VOL. CLXXV NO.32
SUNNY
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Graduate schools prepare to fundraise
GOOD DAY SUNSHINE
HIGH 74 LOW 76
B y RUBEN GALLARDO The Dartmouth Staff
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
OPINION
TRUONG: AT YOUR SERVICE PAGE 4
SAKLAD: LET THEM OUT PAGE 4
ARTS
FORTH WANDERERS’ NEW ALBUM DOES ADOLESCENT ANGST JUSTICE PAGE 7
‘TRANSFORM’ FASHION AND TALENT SHOW CELEBRATES NONBINARY BEAUTY PAGE 8
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Dartmouth beams with rays of sunshine.
Dartmouth’s graduate schools will not be left out of the College’s recently-announced $3 billion capital campaign, “The Call to Lead.” The campaign includes specific fundraising goals for Dartmouth’s graduate and professional schools that will provide financial support for their programs and initiatives. The Geisel School of Medicine, the Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business and announced goals of
$250 million for each of their campaigns. Before the campaign’s public launch, Geisel had already collected over $100 million and Tuck had collected over $132 million. The newly-named Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies set a campaign goal of $50 million and received a donation of an undisclosed amount from Frank J. Guarini ’46, according to dean of the Guarini School F. Jon Kull ’88. The Guarini School will SEE CAMPAIGN PAGE 2
First-Year Trips will see changes for Class of 2022 B y Jennie Rhodes The Dartmouth
Trips season is officially in full swing. This year, 280 trip leaders and 62 Croo members were accepted to the Dartmouth Outing Club First-Year Trips program, according to Trips director Lucia Pierson ’18. The acceptance rate for Trip leaders was 54 percent, while the acceptance rate for Croo members was 40 percent, Pierson said. There
were 600 applications for leaders and Croo members this year, which is consistent with previous years. While there were more trip leader applications than Croo member applications, Croo had a lower acceptance rate because of the limited number of positions available, Pierson said. According to Lodj Croo cocaptain Paula Mendoza ’19, this year’s Trips Directorate focuses on the theme of diversity. As the incoming classes of Dartmouth
become more diverse, the Directorate strives to have Trips reflect that diversity, she said. “Wewanttoembraceeveryone’s differences and everything they have to offer,” Mendoza said. According to Pierson, two new trips were created this year to cater toward more students’ interests: Cabin Camping and Cooking and Cabin Camping and Performing Arts.
PAULA MENDOZA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
SEE TRIPS PAGE 2
The Class of 2022 will see a different First-Year Trips.
Three new Strips Q&A with writing debuting this summer professor Jennifer Sargent
B y Claudia BernStein The Dartmouth
“Sophomore summer is the new freshman fall.” That’s Jake Klein ’20’s motto for Strips 2018, which he will direct alongside three other sophomores. Strips — which stands for Sophomore Trips — is a program run each year that allows sophomores to both lead and participate in three-day trips before they begin sophomore summer,
modeled off the Dartmouth Outing Club’s First-Year Trips program. “One of my main goals as director is to really emphasize that the goal of the program is to meet people in your class that are outside of your social bubble, as opposed to the outdoors as an end in itself,” Klein said. “We want Strips to appeal to people who aren’t necessarily already involved SEE STRIPS PAGE 5
B y Abby Mihaly
The Dartmouth Staff
Jennifer Sargent has her hands full. She is not only a professor for both the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric and the women’s, gender and sexuality studies department, but also a physical education and Zumba instructor, the mock trial team’s coach and the faculty advisor for Kappa Delta Epsilon and Alpha Xi Delta sororities. She also serves as legal content advisor for author
Jodi Picoult and consults for television. Sargent began teaching at the College in 2006 following her work as a public defender in criminal law, a special justice in the Littleton, Lancaster and Haverhill, New Hampshire District Courts and a law professor at Vermont Law School. Sargent earned a B.A. from Emory University and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
SEE SARGENT PAGE 3
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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
‘The Call to Lead’ will raise funds for graduate schools “complete physicians” entails promoting innovation, enhancing the school’s use the funds for graduate student curriculum and providing students with fellowships, while Geisel intends to increased scholarship opportunities. To reduce student debt and further develop pursue “bold ideas,” Geisel intends to its program. Tuck intends to support bolster research in health and disease. scholarships, renovate buildings and The third mission — “transforming improve pre- and post-MBA programs, healthcare” — entails working with and Thayer will expand its engineering the Dartmouth Institute for Health and computer science faculty and Policy and Clinical Practice to create construct a new facility. solutions that improve the efficiency of The Guarini School oversees the healthcare system as a whole. The the curricular three missions requirements of 35 were selected to “We all have a graduate and doctoral strengthen Geisel’s p r o g r a m s a n d common goal to major areas of provides academic make Dartmouth focus, according and professional to Geisel dean support to more the best at what Duane Compton. than 1,000 graduate it does. For me, “ W e students, doctoral are looking to especially as an candidates and postaugment the doctoral scholars, alum, it’s exciting medical education according to Kull. prog ram by to see how people Kull said that the investing Guarini School will are stepping up to in student use the funds it collects help every aspect scholarships to to support graduate reduce debt of Dartmouth, from help student fellowships loads and [create] because obtaining the graduate and some endowed external funding has professional schools professorships, become more difficult for example,” for graduate students. to renovating Compton said. “Our goal is to Dartmouth Hall.” “[The second have the first two years priority] — of every graduate pursuing bold student fellowship -F. JON KULL ’88, DEAN ideas — is really paidforbyDartmouth OF THE GUARINI about discovering resources,” Kull said. new knowledge in “Currently we do SCHOOL human biology not have that, so this to help create [capital campaign new and more will] get us closer to [this goal].” effective therapeutic strategies, and the According to Kull, the Guarini third [priority], transforming health School does not currently plan to care, supports faculty and educational expand its administrative services or programs at The Dartmouth Institute staff. Ultimately, he said he hopes the … trying to find the most effective and Guarini School will gain a reputation efficient way to deliver healthcare to for excellence in graduate-level research patients.” and providing students with skillTuck’s capital campaign, titled building opportunities that will help “The Tuck Difference: The Campaign them become leaders in their fields. for Tomorrow’s Wise Leaders,” aims “I can almost see a customized to support student scholarships with graduate education [model],” Kull said. $40 million, fund faculty research “Let’s say a graduate student wants to with $40 million, finance renovations do entrepreneurial work … we can of the Murdough Center and Byrne connect [them] with people from [the Hall Dining with $40 million and to-be-constructed Magnuson Family strengthen pre-MBA and post-MBA Center for Entrepreneurship], Tuck programs with $50 million. An and Thayer.” additional $60 million will support the Geisel’s capital campaign, entitled Tuck Annual Giving campaign, while “Interaction: The Campaign for another $20 million will be allocated Dartmouth Medicine,” focuses on for other strategic priorities. three missions: educating “complete Tuck dean Matthew Slaughter said physicians,” pursuing “bold ideas” and that the strategic priorities component “transforming healthcare.” According will provide him and other Tuck to a Geisel press release, educating leaders the opportunity to make FROM CAMPAIGN PAGE 1
particular investments at his discretion. “Looking at the resources that we have today and at our overall financial model, we built off from each of those important priorities of investment … to arrive at the $250 million figure,” Slaughter said. Since the construction of the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society will require current occupants to vacate the Murdough Center, Tuck plans to redesign the building to serve as a collaborative space that houses Tuck programs and resources for MBA students, according to Slaughter. “[The Murdough Center] is at the heart of our collection of buildings,” Slaughter said. “Our plan currently is to have our Tuck centers located in [the Murdough Center] because they provide pathways to learning and application and career services to our students.” Slaughter noted that the capital campaign will also support programs that provide additional resources to MBA students, such as the Next Step program, which helps military veterans and professional athletes enrolled in the MBA program learn additional fundamental business skills during their transition to the business world. Thayer’s target investment of $250 million will support three major goals: academic integration, faculty growth and facility expansion. The first goal — academic integration — will focus on cultivating closer ties between the operations of engineering and computer science departments. The second goal — faculty growth — seeks to expand engineering faculty from 35 to 70 members and computer science faculty from 18 to 27 members. The third goal — facility expansion — involves constructing a building that will house Thayer’s current facilities, the computer science department and the College’s entrepreneurial, digital design and electron microscope centers. Last week, the College organized three events to support the launch of the campaign in Hanover, New York City, New York and San Francisco, California. According to Kull, the College plans to organize similar events in other cities across the country to communicate to alumni the goals of the campaign. “We all have a common goal to make Dartmouth the best at what it does,” Kull said. “For me, especially as an alumni, it’s exciting to see how people are stepping up to help every aspect of Dartmouth, from the graduate and professional schools to renovating Dartmouth Hall.”
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.
First-Year Trips to debut changes in fall
The renovated Moosilauke Lodge prompted the Directorate to reevaluate Trips will also now have same- the traditions of First Year Trips and gender trip co-leaders. Trip leader make changes so every activity is applications are graded through a blind affecting trippees in the most positive application process where gender is way possible, according to Pierson. “[The renovated Moosilauke not revealed until after all scores are tabulated. In previous years, however, Lodge] brings an attitude of fresh Trip directorates rejected women with starts,” Pierson said. “Trips has existed higher scores than men to keep the one- for so many years. There’s so many to-one male-to-female trip leader ratio things we do just because that’s the way — something Pierson says the current they have always been done, but we don’t agree that’s the case anymore.” Directorate found “problematic.” According to Chiu, discussion circles In the original acceptances, there were 25 pairs of female co-leaders, at the Lodge have previously touched according to Pierson. In order to ensure on trippees’ identities. In conjunction that male tripees have the opportunity with the theme of diversity this year, the to have their questions answered by directorate has discussed having these male leaders, Pierson said that the circles expand upon how identities play directorate will try to place the female a role when coming to Dartmouth. “We want trippees to be aware of co-leaders with trips with great deal of other student experiences, how they Croo interaction. Another change to Trips this year is are affected pre- and post-Trip,” Chiu that it will return to the newly-renovated said. T h e Moosilauke Lodge. newMoosilauke Last year, because “Trips has existed for will also of the construction so many years. There’s Lodge have access on Moosilauke, for disabled trips culminated at so many things we do members of the the Dartmouth Ski just because that’s the Class of 2022, Lodge. according to M o o s i l a u k e way they have always Mendoza. will be much been done, but we According more comfortable don’t agree that’s the to Pierson, the than both the Ski directorate has Lodge and the old case anymore.” been talking to Moosilauke Lodge, students who DOC deputy -LUCIA PIERSON ’18, TRIPS have brought up director Brian concerns about Kunz A&S ’00 said. DIRECTOR accessibility on The new Lodge Trips about will be bigger than ways to alter before and have a larger dining room and renovated programming so that it is more accessible for students with physical kitchen. Kunz said the larger Lodge will also disabilities. Trips will implement allow the Trips program to have fewer clearer communication about the kinds of physical activity each trip will but larger trip sections in the future. “Our hope is that once we know the entail, such as including information layout of the new Lodge, we can have about how long the walk from the bigger sections,” Kunz said. “We would cabin to buses can be on certain trips, like to eliminate the first four sections Pierson said. The Directorate is also to reduce tripees that have to go home arranging more comfortable sleeping arrangements for students with hip and before coming back to the dorms.” Mendoza said she is excited to back problems, according to Pierson. “Physical diversity at the Lodge is be able to use the new amenities the renovated Lodge has to offer. Part of a big deal,” Mendoza said. “It makes Lodj Croo’s role is to cook all the meals Trips more accessible and safe.” Chiu said she cannot wait to welcome for the incoming trips when they are at the Lodge. The Croo had a harder time the Class of 2022 to Dartmouth. “One thing I wrote about in my cooking with old stoves and ovens in previous years, according to Mendoza. Trips application my freshman year “Going to a place where things was how included and loved I felt by a are newer and more reliable is really group of strangers,” Chiu said. “In my directorate application, I talked about exciting,” she said. Lodj Croo co-captain Emma Chiu how after volunteering, I know how it ’19 said she believes that tripees will feels to be on the other end and have feel a stronger connection to the Lodge love for people you haven’t met before. because of its long history with Trips. I am so excited to share Dartmouth “One of the great things is when you with them.” see alums rolling through, visiting when Trips are happening, and still being so Chiu and Mendoza are former members of The Dartmouth senior staff. excited about Trips,” she said. FROM TRIPS PAGE 1
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Sargent has led a long and varied career in law, academia FROM SARGENT PAGE 1
W h e n d i d yo u c o m e t o Dartmouth? JS: I had started adjuncting in 2006 here at Dartmouth. I realized through those little bits of adjuncting that I really loved teaching undergraduate writing. Suddenly, the focus was not only on teaching writing correctly, but also really making intellectual curiosity important to students. The students at Dartmouth, I found, were extremely voracious learners. They wanted to learn how to think and they wanted to learn how to ask the right questions. I think that a lot of times, writing is taught as this rote, unexciting way of communicating, and writing is just the opposite. It’s how we communicate; it’s a craft. We use it in all disciplines — everybody has to know how to write, and write well. I had also learned from my career that writing can make or break someone’s life. It can make or break a Nobel prize-winning idea; it can make or break the acceptance of a proposal or a grant to create a new vaccine that will cure a major disease. The way that new and great things happen is through writing, so why would I want to do anything else but help people with
the great ideas learn how to make those great ideas into great things, great contributions for the world?
What inspired you initially to want to teach and what is it about teaching that draws you? JS: I had a teacher in high school, Mr. Clemens, and he taught American history. This man made American history come alive for me. He made it so interesting and so real. He was a former college professor, so he was at once theoretical and practical and dynamic. He made it so fascinating that I didn’t ever want the class to end. It was my first taste of what a teacher could do to make you really want to be a lifelong learner, and my first taste of how teaching can change someone’s life. That’s what made me interested in teaching — my 10th grade experience in American history with Mr. Clemens — I’ll never forget him, ever. What would you describe as your philosophy of teaching? JS: Make your students want to do the work, make your students excited about everything they’re doing and make your students want to take what they learn — and have the confidence to take what
they learn — and do something with it. It’s not enough to have the information, you have to use it for great things.
What was your own undergraduate experience like? What was your major? JS: I was a little bit of a wreck in college. I partied hard in college. I definitely had a lot of fun. I spent far more time pursuing fun extracurricular things and drinking a lot of beer — a lot of beer. I did not apply myself, as my father would say, in college, and that was a shame — looking back on it, I wish I had worked harder. I’m not sorry or unhappy about my experiences, but I wasn’t an engaged college student academically. I was a sociology and political science major and I really loved both those disciplines. I didn’t do enough work in those disciplines. But I knew enough after those two disciplines to know that I wanted to do public service work and I wanted to go to law school, so that was good. I also had saved up enough energy in that respect to go to grad school right from college. I think if I had worked really, really hard and burnt myself out in college, I wouldn’t have had the mental strength to go right into grad
school. I have to say, after college, I was pretty hungry to learn. I hadn’t lived up to my potential, clearly. I was ready to make law school my job, and I did.
You have so many different roles here at Dartmouth. Which is your favorite, or which is the most fun? JS: I have fun no matter what I do, that’s sort of my rule for myself — whatever I do, it has to be fun. Asking that question is kind of like asking which is your favorite child, because they’re all my favorites and they’re all fun and I love them all. They’re all fun in different ways. What has most surprised you about working here? JS: I am surprised that writing as a discipline, outside of the English department, isn’t taken more seriously by the administration and by a lot of grown-ups in the institution. I think the students think of it as a discipline, and I don’t think that a lot of other people necessarily understand the rigor and the discipline of teaching writing. It isn’t remedial, it isn’t vocational, it is a discipline like any other discipline, and I would really like to see it supported with research dollars, and I would really like to
see the writing faculty supported as equal faculty. W hat is your f avorite Dartmouth memory? JS: I think that a favorite Dartmouth memory for me is when I gave the Class Day speech for the Class of 2010 the day before Commencement. I had present at that speech my husband, who is a Dartmouth grad; my husband’s father, who is a Dartmouth grad; my mother, whose father was a Dartmouth grad; I also have two step-children who are Dartmouth grads and my husband’s uncle was also a Dartmouth grad. I remember when I was speaking that I kind of looked out and saw the sea of Dartmouth, and then I looked over at my family and saw the legacy of Dartmouth, and I thought, “What a privilege to be able to be a part of the legacy.” What are you most proud of ? JS: I’m most proud of the fact that I can still do more push-ups at age 51 than most 20-year-olds can do. I think I can still pop out about 40 in a row, but then I can’t use my arms for about a week. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
CREDITS TO JUSTIN BISHOP OF VANITY FAIR MAGAZINE
Jennifer Sargent juggles several roles on campus.
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STAFF COLUMNIST VALERIE TRUONG ’21
STAFF COLUMNIST AVERY SAKLAD ’21
At Your Service
Let Them Out
Dartmouth needs more short-term, off-campus volunteering opportunities. A common perception at Dartmouth is that there is a plethora of opportunities for students to volunteer. Students are bombarded with emails inviting them to apply to programs like START, build and repair local homes or buy McDonald’s to help raise funds for a local nonprofit. But shortterm or low commitment volunteer events are far and few between. Dartmouth should have more volunteer opportunities for which students can sign up on an individual basis. While not every student may want to dedicate several hours of every Friday to a single service experience, some may have a few hours to spare on a Saturday afternoon. The chance to sign up for a one-time volunteering opportunity can provide Dartmouth students with the context to understand where they are and the people they are surrounded by relative to the Upper Valley, even if service is not a priority in their lives. And that’s okay. At the very least, volunteering for a few hours can give students a greater appreciation for the privilege of a Dartmouth education and serve as a respite from Dartmouth. Volunteering also enhances experiential learning for a wider range of students and helps instill a culture of service. These occasional volunteering experiences are not resume builders; they are a way to learn, have a good time and gradually build community. Many opportunities can be found through the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, which aims to “[prepare] students to be transformative leaders for the common good.” But before the center’s name change at the beginning of this year, it was the Dartmouth Center for Service. The name change demarcates a shift from the idea that only service-related programs were supported to the idea that the center enables a broader range of programming, including Social Impact Practicums and nonprofit career development. However, as the role of the center continues to broaden, it must juggle not only local volunteering opportunities, but also sponsored service internships, SIPs programming and immersion trips, for example. While all of these programs are valuable, widening the center’s responsibilities allows less time and staff to be devoted to coordinating local volunteering opportunities. As a result, student leaders conduct much of the coordination with community partner organizations, leading to wild variation in the types and commitment levels of
volunteering activities. Because individual D-plans mean that students are on and off all the time, contact with community organizations can wax and wane. Hiring an intern to coordinate with organizations could be a way to maintain contact so students can more consistently volunteer. Some of the most prominent and welldeveloped service programs on campus are the Youth Education Mentoring programs, overseen by the center, which connect Dartmouth students with youth in nearby areas. Understandably, these programs usually involve a long-term, frequent commitment on the participating student’s behalf in order to foster better relationships with the local school-aged students. Yet not everyone who enjoys volunteering in general is good with children, nor do they necessarily want to dedicate several hours every week to the same type of activity. At the start of each term, the center’s Community Connections Fair hosts a multitude of ways to get involved in service. However, if one misses the fair or the chance to get on the Listserv for a service opportunity, it becomes difficult to hear about new volunteer events unless it is by word of mouth. If one visits the center’s website to search for volunteer opportunities, there are about two dozen community partners listed via Orgsync. But on the student end, they range from established to inactive, indicated by a lack of events on the feed. Additionally, students who want to volunteer are often required to jump through a series of applications, approvals and clearances. For example, to use a car for a College-sponsored activity, the student must be driver-approved and possibly van-certified. Some volunteering events require DHMC volunteer certification. Obtaining certifications and going through other logistics, such as transportation, can significantly deter students who want to volunteer only occasionally. Some may argue that short-term volunteering can be inconsequential for the local community because the lack of consistency fails to give the volunteer a “real feel” for what’s going on and rescinds volunteerism’s notion of purpose. However, there is still much to gain from those experiences. Each experience allows the volunteer to meet local people outside of campus, and allows locals to learn about the student, too. Having a wider range of service opportunities for students can greatly enhance learning at Dartmouth.
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ISSUE
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
NEWS LAYOUT: Sunny Prescher
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.
Pennsylvania State University went too far in disbanding its Outing Club. Since the Jerry Sandusky scandal and Timothy Piazza’s hazing-related death early last year, Pennsylvania State University has walked on eggshells. Another safety infringement will send the university’s name right back into the news headlines while they cannot afford the negative publicity. Necessarily, they’ve examined safety procedures in organizations across campus in order to mitigate any future safety risks, assessed emergency procedures, set minimum requirements for medically-certified leaders to club participant ratios and reviewed the risks involved in each club’s activities. All of these measures may help keep the university’s name out of unwanted press headlines and ensure the safety of current and future Penn State students, but when precaution translated to shutting down of one of the university’s major clubs, the administration went a step too far. On Apr. 10, officers of Campus Recreation, the Office of Risk Management and the Office of Student Activities announced the mandatory disbandment of Penn State’s Outing Club. Risk assessment of the club determined that Outing Club trips posed too great of a risk to students to be condoned by the administration. The Office of Student Activities granted members of the Outing Club permission to function as a special interest student organization after reviewing a formal proposal on Apr. 25. Special interest student organization status allows the Outing Club to continue hosting speakers, maintaining trails and working with local businesses, but not to take out future trips. After 98 years of offering students opportunities to backpack, canoe, boulder and participate in any number of outdoor recreational activities, Penn State is losing one of its most valuable organizations. I optimistically believe that those students most impacted by the disbandment of the club will continue to fight for the return of these opportunities, but in the meantime, the repercussions of the Outing Club’s dismissal may hit harder than any risk present during its operation. Communities fostered by shared passion for outdoor recreation are essential for the development of environmentally-concerned students. If Penn State’s Outing Club is at all similar to the one here at Dartmouth, its members tend to be the driving forces behind many campus environmental initiatives. The students who have intimate experiences with nature are generally the ones fighting for its preservation — they have a deepfelt understanding of the natural earth’s value because their passion, relaxation and recreation necessitates its defense against blind degradation from a society which prioritizes money and human development. But without the chance to participate in impactful experiences in nature, the number of students at Penn willing to fight tooth and nail for future generations’ right to inherit a beautiful Earth will plummet. With the environment in its current chaotic state, society cannot afford to lose any bright new
minds who might contribute to potentially groundbreaking solutions to current crises, such as continued dependence on fossil fuels and widespread ignorance of personal contributions to pollution. Disbandment of the Outing Club may harm campus social life, too. Without trips organized by the Outing Club, students who might otherwise have spent their time engaging in healthy outdoor activities may turn to alternative social circles and methods of relaxation. Penn State campuses spread all throughout Pennsylvania, and while the more metropolitan locations offer students entertainment beyond what’s generated by the school, more rurally situated students may have limited possibilities for social outlets aside from Greek life. Penn State has already dealt with a tragic death at the hands of a Greek institution. If Greek involvement increases due to the eradication of the Outing Club, alcohol consumption, hazing, toxic party culture and sexual violence will likely increase as well. Administrative officers shut down Penn’s Outing Club because of the potential danger it posed to students, but is spending a weekend camping with a few friends on a school-sanctioned trip really riskier than the harms perpetuated by the Greek system? In the 2016-17 academic year, Mount Nittany Medical Center’s Emergency Department reported 711 cases of alcoholrelated hospitalization of students from Penn’s University Park campus alone — a higher rate of incidence than the main campus has seen in at least five years. 18.1 percent of undergraduate students on the same campus reported experiences of sexual assault in 2015, the year of the university’s last published report; this percentage has been increasing since 2010. As always, this statistic does not account for the countless unreported assaults that take place on every college campus. Like Dartmouth, Penn State continues to combat violence and unhealthy behaviors often encouraged by the Greek system. With one less community for students to turn to in lieu of the Greek system, the major issues that Penn’s administration already struggles to deal with will only become larger and harder to combat. Eliminating an element of risk by disbanding the Outing Club will only relocate and compound it within the Greek system. Pe n n s y l v a n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y understandably concerns itself now more than ever with potential risk within university activities, but abolishing the Outing Club should not be a solution to campus danger. The benefits of providing students with easy and affordable access to outdoor recreation cannot be disregarded because an active outdoor lifestyle comes with some inherent risk. Consistently updated and reviewed safety procedures, medically certified leaders and risk acknowledgement forms, all of which Penn’s Outing Club already had in place, are ample precautionary steps to alleviate risk associated with outdoor recreation. In the coming months, university officials will hopefully come to this same conclusion and reinstitute one of the campus’s staple organizations.
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Strips seeks to increase approachability to students skills to cook on camp stoves at a campsite for the next two days, Strips with the DOC.” co-director Ben Saccone ’20 said. The directors have made a According to Saccone, the surfing concerted effort for Strips to be Strip — which is a part of the new the most inclusive it has ever been, surfing DOC sub-club — will take according Strippees surfing on to outreach the New Hampshire coordinator “Reaching out to coastline with a N a t a l i e people individually professional surfing Vaughan ’20. instructor. and letting people In order to The third new draw in ’20s know why they would Strip running is the who are not be really beneficial iconic sophomore necessarily summer Strip. in that role has been outdoorsy “This Strip is a a n d m i g h t much more successful quick run through not otherwise sophomore than just sending mass asummer be interested bucketlist,” i n S t r i p s , blitzes telling people Vaughan said. “It t h e 2 0 1 8 to apply.” involves stargazing, directorate blueberry picking h a s and a sunrike in i n t r o d u c e d -NATALIE VAUGHAN ’20, Gile. Our hope is three new trips that [this Strip] OUTREACH COORDINATOR for this year’s would be something program: people are really a cooking excited about, and Strip, a surfing Strip and an iconic at the same time more accessible for sophomore summer Strip, which was people who might not be outdoorsthe “brain child” of Sarah Kolk ’20, inclined.” according to Klein. Vaughan said that her goal has The cooking Strip will have been to make Strips as accessible as Strippees take a cooking class in a possible and reach out to people as professional kitchen one day, then effectively as possible. allow them to attempt to use those “Reaching out to people in an FROM STRIPS PAGE 1
individualized manner has turned between spring and summer terms, out really successfully,” she said. “We according to Vaughan. For this got a huge increase in Strip leader reason, the cost has been “hard to application numbers over last year. justify” for some, Vaughan said. The We got 54 applications. Reaching directorate hopes to decrease the out to people individually and letting deterrence of the cost barrier this people know why they would be really year and going forward. beneficial in that role has been much According to Saccone, this year more successful is the first year than just sending “[Strips] was a great that Strip leaders out mass blitzes did not have to be way to start a term telling people to DOC sub-club apply.” leaders in order that is all about Vaughan also getting to know your to apply, as long said that this year as they are paired the directorate class and meeting with a co-leader is introducing new people.” who is a DOC p h y s i c a l sub-club leader. education credits A d d i t i o n a l l y, for both Strippees -ANDREW SUN ’18, Klein is working to and Strip leaders, establish a policy FORMER STRIP LEADER which is “really that will allow enticing” to both co-leaders individuals to not need to be who may not sub-club leaders otherwise apply for future years. to be involved. Saccone also The program said that the 2018 has also placed directorate is the a n i n c re a s e d biggest in history, emphasis on financial aid for Strips. with two outreach coordinators as The cost of going on Strips has opposed to one and four directors deterred students from participating as opposed to three, as has been the in the past, especially because the case in past years. Strips dates overlap with reunions, “I really wanted sophomore trips during which many students work to have the same sense of community
building and emphasis on meeting new people that First-Year Trips has,” Vaughan said. “We’re halfway through our Dartmouth career, so [Strips] gives people a couple days to leave campus and reflect on how far they’ve come, how far they still want to go at Dartmouth.” Andrew Sun ’18 is a former Strip leader who led a trip at the College’s organic farm. Sun said that he was able to both strengthen old friendships and form new bonds with people through Strips. “It was a great way to start a term that is all about getting to know your class and meeting new people,” he said. Echoing Strips’ role in fostering new friendships among the sophomore class, Klein said the rationale behind his motto was that the feeling of being socially isolated is not exclusive to freshman fall, and fostering community is an important part of every term at Dartmouth. “I think people tend to think that feeling isolated and nervous only applies to the freshman experience, but it’s so not,” Klein said. “Not always feeling like you’re thriving is a normal part of the Dartmouth experience. Any program that mixes it up and lets you meet new people and talk about your Dartmouth experiences is worthwhile.”
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
DARTMOUTH OF THE FUTURE
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
CAROLINE COOK ’21
TODAY
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Guarini Institute OCP Photo Exhibition, featuring over 100 photos taken by students studying abroad, Collis Common Ground
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Seeing: the Problem or the Infrastructure of Feeling,” with Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Director of the Center for Place, Culture, and Politics and City University of New York professor of geography in earth and environmental sciences, Filene Auditorium, Moore Building
5:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Lecture: “Why Has Title IX Become So Controversial?” with Boston College professor of American politics R. Shep Melnick, Rockefeller Center 003
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Student Art Showcase: “Lifted 2018: Imagining Community,” sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, Collis Patio
TOMORROW
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Lecture: “Mobilizing Allies for Women Peace and Security,” with InterAction senior fellow for diversity and inclusion, Donald Steinberg, Kreindler Conference Hall, Haldeman Center
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Honors Thesis Presentation: “Teen Depression and Suicide in the Contemporary American Musical,” by Matthew Treiber ’18, Bentley Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Workshop: “Exploring Form and Surface,” with artist Sin-ying Ho, Hood Downtown
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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
Forth Wanderers’s new album does adolescent angst justice By HABIB SABET The Dartmouth
Adolescent angst is so pervasive that it’s almost a cliché. Adults everywhere roll their eyes in condescending disdain and chalk outbursts up to “hor mones.” For decades, the alienating dismissiveness of exactly this kind of eye-roll has turned younger generations — from the Ramones to Green Day — to music as an outlet for their ignored feelings. It becomes a cycle: more angsty music, more eye rolls, more angsty music ... you get the picture. From the origins of punk in the ’70s and ’80s to the grunge of the early ’90s and right up through Taylor Swift, the path is well-trodden. Much of it, I’d readily admit, deserves the weary scorn and eye-rolls. This is why the newest album from the Forth Wanderers is so great. “Forth Wanderers,” the second record from the New Jersey natives, is an incredibly refreshing articulation of the struggles of isolation and romance in early adulthood. Formed in Montclair, New Jersey, where its members grew up, Forth Wanderers soon dispersed
to colleges across the country. Guitarist Ben Guterl is now in Ohio and vocalist Ava Trilling lives in New York, but the distance doesn’t impede their ability to create music. Guterl sends instrumental ideas to Trilling, who then develops a vocal part and lyrics. The conversational nature of the songwriting process comes through in the album. “Forth Wanderers” opens with two guitars lazily interlocking in a droning melody, a dialogue that continues throughout the first song, “Nevermine.” Then comes Trilling. Her opening lines, “I am the one you think of when you’re with her,” set the mode she works in for the rest of the album. Trilling has a haunting ly deadpan delivery that seems to rebuke the string of past lovers she addresses throughout the album. Her voice shares the lackadaisical quality of Guterl’s guitar playing and presents a cool indifference. The lyrics, however, betray a real struggle underneath. On “Not For Me,” for example, Trilling reveals, “I can’t feel the earth beneath my feet/Flowers bloom but not for me.” It’s a combination that perfectly captures the ambivalence of late
adolescence, hating pretty much everyone and then bemoaning one’s isolation. Trilling does it beautifully. Her airy voice weaves in and out of the droning riffs of Guterl and fellow guitarist Duke Green, who continues with a steady stream of blasé yet tight riffs throughout. The only departure from is an ethereal acoustic intro to “Be My Baby.” With all of this inter-instrumental conversation taking place over the unfailing rhythms of drummer Zach Lorelli and bassist Noah Schifrin, the band members seem profoundly in sync with each other on “Forth Wanderers.” They have a definite feeling of their sound and style, so much so that the songs verge slightly on the formulaic. Guterl’s introductory guitar riff defines the melody and mood, leading in Trilling, and the song gives way to an elegantly sprawling dialogue between the band members. Trilling’s lyrics at times fall into a pattern too, as she discusses one exploit with an anonymous lover after another. None of that is to say that the formula is bad or doesn’t work, and as the band and its constituents grow and develop, so will its
music — both stylistically and thematically. “Forth Wanderers” already displays an enormous amount of maturation since the band’s earlier work, and brings much-needed vitality and ingenuity
to the indie rock scene. The record is the group’s first since signing with indie and punk powerhouse Sub Pop, and hopefully sparks a long running and successful relationship.
“Thor: Rangnarok” is still Marvel’s greatest accomplishment and his world. The decisions to hire Kenneth Branagh to direct the first film and Alan Taylor to direct the As “Avengers: Infinity War” second are telling. Branagh is best continues to dominate cinemas, it’s known for helming five Shakespeare worth taking a moment to look back adaptations, while Taylor is most at the Marvel Cinematic Universe. famous for directing some of the most Just as the story of “Infinity War” pivotal “Game of Thrones” episodes. positions itself To g e t h e r, as a culmination “There’s something they delivered of the 18 films precisely what that h a v e wonderfully inspiring one might expect: come before, about the story of an a Shakespearean its commercial by way of indigenous filmmaker drama success, as the Tolkien. fastest film to crafting a $180 million And it was all so reach $1 billion epic that feels as boring … until at the global Marvel m ade b o x o f f i c e , personal, as political one of the best ref lects how and as relevant as creative decisions the franchise in recent anything else he’s has morphed Hollywood into a cultural made.” memory, saving juggernaut in a both the MCU mere ten years. and the Thor My overall feelings toward the series in one fell swoop. It hired New MCU tend to be a little mixed. On Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi to the one hand, it’s fairly rare that the direct a third Thor film, giving him universe produces a truly memorable almost complete creative freedom. film — but it’s also fairly rare that it The result, “Thor: Ragnarok,” isn’t makes a genuine misstep. And while just the best Marvel film. It’s one of it might be unfair to write “Thor” the best films in recent memory. and “Thor: The Dark World” off as The plot picks up several years full-on missteps, it’s clear that Marvel after Thor’s last appearance in Studios never really knew what to “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” After do with the character Thor. More learning that Loki is alive, he travels accurately, they never seemed willing to Earth with his trickster brother to fully embrace the surreal fantasy in search of their dying father, aesthetic inherent to the character Odin. But Odin’s death ends the
By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
banishment of Hela, the Goddess of Death, an older sister that Thor and Loki never knew about. She sends the pair hurtling off to the planet Sakaar and returns to Asgard, intent on restoring the realm to its former glory. On Sakaar, Thor and Loki find Bruce Banner (trapped in his alter-ego, the Hulk) and Scrapper 142, an alcoholic scavenger and a former member of Asgard’s Valkyrie, the elite, allfemale fighting force of the realm. Together, they must work to escape the clutches of the Grandmaster, Sakaar’s addled dictator, and save Asgard from Hela’s reign. The film immediately announces that it is Waititi’s creation through and through. As Thor tries to escape the clutches of a fire demon, one can’t help but imagine how earnestly such a scene would have been handled in the previous two films. But here it’s an opportunity for endless humor, all set to the howling intonations of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” Criticized for being faithless to the original Norse mythology, Waititi shot back, “They’re space Vikings.” The entire film is built on this sort of irreverence, but the goofiness never negates the genuine human emotions. Everyone in “Thor: Ragnarok” came prepared with their A-game. This is a film where no one steals the show because everyone is always stealing the show. Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Idris Elba (Heimdall),
Anthony Hopkins (Odin) and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) are reliable returners to the supporting cast. Cate Blanchett has far too much fun chewing the scenery as Hela, and no one but Jeff Goldblum could make a tyrant like the Grandmaster so amusing. But the real standouts are Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Thompson’s ability to capture both Valkyrie’s wit and her loss transforms the character into easily the most compelling female presence in the MCU. Likewise, Thor has been subtly but noticeably revamped. Before he was simply a bore; now, Hemsworth plays Thor as a loveable idiot. He’s a dunce and always the underdog, but his firm conviction to do the right thing makes him more admirable than any other hero in the MCU. While apparently 80 percent of the dialogue was improvised, the film feels remarkably coherent because Waititi never loses sight of the story’s thematic center. Waititi’s films use humor to express pain, sadness and loss, and nowhere is this more evident than in “Ragnarok.” It should also be noted that Waititi is Māori, and his cultural heritage clearly influences the film’s more serious themes. At its heart, the film is about Thor confronting and learning how to make amends for Asgard’s colonial past. But the film also demonstrates how colonized people can endure
despite the damage wrought by conquest and relocation, resulting in a film that feels deeply personal to Waititi. In fact, several critics have remarked that the film works as a perfect companion piece to Marvel’s follow-up, “Black Panther.” Both tackle the lasting effects of colonialism and the sins of the past. This was expected from “Black Panther.” But no one had any real expectations for “Thor: Ragnarok,” making its boldness all the more delightful and impressive. People sometimes ask me what kind of films I like watching most. Perhaps because I’m a film studies major, most people assume that my answer will be smaller, more personal, independent films. According to the conventional wisdom, independent films are the last haven for personal expression, while big budget spectacles erase all potential for creative freedom. Yet I get the most excited when blockbusters succeed because they are the films people are going to see in theaters. “Thor: Ragnarok” may not be revolutionary, but there’s still something wonderfully inspiring about the story of an indigenous filmmaker crafting a $180 million epic that feels as personal, political and relevant as anything else he’s made. For that reason alone, it’s the MCU’s single greatest accomplishment.
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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
‘Transform’ fashion and talent show celebrates nonbinary beauty By SOPHIA STONE The Dartmouth
A disembodied voice purred across the empty stage and runway, “You can’t see me, just hear me and know everything is beautiful.” Thus began Transform, a talent and fashion show put on in honor of Pride Week. Everything was indeed “beautiful” as an impressive array of student talent and spirit electrified the stage throughout the night. According to director Danica Rodriguez ’18, the show began as a way to provide visibility to people who didn’t fit the gender binary. Since then, it has become a forum for people to explore how to express themselves through gender. “It’s open to anyone who’s willing to go on this personal journey and talk about gender and talk about how they interact with it, the barriers that come with the binary, and how we can fight that and fight cis-heterosexism, which is pretty prevalent on this campus,” Rodriguez said. The emcee for the night was Rhiannon Nichelle, a drag queen who has competed in and won prominent drag competitions in New York. Interspersed throughout student performances, Rhiannon Nichelle — who refers to herself as RhiRhi — performed some of her professional numbers. Some of the highlights included a set to a mix of Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made
Me do” and a snarky spoof of Katy Perry’s “Firework” which is edited so that the only lyrics in the song are, “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?” Throughout the two-hour show, each student that came on stage represented the voices and visages of people on the margins of public dialogue. The student runway show bookended the night — each model showcased their own unique identity with their background music, clothes and strut. Models ranged from seasoned drag performers to students who had never set foot on a runway, and each walk boldly asserted beauty, empowerment and pride. For Rodriguez, Transform was an expression of love, first and foremost for the cast, but also for the people who came to see them. “I wanted the audience to feel just as much love as the cast,” she said. “I want them in this moment to be open and free and loud if they want to be, or quiet if they want to be, and just kind of have like an elated, beautiful moment — even if it was ephemeral.” The talent show portion of Transform included performances of spoken word poetry. Both performers eloquently engaged with topics including sexuality, race, culture and gender and commanded both presence and power. The poets defiantly rejected oppressive cultural norms, speaking out against topics such as entitled and violent masculinity and queer inclusion in language.
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The show took place in Collis Commonground last Thursday and was emceed by drag queen Rhiannon Nichelle.
The Rockapellas also gave a powerful performance, singing a set that highlighted both their vocal prowess and themes of empowerment and self-love. Songs performed included “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé and “Is Your Love Big Enough?” by Lianne La Havas. Also performed were pop pride anthems “Same Love” by Macklemore and “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. Later in the show, students also
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
“Transform” included a runway show, lip-syncing performances, dancing and spoken word poetry by queer students.
showcased their dancing and lipsyncing performances. Dance troupe Prism electrified the stage with two sultry numbers. Toward the end of the night, the non-competitive and competitive lip-syncing portions showcased bold style and vibrant performance. “I wanted to branch out, try new things and just have a fun time and to build confidence and self-esteem,” said Nicholas Woo ’20, a runway model and lip-sync participant. For many, the show was a moment of release — and Rodriguez says it was meant that way. “A lot of things that we talk about like in Pride and speeches and keynotes can be a little heavy and it should be heavy,” she said. “There are important topics that need to be discussed and heard on this campus. But I think the queer community deserves a moment just to be happy and themselves and just have a really raw and fun time.” For many queer people on campus, Rodriguez said, Dartmouth is the safest place they’ve experienced to get to know people and find connection. That’s not necessarily due to institutional support, according to Rodriguez, but rather a result of students supporting one another. Numerous student groups have rallied around marginalized groups. Rodriguez cited Tabard genderinclusive fraternity and Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority as examples of places that have done their part to support
such groups. However, Rodriguez is still looking for signs that Dartmouth as an institution supports queer people. Steps such as the financial backing of queer groups, the preservation of spaces for marginalized groups on campus or even an appearance by College President Phil Hanlon at Pride events such as Transform would make a bold statement on the part of the institution. This show was an integral part of the broader vision of Pride Week. For Woo, strutting down the runway and performing his lip sync number meant increasing the visibility of queer people of color on campus. “By performing, I can be just one more person to look to and be able to say, “Maybe I can express myself too,” he said. Rodriguez situated her role in facilitating Transform within the longer term goal of fostering acceptance of the queer community at Dartmouth. “I want in thirty years for a queer student to be able to walk this campus and wear what they want to wear, say whatever they want and just feel completely at ease,” she said. Transform was a unique display of the beauty, power and individuality of the queer community at Dartmouth. Rodriguez, the cast and everyone who helped to make Transform a success certainly did their part in helping to realize that future.