The Dartmouth newspaper 4/29/15

VOL. CLXXII NO. 70

CLOUDY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

IFC president Gilmore steps down,Macomber will replace

THE ART OF TECHNOLOGY

HIGH 63 LOW 41

By PARKER RICHARDS The Dartmouth Staff

CHERRY HUANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

SPORTS

SOFTBALL WILL PLAY PENN FOR IVY TITLE PAGE 8

OPINION

SMITH: FOOD, FUN AND COMMUNITY PAGE 4

ARTS

LANDSCAPING BRINGS AESTHETIC VALUE PAGE 7

READ US ON

DARTBEAT COLLEGE PREISDENT DJ NAMES CRUMB DELIVERY SERVICE FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2015 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.

The Digital Arts Workshop shocases student artwork incorporating digital and technological advancements.

Campus reacts to academic proposals B y NOAH GOLDSTEIN The Dartmouth Staff

In the wake of Monday’s meeting of the faculty of arts and sciences, faculty and students expressed mixed sentiments about possible changes to distributive requirements, grade inflation and course schedule changes. These pro-

posals come following calls to increase “academic rigor” by College President Phil Hanlon as a part of his “Moving Dartmouth Forward” policy initiative.

These proposed ideas will potentially be put to a vote at the next faculty meeting on June 1.In the meeting, dean of the faculty Michael Mastand-

uno proposed a reexamination of the of the current distributive requirements to make them more flexible. In an interview following the meeting, Mastuanduno referenced the system prior to 1992, when students were required to take three courses each in social sciences, SEE ACADEMICS PAGE 2

Sam Macomber ’16 will take over as Interfraternity Council president following a vote by IFC members and fraternity presidents on Tuesday night, according to a statement released by the IFC. He will replace Chase Gilmore ’16, who chose to step down following the derecognition of Alpha Delta fraternity, of which he was a member.

AD was derecognized as a student organization by the Organizational Adjudication Committee in relation to the branding of new members last fall while the fraternity was under suspension.

Gilmore, who wrote in an email that he supports Macomber’s election, will continue to serve the IFC in an advisory capacity and attend meetings.

Macomber, a member of Beta Alpha Omega fraternity, served as IFC’s treasurer for the first four weeks of spring term.

“I have the utmost confidence in his ability to steer the fraternity system on the right course and to leave the system better than he found it,” Gilmore wrote of Macomber’s election.

A full story will run in tomorrow’s edition of The Dartmouth.

WestWheelock area Ross Virginia hopes to increase may see zoning changes awareness of Arctic, climate issues B y PARKER RICHARDS The Dartmouth Staff

West Wheelock Street could play host to a denser, more walkable neighborhood of residential space if a zoning ordinance is approved at Hanover’s town meeting next month, town officials said.

The proposed change to the zoning ordinance would replace the current general residence zoning with the “West Wheelock Gateway District” — a denser neighborhood with easy access to both

downtown Hanover and Dartmouth’s campus, according to Hanover planning documents.

“The whole point of doing the new district is to allow increased density to provide an incentive for people to reinvest in their properties and to redevelop their properties,” Hanover’s senior planner Vicki Smith said. “It’s really up to landowners to decide if they want to do that.”

The gateway district, which

SEE ZONING PAGE 3

By HANNAH HYE MIN CHUNG The Dartmouth Staff

Environmental studies professor Ross Virginiaunexpectedly celebrated the birthday of Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia while in Greenland conducting fieldwork with graduate students, environmental studies professor Matt Ayres said.

Ayres said that Virginia connected the Grateful Dead with his academic motto, noting the band was the first “open-source rock’ n roll band” and that those involved with science must in-

creasingly bring “that sense of community spirit” to their work.

Virginia, who began work at the College in 1992 as a chair of the environmental studies program, said his initial academic interests focused on the ecosystem’s response to climate change. Ross looked at the effect of various organisms on soil’s nutrient cycle. He conducted his fieldwork in hot deserts in the southwestern United States and in Alaska’s Arctic tundra.

While studying which elements of soil determine which organisms can live, Virginia

said he became interested in ecosystems with soil but without plants. Upon hearing this, one of his colleagues recommended he look at Antarctica.

Since then, Virginia’s academic focus shifted to cold and icy regions, and he spent two years in Antarctica from 1989 to 1990.

Virginia said that 2007, the International Polar Year, was a landmark year for him because he began conceiving ways to apply academic knowledge to SEE VIRGINIA PAGE 5

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 2

DAily debriefing April 24, 3:35 p.m., Murdough Center: Safety and Security officers, Hanover Police and Hanover Fire Department responded to a report of an unconscious person in Murdough Center at the Tuck School of Business. The individual was located and transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center via ambulance.

April 25, 12 p.m., Sachem Field: Safety and Security officers and Dartmouth EMS responded to several reported injuries related to a soccer tournament at Sachem soccer fields. Two individuals were transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center via private vehicle, and the remaining injured individuals were treated at the scene.

April 25, 10:47 p.m., Occom Ridge: Safety and Security officers, Hanover Police and Hanover Fire Department responded to a report of an intoxicated individual at Occom Ridge. The individual was evaluated and transported to DHMC via ambulance.

April 25, 11:26 p.m., Phi Tau coeducational fraternity: Safety and Security officers, Dartmouth EMS, Hanover Police and Hanover Fire Department responded to a Good Samaritan Call at Phi Tau. Upon arrival, Safety and Security officers discovered two intoxicated individuals. One of the individuals was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center via ambulance, and the other was transported to Dick’s House and admitted for the night.

April 26, 11:45 a.m., McCormack Courtyard: Safety and Security officers and Hanover Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in McCormack Courtyard at Tuck. Safety and Security officers discovered several large bags of charcoal burning under a table and immediately extinguished the fire. There were no injuries or property damage reported.

April 27, 11:50 a.m., Oak Hill Touring Center: Safety and Security officers responded to a report of several missing items from the Oak Hill Touring Center. Safety and Security and Hanover Police are still investigating the incident.

— COMPILED BY MAY MANSOUR

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015

Faculty,students mixed on grade inflation FROM ACADEMICS PAGE 1

humanities and natural sciences.

Biology professor and chair of the ad hoc committee on grading practices Mark McPeek also spoke about his concerns over grade inflation at the College and noted that the current rate of inflation is not sustainable.

A change to the weekly schedule to include earlier class times and a revamped upperclassmen advising system were also proposed.

While many students first heard of potential changes in these areas as a part of Hanlon’s “Moving Dartmouth Forward” initiative, the majority of the work of the Curricular Review Committee was done in the 2012-2013 academic year, before Hanlon took office in June 2013, according to a report by the committee in the meeting’s agenda and attached materials.

The committee’s recommendations on distributive requirements and the weekly class scheduled were reviewed by the Committee on Instruction, the Committee on Policy and the Committee of Chairs in the 2013-2014 academic year.

The agenda and attached materials were first posted on Dartblog on Monday. College spokesperson Diana Lawrence confirmed the authenticity of the materials.

Biology professor Roger Sloboda said that he disagreed with changing the distributive requirements, but added that it is always good to examine whether current policy fits the needs of students.

Sloboda said he thought the quantitative requirement should not be removed because he thinks all students should be able to interpret data and statistics, such as patterns of global warming or regression analyses.

Native American studies professor Sergei Kan, on the other hand, said that he approved of changing the distributive requirements for the most part, although he said that the non-Western requirement should not be discarded.

“If we don’t encourage that kind of education, I think we are eliminating one opportunity to expose [students] to other cultural worlds,” Kan said.

In response to the potential changes in distributive requirements, John Damianos ’16, who was on the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” presidential steering committee, said he was a huge proponent of a liberal arts education, and that students should be required to take courses out of their speciality or major.

“With the distribs, I really do think that students need to be exposed to other fields and have the urgings to do so,” he said.

On the topic of grade infla-

tion, Sloboda said he thought the standards in his department were appropriate for students, citing that introductory biology lecture courses have a median grade of a B. He did say, however, that grade inflation should be addressed as a whole, as some students are receiving disproportionately high grades.

“I think there is a lot to be said to doing something about giving everyone As, if everyone comes here and can get As then why are they coming here? They are already perfect,” Sloboda said.

He said that the quarter system has also contributed to academic rigor. He noted that when he started teaching “Cell Structure and Function,” the textbook was 400 pages in length and now it extends over 1,000 pages, but under the same time constraints of a 10-week term. He said that the faculty would continue to discuss academic rigor over the next few meetings over the term.

Women and gender studies professor Michael Bronski said that, while Dartmouth should always be looking to improve its academics and that students can always be doing better work, he does not think contrast today’s grades to those of the past is a fair comparison.

“I would say that, on the whole, all of my students are harder workers, better critical thinkers and better writers than my friends were in college 40 years ago,” he said. “I think people are doing better work frankly.”

Bronski attributed the difference to factors such as the internet, the media and changes in teaching methods.

He said that he thinks that as long as students are thinking and growing, grades are meaningless in the context of learning.

The new focus on academic rigor will also move the College’s image as a “party school” to a more “prestigious academic profile,” Bronski said, thus partially functioning as a public relations move.

Bronski said that Dartmouth has come a long way from the academic work of the 1970s and said that comparatively the College is much stronger.

Kan said that he supports curbing grade inflation.

“At an Ivy League college of this caliber, students should work hard to receive As, an A, A minus or even B plus should be worked hard for,” Kan said.

McPeek said that, if grade inflation were to continue at its current rate, by 2064 the average grade point average would be a 4.0, with it having increased by 0.5 in the last 50 years. He did say, however, that the grades themselves are not the issue, but rather that faculty members are not holding their students to the

proper standards.

Professors have incentives to not offer hard courses, such as student evaluations and course enrollment, McPeek said.

McPeek said that the proposal is the first step toward decreasing grade inflation. If students were all achieving “excellent mastery” in a class, then that class is not pushing the students hard enough, McPeek said.

A result of grade inflation, McPeek said, is that students cannot get a sense of in which subject areas they excel.

Student Assembly president Frank Cunningham ’16, who also served on the presidential steering committee, said that while he supports the idea of making a more intellectual Dartmouth, the concept of increasing academic rigor makes him concerned for students’ mental health. While he believes that the College could have a more academic environment, the solution is not to increase coursework to the point where students spend all their time in the library.

Damianos said that issues such as grade inflation are hard to address as they are not unique to Dartmouth nor are the solutions easy to implement. He highlighted the Princeton University model of active grade deflation as an imperfect solution to this issue.

Damianos further said that in order for Dartmouth to address the problem of grade disparities between departments, the faculty of each department should reconsider what effort and work a student produces merits what grade.

“I think each department needs to have a serious conversation about what excellence looks like,” he said.

Of nine students interviewed by The Dartmouth, seven said they disapproved of any changes to grade inflation, and one said that students should wait to see the effects of the changes before making judgements.

These students said that classes are already demanding and require a lot of work.

Tatiana Saunders ’15 also cast doubt on the effectiveness of the proposed schedule changes.

“I know students who purposefully don’t take classes because of the time period, so people are not going to take these classes if they don’t want to,” she said.

Damianos also addressed the concept of academic rigor, as first used in Hanlon’s “Moving Dartmouth Forward” speech, calling the use of the specific term flawed as it failed​ to be taken completely seriously by the student body.

“It’s a joke that a lot of people make, because everyone knows that Dartmouth classes are challenging,” he said.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015

PAGE 3

Proposed zoning change will allow for walkable neighborhood FROM ZONING PAGE 1

is set to run from the entrance of Tuck Drive near the Ledyard Bridge up to School Street, is currently inhabited by many undergraduates, graduate students, Dartmouth faculty and College staff, Griffin said. The Upper Valley is currently experiencing a housing shortage, which “is particularly acute in Hanover,” Smith said. If private owners in the new district redevelop their property, more housing could be provided, she said.

Buildings of up to four stories would be permitted if the ordinance passes at the town meeting on May 12. The ordinance would also permit the addition of a restaurant, a laundromat and a retail store in the area for the convenience of residents, according to meeting documents.

“When you drive up that corridor, you see a fair number of fairly old buildings, many of which have reached the end of their useful life, and given its proximity to campus, we’ve often thought we could, as a community, make better use of the residential opportunities in that corridor and spiff it up at the same time,” Hanover town manager Julia Griffin said.

Smith declined to speculate on the likelihood of the zoning ordinance amendment’s passage at the town meeting.

“I’m a planner, I’m not a fortune teller, so I don’t do betting,” she said.

Hanover planning board chair Judith Esmay said that increased development of the downtown area is conducive to the desire of many residents to be able to walk rather than drive including Dartmouth-affiliated residents of the West Wheelock area.

Additionally, current zoning bylaws impede Hanover from addressing its housing needs issues with increased rural development since they require larger

lots in the town’s rural fringe, Esmay said.

Any new housing built in the area would be within walking distance of both the College and downtown Hanover, which could also allow modifications of current parking restrictions, Griffin said.

“We’re looking to reduce the parking requirements somewhat because our experience in this corridor now is that many of the folks who live in this corridor are undergraduate students or graduate students or faculty and staff who walk to campus every day,” Griffin said.

Another major goal of the proposed change is the regulation of traffic flow from the Ledyard Bridge into downtown Hanover and vice versa, Griffin said.

“We’re hoping to enhance the smooth flow of traffic through that corridor because we get a lot of bottlenecks,” she said.

While the development of new housing or retail space could take a number of years to come to fruition, the town intends to begin working with the College and other abutters to handle traffic issues in the near future if the ordinance amendment passes at town meeting, Griffin said.

Esmay said that slowing the speed of traffic was a major goal for the neighborhood.

In addition to the zoning ordinance amendment that will appear at the May meeting, some modifications will also be made to Hanover’s site plan regulations, changes that the planning board is empowered to make after holding public hearings, Griffin said.

The idea for the West Wheelock Gateway District was first broached in 2003 as part of the Hanover town master plan, which called for increased housing density in the area, Smith said.

More recently, Hanover applied and was selected to be one of about a half dozen

A CALL TO ACTION

communities each year to receive a design charrette — an intense period of design or planning activity — hosted by Plan New Hampshire, a statewide group that assists municipalities with planning issues, Griffin said. Planners, architects, traffic engineers, local residents and others came together through Plan New Hampshire to create a concept for the new district, Griffin said.

“It’s a neat way to get professional expertise when you’re looking at tackling something in your community that you’d like to overhaul,” she said.

Thereafter, the West Wheelock Working Group formed to bring together interested parties to create a proposal for the zoning ordinance amendment, Griffin said. The group involved planners, architects and affordable housing

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The Town of Hanover is considering zoning changes to allow for development on West Wheelock Street.

r! hey hanove

want to go 'round the world? no need to go far ;) come by for burritos, bowls, salads, wraps, shakes, and smoothies.... with a globally inspired twist.

boloco hanover every day 11am - 10pm 35 south main street, hanover, nh 03755 (603) 643-0202

talk to us GABRIELLE KIRLER/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Students and faculty members met to discuss Nepal relief efforts.

specialists, in addition to residents and College planners, she said. Dartmouth personnel were closely involved in the process due to the College’s ownership of numerous properties along West Wheelock Street, Esmay said.

“Most of the properties along the north side, which would be properties abutting the campus, are owned by Dartmouth College,” she said.

@boloco | www.boloco.com

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 4

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015

Staff Columnist ANDRES SMITH ’17

CONTRIBUTING Columnist MICHAEL MCDAVID’15

Food, Fun and Community

Just a Popularity Contest

The College should encourage Greek houses to throw safe tailgate parties.

David Brooks’ selection as our commencement speaker does not mean much.

Saturdays in Hanover are quite nice. It’s a chance to recover from the previous night’s revelry, go grab some brunch at Lou’s Restaurant or Market Table and maybe go for a hike if the weather is decent. In many other college towns across the country, however, Saturdays exist for one reason and one reason only — game day. The entire town seemingly shuts down as everyone makes their way toward the stadium for a day of grilled food, tailgates and watching their team while screaming their heads off. Unfortunately, this culture doesn’t seem to exist at Dartmouth or in the Upper Valley, although we have all the necessary ingredients.

Though this culture of apathy extends to just about all the sports teams, the most egregious case comes with Dartmouth football. We have a stadium conveniently located on campus, a storied football program with more than a century of history and a skilled team that is highly competitive in the Ivy League. This past year, we were one win away from winning the entire Ivy League Football Championship for the first time since 1996 — yet student presence at the games was meager at best. We were out-attended by our opponents in 2014 by an average of about 2,000 fans per game.

Yale’s home game against Army brought in a whopping 34,142 fans — more than the combined number of fans that attended all of the Big Green’s home games this year.

Yale is bigger than Dartmouth, to be sure, but that does not justify this massive disparity in attendance numbers.

Yet, the issue extends beyond football.

We have a school full of great teams and multimillion dollar athletics facilities, but our sporting events are still often woefully under-attended, especially by students. With more support from student organizations and the school, however, as well as increased community outreach, athletics can become a more integral part of the Dartmouth experience and the Upper Valley culture as a whole.

At the Class of 2015’s commencement brand of politics and I find aspects of his in June, New York Times columnist David support of the early days of the war in Iraq Brooks will receive an honorary degree from troubling. I would undoubtedly be happier the College and deliver the address. Student with one of his more liberal colleagues. reactions have been mixed in the days since Of course, I would be happiest with the the news broke. In fact, there have been public figure I nominated — my favorite some strong reactions against Brooks, who contemporary novelist, Zadie Smith. some see as an unpalatably conservative Of course, that was never going to voice. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, happen. Who has ever heard of Zadie and I would never say that this opposition Smith outside of the English department is necessarily wrong or unwarranted, but — maybe even outside the faculty lounge we should not react disproportionately. A of the English department? Similar words commencement speaker is but a relatively could be said for many nominated figures. powerful symbol, and the selection of David Brooks is a major contributor for the Brooks does not deserve the same level of New York Times, attention as more and his words reach substantive issues “A commencement speaker millions of people at the College or in is but a relatively powerful each week. Choosthe world. ing a commencesymbol, and the selection of In many ways, Brooks does not deserve the ment speaker is these strong nega- same level of attention as more essentially a poputive reactions are contest writ substantive issues at the College larity understandable large. They are the — especially those or in the world.” institutional equivafrom g raduating lent of posting your seniors. Commencement is the culmination Derby photos on Facebook — the substance of four years of aspirations, hard work and matters very little, if at all. Just being there sacrifice. We want to be able to sit in those is what counts. little folding chairs on the Green and have Nothing about commencement besides nothing but good feelings. On that Sunday our emotions are substantial — and that — which we pray is sunny and warm, but is okay. Most days, we want to be chalwith Hanover, you never know — many lenged, and we need to have our opinions want to be happy, without the complication and beliefs questioned. Graduating from of disagreeing or feeling uncomfortable. If the College, however, means that we have you disagree with Brooks’ opinions, I still been challenged for the past four years. do not believe that your commencement On commencement day, it’s okay to want will be ruined by his speech — but another to feel good instead of challenged. Sure, speaker, a figure who is more likely to cham- every once in a while, a commencement pion the values that matter to you, might speech has substance. It outlines a plan have actively enhanced your experience. for post-war Europe or stretches out an People who voice strong opposition to the olive branch to Nikita Krushchev, but selection of Brooks are missing the point. those are the exceptions and not the rules.

A commencement Commencement speaker is, with few “If we are honest with ourselves is about style, not exceptions, window about the purpose of a substance. dressing. To begin, it As far as wincommencement speaker, then would be impossible dow dressing goes, to secure a speaker Brooks is a fine choice. He is Brooks is a good who everyone wel- palatable to many and enticing choice. He shows comed with enthusi- to some.” that the College asm. People disagree has enough clout on many things. Being to attract a commencement speaker whose exposed to a multitude of opinions is a name you have heard. Might he have staple of the liberal arts experience, and something interesting to say? Certainly. I hearing people with varied viewpoints and would cautiously posit, however, that many beliefs is integral to learning of any kind. writers or critics of less renown would be Second, the College has no obligation able to offer just as much in their actual present its students with agreeable ideas. commencement address.

On the contrary, the College would be If we are honest with ourselves about the doing its students a disservice to isolate purpose of a commencement speaker, then them from opposing opinions. Third, and Brooks is a fine choice. He is palatable to perhaps most importantly, the College is many and enticing to some. He will most not necessarily endorsing Brooks or any of likely deliver a perfectly serviceable — if his specific opinions. No one is stamping standard — commencement address. I do a seal of approval on his speech or any of not applaud the selection, but I hardly his writing. The substance of his honorary shout it down. If after four years we need degree is minimal. desperately to learn some inescapable, Yet, I must admit that David Brooks as beautiful truth in our last moments as uncommencement speaker does not excite dergraduates, then the College has failed me. I am neither a fan nor a supporter of us in a more meaningful way than picking his work. I do not particularly care for his a speaker we do not like.

As I mentioned above, many other college towns come together on game days for tailgates. What’s not to like about them? There’s food, drink and fun to get you excited about the upcoming sports game. At many other schools, such as Texas A&M University or Pennsylvania State University, the students attend tailgates hosted by Greek houses, which are a staple of the game day social scene. Because these events promote a safe and fun social space — while also getting people excited about Dartmouth sports, the College should work with Greek houses and other social groups to put on larger and more frequent game day tailgates.

Doing so would both provide a daylight use for Greek social spaces and increase support for Dartmouth athletics. If you go to the tailgate, the natural progression is to then go to the game. Just like that, the student presence and enthusiasm at sporting events increases dramatically. This also provides a potential safety benefit — if people spend their Saturday tailgating and going to sporting events, they may end up more tired by the evening, possibly leading to tamer Saturday nights for those in charge of managing risk at houses and Safety and Security alike. Though affiliated students would still be in charge of managing risk at tailgates, students are less likely to engage in high-risk drinking in broad daylight, surrounded by adults in the community and potentially even television cameras.

Greek houses and other organizations would probably need some school funding to host these events on a regular basis, but a small amount of money can go a long way toward improving campus culture.

I know that there are many things that people will argue are more worthy of time and resources than increasing support for Dartmouth athletics. Yet, as great as Dartmouth is, strong support for our athletic teams could bring us all closer together and get the Upper Valley even more involved in the Dartmouth community.

212 Robinson Hall, Hanover N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600

Katie McKAY, Editor-in-Chief jessica avitabile, Executive Editor

Justin levine, Publisher luke mcCann, Executive Editor

Laura Weiss, Managing Editor SEAN CONNOLLY, Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS emily albrecht, Opinion Editor carson hele, Opinion Editor MADDIE BROWN, Mirror Editor Charlie rafkin, Mirror Editor henry arndt, Sports Editor JOE CLYNE, Sports Editor KATIE JARRETT, Assistant Sports Editor Joshua koenig, Arts Editor amelia rosch, Arts Editor chris leEch, Dartbeat Editor JESSICA ZISCHKE, Dartbeat Editor KATELYN JONES, Photography Editor Kate HErrington, Assistant Photography Editor ANNIE DUNCAN, Assistant Photography Editor alex moushey, Multimedia Editor

jasmine sachar, Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS JASMINE XU, Finance & Strategy Director AMY CHANG, Finance & Strategy Director hayden karp-hecker, Advertising Director Addison Lee, Advertising Director Rachel Dechiara, Advertising Director NOAH GRASS, Operations & Marketing Director katherine healy, Design Director ELIZABETH McNALLY, Design Director Robert Neuhaus, Technology Director ISSUE

NEWS EDITOR: Rebecca Asoulin, LAYOUT EDITOR: Nikita Shaiva, TEMPLATING EDITOR: Hallie Huffaker.

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.

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015

PAGE 5

Colleagues praise Ross Virginia’s work ethic and energy FROM PROFILE PAGE 1

political decisions and the policymaking process, which he noted aligns with the slogan for the International Polar Year was “from knowledge to action.”

Aware of the considerable level of interest in polar studies at the College, Virginia said that he wanted to find ways that the College could become more involved with the International Polar Year. He helped organize various conferences and programs, which he

noted inspired him to focus his efforts on connecting academia to the practical world.

Virginia began working with various education and outreach programs to foster interest in the arctic region among younger generations.

Virginia said that the Dartmouth Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Ph.D. program, an interdisciplinary program that provides opportunities to graduate students for research in polar studies, came from

these efforts.

“I can influence science through my research and articles, but a big part of having a legacy and having this continue is to get younger people interested,” he said.

Currently his team works with high school students in Greenland, Denmark and the United States during a threeweek-long summer camp on the Arctic environment. He noted the importance of finding ways to share scientific knowledge with different audiences.

His dedication to translate scholarly findings into practical changes culminated with his participation in the United States’ 1998-2000 chairmanship on the Arctic Council, an international forum to address environmental issues in the Arctic regions.

Virginia will be co-leading the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, which aims to engage in research to produce findings that policymakers could use in making important decisions regarding Arctic regions.

He said that the Fulbright Arctic Initiative seeks to increase awareness of the Arctic within the United States, as the public does not generally know that the United States contains a relatively large region of the Arctic. In addition, Virginia noted that the initiative aims to improve awareness of climate change and plans to reach out to institutions

across the nation, organize exhibitions and publish articles to inform the public.

The initiative will tackle the issue of fresh water supply in communities in northern regions as it is directly related to the wellness of both human and animals, he said. The initiative also plans to address exploration of natural resource sites, development of sustainable options for renewable energy and the establishment of policies and regulations for large-scale petroleum operations.

Virginia’s team published an article that proves the existence of groundwater in the subsurface level of ice in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, yesterday in the international science journal Nature. He noted that the finding is significant in part because Antarctica’s environment has been deemed to be most similar to that of Mars. Therefore, the possibility of groundwater and existence of bacteria in this region will shed more light on our understanding of Mars’ ecosystem. He also noted that the work would expand our knowledge of the marine biology system in Antarctica’s shores.

“It also causes us to rethink how the Dry Valleys and Antarctica form as a habitat,” he said. “New science can derive from the study trying to figure out how the Dry Valleys operate.”

Ayres said that he and Virginia

quickly built a rapport, as they shared similar interests and a similar philosophy towards researching and teaching. She said that working with people like Ross is one of her favorite parts of being a Dartmouth professor.

He emphasized that Virginia, in addition to being brilliant, is meticulous and possesses a great work ethic.

Earth sciences professor Meredith Kelly said that Virginia is an outgoing and welcoming colleague. She said that upon learning that her specialty also lies in Arctic studies, Virginia emailed her immediately and invited her to join the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship.

Outside his academic work, Virginia said that he has passion for music, declaring himself a “Deadhead,” a term used to describe a fan of the Grateful Dead.

He enjoys learning about history, he said, and is fascinated by what easily accessible places today looked like to the people who arrived there for the first time.

“I try to bring some personal part of me into the classroom because it is an important way to empower students to bring what they have to class,” Virginia said. “We are talking about science but still talk about art and history because it’s all connected — that’s what [a] liberal [arts] education is all about.”

Room Draw 2015 Dartmouth Undergraduate Housing COURTESY OF ROSS VIRGINIA

Virginia has spent time performing field research in Arctic regions.

GET DRUNKEN and CRAZY (NOODLES, AND MUCH ELSE)

HOURS: MONDAY-SATURDAY 11 AM TO 10 PM SUNDAYS 11 AM TO 9 PM DINE IN, TAKE OUT, OR DELIVERY EAT WELL AND DRINK RESPONSIBLY

44 SOUTH MAIN STREET, HANOVER, NH 603-643-0300

May 4 – Room Draw Application Deadline May 5 – Suite & Sex-tet Notifications May 6 – LLC Room Draw May 7 – Apartments/ Quads/ Sub-Free Room Draw May 8 – Senior Room Draw May 9 – Junior/Start of Sophomore Room Draw May 11 – End of Sophomore Room Draw May 12 – Fall Waitlist Application Available June 8 – Fall Waitlist/Room Change Application Deadline

For more information and power points on the Room Draw process go to www.dartmouth.edu/~orl

Residential.Life@Dartmouth.edu

PAGE 6

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29. 2015

DARTMOUTH EVENTS TODAY 4:00 p.m.

“Trillion Dollar Economists,” lecture with Robert Litan of the Brookings Institution, Haldeman 125

4:15 p.m.

“Theory in Dispute,” comparative literature lecture with Neil Larsen of the University of California at Davis, Reed Hall, Room 108

4:30 p.m.

“World Without Order,” lecture with former Defense Intelligence Agency director Michael Flynn, Moore Hall, Filene Auditorium

TOMORROW 12:00 p.m.

“Mesa Portuguesa,” weekly lunch meeting discussion in Portuguese, Class of 1953 Commons

4:30 p.m.

“Dark Money and Shadow Parties: The Real Problem in Campaign Finance,” Rockefeller Center, Room 003

4:45 p.m.

“The Latin American Oil Industry After the Boom: Is Resource Nationalism Fading?” Tuck School of Business, Borelli Classroom

ADVERTISING For advertising information, please call (603) 646-2600 or email info@thedartmouth. com. The advertising deadline is noon, two days before publication. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Opinions expressed in advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of The Dartmouth, Inc. or its officers, employees and agents.

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

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015

PAGE 7

Landscaping brings aesthetic value to campus

as we can because, needless to say, new buildings are very expensive The Dartmouth Staff and you don’t want to build them Beyond trying to grab the if you don’t need them,” Scherding swinging platform of “X-Delta” said. as a study space on the nicer days Cornell University planner and complaining about the strange Leslie Schill said that a major component of p ro p o r t i o n s campus planof the Baker“A large part of n i n g i nv o l v e s Berry Library highlighting w i n d o w s , work has to do with and understandm o s t s t u - monitoring usage ing its aesthetic dents do not strengths during spend a lot of of space on campus the preparation time thinking and trying to be as and landscaping about campus efficient as we can.” process. landscaping, “It’s really pullan aspect of ing together systhe College -john scherding, tems and structhat has a tures,” Schill daily impact director of said. “You have on their lives. campus design and to look at the bal Director of construction ance of natural campus debeauty and mansign and conmade structures. struction John Scherding said that the College’s You have to see how systems conplanning division is mostly tasked nect.” with optimizing the use of various In addition to structuring new spaces on campus. The campus buildings and grounds to compleplanning and facilities division is ment and balance the existing also in charge of maintaining the spaces, campus planning takes into campus’s physical environment for account how inclement weather can impact appearance and safety. the long term.

“A large part of work has to do “[Snow] is a real factor, and we with monitoring usage of space on certainly have buildings on camcampus and trying to be as efficient pus that were designed and built

B y maya poddar

SEW LOVELY

CHERRY HUANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Students had the chance to show off clothes at the Digital Arts Workshop.

ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Public sculptures such as “X-Delta” help add interest to the College’s landscape design.

without sufficient knowledge of snow,” Scherding said. “The Hood Museum is a good example. Every winter there is scaffolding set up in many locations around the Hood Museum to protect pedestrians from snow sliding off of the roof.”

Snow does not just cause a visual and safety issue for campus planning — Scherding said that campus landscaping at the College is also concerned with the difficulty and cost of moving snow as well as simply clearing it off of walkways.

“Loading docks and snow removal are two topics that we seem to spend a lot of time talking about in the design phase of projects because they’re really important concerns,” he said.

Ben Geithner ’16, last year’s snow sculpture chair, said that he appreciates the effort that goes into maintaining clean and visually pleasing pathways during the winter.

“As soon as snow is falling, they’ll have those tiny little plows out making the sidewalks clear,” he said.

In addition to the maintenance building, walkways and lawns, campus landscaping also includes handling the College’s public art collection.

Dartmouth currently has over 20 works of public art placed around campus. The collection includes the piece “X-Delta” by Mark di Suvero, which is behind Baker-Berry Library, “Dartmouth Panels” by Ellsworth Kelly on the Hood Museum of Art and “D2D”

by Charles Perry, which is located in front of Fairchild Hall.

The public art committee, which is chaired by the Hood Museum and also includes faculty members and representative from

“It’s really pulling together systems and structures. You have to look at the balance of natural beauty and manmade structures. You have to see how the systems connect.”

-leslie schill, cornell university planner on the importance of campus landscaping

the Provost’s Office and the Hopkins Center, chooses public art for campus, Scherding said.

Scherding said that he and the campus planning office work with the public art committee to coordinate the location of new public works.

“My role is helping to coordinate with some of the different facilities organizations on campus just be sure art is placed in areas that are appropriate,” he said.

Art is just one way for the campus planning to improve the aesthetic appeal of a space. The goal of campus spaces, however, is not purely based on the beauty

of its art.

“You want the public realm to be activated,” Schill said. “It needs to be welcoming and speak to people in order to create gathering areas, as well as focused spots.”

She also said that central and open spaces are key to maintaining a campus’ aesthetic while serving other key functions.

“They have a huge social function and an environmental function,” Schill said. “They are doing things while looking beautiful. They allow us to commune with nature and help with mental health. They’re timeless and looking at them can take us back to our past. They are beautiful and social, which makes them a place where people can cross over.”

Geithner also said that he believes that nature is integral to the aesthetic appeal of campus.

“It’s nice to have a mix of open space and trees,” he said. “If the Green were just a flat plane of grass, it wouldn’t be nearly as nice as it with the trees.”

Campus landscaping and maintenance is supported by a variety of college departments including facilities operations and management, which also runs custodial, parking and Hinman mail services, and the office of planning, design and construction, Scherding said.

“There are a lot of people responsible for maintain and caring for the facilities, and there is a tremendous amount of pride in the campus among those workers, and I think it’s part of what make Dartmouth a special place to work,” Scherding said.

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS

PAGE 8

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29. 2015

WEDNESDAY LINEUP

No athletic events scheduled

Softball to take on Penn in pursuit of back-to-back Ivy titles B y DANIEL LEE

The Dartmouth Staff

This weekend, the Big Green softball team (23-16, 16-4 Ivy) will face the University of Pennsylvania (22-18, 13-7 Ivy) in the Ivy League Championship Series for the third consecutive year. The three-year tug-of-war between the Big Green and the Quakers began in Philadelphia in 2013, where Penn defeated Dartmouth in a 2-1 series, winning their second championship since the Ivy League softball program began in 1980.

Dartmouth managed to exact revenge the following year as the team won the school’s first championship in program history by taking down the Quakers in another 2-1 series in Hanover. Now, after two championship series that have gone the distance, Dartmouth is hosting Penn with a chance to solidify the Big Green’s claim as the premier program in the Ivy League.

Of the 18 players on the team, 12 have already experienced what it is like to win a championship. Seven of those know what it is like to be on the losing end as well.

The team’s increased confidence will be key to its performance in the championship series, star pitcher Kris-

ten Rumley ’15 said.

“Two years ago we just wanted to make it to the Ivy Championships. We had no expectations for winning or losing,” she said.

Once in the title game, the Big Green was caught off-guard by nerves, Rumley said.

“Last year we got there and we were all ready to compete, it wasn’t our first time being there and we were ready to go,” Rumley said.

The team’s six freshmen will be called upon to deliver on the championship stage for the first time this weekend, something for which the team feels confident that they will be prepared.

“They’ve made some huge strides since they came in day one of their freshman year. After being here only a year, they’re ready. As long as they have the confidence in that, they’re going to do what they’ve always done,” Rumley said.

During the regular season, Dartmouth and of Penn have only been matched up twice. The doubleheader during the final week of March was split as the Big Green won the first game with a score of 3-2, but lost the second game 5-4. Penn, Harvard University and Brown University were the only

schools in the Ivy League that managed to defeat Dartmouth this season.

Much like Dartmouth, Penn has a very productive offense. Quaker batters Jurie Joyner, Vanessa Weaver, Lauren Li and Sydney Turchin each have a batting average of over .300 and an on-base percentage of over .400 while ace pitcher Alexis Borden holds a 3.09 ERA with 140 strikeouts this season.

“You know [Borden] is going to throw you strikes since she’s a strikeout pitcher, so we’re going to go at her early and stay on her and get some hits,” Katie McEachern ’16 said.

During the two games that the teams played against each other, McEachern went 5-6, scored three times, drew a walk, collected two RBIs and hit a home run. On the mound, Rumley pitched 5.1 innings and struck out four batters in the first game and was relieved by Morgan McCalmon ’16, who earned the save.

In the second game, McCalmon was called on to start and pitched five solid innings. Rumley came on in relief to pitch the sixth inning. In the sixth, the defense committed three errors that led to two unearned runs, one of which was the tie-breaking run. The loss would be the last the team would see in quite

ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

For the third straight year, Dartmouth will take on Penn for the Ivy League crown.

some time as they proceeded to run off an 11-game win streak.

“I think our team has since then really worked on our hitting and as a team we’ve gotten a lot better and more aggressive,” McEachern said. “I think this time around we’re definitely going to be hitting the ball better than we were the first time, since it was our first weekend out.”

McCalmon credited the team’s preparation for its success and expected that preparation to continue to pay off in the title series.

“Penn is a great team and we can’t

take them lightly at all, but if we play the way we’ve prepared throughout the entire season and even starting back in the fall, we’ve set ourselves up pretty well to achieve success,” McCalmon said. “If we go in and approach the game as if it’s another day to play softball and just perform the way we’ve been performing [all season], I think we should be just fine.”

Softball Park will host the Ivy League Championship series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and, if necessary, a third game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Men’s and women’s track and field teams excel at Penn Relays

B y CHRIS SHIM

The Dartmouth Staff

Members of the men’s and women’s track and field teams took part in the University of Pennsylvania’s 121st Penn Relays this past weekend at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. The contest — among the oldest and most decorated events in competitive track — brings together some of the country’s best athletes, including professional, collegiate and high school competitors.

“To be in the atmosphere of the Penn Relays is unreal,” women’s head coach Sandy Ford-Centonze said. “It’s sometimes tough as a coach since you might not even get into the stadium to watch the athletes compete, but to be a part of it is amazing.”

The Big Green received strong performances from both the men’s and women’s teams. On Friday, the women’s 4x1,500-meter relay team placed fourth in the Championship of America division against some of the best women’s distance programs in the country. The

team of Elizabeth Markowitz ’16, Helen Schlachtenhaufen ’17, Reid Watson ’16 and Dana Giordano ’16 finished in 18:00.22.

“Penn Relays is the only meet with the women’s [4x1,500-meter relay] and the men’s [4xmile relay], so this is the meet they had to run it at,” men’s head coach Barry Harwick said.

The action, however, began on Thursday. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Sarah DeLozier ’15 ran a 10:32.93 to place fourth, while Sarah Bennett ’16 placed 16th. In the heptagonal section of the women’s 4x400meter relay, which is limited to the Ivy League, the Big Green took third in the pool of five, finishing after Cornell and Princeton Universities.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Erica Hendershot ’15 claimed 17th in 1:02.14, while Katy Sprout ’17 finished tenths of a second later to take 25th overall in a field of nearly 60 runners. Alison Lanois ’15 finished the first day of the contest for the women by placing 18th in the 5,000-meter with a time of 17:09.19.

On the first day of competition for the men, captain Anthony Anzivino ’16 finished ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:22.17.

Dylan O’Sullivan ’15 ran a 30:37.28 in the 10,000-meter under the lights to claim 18th in the final event of the day.

As the meet continued into the night, dropping temperatures may have affected athlete performance.

“The [10,000-meter] did not finish until midnight, and at that point it was 35 degrees,” Harwick said.

On Friday, the women’s team received strong performances from Kaitlin Whitehorn ’16, who placed sixth in the championship section of the high jump by clearing 5-8.5/1.74m, and Molly Shapiro ’16, who placed 33rd in the triple jump with a 37-10.75/11.55m.

Action for the men’s team started off early with the 400-meter hurdles in which Edward Wagner ’16 ran a 54.52, good for 20th in the field of 50 competitors.

The men’s team also received strong performances from relay teams in the

distance medley relay and the heptagonal section of the 4x400-meter relay.

The distance medley relay quartet of Pat Gregory ’18, Phil Gomez ’17, Will Callan ’15 and Julian Heninger ’17 ran a cumulative 10:24.01 to finish 24th.

In the Big Green’s second relay team of the day, Zachary Plante ’18, Amos Cariati ’18, Wagner and Gomez combined to run a 3:16.16 to take third in the heptagonal section of the 4x400meter relay.

“We had a good performance against the Ivy League schools, and that gives us an extra incentive and confidence going into [Ivy League Heptagonal Championships] in two weeks,” Ford-Centonze said.

Wrapping up competition on Saturday, Bridget O’Neill ’18, Elizabeth Markowitz ’16, Bridget Flynn ’18 and Meghan Grela ’17 finished eighth in the Championship of America section of the women’s 4x800-meter relay.

On the men’s side, Corey Muggler ’17 placed seventh in the triple jump with a jump of 48-9.0/14.86m. Harwick

noted that Muggler’s performance was a lifetime best, and as a native of Philadelphia, this was a special one for him given it was in front of his hometown crowd.

Connor Clark ’17, Silas Talbot ’15, Joe Chapin ’16 and Curtis King ’16 ran a 16:54.22 in the Championship of America Invitational section of the men’s 4xmile, good for 12th overall.

Chapin was recovering from an injury that affected his performance, King said.

The energy of 40,000 fans makes the Penn Relays an incredible experience for the athletes. The coaches, however, are often outside of the stadium because of the crowds, Harwick said.

“The atmosphere is pretty incredible,” King said. “But 40,000 people are yelling at you, and coaches aren’t allowed on the infield. So even if [the coaches] are yelling splits from the stands, we can’t really hear anything.”

The teams will return to Hanover to fine-tune for two weeks before the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships at Penn on May 9 and 10.