A faculty member in attendance noted that communication between faculty members and the Committee on Priorities lacked transparency. The meeting met the 75-person quorum. Last week, the general meeting for all of the College and graduate schools’ faculty failed to meet its 150-person quorum. After it was realized the quorum had not been met, the meeting was rescheduled for a later date.
ELECTION DAY BRIEFING On the eve of Nov. 8, Hillary Clinton held a slight lead in the polls. RealClearPolitics had her up 3 points to Donald Trump nationally. In New Hampshire, Clinton was up slightly by 0.6 points. On the last full day of campaigning, Trump held rallies in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan. Clinton visited Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina. In the last three presidential elections, New Hampshire has voted Democrat. The last time New Hampshire voted Republican was for George W. Bush in 2000. Since 1980, New Hampshire has always voted for the winning candidate, with the exception of the 2004 election. The New Hampshire Senate race is also one of the closest in the country. On Nov. 7, Real Clear Politics had incumbent Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) up 1.5 points over current New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan (D-NH). In 2010, Ayotte won against former Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) by 23.5 points. In local politics, Republican candidate Chris Sununu led Colin Van Ostern by 4.3 votes according to RealClearPolitics. In 2014, Hassan won the gubernatorial race by 5.2 points over Walt Havenstein. -COMPILED BY MICHAEL QIAN AND SARA MCGAHAN
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016
ON THE EVE OF INSANITY
KATE HERRINGTON/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The College Democrats worked a table in Novack on Nov. 7, urging students to vote in today’s election.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016
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Chelsea Clinton rallies Obama speaks at Get Out the Vote support at Dartmouth FROM OBAMA PAGE 1
By ALEX FREDMAN
The Dartmouth Staff
Last Friday, Chelsea Clinton visited the College for a “Get Out the Vote” campaign event. Around 250 students and community members gathered in Alumni Hall to watch Clinton speak on behalf of her mother’s presidential campaign. Clinton spoke for about 20 minutes, emphasizing the high stakes of the 2016 election. “I think this is the most important election of my lifetime,” she said. “The core values of our country are at risk.” After thanking volunteers for their efforts and discussing the importance of electing Democrats up and down the ballot in New Hampshire, Clinton briefly turned to discuss her mother’s opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump. Clinton condemned Trump for “his misogynistic, sexist and hateful speech.” She told a story from a mother on the campaign trail whose child was bullied by fellow students invoking Trump’s name. “We have to defeat [Trump’s] divisive, demeaning, derogatory rhetoric that is haunting our children,” she said. “I don’t think there’s anyone left who he hasn’t insulted.” Clinton noted that the election is more than a referendum on the Republican nominee. “This election has to be about both defeating Donald Trump and electing my mom,” she said. Clinton talked extensively about her mother’s years of public service, detailing several of her mother’s initiatives, such as promoting the Children’s Health Insurance Program, supporting the victims of 9/11 and increasing the funding for Head Start. In closing, Clinton reminded the audience of the importance of talking to family, friends, classmates and neighbors about voting. She compared not voting to letting someone else make decisions for you, like choosing classes or picking clothes. She asked the audience if they would let someone else make those decisions for them. Charlie Blatt ’18, president of College Democrats and a student fellow with the Clinton campaign, introduced Clinton. Blatt noted the work Demo-
crats have done on issues including LGBT rights, paid family leave and climate change. She also talked about how she volunteered for the Clinton campaign the day that she announced her candidacy. “I am so passionate about electing Hillary Clinton as our first female president,” Blatt said. The event occurred as public polling shows a tight race between Clinton and Trump in New Hampshire. After FBI Director James Comey announced that the FBI discovered new emails pertinent to its investigation of Clinton’s private email server, Clinton’s once-substantial polling lead in New Hampshire evaporated into a statistical tie. The RealClearPolitics polling average gives Clinton a 0.6 percentage point lead over Trump, which is well within the margin of error. In addition to Chelsea Clinton’s speech at the College, the Clinton campaign is making a last-minute push in this state. Hillary Clinton spoke in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday, and President Barack Obama campaigned for Clinton on Monday at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Additionally, public polling shows close races in both the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in New Hampshire, which speak to the state’s recent history as a battleground state. Freya Jamison ’17, a student fellow for the Clinton campaign who attended Chelsea Clinton’s speech, emphasized the significance of Dartmouth students’ votes. “We are so lucky that we can register in the state that we go to college in — that’s not true in every state — and that we are in such a small and important state that our votes matter,” Jamison said. In an interview, Blatt also recognized the importance of New Hampshire in presidential elections. She recalled that in the 2000 election, Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore would have defeated George W. Bush had he won New Hampshire’s four electoral votes. “Dartmouth’s population could swing the election, so our voices really do matter,” Blatt said. “We all need to get out there and vote at Hanover High School.”
he participated in a final Clinton rally with his family as well as rock band Bon Jovi and rockstar Bruce Springsteen. Obama’s comments centered on the necessity of voting in today’s high-stakes election. “The most important position in democracy isn’t president or senator,” he said. “It’s citizen.” The president’s condemnations of Trump were met with boos from the crowd, to which he retorted multiple times, “Don’t boo. Vote.” “If I have any credibility left after eight years as your president, trust me on this one,” Obama said. Introductions from a series of notable Democratic advocates preceded Obama’s remarks. Filmmaker Ken Burns, astronaut Mark Kelly, former Rep. Gabby Giffords
(D-AZ), Rep. Annie Kuster ’78 2011 in her home state left her se(D-NH), Rep. Carol Shea-Porter verely injured by a shot to the head, (D-NH), New Hampshire gu- and the former representative has bernatorial candidate Colin Van since become an activist for stricter gun laws. Ostern Tu’09, Most S e n . Je a n n e “If I have any of the event’s Shaheen (Dspeakers raised NH) and cur- credibility left after health care, clirent governor eight years as your change, as well as New president, trust me on mate m i n i mu m Hampshire wage and colsenatorial can- this one.” lege tuition as didate Maggie Hassan all desome of Clinton’s most imlivered remarks - PRESIDENT BARACK portant policy before Obama OBAMA commitments. addressed the The same repcrowd shortly resentatives before 5 p.m. Giffords and her husband, as- also criticized Trump’s divisive tronaut Kelly, spoke about their rhetoric. “‘Stronger Together’ is campaign around the country not the motto of a campaign, it is against gun violence. An assassi- the motto of the United States of nation attempt against Giffords in America,” Van Ostern said.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016
GUEST COLUMNIST RACHEL FEDERMAN ’98
GUEST COLUMNIST BLAIR DUNCAN ’17
Be a Rebel: Vote Mainstream
America’s Reality Check
Voting mainstream is the true rebellious path, and I urge you to take it.
Trump’s campaign has exposed the myth of a post racial America.
Newly on the brink of adulthood, Dart- try to help under-privileged African-Americans mouth students are tasked with great respon- and Hispanics gain access to a college education sibility, especially during this election season. It and to improve their career prospects upon is a test of your character and it asks that you graduation. I joined Occupy Wall Street in embrace the noble art of being uncool. Zuccotti Park five years ago, and I marched Everywhere there is talk about how our in New York and D.C. against the Iraq War. country is deeply divided. Regardless of what Like you, I will do my best to continue to fight you may have heard, however, it is not more the good fight. divided than at any previous time in our hisBut I’m older than you, which means I’ve tory. More recently than many of us, you have had time to see that dramatic change is often read about the American Civil War; you know quiet. Let’s ignore for now the progress Al about the shaky early national period; you have Gore would have made for climate change. been quizzed on the so-called “Revolution of Let’s simply consider two disastrous results 1800,” when a sitting vice president ran against of Bush’s conservative appointments to the his own president and won. As students, you Supreme Court: Citizens United and stripped bring more historical context to bear on these voting rights for hundreds and thousands of current events than most people do. minorities. Together, they have radically unI’m willing to bet that most of you believe dermined our democracy. in progress and equality as well as social, racial The next president will elect up to four jusand economic justice. You may be worried that tices. They will shape the country for decades a vote for Hillary Clinton is not an authentic to come. They will decide whether we move demonstration of those toward equality or descend values. You might think “Think about your fu- further into the hands of that a protest vote will angry, white supremacists. put you on the right ture. Be a rebel. Vote They decide whether we side of history. Maybe mainstream.” adopt common-sense gun you’re tempted to join laws, or stay paralyzed with friends in supporting a fear about the next mass third-party candidate, or writing in Vermont shooting while doing nothing to stop it. They deSenator Bernie Sanders’ name or even staying cide whether we continue to uphold healthcare home on Election Day. You might think this will as a basic human right, or whether we believe give you credibility as a true rebel, an activist it is a privilege reserved for the few. Many now or a fighter. forget that before Obamacare, anyone with “a In simple terms, it won’t. pre-existing condition” — even a child born And it won’t get you what you want. A true with one — could be denied health insurance. rebel is not drawn to empty symbolic gestures, A protest vote might give you a momentary to winning a battle but losing the war. high. But, in the end, it will only help uphold I know you’re probably not that interested the unfair system you want so badly to change. in my opinion. As a Dartmouth ’98, I am the A protest vote is a surrender. It means you, age of some of your parents. I could be your young as you are, have already given up. It uncool aunt. I left Dartmouth when the young- means you are forgetting the struggle and words est among you were born. I was already working of Martin Luther King, Jr. You are forgetting and living on my own when third-party can- that “...we shall march ahead. We cannot turn didate Ralph Nader galvanized young people back.” and, by many accounts, cost the Democratic Yes, take Clinton to task. Press her on Wall Party the 2000 presidential election, resulting Street regulation. Push her on criminal justice in the eight-year disaster that was the George reform. March on Washington. Write letters. W. Bush presidency. Call your representatives in Congress. But do Nor do I have the credibility of having served not be enchanted by false promises of purity. on the front lines of an insurgency. Rather, I Think about your future. Be a rebel. Vote write quietly from my living room, where I to mainstream.
Many times throughout this election Court’s decision to hear the case serves season, Donald Trump has proven himself as a sobering reminder to Americans that unfit to be president of the United States, the American legal system continues to not and this is precisely why he is the most only protect but also benefit certain indiimportant candidate. viduals. Our country’s justice system never Trump’s rhetoric is blunt and unre- ceases to amaze — regardless of seemingly strained, his demeanor undiplomatic. counterfactual evidence and confounding As commander-in-chief, he would be a circumstance detailed in chapters of our national security risk, and his proposed American history. trade policies make him an international Trump welcomes the Abigail Fishers of economic liability. Despite this, or perhaps America to his rallies and encourages them because of it, Trump has exposed and to release their anger through racism and debunked the greatest fiction to date that bigotry. By doing so, Trump has tacitly recboth the left and the right claim as fact. ognized that his voter base is fundamentally According to these experts in fabrication, driven and catalyzed by racial, religious the election of Barack Obama proves and xenophobic fears. Immigration? Build that America is a post-racial society. The a wall to stop the Mexicans from coming American people elected a black man as in and stealing jobs from and killing and President. We have supposedly reached the raping American men and women. In adfinish line of racial progress. dition, halt all Muslim immigration until While Trump is undoubtedly sexist ISIS is nuked. Economic woes? Screw and racist, he is not stupid. Rather, he is a China. Police brutality? Blacks need to stop tactful and brilliant opportunist who has resisting arrest. These supposed panaceas managed to captivate the fears of a largely he proposes are working, at least when it uneducated, poor and comes to his campaign. rightfully angry white In some national polls, America. It would “By exposing America’s he is in a virtual deadlock be wrong and cal- most carefully bandaged with his opponent, Hillary lous for me to suggest Clinton. that these Americans and infected wound, he Trump’s use of bigotry shouldn’t be angry: has now given us the and racism as a vehicle American jobs have for electoral success is not gone overseas due to opportunity to further new in American politics. the rise of globaliza- heal and treat a 240 In 1962, former Alabama tion and the economigovernor George Wallace, cally rational push by year-old gash in our for example, initially remultinational corpora- collective ethos.” jected the support of the tions to cut costs. The Ku Klux Klan and was rise of technology and eventually endorsed by the internet has also the National Association for the Advancecontributed to the shrinkage of job op- ment of Colored People instead. Despite portunities in this country. This problem the NAACP’s support, however, Wallace can be encapsulated in a simple rhetorical lost the gubernatorial election, leading him question: why pay 10 men and women to do to instead adopt a hardline segregationist a job when a machine can do it more cheaply stance — a stance that would eventually and efficiently? Simply put, Americans are help he successfully be elected governor realizing that they are woefully unprepared four times. Like Wallace, Trump recognizes for the workforce and mediocrity will not how racism is a fundamental fabric sewn so cut it anymore. deeply into our country that it determines Americans are likewise angry about the fate of politicians. racial tensions in this country. The “conThankfully, unlike Wallace in 1962, I do troversy” surrounding affirmative action not believe Trump will win this election. has brought cases to the Supreme Court I cannot believe that Trump will win involving white plaintiffs arguing that their this election. spots at colleges were taken by minority However, when Trump walks off the students. For example, in the case of Fisher stage after his concession speech, I will tip v. University of Texas, a white woman my hat to him. He did America a public claimed to have been discriminated against service and saved us from believing the by the university on the basis of race. The fiction that we are past racism, that we university’s “Top 10 Percent Program” are a post-racist society, that we don’t see guarantees admission to top students in color. By exposing America’s most carefully every high school in the state under Texas bandaged and infected wound, he has now House Bill 588, and this program has lead given us the opportunity to further heal and to increased diversity. Oddly enough, the treat a 240 year-old gash in our collective plaintiff Abigail Fisher finished in the top ethos. Even if Trump loses, tens of millions 12 percent of her graduating high school of people will still harbor hateful beliefs class. and feel they were wronged. Considering this, it is absolutely and It’s our job not to forget them. objectively absurd that the Fisher v. UniAs First Lady Michelle Obama said, versity of Texas case was able to make “When they go low, we go high.” it to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Donald Trump, thank you.
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THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016
DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
World Views: Photography Exhibition, featuring the work of six photographers, 7 Lebanon Street, Suite 107
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
“Future of American National Security in the 21st Century,” panel, Spanos Auditorium, Cummings Hall
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
“When Electronic Privacy Gets Physical: Privacy in the Age of Cameras,”professor Apu Kapadia, Indiana University, Kemeny 006
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“Anticipating the American Regime: The Middle East after the U.S. Elections,” Felice and Michael Friedson, Haldeman 41
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Microbrews and the Military, a panel moderated by Dean Matthew Slaughter, McLaughlin Atrium, Raether Hall, Tuck School of Business
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
“A Grimm Night,” presented by the students of the German Studies department, Occom Commons, Goldstein Hall
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 7
Performing arts students get creative in job search ater community is,” Samuels said. Samuels stated that while he did The Dartmouth not obtain any internships or career At Dartmouth, the Center of opportunities from the CPD, the Professional Development is closely networking and alumni meetings associated with corporate recruit- were incredibly helpful. ing in the minds of students. For For performing arts students students seeking careers in the who are not participating in the performing arts, the path to finding well-trodden path of corporate opportunities is often a more cre- recruiting, the CPD offers resources ative one. Students sometimes use such as DartBoard and the Liberal the CPD, but also rely on academic Arts Career Network. DartBoard departments. provides students with career help Several theater students noted such as job and internship listt h at t h e d e ings and resume partment itself and cover letter “It’s obviously not is the best reguides. LACN source for jobs a part of corporate is an association and internships. recruiting, but it of 35 liberal arts Max Samuels colleges aiming ’15, as well as would be incredible if to assist students theater majors more theater artists in obtaining Julie Solomon opportunities or companies looking ’17 and Virginia across indusOgden ’18, said for people came to t r i e s. T h o u that opportu- campus.” sands of postnities provided ings are listed on by the theater DartBoard and department and -JULIE SOLOMON ’17 LACN for stuold-fashioned dents to pursue networking in their respechave proven helpful. tive fields. For example, the theater depart- In 2015, the CPD posted 103 ment offers Theater 65 “Drama in arts career opportunities online Performance” over the summer. for students, CPD director Roger The course includes an internship Woolsey said. These opportunities with the New York Theatre Work- included internships at museums, shop and the chance to make con- galleries and magazines. It was nections in the industry. Solomon unspecified how many of these opstated that the connections she made portunities were targeted towards through the course were pivotal in students intending to pursue the helping her get an internship at the performing arts specifically. Drama League of New York. Woolsey advised students in the Samuels also emphasized the arts to seek out face-to-face help importance of networking in the with members of the CPD staff who theater world. can direct them towards opportuni “It’s very important to be open ties. and make yourself available for Although the CPD has advisors opportunities that will inevitably and posts opportunities on Dartcome by,” Samuels said. Board for the arts, both Solomon Samuels participated in the “Off and Ogden have not felt inclined to the Green” program, traveling to reach out to the CPD for help with New York City with 20 other stu- career-searches. Solomon stated dents in 2014. The CPD hosts the that she feels that the CPD would “Off the Green” program for stu- do little to help her pursue oppordents interested tunities due to in a wide array “It’s very important the niche that of opportunities, theater fulfills to be open and make such as biotech in the job marand life sciences, yourself available for ket. nonprofits and, opportunities that will “I more recently, haven’t gone film and enter- inevitably come by.” to the CPD tainment. The for help with film and enterresumes be-MAX SAMUELS ’15 ta i n m en t p ro cause theater g ram provides resumes are students the opportunity to visit a very different from other types of number of theater and production resumes,” Solomon said. “I don’t companies in New York and Los think that people outside of the Angeles. In addition, the CPD hosts theater department would know a a networking evening to connect lot about that.” students and alumni unable to meet Although the CPD might seem during the day program. to cater solely towards students “I met tons of well-established involved in corporate recruiting, alumni, and it really made me aware Woolsey clarified that the vast of just how big the Dartmouth the- amount of opportunities with
By EMMA GUO
ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Center for Professional Development provides students with internship and post-graduate opportunities.
banks, consulting and technology firms is due to the fact that they spend more capital hiring because they experience large amounts of turnover. Thus, these corporations make a lot more visits to campus. “There are a number of employers in the arts that are more need-based, so we see a lot of those
employment opportunities in the spring,” Woolsey said. When asked why they have never used the CPD for internship and job searches, Solomon and Ogden agreed that the lack of visits from professional artists and theater companies made them less inclined to reach out to the CPD for help.
“It’s obviously not a part of corporate recruiting, but it would be incredible if more theater artists or companies looking for people came to campus,” Solomon said. “I don’t know where to start with the CPD, and the theater department is especially helpful with introducing us to people.”
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016
Alumnus Q&A: Writer-director Nate Ruegger ’06 By VICTOR WU The Dartmouth
Nate Ruegger ’06 is a writer-director who graduated from Dartmouth with a major in film studies. He got his start in the film industry at a young age by voice acting in “Tiny Toon Adventures.” Several screenwriting competitions have recognized his work, and his thesis film from the USC School of Cinematic Arts “Another Life” won multiple accolades and was screened at several film festivals, including the Newport Beach Film Festival and the San Antonio Film Festival. You’re a director, writer, producer and actor. How do each of these roles fulfill your creative needs, and do you see synergy between them? NR: First off, I just want to clarify that I am a former actor. I used to do voice acting for cartoons. It’s definitely been a part of my toolkit as filmmaker, but I primarily identify as a writer-director. I definitely see myself producing in the near future. Entertainment these days has changed because it’s so much easier to make a movie than five or 15 years ago and get distributed. With the technology we have now like phones, you can make a feature film and edit it with apps that are free or very easy to purchase to make it look relatively good — good enough to be watched
as a webisode on our phones or on computers. And people would want to see something like that just as they would want to see a movie or a show on a major network. The difference is that because now that everyone can do that, the question is how you can break through that noise. How do you make that happen? To break through the noise, it’s a matter of making good content that rises above all of the noise of everything else. And that’s where it gets really hard. It used to be that you could write something or direct something and hopefully make connections in entertainment. It’s now kind of on you to produce, write and direct. Some actors I know are doing the same thing I’m doing, where even though they want to be actors, they may not have the next thing in their reel so they make it themselves. I definitely think that we’re now at a place in film that if you want to write a script and get it made, you have to take it upon yourself to learn as much as you can about producing or directing and get out of your comfort zone to get your content made. The person who is most likely to help you get something made and get it right and be true to what you think is the story that needs to get out in the world is yourself.
Can you tell me a little bit about your screenplay “An October Wedding, recently named to the 2016 BloodList?”
NR: Both my wife and I are Dartmouth graduates, and we got engaged in our final year of college. When I told my parents, both of whom were divorced and coming from a place of love, they wanted to make sure that I didn’t make the same mistake. They told me, “Whoa slow down, you guys have only known each other for a year. Both of you get jobs. Both of you get apartments. And then maybe you can revisit [this] when you have enough money. You don’t need to rush into this.” And my wife’s family, which is from Texas, was like, “Congratulations, this is fantastic. You guys have been dating each other for like a year or more, why is it taking so long?” For me, I kind of shared some of my fears with my parents. It wasn’t necessarily that I was afraid to marry my wife, Alexis. It was more the sort of fear that I would make the same mistakes as my parents. It sounds silly to say out loud, but deep down these are some of the fears that people have — that I inherited some kind of curse that would make a marriage fall apart. So what’s at the heart of this screenplay is the question of whether we are destined to inherit the sins of our parents or can we overcome the fears of our past.
a kid was a major influence for me. It’s one thing to watch cartoons as a kid but to go behind the scenes and to see that this is a job that people do, to be standing in the booth and seeing a sound mixer who is pitching your voice or making sure your voice syncs up with the part of the episode or talk to with a director who is directing all of the actors and overseeing the creative output was really kind of amazing. What advice would you have for Dartmouth students who want to pursue a career a film? NR: My advice is that if you want to pursue a career in entertainment, you should move out to LA. It’s not to say that you have to spend the rest of your life there or that is the only way to have a career. But it’s like if you want to
have a career in finance and you move to New York, you are surrounded by people who work in finance and your odds are improved. That’s the case with LA. In LA, the major industry is entertainment. So the person who is serving you coffee, the person who is walking beside you on the street, might be an actor or a producer or the people you go to parties with. Just by living in the city and getting to know people, you are building a network of people who could eventually make a film or a web series you have an idea for. What is your favorite movie this year? NR: “10 Cloverfield Lane.” This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
How did you know you wanted to have a career in film? NR: I definitely think that being a voice actor on “Tiny Toon Adventures” as
COURTESY OF HIKARI
Nate Ruegger ’06 listening to actress Tracy Coogan on the set of “Another Life.”
‘The Girl on the Train:’ Wake me up when things get interesting By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth
Five minutes. That’s how long it took for “The Girl on the Train” to completely bore me. Thirty minutes. That’s about how long it took for me to guess the twist ending for “The Girl on the Train.” Though for the sake of transparency, I should clarify. I had actually guessed the twist within the first few minutes, but at about the 30-minute mark I changed my mind and this second guess turned out to be correct. Incidentally, my initial guess would have made for a far more interesting film. “The Girl on the Train” probably isn’t the worst film I’ve seen all year, but thus far it’s certainly the best example of wasted potential. Based on the widely popular novel by Paula Hawkins, “The Girl on the Train” follows the interconnected lives of three
women: Rachel (Emily Blunt), Megan (Haley Bennett) and Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). Rachel is a recently divorced alcoholic whose ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux) is now married to Anna, with whom he had an affair. Megan babysits Anna and Tom’s newborn and is in an abusive relationship with her husband, Scott (Luke Evans). Eventually Megan goes missing, and the police think that Rachel knows something. Sadly, she blacked out and can’t remember a thing. What a shame. Like I said, the film actually has a lot of potential, as the premise is extremely intriguing. It raises a number of interesting questions about the problem with living your life through other people and the trustworthiness of narrators, and if it had taken the time to explore those questions, it could have been fascinating. I actually feel a little bad for being so hard on this film because it does contain
a number of praiseworthy elements. If “The Help” proved anything it is that director Tate Taylor has a talent for bringing the best out of his actors. Blunt is a fantastic actor, and in the film she steals every scene she is in. Few actors have the natural ability to make such a wretched human being so sympathetic. Theroux also does outstanding work, though his character is regrettably sidelined for the first two-thirds of the film. Both Bennet and Ferguson have a few solid scenes, but for the most part they come across as rather uninvested in their characters. The real problem with “The Girl on the Train” is its execution. Many reviewers have compared the film to David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” and the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t help but see the similarities. The problem is that the story never has the guts to go all out in the way “Gone
Girl” did. That film is so filled with twists, turns and shocks that I was always on the edge of my seat; with “The Girl on the Train” a few scenes kept me mildly interested, while most left me droopy eyed. One scene in particular really exemplifies why Fincher’s film worked and Taylor’s didn’t: Scott realizes that Rachel has been lying to him all along and shows up at her apartment to assault her for her deceit. It seems to me that this scene was intended to capture the perverse intensity of “Gone Girl,” but it ultimately has no bearing on the plot. Instead, it feels like an unpleasant and unnecessary diversion. The nonlinear storytelling technique means you only realize the irrelevance of that scene and many others in the final 15 minutes. Overall, the audience is left unsure of where in the film’s timeline each scene takes place. The nonlinear screenplay only serves to reveal the final twist at the
optimal moment. Speaking of that twist, it isn’t bad so much as it is conventional. It reduces a story which had the potential for real psychological complexity to a fairly simple murder mystery. While I may not have enjoyed “The Girl on the Train,” I can easily see understand the popularity of the book. If the filmmakers had made something more along the lines of Christopher Nolan’s “Memento,” contemplatively exploring themes of identity and memory, this film might have been something special. But thanks, probably, to studio mandates, the film instead tries to be dark and edgy a la “Gone Girl.” But because its story simply isn’t conducive to that approach, “The Girl on the Train” pales in comparison to both of those great films, leaving it to slink into cinema’s corner of obscurity. Rating: 3/10