VOL. CLXXI NO. 96
SUNNY HIGH 86 LOW 66
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Strips brings 190 outdoors
DSGHP student plan will cost $2,435
B y MIN KYUNG JEON The Dartmouth Staff
SPORTS
TOWERS WILL NOT RETURN PAGE 8
OPINION
RENDLEMAN: STRUGGLING WITH SELECTION PAGE 4
ARTS
VOX FEST RETURNS TO CAMPUS PAGE 7
‘JERSEY BOYS’ FAILS TO DELIVER PAGE 7 READ US ON
DARTBEAT SIX PLACES TO COOL OFF ON CAMPUS FOLLOW US ON
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JOSH KOENIG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Strips participants chat with College President Phil Hanlon and his wife, Gail Gentes, at the Lodge.
B y hannah hye min chung The Dartmouth Staff
After a day and a half of wilderness expedition, the 190 sophomores participating in Sophomore Trips, or Strips, gathered at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge on Sunday afternoon and commemorated the weekend with song and dance. Wilder ness yoga and
road biking trips were new additions to the original list of trips, which included hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, nature photography and ropes course excursions, among others. Three hundred and sixtyfive students initially applied for Strips, but the number of students who attended dwindled to almost half of that. The number of dropouts was greater than the last
two years’, which recorded 40 each. Anna Gabianelli ’16, a program co-director, said that this year had the greatest yield in the history of Strips, despite the dropouts. Last year, about 160 students participated, with a last minute decrease that was largely attributed to a rainy forecast. SEE STRIPS PAGE 5
Professors rethink laptops in class after recent article B y MIGUEL PEña The Dartmouth Staff
Debate surrounding student use of computers during class has resurfaced following mathematics professor Daniel Rockmore’s June 6 article in The New Yorker, “The Case for Banning Laptops in the Classroom.” Since the article’s publication, some classes have implemented a no-laptop policy, which professors say is aimed at preventing distraction. Rockmore wrote that the use of
Changes to the Dartmouth Student Group Health Plan for the 2014-15 academic year will include higher medical deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for both in-network and out-of-network services, in addition to an increase in the co-payment students must pay for emergency room services. The total cost of the student plan with no dependents grew to $2,435 for the 2014-15 year from $2,187 in 2013-14. This 11 percent increase comes on the heels of a 9 percent increase from $2,006 in 2012-13 — a 21 percent total increase in two years. Cost for plans with one or multiple dependents also grew 11 percent, to $4,129 and $5,900 per year respectively. Under the new plan, individuals must pay a $250
deductible for in-network claims, $50 more than under the previous year’s plan. The family deductible grew by $100 for in-network claims, while individual outof-network claims increased by $100 and family out-ofnetwork claims increased by $200. The cost of the outof-pocket maximum for both in-network and outof-network claims doubled for individuals as well as families. Even after the recent price increases, assistant vice president for finance Tricia Spellman said, the plan is still in the platinumlevel category as defined by the Affordable Care Act, which means that the plan covers 90 percent of the actuarial value of health care expenses. From the consumer’s perspective, a platinum plan will have higher premiums but lower SEE HEALTH PAGE 3
IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
laptops entices students to browse the web, shop online and check social media, citing studies showing that students without computers performed better in quizzes after the lecture and that taking notes by hand makes for stronger learning. The piece received significant attention online, including responses published in Slate and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Religion professor Kevin Reinhart SEE LAPTOPS PAGE 5
JULIETTA GERVASE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Community members pair up for Argentine Tango Society’s first meeting this term.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 2
DAily debriefing A $1 million donation by J. Morgan Rutman, an investment firm executive who also sits on the University of New Hampshire Foundation’s Board of Directors, and his wife has improved the financial accessibility of the Shoals Marine Laboratory, a UNH and Cornell University joint program, according to a UNH release. Previously, the lab’s remote location and constrained operating period imposed considerable costs on participants, but the Rutmans’ gift, $375,000 of which they allocated to 10-week summer research internships, may reduce the financial burden. The Rutmans have also recently contributed significant sums to renovate a UNH stadium and establish a lecture series intended to raise the university’s visibility. After discovering marijuana, firearms and a large sum of cash in raids last week, federal prosecutors arrested 10 male New Hampshire residents allegedly in charge of a New Hampshire drug ring, Reuters reported. Prosecutors called the move a sign as part of their intention to more aggressively clamp down on drug trafficking and sales, even against the backdrop of an increasing number of states and cities legalizing possession in certain amounts and circumstances. The court documents state that the investigation dates back to March 2008, when Oklahoma authorities seized a New Hampshire truck with more than $2 million in cash secreted away in door panels. New Hampshire is one of more than 20 U.S. states that decriminalized marijuana for medical purposes when accompanied by a doctor’s prescription. New Hampshire governor Maggie Hassan, who recently returned from a trade trip to Turkey, must take action on dozens of bills in just several days, the Associated Press reported. Observers predict Hassan will sign a settlement with 25 hospitals to resolve a lawsuit over a tax on the hospitals’ revenues and over Medicaid rates. Among other bills awaiting Hassan’s action, one would ban use of hand-held cellphones while driving, starting July 1, 2015. Another will eliminate rapists’ parental rights, given that the women who became pregnant from the incident filed a petition demanding as such. A further bill will clarify recognition of gay marriage in the state. — COMPILED BY MIN KYUNG JEON
Corrections We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
Improve Dartmouth completes 18 suggestions, with more in progress B y chris leech
The Dartmouth Staff
Improve Dartmouth, the website on which community members can post suggestions for campus change, reached its six-month anniversary on Wednesday. During the first six months, administrators have implemented 18 ideas on the site, with eight listed as “in progress” and 13 designated as “in review.” Since the site’s opening, 5,006 unique users have contributed 434 ideas, 940 comments and about 46,000 votes. The 18 completed accomplishments include relatively simple tweaks — installing a clock in the north hall of the Class of 1953 Commons and a printer on the third floor of Berry Library — as well as the total revision of the College’s sexual assault policy, which now expels students who commit sexual assault. Students from Dartmouth Roots, Student Assembly and Palaeopitus senior society form the group responsible for moderating the site, and Improve Dartmouth’s latest report lists 15 administrative partners. The sexual assault policy suggestion has become the most upvoted item on the site, with 1,198 agrees and 40 disagrees as of press time. Site moderator Noah Manning ’17 was careful to note that this initiative had momentum behind it even before appearing on the site. Esteban Castano ’14, who cofounded Improve Dartmouth, wrote in an email that the site has created institutional memory, injected energy to campus and provided a framework for idea implementation. Rockefeller Center program officer Vincent Mack, who serves as the center’s primary liaison with Improve Dartmouth, said he is proud of the site’s progress, especially the work that its co-founders — Castano and Gillian O’Connell ’15 — have realized. Some ideas put forward have been tried before, Mack said, but Improve Dartmouth provides an avenue for new solutions. For instance, reusable silverware at Collis, a suggestion that received a net 380 positive votes, has been attempted twice previously, Mack said. “The silverware ‘walked away’ — it was stolen,” Mack said. “The student then suggested they use sporks, so Collis now sells sporks.” The first few months of running the site have shaped the group’s implementation pipeline, which progresses from the initial post, to moderator review, to implementation and to completion, Castano said. The site no longer employs a vote threshold to select ideas to move into the review stage. Since so many people began voting on the site, that metric became irrelevant, he said. The group now keeps a running list
of 15 items in the review stage, Castano said. Ten of the items in review are those with the highest vote score on the site, and the moderators choose the other five, he wrote, because popular ideas may not necessarily be best for campus. “You might have an idea like ‘free backpacks to all students’ that is more popular than something like ‘make X building handicap-accessible,’” Castano wrote. “The former is more popular but not necessarily more important.” Joel Weng ’17 proposed increas-
“I was a bit surprised by how nonconfrontational and non-abusive most users are.” - Noah Manning ’17, Improve dartmouth moderator ing the cereal options in the Class of 1953 commons, and despite earning 27 disagrees to nine agrees, the idea has now been listed as “completed.” Weng said he was not aware the idea was completed until he was contacted for an interview. An email update to the contributor, he said, would help students feel involved and increase the likelihood that they will interact with Improve Dartmouth in the future, although he noted that student involvement was not necessary for every proposal. But for significant ideas where students are equipped to provide input — like a change in the College’s sexual assault policy — Weng said he favors student involvement. George Philipose ’15, who has contributed four ideas, two of which are now designated as “in progress,” said
moderators did not ask to work with him on implementation. He said that although coordinating schedules might be difficult, he thinks the moderators should offer to include the person who proposes a suggestion before effecting campus change. Manning, who monitors the site’s comments, said he was pleased with the site’s rollout. “I was a bit surprised by how non-confrontational and non-abusive most users are,” Manning said. “I was imagining that an online forum where the purpose is ‘please tell us everything that is wrong with Dartmouth’ — that’s going to get a lot of nasty arguments.” Despite the lack of abuse on the site, there are still a few pitches that depart from campus debate about policy. In March, Aaron Pellowski ’15 suggested that the College secede from New Hampshire, asserting that it would solve Dartmouth’s drinking problem. The suggestion has accrued 45 agrees and 27 disagrees so far. Castano said he sees these ideas in a positive light because they reflect the encouraging culture of the site. “I think they make the site more fun, more real and more creative,” he said. After asking eight members of the Class of 2016 about their experience with the site, all eight responded that they had heard of the site. Four said that they had involved themselves in the page by voting on ideas, and three of the four said that they had posted their own ideas on the site. Manning also noted that some of the ideas marked as complete on the site actually involved very little influence from Improve Dartmouth. He cited the move from physical to digital major cards as a suggestion that College administrators had nearly completed by the time it appeared on the site. The site was test-launched Jan. 14 to an audience of 200 students and faculty and launched fully Jan. 25, Castano wrote.
A ‘REEL’ GOOD TIME
JULIETTA GERVASE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The Dartmouth Film Society holds its first meeting of the term.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
PAGE 3
Even with increase, plan is cheaper than League average FROM HEALTH PAGE 1
co-pays, co-insurances and deductibles. An advisory committee convenes to discuss the state of the health plan four times a year and implements necessary changes once a year, Spellman said. The committee includes Spellman, health services co-directors Jack Turco and Mark Reed and representatives from various campus bodies, like the Deans Office and the risk and internal control services office. The committee submitted recommendations to Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson earlier this year, who subsequently finalized the changes to the plan, Spellman said. One of these changes was the decision to increase cost-sharing for the upcoming plan year to keep the annual premium rate at an affordable level for students, she said. Cost-sharing includes expenses paid out-of-pocket, including deductibles and co-payments. Over the 2013-14 plan year, she said, the committee witnessed increased spending on claims, which thus required a higher premium. The committee increased cost-sharing so that the premium rate would grow by 11 percent as opposed to 14 percent, which would have been the case in
the absence of such a change, she said. Due to an overall trend toward higher claims, Spellman said, the recent increase in cost-sharing does not constitute an unusual move. Spellman noted that the changes for the new plan year have all been to
The cheapest available annual student plans across the other Ivy League schools cost an average of $2,513, about 3 percent higher than Dartmouth’s plan. pricing, not to benefits actual benefits, with the exception of the addition of pediatric, dental and vision coverage for individuals or dependents under the age of 18. This coverage is a requirement under the ACA. In recounting other significant changes that have been made to the plan in previous years, Spellman said that around the time of the 2012-13 plan year, the committee decided to eliminate the lifetime maximum and enhanced the coverage of preventive
care items like contraceptives, both in accordance with the ACA. She added that the committee launched a dental program for the 2013-14 plan year, based on the feedback from undergraduate and graduate students. The program provides a discount to insured students when they visit the dentist. The cheapest available annual student plans across the other Ivy League schools cost an average of $2,513, according to the latest information available, which puts the average about 3 percent higher than Dartmouth’s plan. Spellman said that the committee analyzes the other Ivies’ plans each year to establish appropriate benchmarks and for similar or superior quality coverage for Dartmouth students. Many employers lean toward high-deductible plans, and the DSGHP continues to be a comprehensive, generous plan, Spellman said, even compared to other Ivy League schools. Rita Tu ’16, who is not on Dartmouth’s insurance plan, said she had not heard of the changes, and that even if a student wanted to switch from the DSGHP because of price increases or other factors, he or she may not have better alternatives. Lanphord Cao ‘16, who is on the
plan, said that the price increases naturally make the plan less attractive to students. He said that even with the recent changes, the plan still lacks a crucial range of services that many students desire, such as vision care, and that the plan’s lack of vision coverage required him to visit an external facility and pay a large sum for an eye examination. “I think most people are not educated about the plan,” he said. “It’s a huge investment and required for students, so they definitely should make sure that students understand what it covers and what it does not.” Veri Di Suvero ’16, who is also on
the plan, said she was not aware of the recent changes. “I recognize that there is a reason for price increases, but at the same time, I don’t know exactly where my money is going,” she said. Matt Brandon ’16, a DSCHP subscriber, said he rarely uses his coverage or Dartmouth health services, but whenever he does, the coverage has been sufficient. He said he had not known about the recent changes and that a higher deductible is something no customer wants to hear. Roshan Dutta contributed reporting.
NATALIE CANTAVE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The cost of the student plan rose 11 percent to $2,435.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
PAGE 4
Staff Columnist Vivien RendLEman ’16
STAFF COLUMNIST JOSEPH GELLER ’16
Struggling with Selection
The Little Things
The College should offer more classes during summer term. It is written in the unofficial Dartmouth Bible that this term has the potential to be “the best term ever,” the sophomore summer that students hear legends of before they even matriculate. For the first time since the close of spring 2013, most of the members of the Class of 2016 have returned to Hanover — a long-awaited reunion after the D-Plan scattered us quite literally across the globe. Not only are we all back at Dartmouth, but it also seems as if our class has been given the run of the place. We have the beautiful buildings, the classrooms and the Collis stir-fry line all to ourselves. Yet a key element is missing from sophomore summer, and its absence leads to our class being unable to take full advantage of our academic time here. Because fewer people are on campus this summer, the College offers fewer classes. In fall 2014, Dartmouth will offer 835 classes, excluding classes in graduate arts and sciences and Thayer graduate courses. The average enrollment cap of these classes is 12 students, pointing to the availability of small seminars. More than 900 classes were offered in both winter and spring 2014, again excluding those two categories, and the average limit was 29 for the former and 31 for the latter. Dartmouth offers just 308 classes this summer, and the average class limit is 35. There are fewer summer classes, and the ones that are offered are large lecture classes. The reduction in course offerings is not surprising (a simple case of cause and effect), but it results in class registration being both more difficult and more frustrating. Many students I know could barely find three classes that truly engaged and interested them. When I eventually finalized my schedule, I had switched classes four times; in the end, I could not find a new major class that fit my schedule. My class registration is normally not that complicated. While I am happy with the classes I finally registered for, greater variety in course offerings would have allowed greater flexibility in course selection. The lack of both breadth and depth in summer class offerings stems from the school’s philosophy towards the term. The Office of the Registrar’s website states that the College takes
advantage of the fact that most sophomores are on in the summer by “offering special courses introductory to the major.” Offering mostly introductory courses does not make sense. Sophomore summer falls when many students have finally figured out what they want to do academically with their time here. Consequently, many sophomores no longer want to take large, introductory classes. They either have already taken many of these larger classes during earlier terms or they want to dive deeper into their area of academic focus. To design a sophomore summer curriculum that better fills the wants and needs of Dartmouth students, the College should provide more classes that are smaller in size and narrower in topic. Having the majority of one class on campus should drive the faculty to offer more seminarstyle classes, similar those offered freshman and senior years. These classes would allow sophomores to academically engage with each other as a class. By offering compelling seminar classes, the College could transform what is typically seen as a less stimulating academic term into one that intellectually engages its students. The fact is, sophomore summer is a real Dartmouth term. Fittingly, the College bills each student the same amount of money as it does every other term. This is all well and good as long as Dartmouth students can glean the same academic rewards from this term as they can from any other term. As long as sophomore summer remains a requirement, the College should provide the basic amenities of another term, class selection included. I am not arguing that having fewer course offerings keeps sophomore summer from being one of the best Dartmouth terms. Yet sophomore summer could be even better if the College capitalized on the term’s academic potential. After just a week and a half back in Hanover, I already realize why my trip leaders could not stop talking about their sophomore summers. However, I would enjoy the term even more if the College considered it an opportunity to foster academic bonds between members of the sophomore class.
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TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
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SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College, and should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.
DDS should not reduce FoCo services during the summer. Throughout my first two years at Dartmouth I constantly heard about sophomore summer. To me, this term seemed a magical, mythical time and place that was always light years away. I had so much to look forward to and so much to be excited about. I was told that sophomore summer would be everything I never knew I wanted and everything I would ever need. Over the first few weeks of term, I have come to realize that sophomore summer is not perfect and one reason falls under College policy. I as well as many others have suffered from the unreasonable hours and unnecessarily reduced services of Dartmouth Dining Services. I really do like DDS offerings during other academic terms — I even wrote a column defending it. During the normal school year I can usually eat something different and interesting at every meal. Yet during the summer, both the kosher and World View stations at Class of ’53 Commons are closed. Though there are fewer students on campus, FoCo is packed with people when I walk in for lunch each day. The Courtyard Café is closed, and there is plenty of demand at FoCo. That demand should warrant the re-opening of those two stations. The meal plan is almost as expensive as always — it ranges from $1,570 to $1,798 for on-campus plans and $910 for the off-campus plan. During other academic terms, it ranges from $1,615 to $1,850 for on-campus and $935 for off-campus residents. Spread across the student body, those price reductions could justify closing the Courtyard Café. My meal plan this term (SmartChoice5) costs $1,570. If you divide that number by 200 (10 weeks of term times 20 meals per week), you get $7.85 per meal — a steep price for reduced offerings. Normally I do not mind DDS costs, because normally I have plenty of options and am happy with the food selection. But paying $1,570 for meals that I am almost never satisfied with is egregious, especially at a school in which we are all (on- or off-campus) forced to buy
a meal plan. You may think I am being dramatic, but that is because you have not had the pleasure (or disgust) of witnessing my FoCo habits. I go back for thirds and fourths at the kosher station every single day during both lunch and dinner throughout the other academic terms. During the normal school year I could eat FoCo for lunch and dinner every day and be perfectly happy. Yet after two weeks of summer, I am already tired of the limited options (though at least FoCo has unlimited hummus). Though I have expressed how much I love its station, I do not even keep kosher. What about those students that do? Even if DDS did find some way to accommodate them, the lack of a kosher station makes it extremely difficult for students with religious dietary restrictions to find healthy, tasty and balanced meals to eat (or even find meals to eat in general). This oversight is unacceptable. Compounding the limited menu options at FoCo is the fact that we have no other choice for meals most of the weekend. Collis is only open from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. FoCo is literally the only weekend breakfast option during the summer, and it closes from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. That period is a dead zone for our DBA and meal swipes. At the very least, DDS should consider opening Collis on weekends for breakfast. Paying nearly as much for our meal plan, we deserve better food options during summer term. I am begging on my knees. I am generally extremely pleased with DDS, but small frustrations build over a 10-week term. The little things matter too, Dartmouth. There are fewer students on campus, but those of us that are here deserve to be treated the same as we are any other term. FoCo needs to be fully operational — our weekends should not be spent running across campus just to make a meal swipe at the one place that will take it.
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
PAGE 5
Enrollment increases, but some drop out FROM STRIPS PAGE 1
College President Phil Hanlon and his wife Gail Gentes visited the Lodge on Sunday, chatting with students about their experiences at Dartmouth and plans for the summer. An unexpected event over the weekend, was that one hiking group was dropped off at a wrong spot on the trail, but the group managed to find its way. Wilderness yoga trip leader Francis Slaughter ’16 said that Strips constituted a very different experience from first-year trips because leaders and trippees are peers. Still, Strips allowed students to re-experience the excitement of the first-year trips, he said. Eight students interviewed highlighted the experience of making new friends from their class as a chief appeal of Strips.
After registering, fewer students dropped out of Strips this year than last. Olivia Samson ’16 said she did not previously know anyone on her trip. “Even if you think you know a lot of people in your class, there are still those other people that you have never really come in contact with,” she said. “And you don’t want to miss out on those relationships that you can have with them.”
Matt Marcus ’16 said that Strips allows students to step aside from the busy campus routine and appreciate the natural beauty of the surrounding area. Keshia Naurana Badalge ’16, who co-directed Strips with Gabianelli, said that a directorate was established for the first time this year to diminish the pressure on the co-directors. Eight students
“Even if you think you know a lot of people in your class, there are still those other people you have never really come in contact with.” - olivia samson ’16
TREVELYAN WING/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Rows of laptop screens dot a lecture hall during a computer science class earlier this year.
Rockmore’s article ignites debate FROM LAPTOPS PAGE 1
divided the responsibilities. Six positions held four functions: safety and emergency, logistics, trip leader training and gear management. Badalge said the directorate could be improved if the roles of each position were more clearly defined and if the tasks were partitioned more efficiently. Gabianelli said that organizing Strips proved challenging at times, as both she and Badalge had never been on campus for them before. Approximately 85 percent of the Class of 2016 participated in first-year trips in 2012, while about 17 percent participated in
READ IT AND WEEP
said that he banned laptops in his class following the article, noting that he has observed numerous cases of students being distracted by Facebook and instant messaging, among other web services. Emphasizing the learning benefits of taking notes by hand, he said he believes the ban would prompt students to engage with the lecture.
“The College has not done a very good job of taking stock of what kinds of changes technology has produced.” - Kevin reinhart, religion professor
NATALIE CANTAVE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The library advertises for its student bookplate program.
Reinhart did acknowledge some benefits to taking notes by computer. For students “in the heat” of transcribing everything mentioned in class, handwriting might worsen, but typing allows the student to transcribe faster and review it effortlessly in the future. Reinhart said he decided to institute the ban despite these benefits and that he has not yet received any complaints from students. Dartmouth, Reinhart added, needs to implement a policy that allows professors to block Wi-Fi and Internet browsers in class. “The College has not done a very good job of taking stock of what kinds of changes technology has produced,” he said. History professor Rich Kremer has also implemented a no-laptop policy in his class, after discussions about Rockmore’s article with colleagues and
students. The class, he said, decided the ban would be a reasonable and effective step to prevent distraction. But to Kremer, a deeper issue stands behind the article: an attempt to preserve old pedagogical methods in the face of new technology. He said this debate resembles the debate that surrounded the first cars built with a location to place a buggy whip. “You got the buggy whip — students solely listening to the lecture — and the gasoline engine, and these two things don’t really go together,” he said. But just as the buggy whip became obsolete, Kremer said, so too will lectures. In their place, Kremer said he expects an evolution into what he calls “modularity,” where universities will break learning into “smaller digestible chunks” in lieu of extended class time. In 10 to 15 years, he said, the idea of taking a class for 10 weeks may give way to different conceptions of the university course, which could be taught for various periods of time, anywhere from a week to a year. Computer science professor Stephen Pink, a visiting professor from the University of Arizona, said he does not plan to prevent laptop use in his “Computer Architecture” class. Pink said that as long as the laptops do not distract students or him, he does not find them worthy of a ban. “I believe in giving students as much freedom as possible and treating them like adults,” he said. “So far, I have never been bothered with students using laptops in class.” As some professors opt to impose a laptop ban, students with disabilities still may use a laptop in the classroom for note-taking purposes, student accessibility services director Ward Newmeyer said. Students with neurological or medical conditions typically have difficulty controlling writing utensils,
he said, so typing can be less cognitively demanding for them. If a student with a disability enrolls in a class that bans laptops, Newmeyer said, student accessibility services will meet with the professor to reach an agreement. He added that the office is very careful in approving these exceptions, as they do not want to compromise the objectives of the course, he said. “We want to level the field for students with disabilities, not create an undue advantage,” he said. Ten students interviewed said they did not approve of a ban on laptops, and some argued that they should have the freedom to use their laptops however they see fit — provided, of course, it does not affect a classmate. Each also acknowledged laptops can cause distraction. Seven said they have found laptops vital to their ability to take quick, accurate notes during lectures. Alex Mitola ’16 said people learn
“You got the buggy whip — students solely listening to the lecture — and the gasoline engine, and these two things don’t really go together.” - Rich kremer, history professor better by writing their notes, but he believes students should make the decision whether or not to note-take by hand. Rockmore did not respond to multiple requests for comment by press time.
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
PAGE 6
DARTMOUTH EVENTS TODAY 12:30 p.m. Lunchtime gallery talk, “The Art of Weapons: Selections from the African Collection,” Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum
1:30 p.m. “Visit Dartmouth” tour, McNutt Hall
All Day Graduating students choose books and other items at the “Student Library Service Bookplate Program,” Berry Library Main Street
TOMORROW 3:00 p.m. “Extended Knowledge,” Sapientia Lecture Series, 103 Thornton Hall
6:00 p.m. “Henry V,” Ethics Summer Film Series, Haldeman 41
7:00 p.m. VOXFEST, “Vox Barter,” Hood Museum
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Like many eBay items 5 Swing, as trees in the wind 9 Butler’s belle 14 __ contendere: court plea 15 Keyboard error 16 Be an omen of 17 Colorado Gold Rush motto 20 Jewelry fastener 21 “__ chic!” 22 Spelling contests 23 Too small, clothing-wise 25 Kwik-E-Mart owner on “The Simpsons” 27 Looks forward to 30 No strangers to the slopes 34 “How stupid do you think I am?!” 37 Crooner Cole 38 “Dies __”: Latin hymn 39 Cooler in coolers 40 Zenith 41 Tuna catcher 42 Diet-busting ice cream treat 46 Complaining 48 Delhi money 49 Make a choice 50 __ minister 52 Give a high-five to 55 City near Santa Barbara 57 Sounded delighted 61 One who’s not easily convinced 64 Results from, with “to” 65 Egyptian pyramid city 66 School on the Thames 67 Jockey’s straps 68 Tofu beans 69 Claim to be untrue DOWN 1 Offensive to some, for short 2 Gardener’s purchase
3 Elderly caretaker in TV’s “Hot in Cleveland” 4 Pays for one’s crime 5 Octane Booster brand 6 “Christina’s World” painter Andrew 7 Separated 8 Oxen neckwear 9 Dinghy driver 10 Clamor 11 Fever and chills 12 Sneaky tactic 13 Creative pursuits 18 Malice 19 Honshu metropolis 24 Fed. agency that supports other agencies 26 Dental brand suffix 27 Vintner’s concern 28 Electrician, now and then 29 Italian violin maker 30 Observed 31 Cry of concession 32 Dwight’s spouse 33 Undoes a dele
35 Crooner Crosby 36 Color TV pioneer 40 Became visible 42 Marcel Marceau character 43 Playwright Chekhov 44 D-backs, on scoreboards 45 “Poison” shrub 47 Toy weapon 50 Backyard party setting
51 Swanky 52 Hustle and bustle 53 Get licked 54 High-end German car 56 Hooch containers 58 Detest 59 Subj. for a business major 60 Fashion initials 62 “__ making a list ...” 63 Post-WWII alliance
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01/07/14
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
In film, ‘Jersey Boys’ lose their charm
B y ANDREW KINGSLEY
Cinematic adaptations of musicals face an inherent problem. Musicals are both more alive, and more importantly, theatrical than film, which creates a surreal universe in which flashy, spontaneous song-and-dance routines are permitted and logical. For this to hold true, audiences must immediately suspend their disbelief, permitting their over-the-top dramatic elements. Film as a medium inherently lacks these forgiving expectations. Movies are not so overtly a capital-P production; there are no set changes or exaggerated acting so the cheap seats can see. So how does a filmmaker infuse his film with the same liveliness and grandeur of the original musical while restraining its theatricality? That is the issue that Clint Eastwood failed to resolve in his 2014 adaptation of “Jersey Boys.” The film, and the original 2005 musical, chronicles the formation, rise and eventual collapse of the 1960s band The Four Seasons, whose hits include “Sherry,” “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” Led by Frankie Valli and his iconic powerful voice, the band was one of the most popular Baby Boomer groups before The Beatles. Eastwood remains faithful to the Broadway version and includes all the instantly recognizable even to Generations X, Y and, I hope, Z hits. Although many songs are shot in a near documentary, anti-musical style, they provide the basic framework for the plot, told in chronological vignettes from different members’ perspectives. Yet the polyphony of voices drowns out the interior fracturing of the quar-
tet, which is the film’s greatest strength. The childhood friendship between Valli and his lead guitarist, Tommy DeVito, complicate the financial and emotional turmoil between the two, which ultimately dissolves the band. Valli opens the film by saying there were three ways out of the meat grinder of the New Jersey working class: join the army, join the mob or get famous. DeVito discovers Valli’s voice and makes him a star. Valli’s staunch loyalty and sacrifice for the man who discovered his talent is as startling as it is complex, unearthing a level of camaraderie foreign to most. As their monetary debt accumulates bombshell by bombshell from DeVito’s transactions with a loan shark, Valli remains unflinchingly supportive. In New Jersey in the 1960s, friendship is not a Facebook request — it means something. Their unraveling, thrown into powerful relief against their usually lively music from the irrepressible debut of “Sherry” to Valli’s solitary, eulogistic “Fallen Angel,” deserves an even bigger spotlight. Eastwood wastes too much time on Valli’s family tensions, whose overly melodramatic notes of divorce and neglected children worthy of a Sarah McLachlan commercial provide an uninspired narrative crutch in what could have been a much more subtle film. The scope is too grand, suffering like the 2007 Edith Piaf biopic “La Vie en Rose” from attempting to capture the arc of a superstar. Contrast these two plots with Tom Hooper’s 2012 “Les Misérables,” the cinematic reworking of the 1980 play. It condenses 17 years of French history into 158 minutes by interweaving several stories of love and suffering that provides an engrossing, moving
depth. “Jersey Boys,” however, spreads itself too thin. The decision to film everything from the musical dilutes the emotional focus and inundates the viewer with a whirlwind of curt episodes outlined by matter-of-fact musical numbers. The fragile musical skeleton also lacks the muscle to drive the film forward, and the scenes between songs atrophy with empty dialogue. For example, as the fledgling trio is accepting Bob Gaudio, the band’s eventual songwriter, the cast debate endlessly, creating the cinematic equivalent of an indecisive drive-thru patron. The number of interactions that simply end in trading profanities would make even the film’s drunk nun cringe. Yes, there is a drunk nun. Mudslinging dulls any emotional impact of these fights. Viewers become numb to their sting, and these scenes lose their solemnity and urgency. Take the swearing and gangster feel from “Goodfellas” (1990) or even Eastwood’s own “Gran Torino” (2008), remove the bite, throw in some snappy music and you have “Jersey Boys.” I expected more out of the creator of “Mystic River” (2003) and “Dirty Harry” (1971), and this film was not up to par. “Jersey Boys” only continues Eastwood’s slide, beginning with “J. Edgar” (2011), and continued to “Trouble With the Curve” (2012). Most recently, Eastwood talked to a chair. Eastwood has had the safety on his gun for five years, and hopefully his upcoming film, “American Sniper,” will not be so half-cocked. Rating: 6.8/10 ‘Jersey Boys’ is playing daily at the Nugget at 1:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:40 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.
LET THE SUN SHINE IN
JULIETTA GERVASE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The Hopkins Center is undergoing construction to replace its windows with a more energy efficient option.
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Alumni theater engages campus with new plays
B y Amelia Rosch
The Dartmouth Staff
A man dying of syphilis is caught in the delusion that he lives in the 1800s. A folk singer from the 1950s vanishes one day leaving only her music behind. These stories and more will make up the productions of the second annual VoxFest this weekend. VoxFest, a summer festival that develops theatrical projects by Dartmouth alumni, brings around 50 students, alumni and outside artists to campus this week to rehearse and develop their respective productions, including one whose writing process did not start until Monday. Matthew Cohn ’08, Vox Theater’s co-founder and managing director, said that the festival’s goal is to produce various new and original pieces while connecting students and alumni. “We place a huge emphasis on incorporating the students as much as possible,” Cohn said. “Someday, these students will be out making theater alongside of us.” This year’s festival lineup features “HAZE” by Niegel Smith ’02, “In Deserto” whose concept was created by Karisa Bruin ’05, “Road Kill Giant” by Aleshea Harris and “A Star Has Burnt My Eye” by Howard Fishman. Thom Pasculli ’05, Vox Theater’s co-founder and artistic director, said that the pieces featured in this year’s festival focus on innovation and risk taking. Pasculli is the director of “In Deserto.” “They only have the opportunity to be developed in this way at this festival,” he said. “The incubation and space that they are being afforded is without pressure and restriction.” He described “HAZE” as a “participatory walk” that looks at exclusive social groups. Smith will lead audience members on a walk through campus and question the roles of exclusive societies, while “creating certain exclusive actions,” Pasculli said. “Pox,” a play by Kate Mulley ’05, Vox Theater’s co-founder and president, looks at a young man sick with untreated syphilis who starts to hallucinate that he is an 18th century gentleman, Cohn said. “In Deserto,” Cohn said, is a play that will be “developed completely from scratch.” He said that four writers began to develop the topic yesterday and will work with Bruin and actors to make a final product. “Road Kill Giant” is a series of interconnected stories that explore
loss and trauma, its director Marina McClure ’04 said. She said that VoxFest allows the play to continue to develop. “We will work with furious intensity to bring the emotional core of the piece to life and see where it lands,” she said. “A Star Has Burnt My Eye” sits between the genres of musical and play, Pasculli said, and tells the story of Connie Converse, a 1950s singer who mysteriously vanished. The work will focus on Converse’s “haunting” music, he said. “All that was left behind of her was music that had never been heard before,” he said. The festival will also include “Vox Barter,” in which performers will create small performance art installations in the Hood Museum, Cohn said. The installations will range from music to modeling. Theater professor Jamie Horton, who participated in VoxFest last year as an actor, said that he thinks the festival’s variety is one of its biggest strengths. “For our students to have that exposure to that range of material is an exceptional opportunity,” he said. Eleven students taking Horton’s class “Drama in Performance” will participate in VoxFest in various roles including actors and directors’ assistants. He said he noticed the benefits of connecting students with young alumni pursing careers in the entertainment business. “I’d say philosophically the thing that made so much sense me initially was the myriad benefits of our current students meeting alumni in the entertainment field with promising young careers,” he said. “There is real value of the connections made in the ten day period for our students. It’s a terrific marriage of interest.” Pasculli said that a long-term goal is to continue to engage the Dartmouth alumni artist network. Horton said that he is optimistic that VoxFest will continue due to the high level of interest and its focus on collaboration. “This kind of experiential learning is too good to miss,” he said. Last year’s VoxFest included seven different productions . Cohn said that last year’s festival was a bit larger than this year’s because several productions, including the musical “Oneida” by Beth Blatt ’79, required larger casts. The festival is organized by Vox Theater, the Theater Department and the Office of Alumni Relations. The productions will run from July 5-6. “Vox Barter” will occur on Wednesday.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
SPORTS
WEEKLY LINEUP
Men and women’s track and field at USATF Junior Championships
Men’s lacrosse coaches will not return in 2015 By katie jarrett and josh koenig The Dartmouth Staff
And then there were none. With the departures of assistant coaches Michael Bocklet and Tim McIntee, the men’s lacrosse program will be without its former coaching staff in the upcoming year. Head coach Andy Towers’s departure was announced last week and director of varsity athletic communications Rick Bender confirmed the departures of Bocklet and McIntee yesterday. The Valley News reported that Towers was fired with a year remaining on his contract. Towers declined to comment outside of business hours following the announcement and did not respond to additional requests for comment in the following days. Last season, with Towers as head coach and Bocklet and McIntee in their second seasons, the Big Green finished 2-10 overall, 0-6 in Ivy League play. Athletic director Harry Sheehy wrote in an email that the decision to part ways with Towers, who led the Big Green to a 20-47 overall record in his years running the program, was finalized on June 23. Conversations regarding Towers’s return to the program had been “ongoing,” as such conversations are with all coaches each year, Sheehy wrote. “Certainly this year was a factor but we do not look at snapshots but rather broader trends,” Sheehy wrote. Sheehy, citing department policy, would not discuss specifics of Towers’s contract status. Former Big Green men’s lacrosse head coach Bill Wilson did not respond to five requests for comment. Towers has a long history with Ivy League lacrosse. A two-time first team All-American and 1993 Ivy League Player of the Year at Brown University, Towers served as an assistant coach at his alma mater before coaching at Yale from 1999-2001. Before joining the Big Green, Towers served as head coach at the University of Hartford in 2004. Towers came into the head coaching position at Dartmouth determined to change the culture of the lacrosse team. At the time, he said that he aimed to make lacrosse a “lifestyle” for his athletes. Four former and current players, three of whom had Towers as a coach for their entire
Dartmouth careers, spoke positively of their time in the program. Eight additional former and current players did not respond by press time and two declined to comment. “From an athletic director’s point of view, I can understand the decision,” Pat Flynn ’13 said. “The winlosses didn’t reflect the type of energy he put into the program.” Flynn, a two-time team captain, said that he considered Towers both a great coach and a great friend. Chris Costabile ’13, another former player and captain, said he heard that Towers would not be returning from a current rising senior on the team. “I think that if you look at the program from a win-loss perspective and from the outside, people would not be surprised,” Costabile said. “But if you played for him for four years, saw his passion and how great a guy he was, then it’s not something you would want to see.” Costabile said that his strongest memories of Towers came from the one-on-one meetings the two had. He said that Towers would always ask him about his life and academics first before discussing lacrosse. J.P. Garry ’13 and K.C. Beard ’16, who both played for Towers, echoed Costabile in noting that Towers related to them outside of lacrosse. “On a personal level, he stuck his head out time and time again for players,” Garry said. “You don’t encounter that too much in life.” Chris Bates ’90, head coach at Princeton University and Lars Tiffany, head coach at Brown University, noted their respect for Towers while discussing the league’s competitiveness. Coaches at Yale University, Harvard University, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania did not return requests for comment by press time. Bates said that it was always difficult for his team to prepare to play Dartmouth even when Big Green players were plagued by injuries. Describing the Ivy League as “a bear of a league,” he said that the margin for error was thin. Tiffany also spoke to the importance of win-loss records in college sports. Like Bates, he praised the effort of Towers’s players, noting that he never saw the Big Green “roll over.”
RIDING THE PINE Oh, we were comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable. But then editor-inchief Lindsay Ellis made us an offer we simply couldn’t refuse. And now, everything has changed. Can you blame us for being young and naive? Once we were happy, lying fully prostrate and partially nude while blogging. Hank rested on a mini-futon, Fish on a sheetless bed. But now we find ourselves sitting at “desks” as we write our “column,” disgusted at the dry husks of men that we have become. We used to blog for fun, for relaxation and for the Choates. Now we’re under the bright lights and we’ve realized that we’re all too easily tantalized by the fruits of fame. Now we have to choose: either we dare to be true, fully expecting to be transferred to the Arts & Entertainment section, or we start producing “click bait” to land our dream jobs at Buzzfeed, where we end up like the Winklevoss twins, rich in Bitcoin but poor in spirit. For those of you who know Hank and Fish, you know that we are thinkers, concerned with affairs of the mind and issues of philosophy. Thus, as we are prone to do, we fled from the oppressive burdens of reality this week and escaped into the protective cocoon of sports fantasy. For these reasons (and others too numerous and painful to recount), Riding the Pine has decided to present you with our Fantasy NBA offseason outcomes this week. While all the trades and free-agent signings we present are technically possible under the constraints of the NBA salary cap, we understand that they will likely not come to pass. We’ve decided to write about them anyway. For our simple-minded readers (and for Hank), the easiest potential freeagency move to understand is LeBron James returning to his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers have an extremely flexible salary cap situation and room to sign a superstar to a max contract. With Lebron opting out of his contract in Miami to explore free agency, anything is possible.
WITH JOE CLYNE AND HENRY ARNDT
Though Cleveland has won the draft lottery in a ridiculous three of the last four years, they still failed to make the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference last year. While they’ve misfired on a few draft picks — including last year’s number one pick Anthony Bennett — they still have a few pieces that could attract LeBron back to his old stomping grounds. Kyrie Irving, 2011’s top pick, mans the point and, just a few days ago, the Cavaliers made Drake’s new-single “Draft Day” prophetic by drafting University of Kansas superstar Andrew Wiggins to keep Johnny Manziel company along the Cuyahoga River. Although the Cavaliers’ roster is not nearly as impressive as James’s other suitors, emotional considerations could play a huge factor. Born and bred in Akron, LeBron’s mostly successful tenure in Cleveland was tainted by his inability to win a championship along with his widely panned televised “Decision” to go to Miami. A return home would offer James a chance at redemption and would help define his legacy as a player willing to carry the incredible burden of trying to win a title for his hometown. LeBron could also go in the complete opposite direction and embrace his image as a basketball mercenary out for titles at any cost. There are plenty of teams that offer immediate opportunities for title contention, but the Houston Rockets epitomize the modern NBA notion of rootless superstars. With Dwight Howard (a top player already on his third team) and James Harden (playing for his second team at just 24 years old), the Rockets are a team from nowhere. If Rockets general manager Daryl Morey plays his cards right, the Rockets could reinforce this narrative by fielding an incredible superstar roster with Howard, LeBron and fellow free agent superstar Carmelo Anthony all wearing the same colors. James and Anthony have said they hope to play together in their NBA careers. If Morey convinces them to team up in Houston, he could make deals that
would shape the NBA’s landscape for years to come. But to make the deal work under the NBA’s current salary cap framework, the Rockets would have to first sign LeBron for slightly less than the NBA’s maximum contract, a deal perhaps made more palatable by the fact that the state of Texas has no income tax. After signing LeBron, the Rockets would have to off-load a few contracts, presumably in a signand-trade with the New York Knicks, for Carmelo Anthony. Grantland’s Bill Simmons has envisioned a deal where the Knicks would send Anthony to the Rockets for Harden, prospect Donatas Motiejunas and New York City legend Jeremy Lin. This deal would transform both squads, making the Rockets one of the most fearsome teams in recent NBA history and redefining the Knicks as an offensive powerhouse who would simultaneously boast one of the worst defensive backcourts imaginable. What is perhaps most appalling about this scenario is that bearded basketball superstar James Harden is a mere four years older than we here at Riding the Pine. Our more astute readers have probably already realized that this is only one of the subtexts coursing through this article: Hank and Fish are also clearly living, breathing manifestations of LeBron’s two potential destinations. Will we choose our “Cleveland” and return to Dartbeat, our beloved former home now dilapidated following our departure, to win page views for the blog that raised us from boys to men? Or will we choose our “Houston” and bust out record-setting listicles and “what Dumbledore gif are you?” quizzes, becoming the most celebrated columnists in the history of The Dartmouth? Constrained by the burdens of crushing reality, we will probably change nothing and instead succumb to the forces of growing inertia as we age, creeping closer, ever closer, to our imminent deaths. Just like LeBron will almost definitely stay in Miami.