The Dartmouth 05/05/15

VOL. CLXXII NO. 74

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Studentscreate petitiontonominate prof.Sargentasdean

PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 74 LOW 39

By LAUREN BUDD The Dartmouth Staff

PREETI RISHI/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

SPORTS

EQUESTRIAN SUCCEEDS AT NATIONALS PAGE 8

OPINION

WOODWARD: AN ODE TO FRIBBLE PAGE 4

ARTS

BEYOND THE BUBBLE: PRIDE AND PREDJUDICE PAGE 7

READ US ON

DARTBEAT GUIDE TO WRITING POPULAR YAKS SPHINX SECRETS ON A BATHRROM STALL FOLLOW US ON

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Over the weekend, a group of students circulated a petition to nominate writing professor Jennifer Sargent for the soon-to-be-vacant Dean of the College position, as the nomination process for potential applicants closed yesterday.

The petition, which Mene Ukueberuwa ’14 and Eli Derrow ’15 drafted, has gained approximately 300 signatures since it was first opened, Ukueberuwa said.

The petition will remain open in order to further

More than 300 students signed a petition nominating professor Jennifer Sargent as the next Dean of the College.

SEE SARGENT PAGE 5

Dartmouth for Nepal responds to recent earthquake

B y MICHAEL QIAN

The Dartmouth Staff

In the wake of the April 25 Nepal earthquake, which has killed more than 7,000 people and has flattened entire villages and cultural sites, members of the Dartmouth community have founded the Dartmouth for Nepal organization.

South Asian Student Association president Raunak Bhojwani ’18 started talking with his peers about mobilizing support efforts, and within

a week, more than 100 people from the Dartmouth and the Upper Valley communities met to discuss aid efforts.

The fact that the Dartmouth community raised over $1.5 million in aid after the Haiti earthquake five years ago showed the College’s potential influence, Bhojwani said. He added that his two main goals are to increase awareness of the disaster and raise money for those in Nepal.

On the day of the Nepal earthquake, Pawan Dhakal ’16 woke up to a number of wishes and concerns

from friends, professors and College staff members. Dhakal said that the support he received represents a larger community effort to support Nepal and all those who have been affected.

“It is hard to connect to a place that is thousands of miles away, but as a community of learners, especially as a community that believes in liberal arts education, every one of us should be expected to know about the world outside of Dartmouth and think critically about all the issues...that matter to the rest of the world even if they

don’t matter to us,” Dhakal said.

In the past weeks, Dhakal has been working with Dartmouth for Nepal to brainstorm fundraising ideas.

“We have a vision of connecting Dartmouth and the Upper Valley communities to Nepal for the long run by working projects focused on providing community to community education, cultural understanding and outreach through experiential learning,” he said.

Students have also been fundraising SEE NEPAL PAGE 3

DALI and DEN partner to host The Pitch every term B y Katie Rafter The Dartmouth Staff

The Digital Arts Leadership and Innovation Lab and Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network are currently accepting applicants for The Pitch for the spring term. This year marks the first during which the event will be held each term.

The Pitch gives students, faculty and staff the opportunity to present their ideas for start-up concepts in two-minute presentations before an audience and a

panel of judges for the chance to win up to $3,000, DALI Lab executive director Lorie Loeb said.

“Anyone in the Dartmouth community can pitch their ideas — any idea big or small, whatever stage it’s in,” she said.

Loeb said that now that the DALI Lab is partnering with DEN to co-sponsor the event, they can hold The Pitch every term.

MAY NGUYEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

SEE PITCH PAGE 2

Community members give two-minute presentations to a panel of judges for The Pitch.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 2

DAily debriefing The University of Vermont Cancer Center has accepted samples from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center for approximately three years, a practice that has paved the way to for the two institutions to begin sharing resources that will become available to researchers at both sites, according to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. The researchers will have access to technology, services and consultation. The new memorandum of agreement offers a financial advantage for each institution as opposed to operating independently.

The Bengt Sonnerup Fellowship for the 2015–2016 academic year was awarded to Jocelyn Shyong ’16 and will help support her work with engineering professor Mark Laser titled “Techno-economic assessment of integrated oxycombustion concepts for C02 capture from pulverized coal power plants,” Thayer School of Engineering announced. The fellowship is offered to those whose research helps address the challenges of climate change and is supported through anonymous donations.

Professor Laser said that Shyong’s work in chemical engineering and performance in previous courses made her a great candidate for the fellowship. Shyong’s research focuses on carbon capture, a form of “clean coal” research.

Pediatrics professor at the Geisel School of Medicine James Sargent and Geisel epidemiology professor Jennifer A. Emond published a study in the Journal of Pediatrics which found that teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 who have drank a mixture of alcohol and energy drinks were four times more likely to fulfill the criteria for alcohol use disorder or binge drinking when compared to a teenager who had tried alcohol but not a mixture, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center announced. More than three thousand adolescents and young adults aged between 15 and 23 were examined for this study.

Next, the team will examine how the marketing of the energy drinks affects teen perceptions of consumption of the drink and the acceptability of mixing it with alcohol.

— COMPILED BY NOAH GOLDSTEIN

Corrections We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.

Yesterday’s print edition of The Dartmouth incorrectly identified Katelyn Jones ’17 as the photographer for multiple photographs. Daniel Berthe ’18 took “Stuck in the Mud” on page 5, and Preeti Rishi ’18 took both the front-page photograph of the students protesting otuside Alpha Chi Alpha’s annual Pigstick party and the photograph of the PRIDE week awards on page 7.

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Students praise The Pitch experience FROM PITCH PAGE 1

“We wanted to try it to see how it went, and we’ll see and then reassess how that’s gone and whether it makes sense to have three,” she added.

New venture incubator programs director Jamie Coughlin said that the program has proven to be successful so far, adding that the program has afforded students the time to prepare their ideas for presentation. DALI and DEN will continue to hold The Pitch every term, excluding the summer term, and build it as a core program of the DEN Innovation Center, he added.

Loeb said that they wanted to give students on off-terms the opportunity to apply and compete as well.

She added that she thinks it has been a successful event so far, citing the fact that some winners from last term are still working on their projects in the DALI Lab and others have received additional funding.

For example, ArtxChange founder Katherine Crane ’16, who was one of The Pitch’s first winners, went on to receive an inaugural Stamps Scholarship for her project.

Some projects, such as the BusMe project from fall 2014, are not as successful as anticipated, Loeb said.

She added that experimentation and development are parts of the

process for students and that ideas that are less successful provide the opportunity to take their pitches to the next level.

Loeb said that she hopes that people will apply for The Pitch regardless of where they are in the process of developing their idea, because she believes that having to pitch their project in a two-minute presentation forces participants to understand what their goals and needs truly are.

“The people who pitch, whether they win or not, always tell us what a great experience it was,” she said.

She said that the quality of the pitches has improved over the course of the last three sessions, and past judges have been impressed by the diversity and quality of pitches.

Marina Plesons ’15 and Amanda Zieselman ’15 were winners of The Pitch last term for their project PeDDTB, which aims to address inaccuracies in pediatric tuberculosis treatments and on which they have been working since last spring.

Zieselman said that they reached a position where they wanted to present their idea in a more public forum.

“It was a really great exercise with speaking and preparing a short pitch about such a complicated project,” Plesons said.

Zieselman said that she thought it was a valuable experience as it provided an accurate idea of what a pitch presentation would be like in a real-world setting.

Plesons said that it was a great opportunity to hear about other projects from students.

“You rarely get to have avenues of hearing about individual projects outside of classes, and we thought that was one of the most special parts about participating in the pitch,” she said.

They said they felt The Pitch has impacted their progress and has helped them on the fundraising path.

Zieselman said that they plan to incorporate as a non-profit and hope to pursue their project full-time after graduation.

Shannon Carman ’17, another former winner of The Pitch, received $2,500 to build water filters to remove arsenic from groundwater.

She said that the money has been helpful in building prototypes and added that taking part in the competition was rewarding simply because her team had the opportunity to practice delivering their pitch.

She said that holding The Pitch every term would give more people the opportunity to participate and learn to present their ideas to an audience.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

PAGE 3

Dartmouth for Nepal focuses on the long term FROM NEPAL PAGE 1

in high-traffic areas like Novack and Collis Cafes since Sunday — an effort that Bhojwani said has been very effective for increasing awareness.

“Once [students] become aware, then they start seeing it everywhere,” he said. “And I think that’s the first thing we need to achieve. We want people to know that this has happened.”

Former South Asian Student Association president Kishan Ughreja ’15 said these efforts will continue for the next three weeks.

He added that many of his Nepali friends at Dartmouth plan to return to Nepal to help out as soon as they can.

Dickey Center for International Understanding program manager of human development initiatives, Kenneth Bauer said he feels intimately invested in mobilizing support for Nepal because of the time he has spent there for both personal and professional reasons. He also met his wife, anthropology professor Sienna Craig, in Nepal.

“In terms of the earthquake, [my involvement] is kind of a necessary and basically natural response to what’s happening over there,” Bauer said.

Like Bauer, Thayer School Ph.D. candidate Aditya Mahara said he was closely affected by news of the earthquake. Born and raised in Nepal, Mahara worked with Craig

to mobilize student support and develop Dartmouth for Nepal.

Carly Carlin ’15, who spent part of her Sunday evening fundraising in Novack, said that her interest in global health and international development naturally feeds into her desire to support Nepal.

“I just think when something bad in the world happens, it’s our obligation to do something to help,” Carlin said. “Especially for these natural disasters that happen really far away, a lot of the times they’re covered in the news for a week or two and then they’re swept away.”

Although no definitive plan is in place, the Dartmouth community will likely focus more on long-term relief efforts than short-term support, owing to the current and existing network of on-the-ground organizations in Nepal, Bauer said.

“With respect to Nepal, specifically, a lot of people just do have a connection to that place,” Bauer said. “If you look in the Upper Valley or even in the Dartmouth community, I would venture that there are literally hundreds of people who have been to Nepal and have some sort of affection.”

Several organizers said that they are optimistic about how people will respond to support Nepal.

With support from the provost’s office, Dhakal and Mahara created the Dartmouth for Nepal organization’s webpage, through which support efforts will be coordinated.

KATELYN JONES/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Students sit outside the Paganucci Lounge in the Class of 1953 Commons to raise awareness and funds for Nepal.

HopkiNs CeNter for tHe arts tHe Department of music presents

free

festival of contemporary american music

Two evenings of music featuring past and present Dartmouth composers including works by Faculty Emeritus Christian Wolff

FLUX QUARTET

SALE BY THE POUND

tue may 5 7 pm • SpaULding aUdiToRiUM

“One of the most fearless and important new-music ensembles around.”

San Francisco Chronicle

The FLUX Quartet has performed to rave reviews across the United States. This renowned young string quartet will feature a newly commissioned work by alumnus Ryan McWilliams ‘14.

JEFFREY LEE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network offers a class in sales techniques.

plus STRING

NOISE fri may 8 8 pm

hop.dartmouth.edu • 603.646.2422 • Dartmouth College • Hanover, NH

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 4

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

STAFF Columnist AYLIN WOODWARD ’15

GUEST COLUMNIST ROBERT HERBST ’16

An Ode to Fribble

A Study in Agonism

Anonymity is a scourge to the health of online dialogue.

Dearest Reader, Please forgive my apparent digression into the realm of the inane with this particular piece — having found the topics of administrator relations, collegiate progress and excessive grade inflation all too heavy of late, I instead thought it prudent to write on something less exhaustively debated.

For those of you who have read a column on The Dartmouth’s website and happened to scroll down to the bottom of the page where the Disqus comments are found, you have undoubtedly read the bombastic, belligerent and often incoherent commentary penned under the moniker “fribble.” He or she or they — I know not which — enjoys harpooning many us for our ideas and revels in the exercise of trashing the College, its administrators, its supposed Kool-Aid drinking automaton populace and our institution’s efforts to better itself. Without fail, fribble comments on nearly every article or column that could in some way be construed as revealing, or arguing for, the integrity of Dartmouth’s character.

An interesting pen name to be sure — to share one’s name with an iconic Friendly’s dessert drink. I can’t help but draw a corollary between the relative lucidity of the author’s words and the amorphous, blob-like consistency of the drink in question. Indeed, fribble’s Disqus profile indicates that the person in question has made over 27,000 comments on articles across the internet, primarily taking an interest in the affairs of The Dartmouth opinion section and the website “Politico,” which covers domestic politics.

When it comes to critiquing the logical consistency and Dartmouth-centric arguments that appear day-to-day in both my columns and those of fellow opinion staff members, contributors or guests, fribble’s comments are often aggressive and callous, and they betray a spitefulness that precludes any plausible claims to morality or objectivity. Such comments, predictable in their tone and content, do not push the debate forward — they are white noise in the background of a community trying to have an honest conversation, serving as a mere distraction or even a leech

on the progress of collective public discourse.

I feel as though devoting the entirety of a 700-word column to the commentary of one anonymous online contributor — contributor being used in a generous sense here — would indicate a shallow concern for my own journalistic integrity. I won’t assume the liberty to write such a piece here. I would, however, like to connect the story of fribble to a broader epidemic that has recently pervaded the dialogue not only at the College, but in the world at large.

We, as human beings, are bearers of the burdens of our own progress — technological advancements that brought about internet forums and the recent development of various social media have led to the proliferation of anonymous interactions. Conversations in which people see fit to hide behind monikers or nicknames have unfortunately become inevitable in discussion forums like The Dartmouth comments section and Bored at Baker or, worse, in mediums without registered users like Yik Yak, where no comment, no post, no up or down vote is tied to any person’s account. We have precipitated and perpetuated a culture in which we are not held accountable for our words and are reckless with our opinions, and verbal cruelty without impunity abounds. Such a culture cannot continue if we want to catalyze meaningful discussion. If we want to change the landscape and the status quo of the topics that mean the most to us, we must do so by standing up for our ideas and opinions with dignity and the honor that comes with visible ownership of our words.

So, to the endearing and predictable fribble, as well as all commenters and internet users out there who feel the need to mask their true selves for the sole purpose of disavowing personal ownership of their opinions — I have a proposal.

I’ve put my name on this column and am not afraid to couple my opinions with my person, and now I invite not only fribble to enter the realm of mature, mutually respectful dialogue between two people — or rather, between a community and its resident naysayer — but also everyone else who lurks in the shadows of anonymity to step into the light.

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False premises that reject allies and cooperation hurt social justice causes.

A popular Martin Luther King Jr. quotation that has been floating around Facebook reads, “A riot is the language of the unheard.” Without much explanation, most students will understand that the relevant riot is the recent social unrest in Baltimore. Moreover, that these actions constitute “the language of the unheard” implies a message that can only be gleaned through rioting. That message could read, “Oppressive institutions rely on the illusion of social stability to perpetrate themselves. By undermining social stability, we expose the pernicious nature of oppression and subvert it.” We may be tempted to understand this as denizens of a world defined by social media activism with a blurred relevance to local contexts.

Some students want to be more than the floating observer — to speak that message themselves.

Yet what message are students conveying when they undermine social stability in Hanover?

I see two possible viewpoints that may have motivated the protests at Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity’s Pigstick party and Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority’s Derby event this past weekend. The first is that these markers of Dartmouth social life are manifestations of oppressive structures identical or similar to the ones protested in Baltimore. For this argument to hold true, students would need to equate their personal oppression with larger protest movements. Specifically, these explicitly anti-Greek groups would be advancing a claim that the oppression stemming from the Greek system is analogous to that of police brutality, housing segregation and predatory economic policy. I reject this out of hand. I trust that all students, including those involved in the protests, know that inner-city police brutality has no parallel at the College.

I therefore must assume a second inspiration for the protests. By protesting events with large public visibility and an innately controversial bent, students are able to garner more attention for themselves and their cause. While this line of thought is certainly appealing, it is both flawed and troubling. It misidentifies what makes different types of activism successful. Real Talk Dartmouth, for example, succeeded after the April 2013 Dimensions protest because of the subsequent

sustained, echo-chamber-like conversation about Dartmouth issues — issues under the College’s jurisdiction. Like it or not, administrators have little power to alter the oppressive apparatus targeting urban black communities across America. There is no “Moving Dartmouth Forward” plan for police brutality. As such, the aim of a sympathetic protest movement should not be notoriety, but support. Stirring the beehive is not productive in this instance — especially when our particular hive is willing to help when it isn’t incensed.

As a brother of Alpha Chi, the die was cast for me the morning of Pigstick. My house knew that protests were going to happen. We had invited students intending to protest to take the stage at their chosen time to spread awareness of issues that we as a house cared about. They rejected this option. For those students, it was out of the question that our house might align itself with their cause. In this constructed scenario, Pigstick is arbitrarily chosen as mutually exclusive with supporting the movement in Baltimore.

The problem here stems from an old strain of political philosophy called agonism, which posits that the best results come from the clashing of ideas. This isn’t to say that the protestors are agonists. Rather, their insistence on a binary between the demonstrators and the partygoers — the revelers, who became a proxy for the ignorant white masses — is an agonist position. Whether or not that dichotomy accurately conveys the reality of the situation is beyond the point. Implicit is a series of false choices — you can only be on one side of the picket line. This thinking precludes the notion of coalition building or allyship because the good guy-bad guy trope generates maximum attention. I hate to use the civil rights movement clichés that the MLK quotation plays up, but I would argue that white student allies at sit-ins and marches did not inhibit the movement’s successes.

It’s disappointing that the chance to galvanize a coalition of students in solidarity against police brutality was lost. Though in our present age of all-or-nothing social justice — where compromise is co-optation and diversity of opinion is a poison to ideological purity — it’s hard to expect anything else.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Sargent honored by nomination for dean FROM SARGENT PAGE 1

represent student support for Sargent, Ukueberuwa said.

Ukueberuwa said that Derrow, who took “The Written Judicial Opinion” with Sargent last spring, spearheaded the campaign.

Ukueberuwa added that Derrow, who is not currently enrolled in class this term, had kept in touch with Sargent and had a lot of time “to pour himself into the initiative.”

Ukueberuwa, who is currently taking Sargent’s “The Written Judicial Opinion” class, said he first approached Sargent to propose the idea, then he and Derrow drafted the petition together.

Ukueberuwa said there was no fixed procedure for the nomination process and that he believed that administrators were expecting a more casual nomination system in which students would email the vice provost with potential candidates, adding that he believed putting together a formal petition would make a bolder statement for the selected nominee.

“We had the time on our hands, we had the passion, we both really respect professor Sargent and know other students on campus definitely feel the same, and so we decided that a petition would be a great way of concretely showing how connected she is to the campus,” Ukueberuwa said.

Sargent’s ability to bridge the gap between students and administrators is a particularly compelling reason to consider her for the position, Ukueberuwa said, adding that he feels this gap has widened over recent years.

“Sometimes there’s a lack of accessibility from administrators,” Ukueberuwa said. “They’re not necessarily so open to hearing students concerns and really taking them to heart.”

Ukueberuwa said that he believed Sargent’s experience in the legal profession would make her especially skilled at balancing the interests of multiple parties and taking into account the rights, interests and concerns of all when making decisions.

Sargent’s experience as a public defender, judge and educator of state judges gives her strengths and experiences that few academics possess, Ukueberuwa said.

He added that Sargent also has strong practical managerial experience.

“She’s super invested in making our time at school more meaningful than just teaching us facts,” Ukueberuwa said.

Ben Vihstadt ’16, another former student of Sargent’s, said that Sargent is not just a excellent professor but an advocate for students and a mentor whose generosity included providing her cell phone number on her syllabi and bringing chicken soup to a sick student.

“She may be intimidating to some because of her high expectations, but once you meet those expectations she’s just the nicest and most accommodating teacher,” Vihstadt said.

Vihstadt said that when he found out about the petition, he immediately was in favor and signed in support.

“There’s no doubt in my mind if any issue came up, she would be there for the students,” Vihstadt said. “She’s not afraid to stand up for students.”

Ukueberuwa cited Sargent’s experience with students as a factor for her qualifications for the role of Dean of the College, but also highlighted Sargent’s experience outside of the university system.

“You want not just a professor who has been in universities their whole career, but someone who has the experience of managing things and working with different parties,” Ukueberuwa said.

In an emailed statement, Sargent wrote that she was honored by the nomination, though it was unexpected.

She further noted that she believes her students have come to know her as a fair, thoughtful and open-minded person, as well a good listener, though she also often challenges their perspectives and shares her experiences with them to help them see different sides of any given issue.

“I see their support as a sign of their thankfulness that they have professionals and mentors on campus who will support them as young intellectuals and be honest about how they can be true to themselves while becoming integral parts of larger communities,” Sargent wrote. “The fact that students see my contributions in and out of the classroom as communicating qualities they would like to see in a Dartmouth administrator is humbling.”

Sargent wrote that the studentrun component of the nomination process was an opportunity for students to communicate about the type of dean they feel comfortable supporting.

“In the larger picture, the nomination is such a wise and productive way for students to use their voices,” Sargent wrote.

PAGE 5

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU

FAITH ROTICH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Collis Governing Board offered Star-Wars themed cupcakes this week as a celebration of May 4.

PAGE 6

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

DARTMOUTH EVENTS TODAY 11:00 a.m.

“Red Cross Blood Drive,” online registration, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Alumni Hall

2:00 p.m.

“Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Biomedical Applications,” Wilder 202

4:30 p.m.

“Transforming India: Development and Diplomacy” with Indian representative to the U.N. Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Haldeman 041

TOMORROW All Day Room draw for fall term housing

4:15 p.m.

“Science Innovation and National Security,” lecture with White House assistant director for national security and international affairs Susan Coller-Monarez, Dartmouth Hall, Room 105

4:30 p.m.

“Why the Vietnam War Still Matters,” lecture with Christian Appy of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Haldeman 41

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The Dartmouth, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire. USPS 148-540 ISSN 01999931

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

PAGE 7

College plans to add more public sculptures by women

B y hallie huffaker The Dartmouth Staff

While the College’s collection of more than 20 works of public art includes only two pieces created by women, the College is currently taking action to decrease this disparity by the end of spring term.

Senior curator of collections at the Hood Museum of Art Katherine Hart said that the College is currently in the process of commissioning a new piece of public art by artist Kiki Smith. Hart said that the process began under the leadership of former Interim College President Carol Folt in 2012.

“One of the impetuses for the commission was that it was the 40th anniversary of coeducation at Dartmouth,” Hart said.

She said that Smith’s position as a major female figure in the art world made her a logical choice for inclusion on campus.

Art history professor Joy Kenseth said that the only two pieces of public art currently on display at the College are “Sphere” by Luise Kaish and “Thel” by Beverly Pepper. “Sphere” is currently on display in the Collis Student Center, while “Thel” can be found outside Wheeler and Richardson Halls.

Kenseth said that she considers it unfortunate that there have been so few pieces by women on campus.

“As you can see, we have a serious underrepresentation of public art by women artists here,” she said.

“Perhaps this will be rectified.”

Kenseth said that for a brief time the College displayed another piece of female-made public art — the sculpture “Crouching Spider”

by Louise Bourgeois was on display outside the Black Family Visual Art Center for about a year.

Hart said that a major reason that the College has very few public art pieces by female artists is because of the relatively late date of coeducation.

“A lot of public sculpture came in [the] ’70s, [the pieces by] Charles Perry [and] Mark Di Suvero were all commissioned then,” she said. “There was also the commission by Pepper at the time.”

Hart said that the fact the College does not have main pieces of public sculpture and also displays pieces that might not traditionally be considered sculpture impact the number of pieces by women.

University of Massachusetts at Lowell gender studies professor emerita and co-organizer of Lowell Women’s Week Anne Mulvey said that a reason for the lack of prominent representation of women in public art is because of a traditional view that art by women was not legitimate.

“The issue is that women haven’t had their art seen as art or of

what we think of as art,” she said.

“Because of subject or because the person creating it is a woman, her art is not honored as art.”

She said that in her opinion women’s art has traditionally been seen as inferior because of the limited opportunities and access women often had to artistic outlets. She said that despite this view, art by women has shown the importance of having an outlet and possessing an innate creative ability, as women used less traditional forms, such as poetry and gardens, to express themselves.

Mulvey, who has helped to organize the public art component of the Lowell Women’s Week since 2000, said that public art by women can fall outside of traditional understandings of the medium. She said that before the formal public art component of the week began the group displayed pieces by local women that may not be seen as traditional art, such as lace tablework by members of the Lowell Portuguese community.

“The women themselves were saying that they hadn’t thought of what they did as anything to be noticed,” Mulvey said. “It was not seen as art by their own families.

It was not public art in traditional way, but it gave us a place where women’s work which was not seen as art has been recognized as art.”

She said that the public art program for Lowell Women’s Week

MAGGIE ROWLAND/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

“Crouching Spider” by Louise Bourgeois was a unique example of female public art.

has involved between 500 to 2,000 participants and materials ranging from shoes to two-dimensional pieces. She said that the 2002 public art display, which focused on women’s experiences and perspectives of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, was only intended to remain on display through the month of March but stayed up until September.

“Every year, we take a theme that is always broad enough that people could connect to it,” she said. “Each year the particular public art project was distinctive.”

Only around eight percent of public art in the United States is by female artists — out of over 5,000 public sculptures, women

are responsible for creating fewer than 400.

Hart said that the Hood Museum is working to expand its general collection of sculpture by women — currently, the museum has 75 sculptures by women.

Smith will be visiting the College on May 21 to begin the installation of the new work in the Maffei Plaza of the Arts, Hart said. She said that due to renovations and expansions planned for the Hood Museum, the sculpture may later need to be moved.

Work by Smith is currently on display in the Hood Museum’s show “About Face: Self-Portraiture in Contemporary Art.” ​ Amelia Rosch contributed reporting.

Beyond the Bubble: PRIDE and Prejudice in the Media

B y ANDREA NEASE The Dartmouth Staff

Considering the College is in the process of wrapping up PRIDE week festivities, I thought it would be appropriate to look at the presence and representation of queer individuals in popular media in 2015 compared to decades past.

PRIDE week serves as a time of recognition, commemoration and celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. This focus on nonheterosexual orientations also helps to educate the public on what I think has been appropriately termed “the new normal.”

A few months ago, I began to look at gender inclusivity in films — and more specifically at the number of films that pass the Bechdel Test.

The results were disappointing, but fortunately, the number of women appearing in movies has been on the rise in recent years. Upon researching media inclusion of the LGBTQ community, however, I found more disappointing numbers and an even slower rate of improvement.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance

Against Defamation Studio Responsibility Index found that of 114 film released by major studios in 2014, only 20 of them — or 17.5 percent — portrayed characters who identified as either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. This number represents a slight improvement from the 16.7 percent of films from the same studios that featured LGBT characters in 2013.

In comparison, nearly a decade ago, GLAAD’s 2005 to 2006 television series survey estimated that less than two percent of characters on broadcast networks were identified as LGBT. Although increased media inclusion is not necessarily indicative of improvement, I believe that Hollywood and cable TV alike have notably increased efforts to depict minority and disenfranchised groups.

The unfortunate reality of the typical way in which media represents queer communities is its potential to skew public perception and create or reinforce stereotypical images of particular groups. Many gay male characters, for example, are often represented as effeminate.

While a popular image, this is not

characteristic of all gay men — actually it is far from it.

Regardless of the potential to skew public belief, shows like “Glee” (2009) and “Modern Family” (2009) and others have, in my opinion, done wonders to increase awareness and acceptance. Several conservative groups saw the sitcom “Will and Grace” (1998) as controversial after its premiere because they believed the show would make homosexuality desirable to audiences.

Fast forward to 2012 when Vice President Joe Biden said the following about the program — “[‘Will and Grace’] probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody’s ever done so far.”

We’re seeing less controversy and more media inclusion around the lives of queer people and hopefully we will continue to see decreased prejudice as a result.

I think we can only go up from here — social equality does not happen overnight. It can take decades, and it will likely be decades before the media’s representation of disenfranchised groups is where we

want it to be. Something that Chaz Bono, contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” (2005) and transgender rights advocate, said after his elimination from the competition serves as a strong reminder of the need to adjust current media coverage to show more than heteronormativity or queerness shown through an essentializing lens. Bono said he competed on the show because if there had been “somebody like me on TV when I was growing up, my whole life would have been different.”

The impact that LGBTQ media presence can have is immeasurable. An organization called The Critical Media Project has made it its mission to educate youth in media literacy and the intersection of identity politics and media in particular. Tackling big issues such as the presence and diversity of queer, racial and ethnic representations and the overall role of media in our contemporary society is important. Organizations like the Critical Media Project, in addition to, broadcasting networks that are increasing LGBTQ inclusion are taking a step in the right direction.

The numbers could have been better, but at least we are heading somewhere. A few questions from The Critical Media Project to ask yourself that I find worth noting are: Who created this message; what creative techniques are used to attract my attention; how might different people understand this message differently from how I do; what lifestyles, values and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message; and why was this message sent?

Think about the impact of what you’re watching, engage in activities such as PRIDE week programming and do not pretend to have all the information on a group just because you have watched a handful of sitcoms that have a minority character or two.

Lastly, a shoutout to Chris Gallerani’s ’15 show “#werq,” which he performed at the Hopkins Center this past weekend. The show was a solo piece based on his experiences as a queer person and how those have shaped his life — a great piece to heighten awareness and further engage with the purpose of PRIDE week.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS

PAGE 8

SPORTS

Equestrian succeeds at Nationals

B y KOURTNEY KAWANO The Dartmouth Staff

After placing second in individual novice fences at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone 1 Championship at Mount Holyoke College nearly a month ago, Meaghan Haugh ’17 qualified for a spot in the coming IHSA National Championships in West Springfield, Massachusetts for the second consecutive year.

Since her performance at zone competitions, Haugh said she has practiced at least once or twice each day in preparation and rode different horses in anticipation of the draw at nationals. The Big Green rider has seen other success this season as well, placing fourth in both intermediate fences and intermediate flat at the Ivy League Championship two weeks ago to help the equestrian team claim second place.

This past Thursday, Haugh ended the equestrian season with a seventhplace finish in the individual category for novice fences at the IHSA Nationals competition. This marked the second time Haugh participated in the national competition, but the first time she competed as an individual rider.

Last year, Haugh competed in the team category for novice flat and fences events and placed eighth and fourth, respectively, helping Dartmouth to finish 10th in the Collegiate Cup Hunter Seat level.

Competing in the individual category, Haugh said, was less stressful than competing in the team category.

“I think it was a lot more pressure competing for the team because it wasn’t just for me,” Haugh said.

In 2014, the individual category for novice fences featured only 10 competitors, but this year saw Haugh pitted against a field of 15 other riders, making it an even greater challenge to come away with a victory.

This year’s field, Haugh said, was extremely competitive, with a lot of the fellow riders earning impressive scores.

As the 15th rider to enter the ring, Haugh said she knew her competitors’ scores and where she placed after hearing her score when she finished.

“I was really happy with how I rode,” Haugh said. “I laid down a trip that was probably the best of the season.”

Anna Knowles ’16 and Nathalie Ferneau ’18 also qualified for nationals after earning the top two scores in the nation in the first phase of the Teresa L. McDonald IHSA Scholarship Chal-

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

TUESDAY LINEUP

ONE ON ONE WITH JOHN LEWIS ’17

B y Alex wasdahl This week I sat down with John Lewis ’17, a member of the sailing team who took third in the A division alongside Robert Floyd ’17 at the George Morris Trophy hosted

by Boston University. This past weekend, the sailing team finished 10th overall at the New England Championship.

How has your season personally been this year?

JL: It’s going alright. Not bad.

Courtesy of Emily Tregidgo

Meaghan Haugh ’17 placed seventh in the individual category of novice fences.

lenge. Founded by McDonald in 2010, an IHSA coach who passed away in 2014, the first phase of the program focuses on the administration and completion of a timed exam with 50 questions that test undergraduate IHSA members’ knowledge of stable management and general equestrian knowledge.

Like Haugh, Knowles and Ferneau qualified for the trip to Springfield.

They competed in Saturday’s practicum phase of the McDonald Scholarship Challenge.

For this phase, Knowles said two judges asked seven or eight questions each and the two needed to demonstrate practical skills and knowledge about topics such as horse care and equine anatomy.

After completing their respective practicums, Knowles and Ferneau needed to wait before the IHSA announced this year’s top winners. The national winner is determined by combining the score from the written exam with the scores from the practicum phase. The individual with the top combined score receives a perpetual trophy and a scholarship for $1,500.

Ferneau said she and Knowles were confident after the practicum, particularly because of how well they both did on the written exam. In last year’s challenge, the IHSA posted the competitors’ scores before giving the awards whereas in this year’s competition, the sponsoring organization did not post scores before announcing the winners, Knowles added.

“We had to stand on the side of the ring as the announcers kept counting down without saying our names so it

was kind of exciting,” Knowles said.

In the 2014 scholarship challenge, Knowles placed second in the nation with a combined score of 275 points, winning a $1,000 scholarship. This year, she once again faced 15 of the nation’s top scorers who successfully passed more than 10,000 individuals in the written phase. This time, though, she earned the highest score and won the national title while Ferneau earned second place and the title of reserve national champion.

Ferneau said it was exciting to earn the top spots because of the amount of time she and Knowles spent preparing for the challenge.

“It felt great knowing our work paid off,” Ferneau said.

Knowles and Ferneau’s one-two finish gives the Big Green’s equestrian program its first national championship.

Knowles said as a former member of the United States Pony Club, which emphasizes horse knowledge, it feels very satisfying to win the challenge.

“I don’t have the most consistent show record, so it’s nice to be able to use another of my strengths within the context of horses,” Knowles said Although the equestrian team’s season ended two weeks ago at the Ivy Championships, some members of the team continue to ride in their free time and are already looking forward to competing again next year.

“I think we’re being taken a lot more seriously on campus and by the athletic department, and that makes us all want to do better and be more competitive,” Haugh said. “I think we’re on track for another successful season.”

No athletic events scheduled

Have you had to make any adjustments while sailing in New England?

JL: Well, it’s cold here. I mostly used to sail up on Long Island Sound and in Connecticut over the summers.

I hadn’t really sailed where it was this cold though, so that’s one adjustment I’ve had to make — with dry-suit sailing and the like.

What do you enjoy most about sailing?

JL: It’s fun being out on the water, making things go fast. It’s a fun, relaxing thing to do.

As someone who doesn’t know much about sailing, I have to Would you say sailing is more ask: How long is the typical of a physical sport or a mental sport? season?

JL: I guess mostJL: The season ly mental, but comprises the also physical. fall and then the “There’s strategy and There’s strategy spring. tactics on the water, and tactics on the water, but S o d o y o u but also there’s the also there’s the t r a i n a l o t physical aspect in that physical aspect over the winyou have to be able in that you have ter? to be able to JL: We have lift to control the boat in control the boat twice a week, but windy, high-powered in windy, highwe don’t have powered situaactual practice situations.” tions. There’s since the lake is also the mental frozen over. The -JOHN LEWIS ’17 determination lake just thawed involved in belast week. ing able to fight How long have you been sail- through freezing, snowy days. ing?

JL: Since I was really young. I would What would you say to people sail a lot during the summers up on who are on the fence about Long Island Sound with my cousins. taking sailing as a P.E. course?

JL: Do it. It will be fun. You get to What sparked your interest in chill on the lake, learn how to sail, meet some fun people and have the sailing?

JL: During the summers I would time of your life. It’s the best decision usually go visit my family up in you’ll make at Dartmouth. Everyone Connecticut, and they all sailed. who has done it who has said it’s the My parents sailed when they were best P.E. class they’ve taken — and younger, so I just started doing it even the best activity at Dartmouth. over the summer. It caught on, and All of the upperclassmen who have done it have recommended it.

I kept going with it.

Was sailing a factor in your decision to come to Dartmouth?

JL: Not really. I thought about sailing when I was applying, but it wasn’t a deciding factor in going here.

You’re from Texas right?

JL: True. Best state in the Union.

Where do you see yourself going with sailing after Dartmouth?

JL: I don’t know. Probably just sailing casually. I don’t have any plans on doing anything specific with it after Dartmouth, just living the sailing life.