VOL. CLXXI NO. 26
PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 15 LOW -6
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
GLC policy follows Gathering condemns post ‘Bloods and Crips’party
By JOSH schiefelbein The Dartmouth Staff
SPORTS
SQUASH SPLITS WEEKEND GAMES PAGE 8
OPINION
DR. KEYSTONE PAGE 4
LOOKING AT DARTMOUTH PAGE 4
ARTS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: LANPHORD CAO ’16
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
A new policy will expect Greek organizations that receive complaints regarding standards of community violations to adjudicate the accused individuals in-house or participate in mediation sessions with the complainants. The Greek Leadership Council and Greek organization presidents unanimously approved the bylaw at a meeting on Monday. The policy, proposed by the presidents of Delta Delta Delta sorority and Alpha Delta fraternity in reaction to the “Blood and Crips”-themed party that
took place last July, aims to prevent and respond to violations of community principles involving cultural or other types of insensitivity, Greek Leadership Council president Elliot Sanborn ’14 said. Tri-Delt president Claire Stewart ’14 said official bylaws are necessary for addressing events like the party, which her sorority co-hosted with AD. Multiple students filed bias incident reports with the College in response to the “Bloods and Crips”-themed event, which received national media attention. SEE GLC PAGE 2
Focus groups evaluate Montgomery Program By SARA MCGahan
Daniel Potts, an archeologist who studies the Middle East, and Johnny Clegg, a South African musician and activist, will be next term’s Montgomery Fellows. The program brings internationally-recognized figures to Dartmouth to speak publicly to and engage informally with students. While no fellows will visit the College this winter,
students have participated in informal meetings to discuss their thoughts about the program and ideas for its future. Potts will remain on campus throughout spring term to teach an anthropology class, while Clegg will visit campus for a few days in mid-April and perform a concert at the Lebanon Opera House. SEE MONTGOMERY PAGE 3
GAVIN HUANG/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Students speak out against a recent Bored at Baker post that attacked a student.
B y victoria nelsen and Jessica avitabile The Dartmouth Staff
Hundreds of students gathered on the Green last night to take a stance against sexual assault on campus, swaying armin-arm as they sang the College alma mater in near-zero temperatures. Student leaders took turns addressing the crowd from a makeshift podium atop the Winter Carnival snow sculpture. “Dartmouth is better than this,” student body president Adrian Ferrari ’14 yelled through a megaphone.
The students, calling on one another to take action rather than rely on the administration, had congregated in response to a Jan. 10 threatening Bored at Baker post. The post, a step-by-step guide to assaulting a female member of the Class of 2017, identified the student and her residence cluster. Following a police investigation, the College has since identified the post’s author and is pursuing disciplinary action through College systems. The post first sparked public debate after the named student
wrote about her experiences with assault and harassment on the Class of 2017 Facebook page, attaching a screen shot of the Bored at Baker post. Speakers at the gathering included student body president Adrian Ferrari ’14 and Native Americans at Dartmouth copresident Phoebe Racine ’14. Kristy Blackwood ’14 read Dartmouth’s Principles of the Community. In closing, the crowd sang the alma mater. Emails sent Sunday and Monday notified students of the event. The SEE GATHERING PAGE 3
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Library to conduct survey on services, resource usage B y BRIAN CHALIF
The Dartmouth Staff
The College’s library is conducting its triennial survey this week, an examination that in past years has led the library to extend its hours from midnight to 2 a.m. and add more group study rooms. The survey, conducted by the Dartmouth
library assessment committee, will be sent to 1,528 undergraduates and 771 graduate students over the next few days. “Help shape your library,” the survey begins, before asking about respondents’ library usage and experiences, tools they find helpful and what they would like to see in the future. The survey aims to collect
“big-picture” information on the library’s current performance, library assessment committee chair John Cocklin said. Although the library also conducts regular, smaller surveys, this one provides broader data every three years, he said. The most recent survey, conducted in 2011, revealed that graduate students, undergradu-
ates and professors used online resources more than they had previously, Cocklin said. This information, he said, has led the library to increase its collection of online materials over the past three years, especially its e-book collection. As a result of the 2011 survey, library staff added more group study rooms with televisions,
white boards and computers to Baker-Berry Library. The library also bought new, more comfortable furniture. The 2014 survey will ask respondents how they learn about library services and asses how important specific tools are to students’ coursework. The SEE LIBRARY PAGE 2
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DAily debriefing Portsmouth may become the state’s first city to pass a policy protecting transgender city workers from employment discrimination, New Hampshire Public Radio reported. New Hampshire is the only state in New England without a law prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws protecting workers from discrimination based on gender identity and expression, as has the federal government. Assistant mayor of Portsmouth Jim Splaine, who was also active in advocating for the state’s legalization of gay marriage in 2009, brought the measure before the Portsmouth city council on Feb. 3 and asked city officials for support last week. The city council will vote on the policy on March 3. A New Hampshire House committee is holding a hearing today to consider increasing the state’s minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, the Associated Press reported. The Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee will discuss whether lawmakers should pass a law requiring an $8.25 an hour minimum wage in 2015 and $9 in 2016. In 2011, state legislators decided to abolish the law holding the state minimum wage above the federal level, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. New Hampshire is one of 19 states with a minimum wage identical to the federal rate. If the bill passes the Democratic-controlled House, it will face strong opposition in the Republican-led Senate. On Friday, Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vt., and Vermont Health Commissioner Harry Chen announced that Vermont will receive a $10 million federal grant to grow prevention and treatment programs for young adults at risk of substance abuse and addiction, the Associated Press reported. The grant was given by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Vermont will use the funds to grow services at 10 locations statewide and will work to assist around 90,000 residents by 2018. The government hopes to incorporate drug and alcohol abuse screening into regular health care visits, like screening for problems such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. Shumlin, who commented on Vermont’s growing drug abuse problems in his State of the State address last month, stressed the importance of prevention. This marks a policy shift away from a solely law enforcement-based approach, he noted. Vermont is one of five states to receive a grant.
Corrections We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
Library survey to assess engagement FROM LIBRARY PAGE 1
committee will use survey results to compile a report suggesting potential changes. Library managers then review the report and begin to act on new ideas. “We don’t make a decision solely on this survey, but this definitely contributes to decisions that are made,” Cocklin said. The library conducted its first largescale survey in 2004, using a nationally standardized survey tool from the Association of Research Libraries, called LibQUAL+. The 2008 survey saw a low completion rate and did not provide information about Dartmouth-specific services, Conklin said. The completion rate, defined as the percent of students who answered the first through the last questions, was 40 percent in 2008 and around 85 percent in 2011, according
to the 2011 final report. The 2011 survey was independent of LibQUAL+, made with help from the Office of Institutional Research, Cocklin said. “We want it to be as straightforward as possible,” Cocklin said. This year’s survey contains only slight modifications. Cocklin said the library is also working to bring its response rate — the percent of people who receive the link to the survey and complete it — to above 30 percent for the first time. Aside from the triennial survey, the library also seeks feedback from faculty, staff and students on the Council on the Libraries. The group compiles an annual report on the library’s educational resources, acquisitions and funds. “The library takes it seriously, they are always looking for comments and ways to improve things for students and faculty alike,” council member
Doug Irwin, an economics professor, said. “They encourage everyone to fill them out because they do read them all and make changes from them.” Students said library services could be improved by teaching students to better use its resources. Scott Gladstone ’15 said that he thinks the library does not sufficiently teach freshmen how to check out books. The open stack system can be “daunting” at first, he said. Others said they would like to see additional changes to study spaces. Joshua Tupler ’16 said he wants more 24-hour study locations that facilitate group work. Jordana Composto ’16 said she would like a greater variety of study locations. “There are social environments like [King Arthur Flour] and quiet areas like the stacks, but not many in between,” Composto said.
New GLC policy aims to curb insensitivity FROM GLC PAGE 1
The Afro-American Society, the College’s chapter of NAACP, La Alianza Latina and the Women of Color Collective produced a campuswide “Call to Action” in response to the event. The policy specifies four types of violations, including holding events or wearing clothing deemed insensitive to other cultures, as well as participating in activities that are offensive and do not uphold Greek community standards. In the event of a complaint regarding an individual, the policy places responsibility for adjudicating violations in the hands of the accused offender’s Greek organization. If a chapter doesn’t act after receiving a complaint, or if the complaint involves the entire chapter, the GLC will be responsible for holding it accountable. Greek organizations must respond to complaints by participating in a mediation session with the complainant. The initial response to a complaint against a Greek chapter will consist of mediation between the complainant and the chapter. If mediation fails to produce a resolution, the GLC executive board will decide if the Code of Standards has been violated. Individuals may be required to participate in a conversation moderated by the GLC, Greek Letter Organizations and Societies or the Office of Pluralism and Leadership. Chapters may also hold internal discussions about the cause of the offense and potential procedural violations. The individual or chapter may also be asked to publicly apologize, complete community service or pay a fine. Sanborn said he believes the pol-
icy encourages dialogue. The more students are aware of the policy’s existence, the more effective it will be, he said. “I encourage people to take this policy seriously and think about how we can leverage this to move our campus in a good direction,” Sanborn said. He encouraged both affiliated and unaffiliated students to read through the policy. AD president Siegfried von Bonin ’14 said he believes it is important to create a framework for addressing and preventing future violations. The policy, he said, will not result in overnight reform. “We are aware that there are instances of systemic injustice on our campus and that we want to take a stand against that,” Stewart said. “This is our first step. We understand that the policy will only be as effective as our peers are at upholding these standards and confronting violations.”
Coeducational Council president Abigail Bard ’14 said she thinks the policy proves that the Greek community is serious about developing solutions for societal problems that are reproduced at Dartmouth in a way that harms traditionally marginalized groups. Students interviewed said the policy may be helpful in preventing harmful incidents overall. Some, however, were critical about the extent of its potential power. “I feel that this policy is a good step,” Ruby Hopkins ’17 said. “But there is still a ways to go as far as genuine shifts in the attitude of many Greek chapters,” Evelyn Weinstein ’16 said she thought the severity of the repercussions under the new policy will deter groups from holding events or acting in ways that raise concerns of insensitivity. She said that while she disagrees with punishing people for their ignorance, she approves the general policy.
STAND-UP FOR A CAUSE
KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Cindy Pierce performed “Demystifying Sex,” sponsored by Women’s Forum.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
PAGE 3
Students condemn Bored at Baker post, call for action FROM GATHERING PAGE 1 “The administration does what message spread quickly, as Greek they can, but we need to condemn organizations, the Dartmouth Out- this culture of apathy,” she said. ing Club and sports teams reached “We wanted to show that this is a out to their members. The Panhel- community issue and we wanted lenic Council also highlighted the this event to be put on by the community.” event in a campus-wide email. Leah Feiger ’14 Racine said emphasized that in her speech organizing the that the gath- “I was initially shocked event was a crossering’s inten- and disgusted, but campus effort. tion was to happy that it was being The gathering, demonstrate brought to everyone’s she said, expandsolidarity with attention because I feel ed on existing survivors of like I walk around and efforts to combat sexual ashear rape jokes and sexual assault on s a u l t , s h ow campus and that that harmful nothing gets said. The it should serve as behaviors are next time we hear a a “rallying call” not acceptable rape joke, we’re going for further action. a n d a f f i r m to shoot it down.” Randolph and core DartFeiger said they mouth values. hope the event, In h i s -aki berman ’16 especially given speech, Ferits large attenrari urged students to take responsibility and dance, will inspire others to enact stand up against acts of discrimina- change in their own corners of campus. tion, sexual assault and violence. “It is not enough to rely on the “If nothing else happened, if administration and select student no one else here felt inspired to act, we stood here in support of groups to act,” Ferrari said. He said he felt grateful and im- a member of our community and pressed to see hundreds of people other members of our community out on the Green and believes the and stood in solidarity,” Feiger said. high number is indicative of how “Survivors can now walk around many students reject sexual vio- campus seeing all of these people lence. At the same time, however, that actually care. That is ultiFerrari stressed the importance mately one of the most important of continuing to take action, things to us.” like registering for Dartmouth Malcolm Salovaara ’17, who atBystander Intervention training, tended the gathering, said he found which teaches participants how to the Bored at Baker post disturbing. Sexual assault was a problem at his intervene in high-risk situations. Katie Randolph ’14 said that high school, he said, and he takes students began organizing the the issue very seriously. event a few days ago but wanted Though he said he was pleased to wait until after Winter Carnival to see a strong turnout at the event, to respect the memory of Torin Salovaara said he was “underTucker ’15, who died Feb. 1 while whelmed” by the gathering, calling competing in a cross-country ski the speakers’ messages against sexual violence “nothing out of race in Craftsbury, Vt.
the ordinary.” Moving forward, Salovaara said he believes the onus is on students, rather than the administration, to make significant change. Aki Berman ’16 said she attended the gathering to show support and demonstrate the fact that the Dartmouth community should not condone this type of behavior. “I was initially shocked and disgusted, but happy that it was being brought to everyone’s attention because I feel like I walk around and hear rape jokes and nothing gets said,” Berman said. “The next time we hear a rape joke, we’re going to shoot it down.” Berman said she feels the responsibility ultimately falls on the administration to change the way the College handles perpetrators. Several students shared emphasized the need to come together as a community.
“It’s important we show that and I thought she was very strong sexual assault and sexual violence and amazing.” do not belong on this campus Paige Wilson ’14, a Mentor A g a i n s t Vi o or anywhere lence, said she e l s e , ” A l e x “I felt sick to my stomach, was impressed Kaye ’15. physically sick, when I by the level of Charli Fool read it,” she said. “But support disB e a r - Ve t t e r when I heard about her played last night. ’15 said that [Facebook] post, I felt Friends of hers since the Bored very empowered, and h ave s u f f e r e d at Baker post from sexual ashas sparked I thought she was very sault in the past, discussion on strong and amazing.” s h e s ai d , an d campus, it has though many been inspir- - Charli fool bearpeople were iming to meet mediately angry students from vetter ’15 and wanted to all walks of campus that support the victim take action out, motivation died and feel disgusted by how she has down quickly. “I’ve seen such an outpouring of been treated. “I felt sick to my stomach, physi- support, such that I’ve never seen cally sick, when I read it,” she said. for any other incidence of sexual “But when I heard about her [Face- assault on this campus,” she said. book] post, I felt very empowered, “We can’t lose momentum.”
IF YOU GIVE A SCOUT A COOKIE
KELSEY KITTELSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Members of Kappa Delta sorority sell Girl Scout cookies in ’53 Commons.
Students evaluate Montgomery Program in absence of winter fellow FROM MONTGOMERY PAGE 1
Christianne Wohlforth, who became the program’s director last fall, said focus group meetings will gauge student opinion on the fellows program and solicit suggestions on how to improve it. The first focus group met for lunch on Monday to discuss who they would like to see on campus, how they would like to interact with fellows and what fields future fellows should represent. Focus groups will continue to meet in the coming weeks, Wohlforth said. Because the program competes with other campus events for student attention, she said, it is important to provide opportunities that
students can easily take advantage of when fellows come to campus. “We are really using this time to look at the program from all angles,” Wohlforth said. Arianna Vailas ’14 said she used Monday’s focus group to reflect on her experiences at the College and the interests that she has pursued outside of class. “It was great to have the chance to communicate the things that were meaningful to me in a way that is impactful on campus and to connect with other students that are doing the same,” Vailas said. Wohlforth has also met with faculty to discuss the nomination process, she said. While in the past the Montgomery Endowment
Steering committee has only accepted nominations from professors, in future terms Wohlforth said
“We are really using this time to look at the program from all angles.” - Montgomery program director christianne wohlforth she may take student opinions into account. The time necessary to complete
arrangements for each fellowship makes soliciting student nominations difficult, Wohlforth said. “I would hate for students to nominate someone only to find that they aren’t coming until after they graduate,” she said. By setting up student focus groups, Wohlforth said she can get a sense of what students hope to gain from the program. T he prog ram, established in 1977 by Harle and Kenneth Montgomery, is also restructuring how it communicates with the Dartmouth community, aiming to connect fellows with students who will benefit from having meaningful conversations with them. During their time at the College,
which can last from less than a week to several months, fellows deliver Montgomery Endowment lectures or performances. Many choose to teach a class course. In the fall, the Montgomery Program brought filmmaker Werner Herzog, philosopher and writer Rebecca Newberger Goldstein and actor and director Alan Alda to campus. The Montgomery House is the cornerstone of the program, providing a place for students to interact with fellows in a comfortable atmosphere, Wohlforth said. “These kinds of interpersonal, informal interactions tend to be the most meaningful for students,” she said.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
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Guest Columnist Heidi Illanes Meyers ’14
Contributing Columnist Victor Muchatuta ’16
Dr. Keystone
Looking at Dartmouth
Or: How I learned to stop asking and leave Dartmouth. My first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Norwich terrified me. The setting couldn’t have been more clichéd: a rainy day in a church filled with stale donuts and heavily sweetened coffee. I was the youngest by a generous 15 years. Dartmouth did not know I was there, nor did it care. For those unfamiliar with AA, every meeting involves reading from the “Big Book,” which holds stories of miracles, encouragement and testimonies from people dealing with a common demon. This particular Sunday, we read Story 17 — the tale of a college student who drank heavily while attempting to cover his insecurities before falling out a second-story window headfirst into a concrete grate. The story spoke of how the school’s deans had failed him, how counseling hadn’t made a difference and how the school told him to go to AA or he would be expelled. Finishing the story, the reader stood up and explained that this happened nearby and that the author’s sponsor was in attendance. I explained my eerily similar history to the sponsor; he looked at me with an exhausted but sincere smile, and explained that he came to meetings for himself but also for the students who attended — yet few ever came. Dartmouth has a problem, and it’s not necessarily drinking. It’s denial. Dartmouth spends more time washing its hands than wringing them. In an interview with the New York Times last October, newlyinaugurated President Phil Hanlon asserted that drinking at Dartmouth is no worse than at peer institutions. I agree. But we are separated by our indifference. I was Good Sammed my freshman year with a BAC of 0.3. I spent the night in Dick’s House and walked home 12 hours later. No consequences, no follow-ups and nothing to worry about. Aurora Matzkin, director of health promotions and student wellness, calls the decrease of high blood-alcohol cases “encouraging,” based on “high” levels defined as being above .25, more than three times New Hampshire’s .08 legal limit. I can raise a glass to that. Dartmouth is dying a death of a thousand cuts; the creeping normalcy of frightening behavior
makes the outcry of a single student seem just plain silly. So let’s make it real. Say, after a long day spent drinking, you try to commit suicide one weekend (like I did). You don’t want to get the police involved, so you seek support elsewhere. In my case, the emergency phone number on the Dick’s House website had been disconnected (later, I was told that I must have made a mistake). So what do you do when you’re not suicidal during normal hours? Under the stern hand of my adamant friends, I approached my dean, who, I must admit, had the best intentions. But how do you give your student the best advice when there is none? How do you direct them to the best options when all options are unacceptable? Eventually I reached the head counselor of Dick’s House, who gave me few options and fewer recommendations. Like the student in Story 17, I felt I had to “get help or get out.” I didn’t consider on-campus options like the Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors or entertain the possibility of resuming my education. From the beginning of counseling through my decision to leave, the attitude was not “What can we do for Heidi,” but “What will Dartmouth do with Heidi?” I applaud the DAPAs. They provide a personal, confidential niche for individuals less cowardly than me. They are certainly the best resource here. But I didn’t want to serve my confidant coffee at Novack. I stayed in Hanover and visited DHMC for outpatient counseling. I completed rehab and ran away to New York for a long needed off term. I returned fresh-faced and sober. I cannot ask Dartmouth to change for me. I cannot expect my old drinking friends to meet me for a sober lunch or my sorority to change its events to accommodate one sister. But I do want to ask Dartmouth for options — real options. I am not going to an AA meeting that may also seat my professors. I am not going to wait a week for a counseling appointment. I am not going to applaud the absolute neglect of abuse prevention, nor the exclusive focus on curative programs. After being turned away from Dartmouth, I have found my own sober path — but what about the next student?
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ISSUE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
NEWS EDITOR: Jessica Avitabile, LAYOUT EDITOR: Jin Shin, TEMPLATING EDITOR: Katherine Healy, COPY EDITOR: Maieda Janjua.
SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College, and should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.
We should seek connection, even in the face of potential rejection. HBO’s new series “Looking” revolves that cute ’15 guy or girl? Well, because around a group of four gay men in San when he or she rebuffs you, it’ll suck. A Francisco. It is one of the first shows in lot. But hell, do it anyway. To quote that which being gay is fully explored — not venerable genius of relationships, Aubrey reduced to being a punchline, something to Graham (also known as Drake), “Who the be avoided or ashamed of. In a time when hell wants to be 70 and alone?” The answer parts of the world are beginning to look dif- is no one. Gay, straight or somewhere in ferently at homosexuality and one in which between, we are all looking for friendship, gay marriage bans are being abolished, a for connection, maybe even for love. It’s show like “Looking” is overdue. a scary thing to admit. We Ivy Leaguers However, “Looking” is about more don’t need anyone else, do we? We’re strong, than just the intricacies of gay culture. At independent people with personalized goals its heart, “Looking” is a show that offers and hearts overflowing with ambition. It’s a beautiful representation of what every easier to focus on that and just settle. young person in the world is doing right Honestly, the idea of settling used to make now: looking. Lookme laugh. Now it just ing for purpose in a “Gay, straight or somewhere breaks my heart. world cruelly ruled in between, we are all looking At my all-boys by chance. Looking high school, being for friendship, for connection, for something real outwardly emotionmaybe even for love. It’s a in a world where the al generally meant superficial is too often scary thing to admit.” that within seconds, lauded. Looking for someone would tell meaning in the lives you to “stop being so of those around us, the lives of those we gay.” That was a funny thing to say then, care for and the lives that we live. but now these jokes just make me cringe. It would be easy for me to segue into I finally realized that the overriding issue, a wonderful narrative about how I have in the patriarchal Zimbabwean society in come to Dartmouth and learned to “look” which I grew up — and in Hanover and differently. That in coming here, I have across the world, in fact — is that we keep become more attuned to how my words grasping at what it means to be a man, but and actions can offend and oppress. This we do it all wrong. would not only be easy, it would be true, This is the importance of “Looking.” too. But it would only be a tiny part of a It challenges our existing understanding complicated and ever-morphing truth. To of who deserves love, of what it means to leave my description of Dartmouth at just be a man. Without a doubt, a major part that, as a gloriously imperfect institution, of its appeal is that it is a show about gay would be to commit a sin of omission. men and the first major series of its kind. Alfred Lord Tennyson would have us But just as we are so much more than the believe that if we strive and seek, then we labels placed upon us, the same goes for will find and never yield. But to allow your- this series — one that illuminates an oftself, on a campus filled with predominantly forgotten fact about our current existence. strangers, to be vulnerable — to not only Though our tools for connecting have purposefully seek and look, but to openly changed, evolved and some might even admit you are doing so? That’s hard. But say become distorted, our desire for real alas, the best things in life always are. connections still burns pure and bright. So I ask, why not send that email to We still keep looking.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DARTMOUTH EVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH COMICS
Crepes a la Carte
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
Brian Flint ’14
TODAY 12:00 p.m. Tucker Tuesday: Upper Valley Voices with Diane Reinhardt, Tucker Living Room
4:00 p.m. Engineering-physics plasma seminar, “Pathways to Thermospheric Heating via Cusp Electron Precipitation,” with Binzheng Zhang, Cummings Hall 200
4:00 p.m. Women’s and gender studies winter lecture, “Black Sexual Syncretism,” with C. Riley Snorton of Northwestern University, Kemeny 008
TOMORROW 3:15 p.m. Music department colloquium, “Electronic Made Acoustic,” with Jeff Snyder, Faulkner Recital Hall
4:15 p.m. Computer science colloquium, “Machine Learning for Social Systems: Modeling Opinions, Activities and Interactions,” with Julian McAuley of Stanford University, Steele 006
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Lanphord Cao ’16
MARK WIDERSCHEIN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Lanphord Cao ’16 writes original songs and plays the piano.
B y hallie huffaker Lanphord Cao ’16 has played music for as long as he can remember. Growing up in China, he took up classical piano at age 7. Yet, as he began listening to more rock, pop and hip-hop artists at the age of 15, he switched to writing and playing modern music, he said. Working on original songs, Cao said he strives to write in a coherent style without becoming predictable. He describes his own style as “haunting, but relieving and very emotional.” “[Songwriting] became my main form of expression,” Cao said. “Modern music seemed more straightforward to write than classical for me.” His freshman year, Cao took Music 30, a composition seminar on contemporary concert music. The class helped Cao refine his writing style, but it also made him realize he no longer wanted to write or play classical music, he said. Cao said he listens to hundreds of artists, citing Alt-J, Muse and Sigur Ros as current sources for inspiration. Cao said that writing a new song sometimes takes just several hours if he is hit with a sudden inspiration. Other songs, though, take weeks or months. He started singing for the first time this year, which he had been afraid of in the past, he said. Usually he enjoys playing the piano alone or accompanied by one other vocalist or musician. In the future, Cao plans to make an album of original work, he said. He has never taken a music theory class, which he hopes makes his music accessible. “[My music] does not come from studying,” he said. “It’s about capturing specific moments special to you.” Cao has played the piano at campus events, including matriculation for the Class of 2017. He is looking forward to performing a solo performance at 13 East Wheelock street on Feb. 19. Gisele Phalo ’17, who heard Cao play his original song, “Dandelion’s
Smile,” at matriculation, said she was immediately impressed by Cao’s ability. A musician herself, she reached out to Cao afterward about meeting up and playing together, she said. “I thought, ‘Wow, he’s amazing,’” she said. “I knew I had to meet him.” Nekesa Masibo ’17, who co-wrote a song with Cao over winter break, said that his work has “a Lanphord signature.” The two jam together in College practice rooms and have experimented merging her “jazzy” music with his, Masibo said. The experience has helped her improve as a musician, she said. “He intentionally tries to distinguish himself as a musician,” she said. “It is so innovative – when he plays the piano, it is not only about the keys, but also the wood.” Cao is currently working on a music video for a song called “Hibernation,” commissioned by the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Joshua Perez ’17, the drummer for the song, said the two are recording in the Hop’s studio space and will film the video after. Perez said Cao has a great vision for what the final product will look like. “Not only does he have a unique composition and style, but he knows what he wants,” Perez said. Government professor and Latin American, Latino and Caribbean studies chair Lisa Baldez, who had Cao as a student last year, said she was fascinated by his perspective. “He cares so much about the Dartmouth community,” Baldez said. “He is kind and enthusiastic in everything he does.”
the final word with Lanphord Cao ’16 Favorite Collis late night food: pork dumplings. Artist I would most like to work with: Coldplay, though it changes.
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Monahon’13 makes off-Broadway debut
B y Michaela ledoux The Dartmouth Staff
Fresh out of Hanover, Talene Monahon ’13 was recently cast in the “The Chocolate Show!”, an offBroadway musical that will open on Friday. At Dartmouth, Monahon played a starring role in the College’s production of “Angels in America” in fall 2012 and produced and acted in an original solo show titled “All in Good Fun” last spring. She also acted at the New London Barn Playhouse and the Northern Stage in White River Junction. What have you been up to since graduating in June? TM: After I graduated, I had a job lined up at Peterborough Players in New Hampshire. We did shows like “Snow White,” and it was really fun. Then I moved to New York. There, I performed my solo show “All in Good Fun,” which is about the social scene at Dartmouth. I also performed the show at the United Solo Theater Festival in October. How were you involved in the arts on campus? TM: I had a senior fellowship, which is an option where students choose an interdisciplinary project
that is so comprehensive that they can take their senior year off to work on it. The fellowship project resulted in “All in Good Fun.” I interviewed students, transcribed the responses and turned it into a script. It shows a diverse group of people on campus and gets different perspectives into one conversation. The show reflected campus last spring, but if I did it now, it would show how quickly everything changes each school year. I also performed for the theater department in “Angels in America,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Hairspray” and many other shows. I was also in the Dodecaphonics.
Why did you pursue the arts at Dartmouth? TM: There are many wonderful resources available for those interested in pursuing the arts at Dartmouth. It’s a great time to experiment and see what you like and how you like to do it. I encourage anyone to take advantage of the professors and opportunities. How did you land a part in “The Chocolate Show!”? TM: My agent set me up on auditions, including for “The Chocolate Show!” Once your agent gets you auditions, luck plays a part in how everything works out. Hundreds of people are auditioning for everything,
so you really never know. I usually can tell if I am right for a part, but this show was different. I play 12 different characters, so I did not know if I was going to be what they wanted when I came into the audition. What are you most excited about for the show? TM: “The Chocolate Show!” is a family-friendly, five-person show with many fun musical numbers. I am so thrilled to be working with such talented actors. They all have really good credits and have also been really warm and welcoming. I have learned a lot from them about being new to New York and the theater scene here. Where do you think you will be in five years? Do you see yourself starting to write more instead of act? TM: I have no idea. I’m generally singularly focused on acting, although I did enjoy the process of writing for my senior fellowship. I’ll be more interested to see the musical versus non-musical trajectory of my career. I am still surprised that I am in a musical because I did mostly non-musical roles before. “The Chocolate Show!” has an indefinite run length, so I look forward to performing in the show as long as I can.
Friday, February 14, 2014 OPEN 9-5:30 DAILY
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
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SPORTS
Squash teams split weekend slate
B y jake bayer
The Dartmouth Staff
The squash teams picked up wins against Brown University before falling to Yale University in their final games of Ivy League competition over the weekend. The No. 12 men (3-9, 1-6 Ivy) beat the No. 19 Bears (4-14, 0-7 Ivy) 8-1 and fell to the No. 3 Bulldogs (14-2, 6-1 Ivy) 7-2. The No. 8 women (4-7, 2-5 Ivy) beat the No. 10 Bears (10-7, 0-7 Ivy) 6-3 and lost to the No. 4 Bulldogs (15-3, 5-2 Ivy) 9-0. The women had to beat Brown to stay in the top eight for the nationals draw, head coach Hansi Wiens said. The men played well, he added. “The men fought well and played well, showing they are stronger than Brown,” he said. “I felt like they deserved that win.” The teams traveled to Providence, R.I., on Friday to take on the Bears. Both the Big Green men and Brown’s men’s team entered the match winless in the Ancient Eight. The Dartmouth men needed a win to stay in contention for an easier draw at nationals. Dartmouth won four matches 3-0, in the four, seven, eight and nine spots. The only two matches that went to five sets swung for the Big Green as co-captain Fletcher Pease ’14 and fellow senior Chris Jung ’14 rallied from losing their first games to win. The only loss of the day for the
Big Green was by co-captain Xander Greer ’16 in the number one spot. The sophomore fell in three quick sets, failing to win more than five points in any game. Greer, who has not won a match this season, has been hampered by an ankle injury that kept him out of several competitions. He said he played in the match because he understood the importance of beating Brown. “It was important to get an Ivy win because if had we lost to Brown we would have had to lost a decent seeding within our division at Nationals,” Greer said. The women squared against a closely ranked conference rival in Brown. Sweeps from Melina Turk ’14, Nina Scott ’16 and Lydie McKenzie ’16 helped propel the Big Green to victory. Jacqueline Barnes ’17 provided the highlight of the night when she rallied from two games down to win the number one match. The freshman faced match point in the fourth set but came back with a vengeance, winning the next five points to force a decisive fifth set, which she won 11-6. The Big Green won the top three spots of the match by a total of 9-2, showing that the team’s strongest players are firing on all cylinders. The Brown match, Barnes said, was probably the season’s most important. “We were really giving a lot to win,” Barnes said. “It ensures us a top-eight
finish, and it was a really exciting win for us.” The teams returned home for senior day against Yale on Sunday. Yale’s men’s team has only lost three times this season, to No. 1 Trinity College and No. 2 Harvard University by small margins. Jung and Pease played strong squash in their final match at home, picking up a game apiece against their opponents, but each fell 3-1. At the bottom of the ladder, George Henderson ’17 picked up a 3-1 win in the ninth spot, continuing his impressive first season. In the number seven spot, after just 13 points in the first set, Yale senior Charlie Wyatt retired due to injury and gave James Fisch ’16 the win. The Big Green women fell to Yale, 9-0. Tori Dewey ’16 was up 2-1 in the number eight match only to lose a five-set heartbreaker. Scott, Helena Darling ’15 and Sarah Caughey ’15 picked up games but could not pull off a win. Overall, the women only won five sets against the Bulldogs. A match at Williams College on Wednesday, rescheduled from earlier this term, is the last before the men’s and women’s teams’ end-of-season championships. On Friday, the men travel to Cambridge, Mass., for the College Squash Association Championships while the women hit the road for the Howe Cup in Princeton, N.J.
JOSH RENAUD/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The women’s squash team secured its No. 8 ranking with a 6-3 win against Brown University on Friday.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
TUESDAY LINEUP
No athletic events scheduled
MORE THAN A GAME B y maddie garcia and abby cohen The Dartmouth Staff
When live competition ends before 11s, following the Sochi Olympics is easier said than done. The nine-hour time difference between the games and Hanover means that there is little live action for students to watch. U.S. news networks knew this was going to be a problem for stateside viewers, and NBC Sports, in response, is broadcasting Olympic coverage nearly all day. However, for Dartmouth students using DarTV, this option is not available because DarTV does not have access to the network. NBC, offered through DarTV, does broadcast the Olympics during primetime, allowing students to watch the day’s competition. However, it’s hard to find a student that hasn’t already heard what medals the U.S. took home from these events. Between social media and daily headlines, avoiding spoilers is almost impossible. While it’s still exciting to watch someone flip through the air on a snowboard, wipeout on a downhill slalom or cruise down the icy luge run, much of the allure of the Olympics is lost when you know what the results are hours before the highlights are re-broadcasted. Olympians typically become heroes for a night, then fall out of the public’s eye as soon as the Olympics are over. This is worsened by lack of accessibility to the broadcast. When you cannot follow an athlete from their qualifying trials through to the finals and instead only see a replay of the 10-second highlight, you find it harder to feel as connected to these competitors. The only names we remember from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, though time difference wasn’t even an issue, are Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn. After scanning Wikipedia, we couldn’t believe how easily we had forgotten about Bode Miller and Apolo Anton Ohno, who were household names for a week in
February 2010. Only nine athletes brought home gold for the U.S. at the last winter games, so we really have no excuse not to be able to rattle off their names. An outpouring of patriotism always surrounds the Olympics. It’s exciting to see the American team walk during the opening ceremonies, but this pride quickly dissipates as the closing ceremonies come to an end. These athletes have dedicated the past four years, and much of their lives, to compete for an Olympic gold. Yet for gold medal winners, a moment that will last with them for ever is forgotten in a moment by their fellow Americans. There was a lot of hype on campus about the 12 Big Green Olympians and everyone wondered what the Sochi opening ceremonies would be like, especially coming off the Beijing’s spectacle. Yet on Friday night, people forgot about the events and Winter Carnival festivities overshadowed the start of the international competition. Even the Olympics couldn’t burst the Dartmouth bubble. It’s easy for us to complain about the time difference and spoilers, especially since we’ve been spoiled ourselves with the Vancouver and London Olympics recently. We recognize that ultimately the Olympics is a global competition, celebrating the pinnacle of sports achievement and cross-cultural awareness. While for us, this year in particular is inconvenient, the millions of people across the Atlantic get to watch the results unfold live. The next two weeks’ headlines will likely reference the Olympics, but the reality of Dartmouth life is that when we find an hour to finally watch TV on our laptops, we’re going right to Hulu to watch the newest “Scandal” episode, not catching the latest Olympic event. It’s sad to think that catching a glimpse of NBC Sports on the Collis TVs might be the most exposure that some of us get to these Olympic Games.