VOL. CLXXII NO. 57
SHOWERS
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Divestment proposal receives alum support
HOTEL MODERN: NO VACANCY
HIGH 53 LOW 38
By Kelsey Flower The Dartmouth Staff
LUKE MCCANN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
MIRROR
DINING CLUB FOR SCHOLARS PAGE M4
YESTERDAY’S CHARTER, TODAY’S PROBLEMS PAGE M8
OPINION
VERBUM ULTIMUM: OPEN DOOR POLICY PAGE 4
SPORTS
MEN’S BASEBALL FALLS TO BOSTON PAGE 8
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Hotel Modern recreated World War I using toys and household objects.
Professors apply for houses B y Noah Goldstein The Dartmouth Staff
Over 20 professors applied to be one of six house professors in the new residential cluster system being implemented in 2016 as a part of the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” policy initia-
tive, senior assistant dean of residential life and director of residential education Michael Wooten said. The College’s goal is to announce the selected professors by the end of this month, interim Dean of the College Inge-Lise Ameer said.
Fewer students apply for LLCs
B y KATIE RAFTER
The Dartmouth Staff
The number of students who applied to live in living learning communities for the fall decreased from 844 last year to 575, but assistant director for living learning and academic initiatives Katharina Daub said that she hopes this means more students will be placed in their first-choice community. The deadline to apply was April 8.
Daub said that last year about 200 more students applied for LLCs than were spaces available. The decrease in applications will allow placement be a more inclusive process, she added. Including spaces in the East Wheelock cluster, the College can provide 400 upperclassmen beds in the permanent LLCs and 105 in the design-your-own communities. SEE LLC PAGE 5
Interested professors first wrote a letter of intent to Provost Carolyn Dever, in which they detailed a vision for their respective houses and their qualifications for the position. Professors are now undergoing an SEE HOUSE PAGE 2
Seventy-nine Dartmouth alumni hope to up the pressure on College administrators to divest fossil fuels through an open letter addressed to College President Phil Hanlon, the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility, originally released on April 2. The letter urges the College to make headway on the divestment of its financial portfolio from fossil fuel companies and informs the school that the undersigned alumni are donating to the Multi-School Fossil Free Divestment Fund instead of the Annual Fund. Last December, Divest Dartmouth joined with divestment groups from 16 other colleges to create the Multi-School Fund. The fund aims to puts pressure on the involved universities to divest from fossil fuels by collecting tax-deductible donations that will be given to the universities only if they divest from fossil fuels by Dec. 31, 2017, according to the Fund. Divesting investments in fossil fuels has two steps, according to
the Fund’s website. Universities must both immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies and divest within five years from current holdings in these companies. The student-run Divest Dartmouth alumni coordinator Morgan Curtis ’14 called joining the Fund a “catalyst for getting together the alumni group” and that sending the letter was a way to take their support to the next level. Following a conference call, several College alumni decided to publish the letter to push the College to publish a report by the ACIR when it is finished, though it was promised to be completed by February, Curtis said. The report, commissioned by Hanlon in September 2014, is supposed to look into the pros and cons of divestment as a whole and its effect on the College. “We were hoping to add the alumni voice urging the College to keep moving through that process,” Curtis said. Hanlon responded to the SEE DIVEST PAGE 2
Dimensions program launches
B y SEAN CONNOLLY
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
An inch of snow coats the Green today as dozens of prospective students stroll along its muddy walkways for the first session of Dimensions of Dartmouth, an annual program that offers a slate of events for prospective students. The College will welcome approximately 350 guests this weekend, including 150 potential members of the Class of 2019, dean of admissions and financial aid Maria Laskaris said. Today’s event, which of-
ficially began last night when approximately 100 prospective students stayed with undergraduate hosts, is the first of three Dimensions events that will occur throughout the month of April. This is the second consecutive year that the College has hosted Dimensions in multiple sessions as opposed to the singular multi-day event of past years, Laskaris said. She added that the change allows students to choose the program that best fits with their schedules and contributed to a greater attendance last year, which she said she views as a success.
The increased attendance is noteworthy, she said, because students who attend Dimensions programming have historically matriculated at a much higher rate than those who did not attend. She also said that she believes increased attendance contributed to the last year’s yield rate. “We had a very, very strong yield, and I think that our expanded Dimensions is clearly one factor that led to increased yield last year,” she said. The yield rate for the Class of 2018 last year was 54.5 SEE DIMENSIONS PAGE 3
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DAily debriefing Apr. 3, 1:09 a.m., New Hampshire Residence Hall: Safety and Security officers rendered assistance to a student in New Hamp. The student reportedly had an allergic reaction and fainted in the bathroom. The student was evaluated and transported to DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center by ambulance. Apr. 3, 8:05 a.m., Rauner Special Collections Library: Safety and Security officers rendered assistance to an employee who fainted and fell in Rauner Library. The individual was evaluated and transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Apr. 3, 3:02 p.m., Little Residence Hall: Safety and Security officers responded to a report of a student using pepper spray in the Choates. Safety and Security located the student and confiscated the pepper spray. There were reportedly no injuries. Apr. 3, 10:33 p.m., Thompson Arena: Safety and Security officers responded to Thompson Arena where two students had reportedly fallen. Both students were evaluated by Dartmouth EMS and released shortly thereafter. Apr. 3, 10:48 p.m., Ripley Residence Hall: Safety and Security officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute in Ripley. Hanover Police responded and filed a formal report. The students involved were offered College services. Apr. 4, 12:41 a.m., Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity: Safety and Security officers responded to a Safe Ride request at Alpha Chi. Once the students entered the vehicle, Safety and Security officers found one of the students to be intoxicated. The intoxicated individual was then transported to Dick’s House. Apr. 4, 1:54 a.m., Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity: Safety and Security officers responded to a Good Samaritan call at Chi Gam. The intoxicated individual was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the night. Apr. 5, 2:26 a.m., Alumni Gym: Safety and Security officers responded to a report of an unauthorized entry at Alumni Gym. The students were reportedly found in the female sauna and claimed they were doing a school project. — COMPILED BY MAY MANSOUR
Corrections We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
FAITH ROTICH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Students listen to a lecture as part of Islam Awareness Week programming.
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
Faculty apply for live-in positions FROM HOUSE PAGE 1
interview process — conducted by a committee comprised of faculty members, administrators and the Dean of the College — and the Provost will make the final decision, Wooten said. He would not further clarify who is on the committee. Ameer said that the search committee is looking for a set of diverse professors from across the College and its graduate schools. She also said that professors who have a track record of engaging with students, such as by inviting students over to their house for dinner, prior to this initiative are preferred. In having a variety of professors living in houses, Wooten said more students will feel that they are being represented. These professors will serve as leaders and mentors for the students in their cluster, Ameer said. “I think having professors integrated into the residential life of students, the after-five p.m. and after-classes life is so exciting,” Ameer said. “They are going to bring a level of engagement and intellectual creativity to the houses.” Wooten said that the pool of
professors who applied is strong, as the professors are already deeply involved with their students and are well regarded in their fields. Once selected, the professors will go through training, which is still being developed, and prepare over the next year for the initiative. Wooten said that the student advisory committee will be merged with the chosen faculty members in order to generate ideas for training and programming. A routine education will be established for the faculty members about what is the best way to improve what they are offering to students, Wooten said. Because there were more applicants than spaces available, the College will likely create an affiliate program, Wooten said. Faculty members that cannot live in one of the houses but have an interest in the project may still be involved in the program and will attend events in the houses, Wooten said. Biology professor Ryan Calsbeek applied to be a house professor. He said that he applied not only to help improve students’ experiences, but also because of the interaction that could exist between students and his wife and
kids. “I teach the [biology foreign study program] and my kids come with us to Costa Rica and interact with undergraduates there,” Calsbeek said. “We’ve gone to social gatherings at sorority houses or just been out to dinner with students and all of those experiences have been great for our kids and for our family as a whole.” Calsbeek said that he feels the teaching he does on the FSP is his most influential because spending many hours with students in a nonclassroom setting helps to breaks down teacher-student barriers. If selected, Calsbeek said he would like to have a variety of activities for his students, including growing vegetables in the organic farm, taking cooking lessons and cooking a meal for low-income families who go to the Upper Valley Haven, an nonprofit organization that provides food, shelter and education to those in need. Calsbeek also expressed interest in running athletic trainings and activities, culminating in a philanthropic 5K or 10K run. The alternative social space for students will also help give them a long-term identity that will exist beyond Dartmouth, Calsbeek said.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
Alums push for divestment FROM DIVEST PAGE 1
alumni with a short note saying that he was also looking forward to ACIR’s report, Curtis said. The report has not yet been published. Richard Clapp ’67, a professor emeritus of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health, came up with the idea to write the letter and drafted it after a conference call with other alumni. Clapp said that he had donated to the divest fund and said most useful thing to do right now would be to support students who were calling for the divestment of fossil fuels. Curtis said she thought that the Ruckus listerv — a mailing list for environmentalists at the College — would want to know about the letter, so she emailed it the group. People responded to her saying that they wanted to add their names, and since the letter was published, 31 more alumni have added their names to the original 48 signatures. The alumni are now trying to get more people to sign the letter and make donations to the divest fund, and are trying to schedule a conference call soon to discuss next steps. Clapp said his interest in divestment stems from his previous work in the department of environmental health, he said. Climate change, he said, is the “number one public health threat.” Chris Covert-Bowlds ’84, a family doctor who signed the letter, said that he has been a long-time supporter of divestment, and when he heard about the Dartmouth alumni group, he wanted to “jump right on that.” “It’s pretty obvious that climate change is a huge threat,” CovertBowlds said. “The most threatened people are poorest people of world, so it’s a basic social justice issue for me, as well as us wiping out the planet and the people on it.” Covert-Bowlds is part of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby — a nonprofit grassroots advocacy group — and has ridden his bike to work every day for 30 years. A kick-off event for a divestment speaker tour
planned by the environmental organization 350.org re-inspired him to help push any groups he was in to join the divestment movement, he said. An important next step is raising the profile of the divestment group “visibly, verbally and electronically” in every “place, time and venue,” Covert-Bowlds said. He said he thinks that whenever alumni get
“If Dartmouth wants to claim a leadership role, it needs to act like it.” -Chris Covert-Bowlds ’84 requests to donate, they should respond that they are donating to the divestment fund instead. “If Dartmouth wants to claim a leadership role, it needs to act like it,” he said. James Reynolds ’75, who signed the letter, is a geology professor at Brevard College. He formed the Brevard Divestment group and is on the board of directors for the Galapagos Conservancy. Both Brevard and the Conservancy have divested under Reynold’s watch. What was successful in getting Brevard to divest, Reynolds said, was finding a sympathetic ear in administrators to communicate with and to send friendly, non-confrontational
emails with other administrators copied on so they could see what was said. Curtis said that one of the good things that has come of the multi-school fund is the networking between several different alumni groups. Recently, several Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni organized a conference call between alumni groups from different colleges, Clapp said. According to Divest Fund advisory council member and MIT alum Rajesh Kasturirangan, MIT alumni sent a similar letter to their university president on March 5 that was also published as a letter to the editor in the campus newspaper. Kasturirangan said he thinks that sending the letter was a positive step for Dartmouth alumni to take. “I think what we should be doing is not just doing it individually to our respective alma maters, but also collectively to all the college presidents,” Kasturirangan said. Following a divestment debate at MIT yesterday, Kasturirangan said it was fantastic to see how students, alumni and professors came together for the event. He thinks alumni should work to integrate themselves more with student campaigns, as the students will one day graduate and become a part of the alumni group. Curtis expressed similar sentiments about the multi-generational aspect of support for divestment. “One thing that’s so exciting to me is that there are so many different generations,” Curtis said.
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Prospective students visit the College FROM DIMENSIONS PAGE 1
percent, compared to 48.6 percent for the Class of 2017. Today’s events include a welcome address hosted by Laskaris, a guest lecture given by earth sciences professor Eric Osterberg, a student community luncheon and various other showcases featuring elements of student life, including undergraduate research and the D-Plan. Laskaris said the program is designed to highlight as many aspects of Dartmouth as possible. “Our goal is to provide students and their families with an introduction to Dartmouth and the many different dimensions of Dartmouth,” she said. Laskaris added that she is looking forward to today’s programs and the subsequent sessions. She said to actually see the students who have been invited to join the college community is incredibly exciting. Six prospective students of the Class of 2019 interviewed said they have found the Dartmouth community to be welcoming and relayed anecdotes about their experiences at accepted students weekends at other schools. Susan Kim said that everyone she has met so far has been friendly, and that she has enjoyed the community atmosphere. She added that Dartmouth’s accepted students program is smaller compared to others that she has been to, particularly Cornell University’s. “I felt like I didn’t get to meet people like I am now,” she said.
“There was no kind of mingling.” Kelly Gao, another prospective student, said this visit to Dartmouth marks the first time she has been able to gauge the attitude among undergraduate students, especially compared to her visit to the College over the summer. She said being able to watch students interact with one another has been exciting and has left her with a positive image of the College. Prospective student Sabrina Kim said that her host, Sarah Han ’17, has been instrumental in shaping her perception of the College. “She’s been amazing in selling the school,” she said. “I ran into a bunch of her current friends and they all talked to me. I personally really love the school.” Prospective student host Dominique Dadekian ’18 said that her view of the College has shifted significantly, in a positive way, and that she wants to share that with her guest. “I just want to let them know that and show them my experience and how they should choose Dartmouth,” she said. “Just make them feel more comfortable about it.” Laskaris said she laments the snow on the ground but thinks students will enjoy their visit regardless. “The spirit of warmth and welcome I think will melt all the snow,” she said. The subsequent Dimensions events are planned for next Wednesday April 15, and for Thursday through Friday on April 23-24.
CHERRY HUANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Prospective members of the Class of 2019 mingle in Collis Common Ground.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
Verbum Ultimum The Dartmouth Editorial Board
Staff Columnist CAROLINE HSU ’18
Open Door Policy
Don’t Ban Fraternity Parties
The hard alcohol policy does not encourage an inclusive student social life. The “Moving Dartmouth Forward” hard regulations on alcohol consumption — and alcohol ban took effect nearly two weeks ago, more importantly, the threat of harsh sanctions and despite predictions of the policy’s negative — make closed events appear more attractive, repercussions, day-to-day student life has not even logical, to Greek leaders. With such great seen any radical changes. Students have been responsibility over the types of alcohol present notably mindful of the new restrictions — re- at open, registered Greek events, it is tempting ports in an April 6 story from this newspaper to remove the possibility of a serious infraction indicate measured responses from students by limiting attendance. and Safety and Security officers alike. Greek The College must be willing to modify the leaders have taken steps to ensure that their alcohol policy to directly minimize this kind of houses’ members do not violate College policy. reaction. Existing rules on alcohol that pre-date At this stage, however, what is concerning the hard alcohol ban force Greek houses to about the ban is not its immediate, visible effect choose between offering beer and cider or wine on social events, but rather the prospect that and champagne at an event. These sorts of caveats deter houses from administrators will hosting open, regisignore its long-term “The College must decide wheth- tered events, which is consequences. a compelling reason The hard alcohol er it cares about preserving one to make changes to ban could pose a feature of the Greek system that the policy — espethreat to the Colcially when permitlege’s commitment enjoys widespread praise from to inclusivity — the students and alumni, affiliated or ting Greek houses to mix and match “soft” last of three areas not — its openness. alcoholic drinks would the “Moving Dartnot conflict with the mouth Forward” College’s interest in presidential steering committee highlighted in their final proposal student safety. to College President Phil Hanlon. For many, Moreover, the limitations placed on the type the inclusive nature of the campus social life of drinks Greek houses can buy for events has — specifically its open Greek scene — is one financial implications. For some, dues can be a of the College’s most admirable and integral significant financial obstacle and may discourcomponents. Over time, though, the restric- age participation in Greek social life. The ban’s tions and liabilities imposed by the ban could use of alcohol-by-volume as a cut-off means undermine this openness, limiting students’ that Greek houses may only purchase highfreedom to attend parties and enter social volume, low-alcohol drinks. Over time, it is much more expensive to buy only beer or wine spaces without an explicit invitation. Yet administrators have not addressed how than a mix of beer and spirits, necessitating a they will ensure that the hard alcohol ban does hike in social dues. This, too, is a serious deternot also narrow student options for socializing rent to hosting College-compliant events — one or facilitate niche social groups. The College to which administrators must pay attention. should articulate a vision of a campus social Ultimately, the College must decide whether experience that students can also support, and it cares about preserving one feature of the it must integrate the hard alcohol ban into that Greek system that enjoys widespread praise framework. This editorial board would hope from students and alumni, affiliated or not — its that this vision includes an accessible Greek openness. Exchanging this for more exclusive system that regularly hosts events open to all social gatherings is too high a price to pay for students without fear of punishment. Detailed a campus that is only safer on the surface.
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Rutgers University’s decision to ban Greek parties is ill-advised.
On Monday, Rutgers University announced that it is banning all fraternity and sorority parties for the rest of the spring semester as a result of several alcohol-related incidents that occurred in the past year. This bold move is not a unique case. There has recently been a crackdown on Greek life on campuses across the country — after a member of a fraternity at Clemson University died after falling off a bridge, the University suspended all fraternity activities, and Johns Hopkins University prohibited all social events held at fraternities last year after an alleged sexual assault of a minor at a party. The high-risk behavior prevalent amongst college students is a pressing issue that must be addressed immediately. An outright ban on fraternity and sorority parties altogether, however, is pointless. Although most of the Rutgers sorority and fraternity leaders were reported to have accepted the ban, I believe that this decision is excessive and ultimately ineffective. The ban does not address the problem of high-risk behavior — rather, it attempts to conceal it. As University of Texas at Arlington economics professor Jeffrey DeSimone wrote in a 2011 New York Times opinion column, “targeting alcohol awareness and education programs at fraternities and punishing them for violating alcohol-related laws and school policies” are a more justified and effective ways for a university to intervene in these situations. Rather than simply shutting these houses as social spaces and prohibiting them from hosting events, Rutgers administrators should focus on implementing widespread educational programs that inform students of the dangers of alcohol and provide them with ways to remain safe when drinking or being around those who do. Again this complete social prohibition approach fails by adopting the idea that everyone should be punished for the actions of a few. In many of these situations, a small group of students exhibited poor self-control and chose to engage in dangerous behavior. It does not make sense to extrapolate from these rare instances and punish the student body as a whole, including those who did not engage in the high-risk activi-
ties. Rutgers has an undergraduate student body of roughly 47,000 students — is it fair and just to punish all of these students because a select few of them exhibited negative behavior? The student body should not be thought of as a mob, but as individuals. Not only will the ban likely be ineffective in diminishing high-risk behavior, it may also have the opposite effect. It seems unlikely that fraternities and sororities will stop hosting parties entirely. Rather, it seems likely the parties will simply become more discrete, subterranean and exclusive. With covert events, there will be less supervision and the University runs the risk of students becoming more hesitant to seek medical help for their friends for fear of disciplinary consequences. This creates a toxic and dangerous environment in which students’ lives and well-beings are put in serious risk. Finally, the biggest concern that I have with the ban is the concept that college students are not intelligent or responsible enough to make their own decisions, as discussed in various columns in this newspaper since the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” plan was announced on Jan. 29. In college and beyond, self-control and accepting responsibility for one’s actions are crucial skills if one wishes to excel. Simply stripping away the rights of students does not teach them to take responsibility for themselves. Rather, it treats them like children who are unable to make their own decisions. In the real world, no one will hold your hand and tell you what to do. Thus the notion behind the ban is completely unacceptable. Although I can understand and empathize with the reasons behind the outright of banning fraternity and sorority parties at Rutgers — especially considering the tragic alcohol-related incidents that have occurred — I firmly believe that the ban will not produce the desired effects of decreasing high-risk behavior. Not only will it most likely be ineffective, but it could also create a more dangerous environment. Hence the Rutgers administration should find alternative methods of addressing the root of the problem, rather than attempting to suppress it.
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 5
Living learning communities experience decrease in applications collaboration across the LLCs. Daub said she has heard posi Students can apply to live in up to tive feedback about the LLCs from three of the LLCs. The permanent students who appreciate engaging communities are the Global Village, with peers around a common interest East Wheelock cluster, Triangle and getting to know faculty and staff House and DEN in Residence, in members personally. addition to all of the special interest Daub said the way the living and affinity communities, such as learning committees operate will the Sustainable Living Center, the not be altered much by the developChinese Language House and Foley ment of new residential communities house. stipulated by the “Moving Dartmouth The Global Village is located in Forward” plan. the McLaughlin cluster and gives “Living learning communities students the opportunity to explore will continue the way they are and global topics as well as the option the continue to deepen students’ experilive on a language-specific floor. DEN ences,” Daub said, since the residenin Residence lets students become tial community program will not begin more involved with the Dartmouth until fall of 2016. She added that the Entrepreneurial Network. Triangle program may affect application numHouse provides an environment bers for living learning communities. where students Savancan deepen their “Living learning nah Liu ’18 apunderstanding plied for the Diaof LGBTQ top- communities will logue for Dartics, and the East continue the way mouth commuWheelock cluster nity, which will they are and continue encourages interexplore social action between to deepen students’ justice issues and faculty and stu- experiences” how they relate dents beyond the to life on camclassroom. pus. There are six -Katharina Daub, S h e design-your-own said that she Director for Living communities heard about the for the upcom- Learning and Academic program from a ing academic Initiatives friend who deyear — Asian/ veloped the idea, American; film and after going appreciation; philomath community; on a Tucker Foundation Alternative health care policy, innovation and Spring Break trip to West Virginia fodelivery; dialogue for Dartmouth cused on environmental social justice, and empowering women through she saw the community as a way to faith, spirituality and reflection — all take her experiences on the trip back of which will be housed in Wheeler to campus. residence hall next year. Ayana Whitmal ’18 said that The College reduced the number she applied for three living learning of design-your-own communities communities, including empowering this year from 10 to six, which may women through faith, spirituality and have contributed to the decrease in reflection after taking several women’s applications, Daub said. and gender studies classes. “This past year was the first year Whitmal said that she liked the idea where all the affinity programs and of having important and meaningful different housing opportunities have discussions with people with whom been under the umbrella of living she will be living, ensuring that she learning communities,” she said. can develop deep connections with Daub said that individual pro- her community members. grams such as the Sustainable Living Rafananda Tejada ’18 applied Center, the Chinese language house for the Latin American, Latino and and the Gender Equity floor have had Caribbean house, Dialogue for Dartlots of success in the past, but group- mouth and the Portuguese floor in the ing all of these opportunities together Global Village. under the umbrella term of LLCs She said the LALACS floor aphas had positive results, such as more pealed to her as a way to become more interaction between communities. in touch with her Latin background. “It was nice to be to be able to pull She also added that her housing that all together this year and allow the number is not high, and living in a advisors to get to know each other,” community would provide a better Daub said. alternative to other campus housing. Advisors for the individual com- Lyric Griffin ’18 also applied for munities were able to come together Dialogue for Dartmouth. and share their experiences and “I felt that I needed a living learnmethods in managing the communi- ing community,” she said. “Being ties, such as how to engage students surrounded by people with like minds who were not participating. Daub who share the same values really said this allowed for unprecedented reminds you why you are here.” FROM LLC PAGE 1
WEIJIA TANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
This year marks the first time special interest communities are under the umbrella of Living learning communities.
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Kikut sisters excel after transition from skiing to sprinting B y KOURTNEY KAWANO The Dartmouth Staff
Competing as full-time sprinters for Dartmouth’s track and field team was not what sisters Anna and Sara Kikut ’16 had in mind when they first came to the College. They were formally recruited as competitive ski racers after spending their junior and senior years attending the Green Mountain Valley School, a ski academy in Waitsfield, Vermont. In addition to skiing, the twins knew they wanted some way to stay in shape during the off-seasons. With two years’ experience as track and field athletes from their freshmen and sophomore years of high school, the Kikuts found a way to do so. Sara contacted women’s track and field head coach Sandra FordCentonze to ask if they could train with the sprinters and explained their situation — they would train with the track team on their off days in the fall and compete in the outdoor season after completing the intense skiing carnival season during the winter. Ford-Centonze said that after the girls completed a time trial, she worked with them to map a plan so they could incorporate both sports. “I always saw track as a sport that was a training method for ski racing, so anything to help my skiing, I wanted to do,” Anna said. While balancing one varsity sport with classwork may be difficult for most at an Ivy League school, the girls managed to juggle their academic schedules with the needs of two varsity sports during their freshmen years and part of their sophomore years. In 2013, Anna placed seventh in women’s slalom at the Middlebury Carnival, and Sara won second-team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships for her seventh-place finish in slalom. In the spring, the girls competed in preliminaries of the 100m and 200m dash at the 2013 Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships. Sara placed 10th with a 12.25s finish in the 100m, and Anna ran a 12.48s sprint to finish 15th. “Doing two sports was fine because they have two different seasons,” Sara said. “It was just a long time competing.” Although they found success in both sports, the girls ultimately ended up competing only in track and field. Anna decided to make the transition to track and field first after suffering a back injury that prevented her from skiing in the middle of the season. “It was difficult to balance because skiing requires training
six hours a day,” Anna said. “But managing both was never an issue. They’re very compatible sports.” Sara participated in both sports for two years before transitioning to track and field full-time this school year. “I found the training for track to be easier because we don’t need a lot of resources,” Sara said. “As a student-athlete, you couldn’t get a better sport than track when comparing the two sports.” The transition to full-time track and field athletes, Ford-Centonze said, was easy with the lifting and conditioning they did for skiing and the practices they attended with the track team. “There were times when they had a particularly hard skiing practice and the next day was an off-day, but they came to track practice because they didn’t want to fall behind,” Ford-Centonze said. “There was respect in that sense and when they transitioned. I think there was general excitement.” For Sara, the transition itself was easy, but picking up on the technicality of sprinting was difficult at first. “We didn’t have the same training as others on the team,” Sara said. “But our teammates were so helpful and we’re the type of people who ask questions when we’re confused and the track team was so accepting.” As sophomores, Anna and Sara competed in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. In the 60m dash, Anna ran a personal record of 7.95s at the 2014 Dartmouth Classic while Sara ran a personal record of 7.78s at the 2014 Indoor Heptagonal Championships. Since their freshmen year, the girls have also teamed up for their favorite event, the 4x100m relay with classmates Kaitlin Whitehorn ’16 and Jennifer Meech ’16, running the second and third legs. “I think our handoff is the most difficult in the relay,” Sara said. “It’s easy because when we run into difficulties with each other, we’re over it in five minutes so I think we have a special advantage.” At the 2014 Heps, the relay team placed second and broke the previous meet record with their time of 45.59s. “We ran a really fast time and everything came together and our handoffs were great,” Sara said. “It was a great group accomplishment.” At that same meet, Sara went on to place sixth in the 100m dash with a time of 11.95s and second in the 200m dash with a time of 24.15s to earn All-Ivy SecondTeam honors. Although there is a natural competitiveness between the two
in their individual events, neither takes the sibling rivalry seriously. “We push each other,” Sara said. “In the lifting room, she pushes me, and during intervals, I tend to push the pace.” Anna said the sisters have always competed in the same sports, so what happens on the track or the slopes stays there. “If one of us has a really good race, it doesn’t matter if the other has a bad or good day,” Anna said. “Either way, it’s a successful day.” Ford-Centonze said the sisters’ support for one another definitely outweighs the competitiveness. She noticed this during Anna and Sara’s freshmen year, when they ran the same split times in a 100m dash despite the fact they were in different heats. “That was when I saw the competitive juices, the desire to one-up the other,” Ford-Centonze said. “But there’s definitely a sisterly and familial love.” Since their time as competitive ski racers, the sisters have always roomed together the night before a race. The next morning, Anna said,
the sisters would have fun listening to music together and feed off each other’s positive energy and to feel calm before the races. Their home races are usually special for them as their grandfather makes it a priority to always watch them compete. “He always hugs us,” Anna said. “And if one of us has a bad race, he tells us, ‘Well, you gave the other one a shot.’” They have developed as sprinters by learning from one another. “We watch each other the most, so if [Anna’s] taking long strides, I’ll quicken my steps,” Sara said. “Sometimes our styles of things are exaggerated in the opposite direction.” T h o u g h t h ey c o m p e t e i n similar events for track, the girls have slightly different academic paths at Dartmouth. Sara is a math and social sciences major and is conducting bioinformatics research for the Geisel School of Medicine. Anna is a neuroscience major geared towards a pre-med track and is involved in Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority.
The girls are currently focusing on having another strong outdoor season. Both gave solid performances at the 2015 Heps, placing second in their respective relays — the distance medley for Anna and the 4x440-yard relay for Sara. The sisters, however, are also working through ongoing injuries from the indoor season and training in the fall. “A lot of it has to do with the fact that we have weaknesses from tailoring our bodies through skiing,” Sara said. “I think it’s finally caught up to us.” Ford-Centonze, however, is confident the girls will continue to improve and run faster. “The past two years, they have really shined at the championships,” Ford-Centonze said. “I don’t expect any different going into the outdoor championship coming up in May.” While Sara is awaiting clearance to compete with her injuries, Anna and the rest of the track team are preparing for this Saturday’s George Mason Invitational held in Fairfax, Virginia.
ALICE HARRISON/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Sisters Anna and Sara Kikut ’16 were recruited as competitive skiers, but successfully switched to track and field.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
SPORTS
FRIDAY LINEUP
No athletic events scheduled
Baseball falls to Boston College B y gayne kalustian The Dartmouth Staff
A loss assigned to a pitcher is — in a perfect world — supposed to indicate fault. At times the loss can be telling of a pitcher’s performance, but it can also be a misleading statistic — a sting felt by no one more than Chris England ’15 last Tuesday after taking the start against Boston College. The Big Green ultimately dropped the game 2-0 to the Eagles, but fault in this case goes beyond the simple winning and losing pitching record as England, in 6.1 innings, allowed two runs — one earned. “You just go out there and you try and pitch well every time,” England said. “Obviously, I would have liked the win. I know I pitched pretty well, but I could have done more and not given up those runs. So you still feel a little salty about the loss, no matter how you pitched. If the team doesn’t win, it’s a loss for everyone.” The game started off slowly for both teams — each team notched a hit within the first two innings, but both were wiped off the board by double plays. Joe Purritano ’16, the designated hitter who began the season with a strong start, struck out looking to close the first inning, going down to three in a row on the outside corner of the strike zone. The first base-runner to pose a threat in the game came from the Eagles in junior Chris Shaw, whose .318 batting average going into the game was overshadowed by an unreal slugging percentage of .692 — making him the biggest threat on the diamond among either team. With one out, Shaw found himself on third base in the top of the second, moved over by a bunt and then a passed ball by Big Green catcher Kyle Holbrook ’18. Shaw, on a ground out to first, became the first run of the game — unearned — before England could strike out Joe Cronin for the final out. Shaw became a threat yet again in the top of the fourth as he smacked a double down the first baseline before finding third again — though this time with two outs. England, looking to snuff out the scoring opportunity, threw two consecutive balls, though his next pitch would fly lazily out to Nick Ruppert ’16 in center field to neutralize the threat and keep the game within one run. After five shutout innings, the Eagles pulled pitcher Nick Poore and sent out Luke Fernandez, a sophomore righthander, who retired three in a row to
B y BLAZE JOEL AND BRETT DRUCKER The Dartmouth Senior Staff
Surprise! Despite what the weather may indicate, it’s actually April, meaning we’re in the heart of the spring season. Luckily for them, the majority of Dartmouth’s teams will escape the snow by hitting the road this weekend with only women’s tennis and men’s lacrosse sticking around in Hanover. Nevertheless, this should still be a critical weekend as teams try to establish themselves midway through the Ivy League slate. ANNIE DUNCAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Chris England ’15 prepares to deal in Tuesday’s game against Boston College.
close the sixth inning. In the top of the seventh, Shaw struck again, grounding a single through to right field. England struck out the next batter on seven pitches before Chris Burkholder ’17 was called to the rubber, inheriting Shaw on first and giving up a single to Stephen Sauter with one out. A double to the left field corner pushed Shaw across and left two runners in scoring position. Burkholder struck out the next batter before a line out ended the inning. Holbrook, sitting behind the plate for the first time in the Green and White, made two critical stops to hold the runners in their positions during the outing. Holbrook has primarily played in the outfield for the Big Green but he also caught in high school — though, he said, he has no preference between the positions. Adam Frank ’15 finished the final two frames on the mound, allowing no hits and a single walk. Against the four pitchers the Eagles put on the mound, Dartmouth collected only two hits and two walks. Dartmouth’s offense has struggled mightily in recent games, as the Big Green have been shut out in three of their last five outings. They have failed to notch a run over the last 19 innings. This offensive anemia has kneecapped the team’s pitching strength and held the team back. Against the Eagles, the Big Green saw 37 fewer pitches in nine frames than the opponent — the exact same distribution as the 4-0 loss against the Princeton University Tigers on Sunday. The game against Boston ran just over one hour and 45 minutes — nine minutes shorter than game two on Sunday.
What the men are looking for, after the emergence of a fairly competent rotation, is run support — patience in the box and balls that break out of the infield without hanging in the air for too long. Fortunately for the team next up in conference play are the Yale University Bulldogs who, with a 2-6 Ivy record, could be a good team for the Big Green to find their offensive stride against. As Matt MacDowell ’15 pointed out, there are players on the roster who have proven that they can hit. “Sometimes it just takes guys a little bit longer,” MacDowell said. “All week last week in practice and this week we’re focusing on simplifying our approach and I think that’s ultimately what it comes down to. I think we have a lot of leadership that can take care of that.” After Wednesday’s scheduled game against the College of the Holy Cross was cancelled due to inclement weather, the Big Green is now preparing to take on Yale University in a four-game series this weekend in New Haven, Connecticut. The men will play two doubleheaders, one on both Saturday and Sunday. Moving forward, the team will have to work to stay consistent and defeat Yale, who’s tied with Brown University for the last position in the Red Rolfe Division. As MacDowell said, the game of baseball can be an unpredictable one. “Hitting can be contagious and once some of us get going we’ll all get going,” he said. “One game can change everything. Baseball is a funny game. You can get shut out three in a row and then put up 15 the next game. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Men’s Lacrosse vs. Princeton University (Saturday at 1 p.m.) After a dramatic double overtime win against Harvard University in its first Ivy matchup of the season, the men’s lacrosse team has fallen on hard times after losing its past two league contests. The Big Green will look to right the ship this weekend when they welcome Princeton to Hanover on Saturday. The men will attempt to recreate the scene from the Tigers’ last visit to snowy New Hampshire two seasons ago when the Big Green knocked off then-No. 9 Princeton 10-9 in an upset for the ages. The visitors enter this matchup with a 2-1 league record, having defeated the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University in addition to notching an impressive overtime victory at Johns Hopkins University in February. Princeton’s offense is led by Mike MacDonald and Kip Orban who are second and fourth in the league in goals on the season, respectively. The Big Green will need to shut down this dynamic duo if they are going to survive, but they have experience in close games this season which should keep it interesting. PREDICTION: Princeton 12 Dartmouth 10 Women’s Tennis vs. Princeton University (Saturday at 12 p.m.) The Ivy League’s top ranked team at No. 37, the Big Green has its work cut out for it this weekend as it will host league-leading Princeton, likely indoors at the Boss Tennis Center. Last weekend, the women’s team struggled against perennial powerhouse Columbia University before defeating Cornell University in a close 4-3 match. Princeton has raced out to a 3-0 conference start, but the Big Green will provide
them with the toughest test on their schedule so far. Jacqueline Crawford ’17 will have a critical match at No. 4 singles against Princeton’s freshman Katrine Steffensen who was honored as the ECAC player of the week last weekend after going 2-0 and 1-0 in doubles. Although it is bound to be an exciting match, last weekend Columbia exposed that the Big Green might come up a bit short against some of the toughest Ivy competition. PREDICTION: Princeton 4 Dartmouth 3 Softball at Yale University (Saturday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.; Sunday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.) The defending Ivy League champions enter North Division play this weekend in the driver’s seat with a 7-1 Ivy record, two games ahead of secondplace Harvard University. This weekend, the Big Green heads down to New Haven, Connecticut to face a Bulldogs squad that has been struggling but has also caused trouble for the Big Green in the past. Last year in a four-game sweep in Hanover, Dartmouth and Yale went 9 innings before the home team came out ahead 3-2 in the first game before winning the remaining three. This weekend, the Big Green will again turn to its ace Kristen Rumley ’15, who leads the Ivy League in the circle with 9 wins and sits second the strikeout leaderboard with 89. She saw a 26-inning scoreless streak end last weekend. Her 18 strikeouts over 16.3 innings on the mound last weekend in addition to eight hits and seven RBIs earned the senior Ivy Softball Player and Co-Pitcher of the Week honors. The women have also been supported this season by an offensive explosion led by Katie McEachern ’16, who leads the Ivy League with an astonishing .479 batting average and eight home runs — three ahead of teammates Karen Chaw ’17 and Maddie Damore ’17 who are tied for second with five homeruns each. Dartmouth’s 28 round-trippers as a team put it far and away in first place in the league with second-place Harvard tallying only 16 so far. If all goes according to plan, the Big Green looks prime to extend its lead in the division and set itself up for a run at repeating as Ivy League Champs. PREDICTION: Dartmouth Sweeps 4-0