MIRROR 2.26.2016
PERSOOT OF HAPPINESS | 2
HAPPIEST PEOPLE AT DARTMOUTH | 4-5
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS | 7
SUMMERTIME GLADNESS | 8
SHUOQI CHEN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
2// MIRROR
Editor’s Note
Persoot of Happiness COLUMN
What a beautiful place campus is during week eight, as downtrodden students trudge through the muddy Green amid pouring rain. With Winter Carnival a distant memory, the snow sculpture a melted puddle and no indication of the cozy, wintry wonderland this term promised to be, it seems like there isn’t much to be happy about. To quote Hayley’s favorite, somewhat ironic expression of Caroline’s: “What a time to be alive.” This week while storyboarding, Hayley sat on a couch in Robo hugging a pillow and rocking back and forth as Caroline looked at her with increasing concern. As Caroline set off to Collis to get her co-editor some calming chamomile tea, she suddenly remembered the Boloco gift card her mom had sent her in a recent care package. Twenty minutes later, the two editors of this esteemed magazine were drinking Nutella milkshakes with the giddiness of small children, their troubles long forgotten. In the interest of productivity, Caroline asked what the theme for the upcoming week should me. Hayley looked around at Caroline and their milkshakes, appreciating the moment’s serendipity. “Happiness,” she responded decisively. This magazine, and the paper overall, have done an excellent job reporting on mental health, so Caroline and Hayley emphasized to their writers that the focus of the issue would purely be on happiness. And their ever talented and dutiful writers delivered, with pieces doing everything from profiling a campus group dedicated to kindness to exploring campus’s happiest people. May this issue cast rays of sunshine upon your grim lives as you cram for finals in Novack. HAPPY Friday. Hahaha. Whoops, caps lock. (Just kidding — we did it on purpose.)
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MIRROR EDITORS HAYLEY HOVERTER & CAROLINE BERENS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF REBECCA ASOULIN PUBLISHER RACHEL DECHIARA EXECUTIVE EDITORS MAYA PODDAR ANNIE MA
OVERHEARDS
By Mary Liza Hartong & Andrew Kingsley
Has the housing system got you down? Is Chem 5 crushing your parents’ dreams? No problem! Jones Media Center just got a new shipment of retouched classic movies! Can you catch the subtle differences? So, whether you’re wallowing in a solipsistic coma or just drying your lonely tears of singlehood with your roommate’s Valentine’s Day card, these films are sure to brighten your spirits. “Cats Away” Chuck Noland is a busybody engineer, who doesn’t have time for friends or family. But one day, when Wilson the cat washes up on his doorstep, Chuck must learn that no man is an island. Be prepared for more than a few makeover montages, as Chuck transforms from a homely hermit into the clean shaven Ryan Reynolds we know and love. After that, Chuck can’t fight off all the pussycats chasing his tail. He’s like catnip! Me-owwww. Will Chuck remember Wilson’s birthday, or will Wilson be forgotten again? Watch this heartwarming Michael Bay flick that The New York Times calls “confusing” and “unnecessary.” “Schindler’s Grocery List” In this family friendly remake, Schindler, now played by Zach Galifianakis, finds himself saving hundreds and hundreds of…dollars! Can you say extreme couponing? After seeing Tracy Gimbel save $400 at Shaws on a TLC show, he decided to give it a shot. In a triumph of the human spirit, Schindler achieves the unthinkable. Risking his own life, Schindler enters the history books with this moving tale of love, loss and Chef Boyardee. Elie Wiesel calls the film “savagely stupid” and “criminal.” We’re with you, Elie. It’s a crime to save 90 percent on Heinz ketchup! “Cheer Up” You asked for it, and we listened. In this long awaited prequel, Carl Fredricksen and his wife Ellie can have children. In this thrilling animated musical about childbirth, Carl learns to finally get it up, and Ellie couldn’t be happier. Picture this: a deflated balloon animal snake is slowly blown up until it…well, you get the idea. You’ll jump up out of your seats and cheer as Carl’s Viagra kicks in. This wild romp teaches kids and adults alike that pregnancy is the greatest adventure of all. “Marley & Meatballs” Marley was just your average dog. She barked at the mailman, peed on carpets, and loved fetch. Until one day, her owners discovered something in her stomach they couldn’t believe. Meatballs! Watch Marley
’18 at Collis: “There should be a VIP line at Collis.”
’16: “I’ve pretty much decided that my primary form of exercise for the spring will be sexual activity.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY LIZA HARTONG
as she becomes an Iron Chef, cookin’ up more than just kibble and bits. Bobby Flay of the Food Network says, “Marley & Meatballs almost killed me.” We know what you mean, Bobby. The laughs just keep coming! This fancy feast is perfect for all animal lovers, and goes great with “Cats Away!” You won’t be able to put this one down, if you know what we mean. “Titanic Abs” Venture back to the year 1912 on this oceanic voyage of fun! Jack and Rose, two exercise gurus who easily fit on that door, have made a life in good ol’ NYC. Rose works at a fresh pressed juice bar and Jack, well, he’s jacked. He works as a personal trainer for New York’s aristocrats. The only thing sinking here are the waistlines. James Cameron, who sold the rights to Disney, calls the flick, “insulting” and “devastatingly Disney.” Thanks, Cam! Will Jack and Rose be able to run the 5K? Watch out for that iceberg lettuce, Rose, that’s not good in smoothies. Did we mention there were abs? So many abs. Richard Brody of The New Yorker called the film “abominable and absurd.” See, Brody gets it! Abwords. What a bro! “The Notebook Worm” Noah has it all. He is handsome, hard-
working, and has all the dirt he could ask for. You see, Noah is just an average worm from a middle-class worm family. But one day, at the worm carnival, Noah meets the most beautiful worm in the hectare. Her name is Anna Lynn, and she comes from a rich worm family from the south. But it is love at first sight. They share cotton dirt and fried dirt at the carnival, and slither the night away. When Noah goes off to Worm War III, Anna Lynn feeds on decomposing remains of detritus and writhes on a scrap of newspaper. But this becomes her notebook, and she writhes on that scrap everyday for two days while the war rages. It feels like a worm eternity, she hardly recognizes Noah when he returns. But she prepares a feast of dirt for them to share, and they live happily ever after for one more day. James Agee of Time magazine writes, “This was just built around terrible wordplay. Am I going crazy? This is “The Notebook” with worms. They even put a blonde wig on Anna Lynn for Rachel McAdams’s character. How is this a summer blockbuster? Does anyone read film criticism anymore?” We hear you loud and clear, James. Get ready for the new Marvel box-office smash: “WormMan vs. The Puddle.”
’16 guy: “I can’t go out in the rain. I lost my umbrella and I don’t own clothes with a hood. I also don’t wear hats because it messes up my hair. You don’t condition that shit for nothing.”
’17: “My boyfriend got drunk and told me I look like Daniel from ‘Damn, Daniel.’”
’18: “I tried to file a bias report against my boss because he’s an asshole but it turns out that’s not actually what those things are for.”
’18: “I want a lady in the streets and a freak at the buffet.”
MIRROR //3
Joe Kind: A Guy
TRENDING @ Dartmouth
CHICAGO
Feel bad about your dance moves.
COLUMN
By Joe Kind
I think I can speak for most college students across the country when I say that home matters. These connections are sure to fall on a spectrum, but these relationships inevitably exist in some form. Housing is a big deal here, for obvious reasons. Lest we forget, we are two and a half hours away from the nearest metropolitan city. And statistically speaking, I would be hard-pressed to find someone who spends more time in any one location on campus other than his or her room. A student’s room is the first space to truly call home here, before joining any kind of student group or social house. Home matters beyond the first year, however, as students continue to take risks inside and outside of the classroom. Home is a grounds for stability and comfort, especially in the midst of the tumultuous D-Plan. And as seniors return for one full and final year together before graduation – before the so-called “real world,” wherever that may be and whatever that may mean – the value of this home, and the nostalgia for the memories made here, begin to amplify in conjunction with the memories and experiences still unfolding. Dartmouth students and administrators alike have invested significant amounts of time and energy into the housing experience here. Weekly floor meetings during my freshman year did help me feel more comfortable here, and the friendships I made on my freshman floor ultimately allowed me to find fulfillment beyond my first year and beyond my own physical room. Community is such a vital part of the Dartmouth brand. It’s clear Dartmouth has an incentive to continue building a sense of community as it and other colleges around the U.S. continue to tackle 21st century problems. My freshman year roommate and I shared a two-room double in the McLaughlin cluster. My sophomore year roommates and I shared a
two-room triple in Mid-Mass. I had a single in the Ripley-WoodwardSmith complex my junior year. And I now live in a four-person suite in the River apartments. When it comes to housing at Dartmouth, I have seen and tried it all. In anticipating the rollout of the new housing communities, beginning with today’s “Founders Day” festivities, I cannot help but reflect fondly on my past housing woes. I have seen and tried many different kinds of housing, across different areas of campus, and with all sorts of roommates. And, in the process, I have encountered situations that challenged me as a roommate and as a person. My freshman year, over Homecoming weekend, I unwittingly allowed a random Dartmouth student to sleep in my roommate’s bed, only for my roommate to find soiled sheets the next day. I still feel bad about it. My sophomore year, I slept in a top bunk so close to the ceiling that I could not sit up straight in my bed, and studied in a desk chair that banged against the futon whenever I stood up for a study break. I was miserable. My sophomore summer, I chose to live in a Spanish-language affinity house. The experience was fulfilling and intellectually stimulating, but not one I would go on to repeat. My junior year, I was happy to hold full control over my living space for the first time since coming to Dartmouth. I lived close to the pool, making those walks to morning practices much more bearable in the winter. But in doing so, I was physically farther away from my favorite study spots and social spaces. And finally, this year, despite the interminable trek to and from everything on campus, I have never been happier with my physical space on campus. Not to say that I can only survive in a lavish River apartment, which
only a select few inhabit each year. No housing setup is ever perfect. But the imperfections, coupled with my extensive series of trials and errors, have formed some of my most impactful moments and memories at Dartmouth. Having had my fair share of ups and downs in my homes at Dartmouth, and having emerged alive and better off from my mistakes, I worry for future students. Part of the beauty of the D-Plan is the difficulty in transitions. It is the social hassles of inconsistent friend groups each term that facilitates the formation of unlikely friendships across traditionally rigid social boundaries. It is the changing academic calendar that forces students to take full ownership and accountability over what they choose to study, prioritizing the kinds of classes that truly matter most to them. And it is the uncertainty of knowing what the future may hold, exaggerated by the additional flexibility of the D-Plan, that encourages students to make the most out of the plethora of resources available to them in the present moment. To take away the burdens of transition and uncertainty by creating seemingly permanent living communities — the procedures for these formations notwithstanding — is bound to have serious impacts for the future well-being of the Dartmouth community. For many students at Dartmouth, Hanover becomes a second home. Some students specifically select Dartmouth from a host of other elite colleges and universities because of the physical beauty of the Upper Valley, while others are attracted to the strength of the Dartmouth alumni network, which is a reflection of the meaningfulness of the undergraduate experience as it unfolds here. Students may feel varying levels of attachment to this place. But even the most reclusive of us will still have some gratitude at having had the opportunity to be here at all.
RAIN
LOL, bye.
YIK YAK BLACKOUT We’re a little embarrassed we noticed.
Group Projects
“I love working with others!” - no one Founder’s Day
So much hype. So much use of the word “swag.”
4// MIRROR
The Pursuit of Happiness at Dartmouth STORY
By Sarah Adelman
Stepping off the bus for trips and instantly being attacked by upperclassmen dressed in flair and flailing their limbs, it was hard not to imagine Dartmouth as a happy, lively place. And, to an extent, I have been correct. The Dartmouth student body is, at least from my perspective, a relatively cheerful one. However, some people stick out as especially happy and joyful. You know who I mean — those people that you never see without a smile on their face, whose laughter is infectious and who instantly put you in a better mood even if you just see them for a moment. So, I asked, what can we all do to be as happy as them? Is there a happiest person at Dartmouth? I would like to make a note that for this article, when I refer to unhappiness I am not talking about depression or anxiety resulting from mental health issues. Carolyn Susman ’18 considers herself to be one of the happiest people here. She said she achieves this by making a conscious effort to stay away from people or activities that make her unhappy, but more importantly, by choosing friends that make her laugh. She emphasized that humor is an integral part to maintaining her happiness. “I think that I surround myself with people that make me happy,” Susman said. “I want to be around people who make me genuinely laugh, because its those people who bring you happiness.” Psychology professor Mark Detzer
said that being social and having a strong network of support contributes significantly to happiness. He noted this is especially true when people’s physical and mental health are compromised – which can, naturally, occur in college. “Looking at the literature, it is evident that a social support system is huge,” Detzer said. “In health psychology, we look at how people cope with illness, and across different illnesses, having a support system is really key.” Susman also said that finding activities you genuinely enjoy is essential to happiness, as much as finding the right people with whom to spend time. She said these activities can be organized or serendipitous and spurof-the-moment. “It’s little things, like going to the grocery store once every other weekend, or playing squash,” Susman said. “Finding activities as much as people is important.” Leigh Steinberg ’18 commented that her introspectiveness allows her to be happy, because she feels very connected with and attuned to her emotions. “I’m in touch with how I’m feeling every day,” Steinberg said. “I allow myself to feel.” In a similar vein, Susman recognized sadness to be a vital ingredient for happiness. She said she believes that people who want to be happy all the time pressure themselves into ignoring their true emotions, and it is often those people who struggle the most because they’re being dishonest with themselves. Susman also commented that without those occasional negative emotions,
she wouldn’t feel happiness as fully. “I would consider myself a very happy person, but it wouldn’t be that way if I didn’t get sad sometimes,” Susman said. “I’m very emotional I feel a lot of things, but it signals to me when I’m happy. You can’t be 100 percent happy every day.” Detzer expressed a similar sentiment, explaining that it’s not biologically or psychologically normal for people to be content all the time. He said that, in fact, viscerally feeling emotions, whether they’re negative or positive, is what will help propel people to true happiness. “People think you should be happy all the time, but it’s not human nature. Having ups and downs is what makes people happier,” Detzer said. “Being present – having bad days – helps you metabolize them and move forward.” Elizabeth Hart ’19 said she considers herself not particularly on either side of the happiness spectrum. “I guess I’m happy here. I’m not particularly not happy,” Hart said. “I’m definitely not the happiest person here, but I’m also not the saddest.” Hart acknowledged that she could take steps to increase her happiness at Dartmouth by becoming more involved with activities that she enjoys. She said, for example, that she’s interested in global warming, and could find an outlet for environmental activism on campus. “I should talk to more people and make better use of the resources available to us,” Hart said. “The happiest people at Dartmouth are involved in what they are passionate about.”
Hart said that as a freshman, she’s heard that Dartmouth loses its appeal the more time you spend here. However, she expressed skepticism about whether or not this is true. “I’ve heard everyone [eventually] gets jaded freshman year, but I still want to run up to tours and yell ‘Come here it’s great!’ I can’t imagine going anywhere else,” Hart said. “I’ll see how I feel in 2019, but I’m optimistic.” Detzer spoke about the often difficult transition to college life that freshmen can experience. He said this often occurs because students need a support system, and naturally, that takes time to cultivate when you’re in a new place with people. “Students who have a rougher transition here because they feel isolated can’t find their tribe,” Detzer said. “You need a group within the system – people to weather the storm with.” Detzer said that another source of unhappiness on the Dartmouth campus, from his perspective, is the pressure to be involved. People here might feel stressed or concerned, he said, when they can’t balance schoolwork with multiple extracurriculars. “There are a million things so do here, so how can you not do everything?” Detzer said. “But, if you feel you are pressured and overcommit, then you’re really not enjoying your undergraduate experience.” Detzer said, too, there’s an implicit pressure to be happy purely because of the privilege of going to school at Dartmouth. “I can see students feel they should be happy all the time because look where you are,” Detzer said. “It’s such an opportunity to be here.”
MIRROR //5
Danny Gridley ‘19 said he identifies as an enormously happy person, but that’s due to his own innate nature more than circumstances here at Dartmouth. “I’d say I’m very happy at Dartmouth, but that’s more of a product of who I am in general than just here,” Gridley said. “I’m no happier up here than I am at home. What’s key for me is the way I approach life.” Gridley says one simple phrase guides his life: “No bad days.” He says this phrase allows him to appreciate life for what it is, and encourages him to try to make each day better than the last. Dartmouth’s physical beauty was also a source of happiness and escape for all of the students I spoke with. Steinberg said that Dartmouth’s scenic campus has often been a calming and gratifying influence for her during difficult times. “We all live a hectic crazy life. Sometimes I’m walking around the Green and I take a second to appreciate how beautiful this place is,” Steinberg said. “Dartmouth is like an oasis in the woods. The nature is always there to calm you down.” Hart agreed, noting that spending time outside — in her case, exercising — contributes to her own happiness. “The outdoors contributes greatly to my happiness,” Hart said. “I love to run. I can’t imagine going to college in a city, because nature adds a fresh perspective on life.” After hearing about interviewees’ personal experience, I turned to more general questions. For example: barring any sort of mental health issue, does everyone have the chance to be happy here?
Steinberg took an optimistic stance, believing that all people have the capacity to be happy, whether at Dartmouth or otherwise. She believes that a good and positive attitude is the most important feature in a happy person. “I think everyone can be happy at Dartmouth, but I think everyone can be happy at general. What I’ve learned from my parents and experiences is that it’s your mindset that affects you,” Steinberg said. “Good things will outweigh the bad if you focus on them. Having a positive mindset is accessible to everyone here.” Like Steinberg, Susman said that happiness is self-motivated and accessible to all. However, she was not as confident about the likelihood of happiness here — she said she believes that satisfaction at Dartmouth is contingent on how open you are to campus and everything is has to offer. She said it can take effort. “It depends,” says Susman, “How willing are you to allow this place to be a part of your life? To let the people here impact you? It’s a self-determined accomplishment to be happy at Dartmouth. You have to want it an work at it.” Susman reflected back on her freshman fall, noting that it was a time when her personal happiness was low. She said, though, that it was just a problem with adjusting to college, nothing specific to Dartmouth. “The transition was really hard, and my expectations were too high,” Susman said. “But that wasn’t Dartmouth — that was just college.” Steinberg recognized that Dartmouth is an institution filled with high school over-
achievers who are over-involved, but said it’s important to step back and find the activities that make you truly happy, instead of what you think you are supposed to be doing. “We all had to be overcommitted to get here and we are hardwired for that. But we need to focus on the things we want to be doing,” Steinberg said. “It could be academics, or a house, or affinity group, or a sports team, but whatever it is, college should be the time to let the extra stuff fall away and only do the things that make you happy.” Even when one tries to pursue activities they enjoy, though, gratification is often not immediate; nor is a sense of belonging. Hart said that finding a niche here can be difficult but will be worth the wait. “I think everyone can be happy here,” Hart said. “There’s a place for everyone, but it can be hard to find.” Susman echoed this sentiment, saying that she has a sense of trust in Dartmouth and the inevitability of happiness here. She just advised that all good things take time. “I think there’s a sense of faith you need to have. In who you are and where you are,” Susman said. “My mom who was an ’89 met her best friend in the basement of Mid-Fay during her freshman winter completely by chance. I know its scary to have faith in the system, but I’ve seen good outcomes countless times. Things take time.” Susman also believes that expressing gratitude and exposing vulnerability can be powerful ways to bond with people. “Tell people how you feel,” she said. “When you appreciate someone, tell them. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and feel
things. Its never too late to show your gratitude for someone.” Steinberg agreed with Susman about appreciativeness, emphasizing that it can have a large positive impact. “It feels so wonderful when people tell you that they value you as a friend or tell you how much you mean to them,” Steinberg said. “It is very powerful and under-utilized. By showing gratitude, you can bring happiness to other people and yourself.” Detzer says the key to being happy, along with surrounding yourself with a support system, is helping others and finding something that excites you. “If you’re struggling, help someone else,” he advised. “Find something you’re passionate about. Find a connection and a sense of meaning. What are your core values? What is important to you?” At the end of the day, Dartmouth is a special place where everyone deserves to be — and has the potential to be — happy. So get outside, show your appreciation to the people around you and be patient. The results might surprise you.
ANNA KAWATA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
6// MIRROR
Sam’s Little Larks
COLUMN
By Sam Van Wetter
WOKE SAM and SLOWPOKE SAM are waiting for the shuttle to the Skiway. WOKE SAM: So, uh, did you find your bike? SLOWPOKE SAM: Seriously? You’ve started the column this way, asking that question, so many times this term. WOKE: Hey, that’s not my decision. SLOWPOKE: What’s that supposed to mean? WOKE: Like, I didn’t decide when the column would start. We’ve been chattering constantly to each other since, what, September? We just keep talking. We don’t decide when they start listening. SLOWPOKE: Who? WOKE: The audience. SLOWPOKE: We have an audience? WOKE: Well, not technically. They’d only be an audience if they were hearing it aloud. And unless someone out there is performing readings of our transcribed conversations then no one is technically listening. SLOWPOKE: Oh, phew. So no one’s watching us? WOKE: They’re watching someone they think you are. SLOWPOKE: Who do they think I am? WOKE: Doesn’t matter. They’re just readers. SLOWPOKE: The readers are listening? WOKE: In their minds’ ears, I guess. They’re listening to the voices in their heads read our words aloud. SLOWPOKE: What do we sound like? WOKE: It changes week to week. SLOWPOKE: It changes? WOKE: Yeah, sometimes we sound serious, sometimes we have lisps, sometimes Jared the hot custodian has a cold and— SLOWPOKE: If it changes, that means there’s time between when they read us. WOKE: Right… SLOWPOKE: Does that mean they… do… do we have a readership? A consistent readership?
WOKE: I wouldn’t go that far. SLOWPOKE: But, I mean, someone cares about us? Our storyline? WOKE: Such as it is. Maybe. SLOWPOKE: Do… do they like me? WOKE: Whoa — SLOWPOKE: Us. Do they like Sam? WOKE: He — we — I have no way of knowing. SLOWPOKE: Isn’t there a comments section online? WOKE: I think most people read the hardcopy and there sure isn’t a comment section there. SLOWPOKE: People read the actual, physical D? WOKE: That’s what I tell myself. That, and whatever piece of shrapnel program they use to moderate and post the comments prevents people from singing their heartsongs of appreciation and rapture. SLOWPOKE: I think you’re probably right. WOKE: So do I. SLOWPOKE: They think we’re hilarious. WOKE: You buggity better bet they do! (They sit quietly, thinking of the masses of people in stitches at the conversation they’re having. They feel good for their service to the community. They know they’re funny and now everyone else knows it too.) WOKE: So, uh, your bike? SLOWPOKE: I don’t know, man. I’ve lost the thread. WOKE: I thought it was a piece of paper. SLOWPOKE: No, I mean I don’t know what we’re going on about. WOKE: What do you mean? SLOWPOKE: It just seems like every week we’re bantering the same lines without getting anywhere. WOKE: What do you expect? It’s a serial. We can’t just, like, reveal it all at once. SLOWPOKE: Why not? WOKE: Listen, if people knew now that this whole bike investigation was just a
ploy for my attention they’d stop giving us any of theirs. SLOWPOKE: But we’re hilarious! And beautiful, kind of ! And melodious to their imaginations! WOKE: Yeah, but they think there’s some kind of conclusion. So we better reach it. SLOWPOKE: But you just said there’s no — WOKE: It has to feel like a conclusion. SLOWPOKE: I want to talk about something other than my bike. WOKE: Why? SLOWPOKE: I told you. It’s vague. And it reminds me of my shortcomings as a human being. I don’t think many people seek out that kind of treatment voluntarily. WOKE: No, my dad just gives it to me. SLOWPOKE: Exactly. And you’re not my dad. WOKE: Uh, true. So what else do you want to talk about? SLOWPOKE: I don’t know. WOKE: Come on. We’re Dartmouth students. Do you have any group projects going on at the moment? SLOWPOKE: I don’t do those. WOKE: How? SLOWPOKE: I got a doctored doctor’s note that says I’m allergic to collaborative thinking and it gives me migraines. WOKE: Wow, I think I have that too. SLOWPOKE: But you don’t have a doctor’s note. WOKE: Well what else is new? SLOWPOKE: I don’t know. Finals are coming up. WOKE: Is that it? SLOWPOKE: That rain was really wet. WOKE: Oh, did you figure that one out yourself ? SLOWPOKE: I read it on Yik Yak. WOKE: Jiminy, is this what the art of conversation at Dartmouth has come to? Weather reports via everyone’s favorite social banalities app? Come on, your in-
terior must be more rich and faceted than you’re making it out to be. SLOWPOKE: Oh, probably. I read a lot of think pieces on the internet that I could tell you about. WOKE: And this is why we need to invent adventures to serialize. Otherwise we have nothing to talk about. (They sit in an uncomfortable silence. This stretches on a while.) SLOWPOKE: Have you ever had a maple cookie from KAF? WOKE: No. SLOWPOKE: Oh. (More silence) SLOWPOKE: They gave me one today when they were out of asiago rolls. (More silence) SLOWPOKE: Weird, right? I mean, tasty. Absolutely delicious. But not very similar to a cheese roll, right? (A more persistent silence) SLOWPOKE: It was super funny.(They sit together quite quiet. They think about all the funny stories they’ve ever heard. They wonder if they recall them well enough to retell and make funny still. They decide they probably cannot, especially as most of the stories they’re remembering didn’t actually happen to them. They are the funny stories of friends and family and there’s something lost in the retelling when it’s not your memory. They acknowledge this. They stay quiet.) SLOWPOKE: Do you ever worry we’ll run out of things to talk about? WOKE: Of course not. We’re always having a lively banter in his head, aren’t we? He just has to sift and find the most interesting bits. SLOWPOKE: Okay, well what if we’re too interesting? How does the conversation end? WOKE: I don’t know. I assume there’s a word limit or something. SLOWPOKE: But what if it just cuts off at an inconclusive, unremarkable part?
Random Acts of Kindness
MIRROR
//7
Who’s behind the inspirational notes on your Collis bananas? STORY
By Abbey Cahill
Kaitana Martinez ’16 exudes happiness. In her emails, she subs out the typical “Best” or “Regards” closing, and replaces it with “Smiles, Kaitana.” Martinez leads the Dartmouth Random Acts of Kindness club, which focuses on promoting a culture of inclusivity, gratitude and kindness in the Dartmouth community. I went to one of the club’s weekly meetings last Thursday to learn more about what the club does. I found Martinez upstairs waiting outside Collis 218. The club using the room before RAK was running late, and in typical Dartmouth fashion, I was somewhat irritated by their tardiness. Martinez, however, seemed unfazed. She popped half of a bagel bite into her mouth, chewed and smiled. She explained that the club was not in any way on a strict schedule; for example, some people come consistently each week, whereas others come only a few times. “We just like people to come and participate when they’re free because their schedules are so crazy,” Martinez said. “Some weeks we literally have myself and another person, and some weeks we have 20 people.” This week, people were bogged down by midterms, so it was looking like the former scenario. Martinez and I were joined by Heather Flokos ’19, who walked in beaming, her cheeks flushed from the cold. I explained that I was writing a profile on RAK for the Mirror’s issue about happiness, and she enthusiastically approved. Both Flokos and Martinez are fascinated by human emotions and interactions. Martinez is pursuing a neuroscience major and a religion minor and Flokos is interested in psychology, she’s currently taking “Psychology 1.” “It’s so hard — I wanna try everything before deciding [on a major],” Flokos said. “But I think like the social sciences the best.” Flokos discovered RAK through an email this term, and she decided to come to a meeting, curious about what the club did. The club’s numbers tend to peak in the first half of the year with a new group of freshman coming in, because students like Flokos are eager to explore different clubs. She remarked that she was pleasantly surprised by the group’s warmth and kindness. “Everyone was super nice and friendly, as would be expected with a group like this,” Flokos said. Sara Gagnon ’18 is another student who noticed a blitz from RAK her freshman year. The mission of the club resonated with her, so she attended a meeting with her floormate. She explained that they did an activity aimed at making students feel supported and comforted. “We made tear-off signs that said, ‘Take what you need,’” Gagnon explained. “Instead of phone numbers, there were little cards that said ‘happiness,’ ‘support,’ ‘confidence’ — stuff like that.” Rosey Oppenheim ’18 was sitting next to Gagnon when I interviewed her. She agreed wholeheartedly that a little bit of kindness can go a long way, which is one of the club’s missions. “That’s really nice!” Oppenheim said, laughing. “If I were having a bad day, and I saw that sign, I would take one.” RAK was started by Peety Kaur ’15, who felt that people in a highly competitive environment like Dartmouth often get stuck in their own personal bubbles. Kaur wanted to create a way to give back to the community. When she first started holding meetings, she was unsure whether people would even show up, but then numbers started growing and a consistent group formed. When she graduated last year, Kaur passed the club off to two ’16s, one of whom is Martinez. I asked Martinez and Flokos to recall their favorite kindness projects. In her short time with RAK, Flokos said she has been pleasantly surprised by the variety of endeavors that they’ve taken on. “We have such a huge range of projects,” Flokos said. “I’ve found that surprising.” During the first meeting of this winter term, RAK made “Welcome home” signs for their hallways. They’ve slipped positive messages into Hinman boxes, written thank-you cards to Dartmouth Dining Services employees and decorat-
TIFFANY ZHAI // THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
ed campus with posters expressing gratitude. Last year, RAK created a “Spotlight on Custodians” display in the library. The club interviewed different custodians and designed a poster board for each one, encouraging students to write their own thank-you cards for the custodians that work in their dorms. Martinez told me that the most exciting part of the projects is seeing how positively and appreciatively people react to them. “Sometimes, for example, we go through the library and do candy giveaways,” Martinez said. “Some people really genuinely need it in that moment because they’re so stressed out. You can see it on their faces.” Natalie Gellman ’18 recalled her experience on the receiving end of one of these giveaways. “I was in the library studying during finals week, and they were handing out plates of food,” Gellman said. “It was comforting to know that all these other students were in the same boat as me. Honestly, the food united us, and it brought up our energy levels.” This month, RAK is conducting a public kindness challenge. They blitzed out a calendar filled with ways to spread gratitude and compassion within the Dartmouth community. Each day has its own challenge, and both Flokos and Martinez are participating. Flokos described a recent challenge that had a positive impact on her. “Yesterday, the challenge was to get in touch with an old friend,” Flokos said. “I messaged my friend, and we’ve been having such a great conversation. I’m so glad I did it.” The day that I joined them, they were writing positive messages on bananas at Collis Cafe. Martinez led us downstairs and through the back entrance into Collis. We emerged behind the stir-fry counter. The glass doors were shut, and the employees were in the process of preparing for Late Night. Martinez greeted them and explained that we were there, from RAK, to write on the bananas. I laughed at the absurdity of the statement. The Collis employees welcomed us in. “We’re all for happiness and positivity,” one employee said, directing us towards the bananas. Sometimes the Collis morning crew does it themselves, but for now, it was our time to shine. I drew a phone on mine. A banana phone. I was eager to show it off, and Flokos and Martinez made me feel like a talented artist. Martinez snapped a picture for the RAK Facebook page. While we decorated, I asked them if they’d ever received a kind gesture from a stranger. Flokos recalled a recent experience when she was getting coffee.
“It’s surprising the amount of times that people do nice things for you,” Flokos said. “One time, I was in Dunkin Donuts, and there was this trucker who was late for a delivery. So, I let him go in front of me, and when he ordered his stuff, he said to me, ‘And what do you want?’ He ended up paying for my iced coffee.” Martinez explained that she has been incredibly fortunate to receive a scholarship from a group of total strangers from her hometown. “It’s really helped my family pay for college,” Martinez said. “They choose someone every five years, because they want to help my community as they leave my small town and head somewhere else.” She called the gesture “unbelievably kind.” In addition to providing financial support, they occasionally communicate with Martinez through cards; she told me, for example, that she recently received a couple Valentines from them. This reminded me of my own experience as a Dartmouth scholarship fund recipient. Last term, I received an email encouraging me to write a thank you note to my donor. I wrote a letter about what Dartmouth means to me — running through Pine Park, picking tomatoes on the organic farm, receiving a book recommendation from a professor, staying late in the art studio after class ends just because I want to — and it was all to someone I had never met before. A complete stranger has made all of these experiences possible for me. We wrote in silence for a while. The pile of blank bananas was shrinking quickly, and I found myself wishing I could stay a little longer. Martinez turned a banana over in her hands, laughing at a face she had drawn. ‘“Why do all of mine look so evil?” she asked. Falcon, a Collis employee, chimed in from over the counter. “You guys thinking of some clever things to put on them?” he asked. “One time someone wrote one that said ‘I’m ripe here for you.’ It’s got to be my favorite.” Flokos encouraged him to join us, and he agreed, grabbing a sharpie for himself. He wrote “kick today’s butt” in bold, dark letters on one of the bananas. And I did. I grabbed an inspirational banana for the road and walked out feeling giddy and grateful for these people I had just met and for black sharpies and for bruised bananas and for people who get so much joy out of the little things in life.
8// MIRROR
Summertime, summertime gladness Is sophomore summer students’ happiest term at Dartmouth? STORY
STORY
By Nick Rodriguez
As an ’18 stuck in the drudgery of a lot of people also tell you it’s a great term winter term, I often day dream about my to do things that are on the bucket list, upcoming sophomore summer. Trudgthings you’ll remember forever.” ing through the muddy or icy Green in I spoke to students who had gone freezing temperatures, looking at the bleak through sophomore summer already to get campus before me, I picture myself loungan idea about whether it lived up to these ing on the inevitably greener grass that will expectations — was it really their happiest be there in just five months. It’s hard to not term at Dartmouth? We’ve all heard the get lost in this idyllic imstereotypical version of age of campus. “Someone might invite sophomore summer — And sophomore suma laid back period duryou to the river or to mer’s reputation only ing which you can take do something reinforces this picturtwo classes, bond with esque ideal, often labeled your class and spent all outside, go on a hike students’ “happiest term” your free time tanning or something and here at Dartmouth. I by the Connecticut can’t count the number River. you’re going to have of times I’ve heard upSethi ’17 to say no because you saidShivang perclassmen wistfully say that he had a have that lab report or quintessential sophohow much they miss how relaxing, beautiful and more summer. Like you have to study for carefree the term is. I’ve many students, he that midterm that’s often heard people call it elected to take only their glory days. coming up and I think two classes and spent a Like many ’18s, of time appreciatthat’s pretty true of all lot including myself, Kanani ing and utilizing the the other terms but I Tapaha ’18 said that she outdoors. anticipates her sophomore feel like I might be a “I did do the more summer to be her best ideal sophomore sumterm at Dartmouth. Ernie little mer in the sense that Pichardo ’18 echoed I took two classes,” magnified during this sentiment, saying he Sethi said. “[Organic summer term.” predicts the term will be chemistry] was not one -KENNETH AMAYA ’15 unforgettable. of them so I had a lot “I’m excited for sophoof time to go around more summer,” Pichardo and explore New said. “I think it’s going to Hampshire. And visit be a really memorable experience.” these crazy waterfalls and just do things Angel Saavedra ’16 spoke with me that were outside.” about students’ eager anticipation before Although he enjoyed sophomore sumthe start of the term, and how it can create mer, Sethi said it wasn’t his favorite term a lot of hype, which might be unwarranted. at Dartmouth. It came second to his term “When you’re a sophomore, everyone studying abroad, a sentiment that he said is will talk about that the whole year,” Saaveshared by many upperclassmen who have dra said. “You kind of build it up in your also studied abroad. mind as it being one of the best terms and Despite this, he said he still enjoyed
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the summer and attributes his happiness during it to the laid back schedule many students seem to opt for, which allowed everyone more freedom to spend time together. I asked Saavedra about his sophomore summer to get another perspective. Interestingly, like Sethi, he also said it was one of his top two happiest terms in college. He reminisced happily about the term, explaining that the gorgeous weather and earlier class times provided a lot of opportunity to spend time in nature during the afternoons. Like Sethi, too, he said the more laid back schedule is a huge contributing factor to the reputed happiness of the summer. “It was just consistently sunny. Classes ended early,” Saavedra said. “Most students had morning classes in the summer just by planning so that we could get out of class and go to the river. A lot of people went to the copper mines or to the ledges.” Like Sethi too, though, he put a huge disclaimer on his proclamation that sophomore summer lived up to expectations. He opined that your course load can have a huge impact on your experience. He said that like any other term, if you have a lot of work, it can have a negative impact on your happiness. In fact, he said the summer’s beautiful weather can sometimes exacerbate frustration with work. “Some would say sophomore summer wasn’t one of their happier terms because it’s kind of rigorous and its not the best feeling to be looking out of the window from the library every day, seeing all your friends running around having fun and you’re stuck inside studying,” Saavedra said. “I think the degree with which you’re preoccupied with heavy classwork is pretty important.” Andreas Tzavelis ’17 echoed this sentiment. Tzavelis, who took the notoriously difficult organic chemistry during his
TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The Connecticut River is one of the more quintessential places for Dartmouth students to relax over their sophomore summer.
sophomore summer, described it as a term filled with highs and lows. He said that it, overall, did not live up to its positive reputation; he was stressed out by his workload, he said, and also by a constant fear of missing out on enjoyable activities. “It didn’t live up to the hype. Only because I was intent on getting the most out of it and I couldn’t do it because of all the time I had to spend doing work,” Tzavelis said. “If I was happy with one thing, I’d be necessarily neglecting something else. I was prioritizing in a way that put work first so that was fine, but you always knew you were missing out on something.” Tzavelis said that the summer really doesn’t differ much from any other term, but his inability to live up to these high expectations was disappointing and caused him more stress than usual. Kenneth Amaya ’15 also took a difficult course load, including organic chemistry, during his sophomore summer. As with Tzavelis, the infamously stressful class was only made worse by the fact that he took the class during his sophomore summer. Although he said he really enjoyed the hallmarks of sophomore summer — swimming in the river, spending time outdoors and bonding with friends — he said his fear of missing out was intensified. “Someone might invite you to the river or to do something outside, go on a hike or something and you’re going to have to say no,” Amaya said. “Because you have that lab report or you have to study for that midterm that’s coming up and I think that’s pretty true of all the other terms but I feel like I might be a little magnified during summer term.” That’s not to say that Amaya and Tzavelis necessarily recommend taking an easy course load during summer at all costs. Rather, they suggested controlling one’s expectations and keeping them realistic, which will help you avoid disappointment and disillusionment. “Everyone has this expectation for sophomore summer to be the happiest term and the best term, but if you go into sophomore summer with that expectation, I’m not sure it can be lived up to,” Amaya said. “If you go into it thinking it’ll be like any other term, then you’ll be happy.” Sethi expressed a similar sentiment, explaining that your perception of the term is totally within your control. “I think its definitely hyped so you might expect more than there is, but the drawback only comes from our own perception of the term,” Sethi said. “People should go into it knowing it’s going to be a fun term, but don’t expect it to be Universal Studios or Disneyland.” Despite the stressful pressure to make the most of the summer and have fun, it’s hard to discount the positive aspects of summer. The upperclassmen that I spoke too all spoke fondly of the weather and the general atmosphere during sophomore summer. Despite their warnings to keep low expectations, I couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of what’s to come.