VOL. CLXXII NO. 61
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Tuck admits record number of female applicants
MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH 67 LOW 40
By Hannah Hye Min Chung The Dartmouth Staff
Tuck School of Business admitted a record-high number of female applicants for the Class of 2017, Tuck Dean Paul Danos said. Thirty-five percent of the applicants admitted so far are female, though the admissions process is ongoing, Danos said. He added that he expects the number to increase to about 38 percent when the admissions process ends. Tuck admissions director Dawna Clarke said that, in addition to the increase in accepted female applicants, JIN LEE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
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SEE TUCK PAGE 5
Tuck School of Business has admitted a record-high number of female applicants.
Dartmouth network will undergo security modifications
B y Estephanie Aquino The Dartmouth Staff
The Dartmouth network will undergo modifications to improve security over the spring and summer terms, but these changes — which are part of a series of security measures titled “Towards a Secure Dartmouth” — are not expected to interfere with daily usage. The changes will include a new Virtual Private Network application, an update to the Dartmouth web
authentication system, a Java update and a new BWA webpage that is used to log into BlitzMail through a web browser, according to the computing at Dartmouth website. Each of these smaller components aim to create a more secure online environment for internet users on campus. Although some students are simply using the network to browse the web, others are using it for more sensitive activities, such as online banking or handling job contracts. The need for a more secure network
also affects professors, who may use the network to conduct secure government research and official College business, including business relating to the College’s finances, on the Dartmouth network. This new, more secure system aims to reduce malicious hacking, phishing and cybercrime, Alan Cattier, director of academic and campus technology services, said. Phishing is when a hacker tries to get a user to click on a link or download a file that will then release a virus, which will infiltrate
Richard Mills advocates for change in town hall meeting B y emilia baldwin The Dartmouth Staff
Gathered in Spaulding Auditorium yesterday afternoon, special collections librarian Jay Satterfield and College executive vice president Richard Mills addressed a crowd of approximately 70 faculty and students. The lecture was part of the fourth town hall meeting in an ongoing series of open conversations launched by Mills last October. Mills largely focused on keeping
the computer and could either steal information or track what the user is doing. “‘Towards a More Secure Dartmouth’ is a series of steps that [Information Technology Services] hopes will serve to minimize the risk of these types of activities, both to individual members of the community and to the community as a whole,” Cattier said. The improvements are scheduled SEE SECURE PAGE 2
IN REMEMBRANCE
the College at an educational parity with peer institutions before opening up the floor to audience members for a question and answer period. Mills began his talk by evoking the “Red Queen” hypothesis, a theory that states that species must keep evolving to survive in competition with other ever-changing species, as a metaphor for upcoming changes at the College. In particular, Mills referenced the fact that the annual pay raise for some TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
SEE TOWN PAGE 3
Students hold a vigil for the victims of the Garissa attack in Kenya.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DAily debriefing Brown University: On April 11, an assembly of approximately 40 students participated in the second annual March Against Sexual Assault on Brown’s campus, the Brown Daily Herald reported. Stand Up!, the group that organized the march, aims to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus and provide support for survivors. Students and community members sported shirts that read “Not on our campus” as they joined the march. Activist Wagatwe Wanjuki delivered a keynote address where she discussed her experience as a survivor. Columbia University: Members of the Columbia College Student Council are developing a program for students who do not have a meal plan or run out of meal swipes, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator. Through the pilot program, students would be able to receive free meal swipes — funded by others’ donations of guest meal swipes — in emergency situations. The CCSC hopes to help solve the food insecurity issue that has recently become more visible on campus. Cornell University: Last week, Cornell’s Slope Day Programming Board announced this year’s performers for the spring-term event: Magic! and Chance the Rapper, the Cornell Daily Sun reported. Student reactions were largely positive, although some were surprised at the choice of Magic! as the opener. Harvard University: Divest Harvard has continued its protest, according to the Harvard Crimson. The group of environmental activists has most recently blockaded Massachusetts Hall and barred leading administrators, including the University President Drew Faust, from entering their offices. At least 150 activists attended a rally on Sunday night as part of the group’s “Heat Week” protest. Princeton University: According to the Daily Princetonian, the Princeton Class of 1977 Facebook group was deleted on April 7 following an alumnus’ controversial post. The post consisted of an article from The Atlantic that had already been shared and deleted several times about “The Princeton Mom.” People speculate that Class of 1977 president Susan Patton closed the group, since the article was aimed at her remarks about sexual assault that some perceived as offensive. University of Pennsylvania: In an effort to increase transparency at this year’s event, UPenn recently announced its Spring Fling party policy — over the entire weekend, the University will allow eight registered events, four Greek and four nonGreek, to serve alcohol. The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that several students find this policy unrealistic given the size of the undergraduate student body. Yale University: Yale’s Class Day co-chairs announced on April 7 that the 2015 Class Day speaker will be Vice President Joseph Biden, the Yale Daily News reported. Students interviewed by the Yale Daily News were pleased with the announcement, and the co-chairs hope Biden will inspire students to approach life with humor and grace as they enter into the post-graduate world. —COMPILED BY ANNETTE DENEKAS
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
College will increase network security FROM SECURE PAGE 1
to occur periodically over the next six months. As ITS makes changes, it will send periodical updates through the Vox Daily email and have information available on its website, Cattier said. Users will be notified prior to any changes, allowing them to make the appropriate adjustments to all of their wireless devices. One such change includes updating a security certificate on any device connected to the network. The transition from the old to updated security certificate should not present a problem for those connected to the network as long as the hardware on a device is fairly new and they make the appropriate adjustments in a timely matter, he said. “A lot of testing has been going on to minimize the possibility of disruption by security steps we’re taking, but I have to be honest, things are going to change a little,” he said. He added that the security team working on these improvements have held a series of workshops across campus to help the community understand potential cybersecurity issues. “A community that understands
cyber risks is much more likely to be able to manage these threats than one that is not,” Cattier said.
“‘Towards a More Secure Dartmouth’ is a series of steps that [Information Technology Services] hopes will serve to minimize the risk of these types of activities, both to the individual members of the community and to the community as a whole.” -ALAN CATTIER, DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC AND CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY Out of eight students interviewed, six reported that while they were glad to hear that steps are being taken to ensure that malicious hacking, phishing and cybercrime are lessened, they would like the signal
strength for the campus network to be improved. “I’ve been experiencing a lot of problems with internet connectivity this term,” Josie Mott ’18 said. “[It’s] not as bad as last term, but it’s still really inconvenient when you’re trying to do work and the internet just fails on you.” Claire Apuan ’18 also expressed her dissatisfaction with Dartmouth Secure and the complications it presents in relation to her academic work. “The internet [connection] is very unpredictable — some days it works perfectly fine others it just doesn’t work at all,” Apuan said. “The worst part is that it doesn’t work on the days I need it most.” Another student had similar sentiments and chooses to use a different network in order to avoid the spotty connectivity. “I recently purchased a new laptop and it was not connecting well at first, and [I] have since been using eduroam instead of Dartmouth Secure and it has been working better for me,” Tucker Oddleifson ’16 said. The “Towards a Secure Dartmouth” plan on the computing at Dartmouth website only addresses security issues and does not make any explicit reference to signal strength.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
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Mills compares institutional progress to evolution in lecture FROM TOWN PAGE 1
non-union workers at the College will be lower than in previous years. He also said that the changes that will be implemented as a result of the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” policy initiative are part of an “evolutionary arms race.” In order to keep up with competing institutions, he said, the College must spearhead new programs and initiatives, such as the residential house system, which will start next year. He also said that the College hopes to increase support for research opportunities. He added that the College is in an era of transition, as tuition is at an alltime high. He also stressed the need for the institution to evolve in order to maintain its elite status. “We need to keep moving and keep being great,” Mills said. Religious and spiritual life director Rev. Nancy Vogele, questioned the value of Mills’ comparison between evolutionary theory and institutional change, and suggested that this approach may not yield positive outcomes. “It doesn’t seem very happy,” she said of Mills’ approach. “It seems competitive. We’ll be annihilated unless we annihilate.” Mills said that this perceived negativity probably stemmed from his specific language, saying that the College has always been an exemplary institution and that
though higher education may no longer be at its height, the College should still derive satisfaction from evolving and improving. Barbara Sterling, a library assistant at Baker-Berry Library who attended the town hall meeting, said that she enjoyed hearing what Mills said about various initiatives at the College and that she had wanted to hear an administrative perspective. Sterling said she found Mills’ message on evolution to be effective. In a follow-up interview, Mills said that the goal of the town hall series is to create a new trust between students and administrators, as he felt students at the College are generally hesitant to communicate with administrators. “There’s a lot of reticence for the administration in the students here,” he said. Mills said that he believes there is a culture of separation between administrators and students, which he feels contributes to low audience participation at town hall meetings. He added that he hopes to change this culture. The nature of a small town such as Hanover contributes to this separation, he said, as it is harder for students to be open with administrators because of the possibility that they may run into them in town. Mills said that when he participated in similar meetings at Harvard University, the audience
was more active, adding that he hopes future discussions at the College will eventually recreate a similar environment. “At Harvard, they really hammered me with questions. I was sort of surprised when that wasn’t the case at Dartmouth,” Mills said. “It’s been a little slow here.” Mills emphasized his personal
goals as an administrator at the College, saying that he hopes that he can keep an honest and transparent relationship with students so that town meetings might become more popular and productive. Mills also said that he, along with fellow administrators, will continue to hold open discussions
to clarify and describe policy initiatives to the broader community. “[College President] Phil [Hanlon] and I, and the rest of the administration, want to explain our initiatives. It’s never our intention to keep people in the dark,” he said. Max Gibson contributed reporting to this story.
KATELYN JONES/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Mills drew parallels between institutional change to evolution in the fourth installment of his town hall series of lectures.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
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THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
Staff Columnist ANNIKA PARK ’18
GUEST COLUMNIST PENELOPE WILLIAMS ’16
Searching for Closure
Life Beyond Basements
Remembering the Sewol ferry tragedy victims means demanding the truth. “Excuse me, why have the engines stopped?” “I shouldn’t worry madam, we’ve likely thrown a propeller blade, that’s the shudder you felt.” This is a line from the iconic film, “Titanic” (1997), inspired by the disastrous sinking of the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic, which yesterday marked its 103rd anniversary. Today marks another sad occasion — the first anniversary of the sinking of the MV Sewol — with a touch of historical irony of occurring just one day after the anniversary of the Titanic disaster. The ferry capsized, taking the lives of 304 passengers, the majority of whom were high school students on a school trip to Jeju Island. Not only is it ominously reminiscent of the Titanic, but it is also an opportunity to reflect on how different nations and their people react to disasters. In particular, the United States deserves more credit for its ability to keep the memories of tragedies in its people’s hearts forever. It would be impossible to distill the incident into so few words, but the Sewol disaster was the result of corruption within the ferry operating company, the negligence and incompetence of the crew, insufficient safety regulations, flawed sea rescue protocol and an inadequate government response. What pours salt on the wounds of the families of those on board, however, are the tepid efforts at remembrance now that a year has passed. South Korean government officials have been absent or unwelcome at commemoration services held for the incident, and President Park Geun-hye is scheduled to leave the country the day of the remembrance. This is a cultural issue. South Korean culture generally discourages displays of emotion and direct, head-on reckoning with the truth. We avoid uncertainties and like to put things behind us. Meanwhile, there are cultures like the United States’, where people are more willing to admit to mistakes as well as remember those who have fallen in the face of tragedy. As an individual, I can concede that I find it difficult to navigate sensitive subjects like the September 11 terrorist attacks, which people discuss only with the utmost care. The U.S. has done much to ensure that the memories of the victims of 9/11 stay ingrained in the hearts of the people. The National September
11 Memorial and Museum in New York City was thoroughly and thoughtfully planned and then built in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 victims of Al-Qaeda’s commercial airliner hijackings and destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Tributes are made every year at Ground Zero, with U.S. politicians, senators, government secretaries, president and, of course, the people. The victims are lauded as heroes who refused to give into fear, and their spirits and legacies are remembered in the form of funds, marathons, moments of silences, documentaries and remembrance websites. The Sewol tragedy did not receive anywhere near this level of attention. Weeks after the incident, people began to shift their attention away from the initial shock factor of a sunken ship carrying hundreds of students. The nation held its collective breath, clinging to the hope that several unsuccessful rescue operations would eventually find at least one survivor. Soon after the news frenzy had passed and people began to lose interest, the momentum toward demanding answers and learning from the disaster waned. The government certainly fed into that trailing off of attention, with Park’s urging of the people to return to their daily lives and restore the economy in the face of such a saddening tragedy. Preposterous and politically charged accusations have made their way into public debate of the disaster, such as claims that families are exploiting the incident for monetary compensation. It’s truly disappointing and I am personally ashamed to see my home country’s response to the first anniversary of the Sewol tragedy. 9/11 was, of course, an unprecedented incident that was instigated by an outside terrorist organization, prompting everyone to express solidarity and support for the victims’ families. But that is not so different for the Sewol incident, in which multiple institutions neglected the safety of South Koreans, violated their trust and ultimately cost them their lives. Today not only do I drop my head in remembrance of the innocent lives lost in the sinking, but I also drop my head in shame for the lack of solidarity and collective memory in the face of a national tragedy.
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Off-campus houses offer students the chance to shape social life. “Alternative social spaces” — one of the more overused and under-realized phrases on this campus. Its connotations have become so entangled with various criticisms of Greek life, alcohol policies and residential life that its meaning has only become more ambiguous. Yet many students seem broadly dissatisfied with the current venues in which one can interact, converse and drink with friends. In light of the recent hard alcohol ban and increasing administrative oversight of Greek organizations, the future of social spaces appears particularly uncertain. I support College-sponsored spaces and events such as Sarner Underground, Collis After Dark and BarHop with enthusiasm and am convinced that those areas are becoming more reliable social spaces. I think, however, there will always be a want and need for student-run scenes — something traditionally provided by fraternities. To me, the question is whether off-campus houses are a viable alternative for students looking for parties without alcohol restrictions. In the past, it was incredibly simple to progress — or “frat hop” — from tails events or playing pong to the ceremonious break at Late Night Collis. Now, with the accumulation of administrative regulations, freshmen are nonexistent in Greek life for nearly a term and tails increasingly end up serving the same tired varieties of beer- and wine-based drinks. There is also the social phenomenon — which most regard with vague amusement — that consists of members of fraternities on probation storming a different fraternity every night to socialize or play pong. Though some shifts in the social scene have been gradual, the most drastic is taking place this term. The hard alcohol ban has had the curious — though not altogether unpredictable — effect of driving some upperclassmen off campus to imbibe, where libations flow freely in the private homes not under the College’s jurisdiction. While many complain that such off-campus parties are more exclusive than Greek parties because of the limited number of people they can host as well as the individual invitations sent out, I argue that they offer new possibilities and benefits. Since returning to campus, I have attended four
house parties, though I was only personally invited to one. At these parties I encountered students of all class years and saw several students drawn from a wide variety of Greek houses. I also had the chance to meet several unaffiliated students in my own year who I had not met before — a phenomenon that I find increasingly unusual. More importantly, these events gave complete power to a group of a generally eclectic group of students without any sort of selection or rushing process. As a woman in the Greek scene — where fraternities largely have the upper hand — I am faced with a situation where I don’t — and as a member of a national sorority will never — have the same freedom to host my own guests and events. On the other hand, at places like “Dollhouse,” “Loveshack,” “C-house” or any of several different off-campus houses, anyone has the potential to live and be in control. The Greek scene’s power dynamics of affiliation and gender, talk of holding table and arbitrary drinking skills fall to the wayside. Though it’s not entirely out of the question to ask about somebody’s potential affiliation, it matters much less, and without basements full of pong tables it’s more natural to have more invested conversations and include more people. Off-campus houses also have personalities distinct from one another. They have micro-cultures that are fostered by current residents and the legacies left by previous ones — something that makes these gatherings all the more engaging. These homes provide a unique social environment that is largely undiscovered by many students. Obviously, with the nascent effects of the hard alcohol ban on Greek life and the overall social scene, it is hard to predict how the role and nature of off-campus parties will change. That, however, is precisely why I would encourage students to seize the opportunity to explore offcampus homes and parties as a venue for social and cultural discussion. Without any institutional governance, off-campus houses offer students the chance to directly influence social life. While I can only speak to my own personal experience — and recognize that it is not universal — I am confident that the potential for both vibrant and alternative social spaces may rest in off-campus homes.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
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Tuck School of Business admits record-high amount of women FROM TUCK PAGE 1
there was an increase in the total number of female applicants. Of the 281 students currently enrolled in the Tuck Class of 2016, 32 percent are women, which is significantly lower than at most peer business schools. Of the top 10 business schools in the U.S. News and World Report graduate school 2016 rankings, Tuck — ranked ninth — ties with 10th-ranked University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business for the lowest percentage of women. Forty percent of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business’ Class of 2016 are women, while 42 percent at Stanford Business School and 41 percent at Harvard Business School are women. Danos said that there is a growing interest in business schools among women, which may be one of the factors for this increase. He added that though not drastic, the increase in the number of accepted female applicants testifies to Tuck’s recent efforts to promote gender diversity. “I think it’s something that is just imperative — everybody wants to learn from a diverse student body, especially at a place like Tuck,” Danos said. “Everybody interacts so much and learns from each other.” Lindsey Windham Tu’15 said that she is excited to have more qualified female students at Tuck next year. Elliot Gillerman Tu’15 said that it is empirically proven that diversity leads to better decisionmaking and therefore, he is glad that Tuck is moving in the right direction. “I think it’s important for the future of business, for America and for the rest of the world that women have a great path to [the] workforce,” he said. “Tuck could play a very powerful role in that.” Clarke said that Tuck created
a counseling program to attract a higher number of qualified women to apply. The admissions office also cohosts an annual conference for female prospective students each fall in conjunction with Women in Business, a student-run organization at Tuck.
“I think it’s important for the future of business, for America and for the rest of the world that women have a great path to [the] workforce. Tuck could play a very powerful role in that.” -ELLIOT GILLERMAN TU’15 At the conference, prospective students learn about the academic and social atmosphere at Tuck, as well as life in Hanover, and interact with Tuck alumni, Windham said. Windham said that she decided to commit to Tuck after attending the conference as a prospective student. “I had a couple of other schools to choose from, but Tuck, to me, was a really special academic community where I would have personal attention from faculty, a really tight group of classmates and access to [an] incredibly loyal network of alumni,” Windham said. Wi n d h a m , a m e m b e r o f Women in Business, said that the organization is dedicated to helping students prepare for careers in business by assisting with interview preparation, sharing information and hosting social events to establish a community amongst female Tuck students.
Furthermore, she added that students facilitate panel sessions on the various issues that women can face in the workplace, ranging from unequal pay to the balance between personal life and career. Both male and female students exchange their insights on these issues at the panel discussions. Windham emphasized that these support groups and initiatives take place in addition to the broader support system that Tuck already has for students of all genders. She added that she has never felt as if she were at a disadvantage because of her gender. “The culture of Tuck is very inclusive,” she said. “And there is a lot of diversity here that’s just not gender diversity.” Danos said that the increased number of female students will have a gradual impact on the student body’s learning experience at Tuck, though the effects might not be apparent at first. He said that through interaction and collaboration with students from more diverse backgrounds in both academic and social settings, Tuck students will have a broader outlook by the time they graduate. Angelica Gutierrez, a business management professor at Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration, said that the diversification of manag-
ers and leaders in the workplace is crucial to making companies more productive and competitive.
“And it’s important for us to convey to [women in business schools] that there are possibilities for them to contribute to the classroom and that it is critical for them to pursue and MBA.” -ANGELICA GUTIERREZ, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROFESSOR AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION “This is why it is absolutely critical to diversify student population at business schools,” she said. “Because we do need a lot more women in executive positions, and one of the best ways to ensure is that they are fully prepared
academically, which may entail obtaining an MBA.” In order to further foster gender diversity in the student body, Gutierrez said that business schools must convey that their academic atmosphere is welcoming and open to women. “There are studies on gender biases that [show that] in business schools, women’s opinions and perspectives tend to be undermined and they also tend to be questioned more extensively than their male counterpart,” she said. These inherent biases that affect the ways in which women are perceived and perform in business schools, she said, makes it more important that female students are encouraged to continue their education so that they may enter higher levels of management. “And it’s important for us to convey to them that there are possibilities for them to contribute to the classroom and that it is critical for them to pursue an MBA.” Windham suggested that Tuck analyze the reasons that some accepted female applicants decline to enroll. Understanding these reasons, she said, will enable Tuck to become more competitive with other top business schools. Gillerman said that he thinks strategizing where and whom to look for in the admission process will allow Tuck to further increase student diversity.
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THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
DARTMOUTH EVENTS TODAY 12:00 p.m. “Delivering the Digital Infrastructure: Complex Connections in the Hyperweb World,” Raether Hall, Frantz II Classroom
4:15 p.m. “Invisible Others: How People Experience the Same God Differently in Ghana, India and the U.S.,” Hood Auditorium
7:00 p.m. “The Hard Problem” (2015), national theater live in HD, Black Family Visual Arts Center, Loew Auditorium
TOMORROW 2:00 p.m. “The Nile Project,” musical performance, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Spaulding Auditorium
6:30 p.m. “Still Alice” (2014), film screening, Black Family Visual Arts Center, Loew Auditorium
8:00 p.m. Public astronomical observing with the department of physics and astronomy, Shattuck Observatory
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
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The Nile Project brings music, discussion to Hanover BLOW, BLOW BLOW YOUR BOAT
KATELYN JONES/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Dartmouth musicians welcomed the Nile Project at “Sing Africa!”
B y maya poddar The Dartmouth Staff
After driving two passenger vans to campus from Portland, Maine, on Monday, several of the musicians who form part of The Nile Project — a collaborative group of artists from 11 countries along the Nile Basin who use music to draw awareness to and provoke discussion about the region — will pile into yet another van this evening and head to Thetford, Vermont, for a local musicians exchange. There, as part of its midApril residency at the College, the international group will participate in a “jam session,” Hopkins Center publicity coordinator Rebecca Bailey said. Alongside a series of events planned around the Upper Valley this week — ranging from a panel on managing river resources to a visit to a local high school in Orford, New Hampshire — the Nile Project will also offer its diverse range of sounds to audiences at the Hop, performing shows this Friday at 2 and 8 p.m. and this Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. In addition, the Nile Project has already visited a number of classes and performed alongside student groups including the Jabulani African Chorus . Planning to bring The Nile Project to the College has been in the works for roughly two years, Bailey said. “We’ve had a long time to think about how we want to contextualize [the visit] with a number of residency activities, both on campus and with the community,” she said. Founded in 2011 by ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis and singer Meklit Hadero, the group seeks to address the cultural and environmental challenges facing the Nile River Basin. Given that its mission emphasizes not only music but also education and dialogue, the Nile Project has dedicated a significant amount of their time on campus to interacting with music classes and with courses across the sciences. Geography professor Coleen Fox, whose students shared a session with
members of the Nile Project yesterday alongside students enrolled in a course taught by fellow geography professor Frank Magilligan, spoke positively about the Nile Project’s visit to her class. “It was an opportunity for both classes to hear about how...musicians were approaching issues or topics that in both classes we were probably approaching from a different angle,” Fox said. “I think a visit like that serves to broaden students’ perspectives in terms of how they’re approaching these issues in class.” In addition to class visits yesterday, members of the Nile Project also engaged with the exhibit “Water Ways:
KATE HERRINGTON/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Musicians in the Dartmouth Wind Ensemble focus on their sheet music during a Wednesday rehearsal.
Tension and Flow” at the Hood Museum of Art, and Nile Project founder Girgis participated in a panel entitled “Who Controls the Water?: Managing River Resources Through Civic Engagement.” The panel, moderated by government professor Christianne Wohlforth, also featured professors Fox and Magilligan and executive director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council Andrew Fisk. “We’re a liberal arts institution, and the hallmark of a liberal arts education is the ability to make connections
across disciplines,” Wolhforth said in explaining the panel’s value. “Prima facie, it is part of a hallmark of what we do to try and come at particular issues from very different perspectives, and in this case it means coming at the issue of civic engagement with water resource management through the lens of the arts.” The Collis Center and Collis Governing Board have also been involved supporting the Nile Project’s work on campus. Yesterday evening, the Nile Project performed in Collis Common
Ground as part of “Sing Africa!” — a concert funded in part by the Sykes Memorial Concert Fund. “Working with the Hop has been a very useful collaboration, and a really good way to get performers and students to mingle,” assistant director of the Collis Center Tim Duggan said. Tickets for the Nile Project’s Friday performance cost between 17 and 40 dollars. Performances on Saturday — in Alumni Hall at 11 a.m. and in Claremont, New Hampshire, at 3 p.m. — are free.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
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SPORTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
THURSDAY LINEUP
No athletic events scheduled
Senior Spring: Lucia Pohlman ’15, Dartmouth’s greenest athlete
B y Ray lu
The Dartmouth Staff
In the summer before she came to play volleyball at the College, Katie Jarrett ’16 was supposed to receive a package from her “big sister” on the team. When it finally arrived in the mail, there was a message from Alex Schoenberger ’15, explaining that Jarrett’s mentor was out of reach for the summer. That’s because Lucia Pohlman ’15 was on a farm in Italy, far from Hanover and the rest of the women who would be coming to join the volleyball team at the beginning of the fall. It was there that Pohlman realized her passion for sustainability and the mission to maintain a healthy planet. Pohlman was born and raised in Marin County, California, just 20 minutes north of San Francisco, where she lived her entire life before coming to Hanover in the fall of 2011. While she wouldn’t go so far as to say that she was born with a green thumb, clues from her childhood would hint at her predisposition for all things natural. Each day for nearly seven years, from first grade through eighth, Pohlman would walk to school, taking in the nature around her. Her neighborhood is sandwiched between San Francisco and Muir Woods National Monument, a national park that encompasses one of the few remaining California Redwood forests in the area. Growing up, Pohlman went through several iterations of possible career paths. As a young child, she developed an acute interest in art, and during every holiday season, she inevitably recieved another drawing or painting set. Sports also became a big part of her life, and in sixth grade she took up volleyball for the first time. After her freshman year of high school, Pohlman transferred to Redwood High School, a school known for its volleyball prowess. “[Moving] was a big step toward taking volleyball seriously,” Pohlman said. “Before, it was more of a hobby.” Pohlman lettered in volleyball all three years at Redwood, culminating in her role as the team captain her senior year. That season, Redwood won the Marin County Athletic League, and Pohlman was named its Player of the Year. Unlike many Division I athletes, Pohlman never considered collegiate
volleyball as the obvious next step. “I never really thought I was good enough to play [in] college,” Pohlman said. “I never really thought that was an option.” Even so, colleges began to notice her versatile skill set. Recruiting offers started coming in, and Pohlman considered the College of William and Mary, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University and Dartmouth. “When I chose Dartmouth, it was because — for some reason — when I was a little kid, I felt like I wanted a shared experience…where we could walk up to anyone and [say] ‘we went through that together,’” Pohlman said. After four years, Pohlman says that she has gotten exactly what she wanted out of it during her time at the College. From the start, Pohlman was a key contributor to the volleyball team. She finished fourth on the team in digs and third in blocks during her freshman year, playing all over the court in head coach Erin Lindsey’s first season. Academically, Pohlman was interested in a career as an interior designer or in international relations. Heading into her first summer with the opportunity to spend time away from campus, however, Pohlman decided to spend her time in the Tuscan countryside through the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms program. WWOOF members are given free food and a place to stay in exchange for a bit of work around the farm. Pohlman said she had it all during her stay — an Italian boyfriend, free food and travel experience. While there, she realized she wanted to study environmental science. In the midst of reading a book on environmentalism in a nearby farm’s library, Pohlman suddenly arrived at a moment of realization — this is what she needed to devote her life to. “In retrospect, I look at that like, ‘You were on an organic farm Lucia, that was very clear you were on that path,’ but to me [at that moment] it was a complete revelation that I had never thought of before,” Pohlman said. When she returned to campus after her time abroad, she immediately dove into sustainability ventures. After applying to a wide array of programs, she ended up in an unlikely position — the program manager for the Dartmouth Bikes program through
the sustainability office. “I am not a big bike person,” Pohlman said, “I don’t have a bike on campus. I wouldn’t say I ride my bike very much. I don’t have a bike at home.” Nonetheless, Pohlman quickly made an impact. Previously, the bike program had little reach beyond the pop-up repair shop. Realizing that there were many abandoned bikes around campus, generating material waste even when there was such a high demand for them, Pohlman sprung a plan into action to set up a bike rental system. The process was time-consuming — Pohlman needed to clear legal paperwork and give a presentation to her boss, the sustainability program manager Jenna Musco, on the costeffectiveness of the idea. Her efforts paid off, and the bike rental system is still in place and thriving today. This success helped Pohlman recognize her skill and passion for designing and managing projects. That quickly evolved into further sustainability measures, especially regarding Dartmouth Dining Services and food waste. Pohlman’s next project, though, made her take a step back. Inspired by environmental studies professor Anne Kapuscinski’s research on integrated food energy systems — high-tech zero-waste greenhouses — Pohlman aspired to bring one to the College. After rounding up all the people and
paperwork she needed, however, she realized that a year and a half was not going to be enough time to see the project through. Disappointed but not discouraged, Pohlman went back to the drawing board. While serving as the bike program manager, Pohlman had to learn how to juggle academics, volleyball and her extracurriculars. “It was difficult,” Pohlman said. “I definitely have memories of feeling like I was scrambling, but I also think that it’s what kept me fulfilled.” On the court, Big Green volleyball struggled. The team won two games, only one during Ivy League play, during Pohlman’s sophomore year, tying for the fewest in the program’s history since its inaugural season in 1994. The young team missed the veteran leadership of captains Annie Villanueva ’12 and Amber Bryant ’12. Villanueva finished her career as Dartmouth’s all-time leader in kill percentage, and Bryant holds the record for digs in a game, season and career. The graduating class also included Madeline Baird ’12, who holds the all-time record for kills. Understandably, the team had big shoes to fill, but managed to improve to an 11-15 record by Pohlman’s junior year. This past season, the team finished above 0.500 for the first time in three years, but went 4-10 in the Ivy League. Despite opening up the year with a 13-4 record, the Big Green ultimately dropped the final eight games of the
season. Currently, Pohlman is finishing up her thesis on community-supported agriculture. In the winter, she was named an inaugural Stamps Scholar, funding her study of which food systems would be the most feasible and effective to implement at the College. In addition, Pohlman is investigating the possibility of an organic farm social space similar to the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. In the near future, Pohlman is looking to open an urban farm back home in San Francisco, creating fresh produce for an area that can’t seem to get enough of it. Including fellow Dartmouth students, Pohlman said, would be a dream come true. “It would be so awesome to give back to the Dartmouth community by giving a space for Dartmouth students to thrive and show them how amazing and nourishing that kind of lifestyle can be,” Pohlman said. As for her peers and the youth population today, Pohlman had some memorable words: “You don’t need to consume as much as you do right now. Profit doesn’t mean welfare, and money doesn’t mean happiness. Really evaluate where you are spending your time and [whether] it’s to [earn] money because someone told you that would make you happy or if you’re actually evaluating what you really care about and spending time there.” Katie Jarrett is a member of The Dartmouth Senior Staff.
Courtesy of Lucia Pohlman
Lucia Pohlman ’15 has served as the two-time volleyball team captain as well as program manager for Dartmouth Bikes.