VOL. CLXXVI NO. 34
SUNNY HIGH 63 LOW 44
OPINION
OPINION ASKS: 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY PAGE 6
LEUTZ: ON WHITE PRIVILEGE PAGE 6
KNIGHT: TRUMP AND THE FAMILY FARM PAGE 7
LOVELACE: STOP SUPPORTING RACIST MASCOTS PAGE 7
ARTS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: KELLEEN MORIARTY ’19 REIMAGINES DATED THEATER PAGE 8 FOLLOW US ON
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COPYRIGHT © 2019 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Hillary Clinton speaks on Iran, Students sign petition calling for end of Mueller investigation more practice rooms B y Debora Cobon The Dartmouth
Frustrated by the limited availability of practice spaces, student musicians are planning to send a petition to the administration of the Hopkins Center for the Arts asking for the installation of more practice rooms for students early next week as part of upcoming renovation plans. The petition currently has over 175 signatures from current and former students who are a part of student performance
groups and ensembles. According to the petition, the greatest issues of concern are the limited number of practice spaces available per student and the current inefficient use of some spaces. Only six practice rooms stay unlocked for student use, yet the student groups that require these spaces — including the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble, Dartmouth College Glee Club, Dartmouth College Gospel Choir, Dartmouth SEE PRACTICE PAGE 5
College Democrats join DCCC boycott B y Rebecca nicol The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth College Democrats have joined over 70 other College Democrats chapters to boycott the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee over its new policy blacklisting firms which work with challengers to incumbent Democratic representatives. The DCCC, an organization that works to elect Democrats to the House of Representatives,
announced that it will not work with “an opponent of a sitting Member of the House Democratic Caucus.” Since the policy announcement, members of the Democratic Party have been split between the benefits of protecting incumbents — arguably one of the main goals of the Committee — or offering voters the option of voting for different, often more progressive candidates during SEE DCCC PAGE 3
ELSA ERICKSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Clinton spoke with Montgomery Fellow Jake Sullivan and Dickey Center director Daniel Benjamin.
B y LOrraine liu The Dartmouth Staff
With around 900 people packed into Spaulding Auditorium yesterday and latecomers turned away for a lack of remaining seats, the Dartmouth community took part in a conversation with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and two of her former aides. The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee addressed the Iran nuclear deal, the 2016 election, impeaching President Donald Trump and empowering women in public service. Delivering this year’s Obenshain Family Great Issues Lecture, Clinton shared the stage with former State Department director of Policy Planning
Jake Sullivan and John Sloane Dickey Center for International Understanding director Daniel Benjamin, who invited her to campus. Prior to the lecture, the Dickey Center staff members collected questions from attendees to ask Clinton, which primarily drove the discussion. To begin the talk, Sullivan asked Clinton to address recent news about Iran stepping back from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — which forms the basis of the Iran nuclear deal — and U.S. military engagement in the region. Clinton criticized Iran’s movement away from the deal and the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of it last year. “My argument has always been to put a lid on the nuclear
program, then deal with all the other problems that Iran causes in the region and around the world,” Clinton said. Clinton said that the current administration may harbor intentions to provoke Iran and stressed the danger of miscalculation on either side of the conflict. “I worry greatly that, number one, there is some desire on the part of this administration to provoke something,” Clinton said. “I don’t think we can, unfortunately, rule that out.” In regards to special counsel Robert Mueller ’s recently-released Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 SEE CLINTON PAGE 3
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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Man convicted in 2001 murders of professors asks for early release B y Elliott Zornitsky The Dartmouth
James Parker, one of the convicted killers in the Zantop murders — the fatal stabbing of two Dartmouth professors in 2001 — is seeking early release. The hearing was originally scheduled to take place on April 30 but has since been postponed without another scheduled date. In an email statement, Parker’s lawyer, Cathy Green, attributed the postponement to the illness of a key witness. In 2001, posing as students taking a survey, high school classmates James Parker and Robert Tulloch entered the home of professors Half and Susanne Zantop to rob and murder them. Leaving the knives they used to murder the Zantops at the crime scene, Parker and Tulloch left the house with $340 from Half Zantop’s wallet and made it to Indiana before being arrested. The bodies of the Zantops were later found by a friend who was visiting their home for a dinner. Susanne Zantop was a German language professor and chair of the German department, and Half Zantop was a professor in the geology and earth science department. Tulloch pled guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole, while Parker received 25 years with the possibility of parole, pleading guilty to seconddegree murder in exchange for testifying against Tulloch. Parker is currently seeking early release from his sentence. His appeal states that he has been a “model” prisoner who has rehabilitated himself and therefore deserves another opportunity for life outside of prison. “Jim made the decision that he would spend his time in prison constructively with the goal of preparing himself to be a contributing member of society when he was eventually released,” the motion reads. The appeal added that Parker, while in prison, has obtained a master
of science in management from New England College, strengthened his artistic skills by painting a variety of prison murals and has served as a program officer in the Career and Technical Education Center. The petition for early release has yielded different reactions among current and former Dartmouth community members. According to a close friend of the Zantops, English professor Alexis Jetter, the Zantops were the center of their friends’ lives. Jetter said she fears the prospect of Parker’s early release. “Am I worried? You bet I am,” Jetter said. She added that Parker “killed for the pure pleasure of killing,” and that in the aftermath of the murder, she had bolted the doors in her home out of fear. Jetter also cast doubt on Parker’s self-reformation, describing his actions in prison as a “closely calculated” attempt to create the illusion of a changed person. She added that the mention of Parker’s accomplishments in prison serve as an attempt to detach Parker from his role in the Zantop murders and construct a misleading caricature of who Parker really is. “What would stop James Parker from killing again? A man who needs no motive can easily kill again,” Jetter said in a letter she sent on April 27 to New Hampshire associate attorney general Jeffery Strelzin. Phil Pochoda, a friend of the Zantops, holds a different opinion from Jetter’s. “I was the only one who seemed to be pleased by, if not accepting of, the early release,” Pochoda said. “Nothing could redeem the most cruel and evil act … It doesn’t matter to me if he [Parker] served 19 years, or 25 years, or 50 years — there was no way to repent or forgive.” Parker’s appeal argues that releasing him early would send a message to inmates who succeed in being rehabilitated.
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
MADDIE DOERR/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Zantop Garden, located near Richardson Hall, is dedicated to the memory of Half and Susanne Zantop.
“By granting a suspension of his sentence, the court will send a powerful message to other inmates that if they are truly extraordinary in their efforts at rehabilitation … that will be recognized and rewarded,” the motion reads. However, Jetter said she believes
that one must also consider the history and context of the Zantop case alongside the motion to suspend. Jetter said that Parker had access to a talented lawyer and lobbyist who represented him, which she said explains why he received a lighter sentence than his accomplice, Tulloch.
Jenner noted that Tulloch came from an underprivileged family and lacked Parker’s financial resources. “Parker’s story is one of privilege and lawyers,” Jetter said. “Parker had every privilege in the world and still slit a woman’s throat as she begged for her life.”
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Clinton addressed Russian cyberattack, possibility of impeachment FROM CLINTON PAGE 1
election, Clinton said that there are two “inescapable” conclusions that the public should draw. “The first is — and this is the words of the report — that Russia conducted a sweeping and systemic interference in our elections,” Clinton said. “And that Donald Trump obstructed justice.” Clinton also emphasized the severity of Russia’s cyberattack on the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, which she said she fears will affect the upcoming 2020 election. “If you are an American, the idea that our election is being trifled with, being impacted and maybe being determined by Putin and the Kremlin, and his intelligence service in the military, the GRU, and all of their assorted allies and agents — that should give us heartburn.” Clinton said. “We cannot have a strong relationship with Russia, for good or ill, if we basically allow them to undermine
the basic exercise of our democracy.” She expressed doubt that the current administration could foster healthy democracies worldwide, especially with the threat of Russian interference. “I am well aware that [Putin] thinks he has died and gone to heaven, having the current occupant of the Oval Office,” Clinton said. On the topic of impeaching President Trump, which some Democrats have advocated for, Clinton emphasized that a “deliberate but expeditious” investigation should be conducted before reaching a conclusion on impeachment, predicting that the Supreme Court is likely to make the final judgment. She advocated for making the strongest possible case to support subpoenas against President Trump. “I don’t want us to look like we are just jumping to it,” Clinton said. “I want there to be a process that could be defended — that can serve as a basis for court challenges.”
In response to a question about female empowerment worldwide, Clinton responded that the cause needs more advancement despite its progress over the last few decades. She also stressed that the U.S. should use its international leadership role to continue to push for women and human rights. “[Fully empowering women is] still the unfinished business of the 21st century,” Clinton said. “So this is a really important and complicated time, for the continuing emphasis on women’s rights or human rights, and using the American bully pulpit, American aid, American diplomacy, to keep pushing countries so that they can pay attention and hopefully follow through.” In what was one of her more candid responses during the event, Clinton spoke about the myriad of “conspiracy theories” surrounding her during her time as a public servant. Benjamin remarked that the rumors about her during the ’90s seemed to
be “child’s play” in comparison to the rumors that surfaced during her run for the presidency, to which Clinton emphasized the role social media played in exacerbating the spread of misinformation, especially during the 2016 election. “I don’t understand why I rile these people on the right so much,” she quipped. John DeSantis, a College librarian, said that he was pleased to see Clinton and was satisfied with the content and format of the lecture. He added that it was helpful to have two people he knew her well — Sullivan and Benjamin — engage her in dialogue as part of the event. Before speaking at Spaulding, Clinton spoke privately in the Hanover Inn with Dartmouth students in two different meetings — the first with the War and Peace and Fellows and the second with Benjamin and Sullivan’s classes, GOVT 85.27, “Terrorism & Counterterrorism”
and GOVT 84.36, “Future of the International Order,” respectively. Her discussion with the War and Peace Fellows covered topics including U.S. decision-making on foreign policies, American students’ engagement in politics and gender-oriented foreign policies initiatives, according to War and Peace fellow Jennifer West ’20. West said that while she appreciated Clinton’s visit to campus, she also hopes that Clinton’s lecture will inspire college students to stay engaged with politics throughout the 2020 presidential election. “I hope that college students see this as an opportunity to engage with politics and as such I hope they would be motivated to stay engaged in and stay involved with politics throughout the 2020 elections,” West said. “And I also think that events like these help to demonstrate how important it is for young people to be informed about political issues that affect us.”
Petition alleges DCCC policy undermines progressive candidates FROM DCCC PAGE 1
primary elections. Critics of the policy argue that this silences younger and more progressive voices within the Democratic Party, while supporters argue that the best way to achieve progressive goals is to support incumbent candidates, especially in more moderate congressional districts. The Harvard College Democrats released a letter on April 24 that called for a boycott coalition against the DCCC, stating that the policy was “undemocratic.” College Democrats chapters across the nation, including those at Princeton University, the University of Virginia and Yale University, promptly joined the coalition. Dartmouth College Democrats president Gigi Gunderson ’21 said that the organization discussed the boycott as a group and decided to join. She added that she believes the DCCC policy “goes against the history of the [Democratic] Party.” “We believe boycotting is best way to send a message,” Gunderson said.
Harvard College Democrats president Hank Sparks said that the DCCC’s policy takes steps “backwards on important issues like climate justice and LGBTQ rights.” Sparks cited the campaign of Marie Newman, a Democratic challenger to Rep. Dan Lipinksi (D-IL), as an example. According to Sparks, although Lipinksi is a Democrat, his voting record leans conservative, with votes against women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and immigration. He added that Newman seeks to challenge Lipinski’s seat in the 2020 elections with a progressive platform but has been hindered by the DCCC’s new policy. On April 26, Newman announced that several firms had stopped working on her campaign as a result of the new rule. Although Newman’s campaign was affected by the rule change, her campaign has so far raised over $211,000 in 2019, according to the Federal Election Commission. Other critics of the policy include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DNY), a progressive who defeated Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), the then-fourth
ELSA ERICKSEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The College Democrats have signed on to a petition protesting the DCCC.
ranking Democrat in the House, for New York’s 14th district seat during the 2018 election primaries. Despite the protests by the 70 College Democrats chapters, the DCCC has no plans to reverse the policy, arguing that it is not targeted at progressives, but is instead aimed at protecting the majority the Democrats currently hold in the
House. “This policy will protect all members of the Democratic Caucus — regardless of where they fall within our big tent,” DCCC regional press secretary Cole Leiter said. The DCCC’s mission is to expand the Democratic majority, Leiter said, and protecting incumbents is the best
way to do this. As for the boycott, Sparks said the College Democrats have not received a response from the DCCC. “We wish they considered us as stakeholders in this process,” Sparks said. “I think it’s very disappointing that an organization designed to spread democratic values is so inaccessible.”
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THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY 4:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Talk: “Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America,” by Matika Wilbur, sponsored by the Native American Program, East Reading Room, Baker Library.
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Talk: “Deianeira’s Dread: Affect and Empathy in Sophocles’ Trachiniae,” Melissa Mueller, UMass Amherst, sponsored by the Department of Classics, Room 003, Rockefeller Center.
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Open House: “Strategic Master Plan Open House,” sponsored by Campus Services, Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall.
TOMORROW 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Film: “Captain Marvel,” sponsored by the the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Loew Auditorium, Visual Arts Center.
9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Viewing: “Public Astronomical Observing,” sponsored by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shattuck Observatory.
ADVERTISING For advertising infor mation, 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 0199-9931
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
PAGE 5
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Students say that limited practice space affects performance groups FROM PRACTICE PAGE 1
College Marching Band, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and Handel Society of Dartmouth College — comprise over 200 students, the petition reads. The petition was started by Zoe Yu ’19, a violinist for the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra, who said she was motivated by her music teacher to compile the frustrations felt by many student musicians. “I wanted to take action for a while,” Yu said. “Every single time this term I have gone to practice, over 80 percent of the time I haven’t been able to find a room. It’s frustrating when our orchestra conductor tells us all to practice but there’s literally no space available.” Dillon Ford ’20 said that the limited amount of practice space affects students before they are even part of the Dartmouth music community, adding that the process for incoming students’ decisions to join a musical group is further complicated by a lack of rooms. Ford, who plays bassoon in the Wind Ensemble and saxophone in the Barbary Coast, said this dilemma has been present since the beginning of his music career at the College. “The first week I was here was especially bad, because every single freshman who wanted to audition
for a group had to practice for their auditions, and there was only a half dozen practice rooms to be used,” Ford said. “It’s not uncommon to find all the practice rooms occupied, so I try to schedule around times when I think people won’t be in the rooms.” The use of practice rooms is not just limited to members of the previously named student groups; the availability of these spaces impacts students in a cappella groups, students who receive private lessons and anyone taking a class in the music department, according to the petition. “I think anyone can appreciate the need to find a good study space,” Ford said. “I’ve had friends who have taken classes in the music department where they need to use one of the practice rooms to prep for a midterm and can’t.” Furthermore, not having a space to practice affects the quality of music produced in performances, according to Alyssa Gao ’20, the student manager and violinist for DSO. “Having spaces open is definitely going to help with students feeling prepared to go to rehearsal or play in a concert,” Gao said. “Not being able to find a room to practice in means you’ll go into rehearsal and haven’t warmed up or looked at the piece in a while.”
LORRAINE LIU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Practice rooms located in the basement of the Hopkins Center are in short supply for student musicians.
Gao said many of the issues student musicians face can be feasibly resolved and do not require substantial changes, especially since the Hop is already planning to begin renovations. “I definitely think there are measures the Hop can take now,” Gao
said. “For example, there are rooms in the Hop that are technically practice rooms but are always locked because they have grand pianos in them. Only a select number of students who have keys can get in, so it’s pretty much impossible to access those spaces, and a lot of the times that I have walked past these rooms, no one is even in them.” H oweve r, o t h e r p ro p o s a l s suggested by the petitioners, such as utilizing former practice rooms at the Paddock Music Library, may be more difficult to achieve. The music and performing arts librarian at Paddock, Memory Apata, wrote in an email statement that using the Media Room of the Paddock Music Library as a practice space is not feasible and would cause disturbances. “The space in question is currently in use by the library, contains essential equipment and is often used by students, faculty and staff for various reasons to support research needs,” Apata wrote. “Turning this into a practice room would directly impact library staff who are already affected by noise from the Moore Theater
directly above the library and the adjacent dance studio.” Apata wrote that a more “logical” solution to the problem described by the petitioners would be to demand a system that allows students to book spaces, which would make the use and management of current practice rooms be more efficient. “It is likely that there are patterns of higher and lower traffic throughout the day in the Music Department practice rooms,” Apata wrote. “It is common practice at larger schools for music departments to have a sign up at the beginning of the semester so that all students have a regular practice time.” According to Gao, the number of signatures demonstrates that the lack of practice spaces is an issue that students across the music department care deeply about, whether they’re involved with an ensemble, taking private lessons or just recreational musicians. “I think a big problem might just be that the Hopkins Center doesn’t realize that this is a problem,” Ford said.
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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
THE DARTMOUTH EDITORIAL BOARD
STAFF COLUMNIST PETER LEUTZ ’22
Opinion Asks: 2020 Democratic Primary
On White Privilege
Opinion writers offer their thoughts on the upcoming primary.
Twenty-four candidates have filed to run for president in 2020. Twenty-two of them are running as Democrats. With such a crowded field, we asked opinion writers to comment on what makes them hopeful, anxious or excited about the Democratic 2020 primary. The current state of the Democratic primary is just another reminder why President Trump got elected in the first place: The hypocritical Democratic long march to the left that would trade the institutions of our republic for four more years in power. Look no farther than the Green New Deal to see the Machiavellian calculations of some of today’s Democratic frontrunners. Primary contenders are jumping over each other to endorse a fraud of a policy proposal that no one seriously believes will ever pass. The policy, nay, talking point, would remove all combustion engine cars from the road by 2030: What could be more un-American than breaking the power grid by tearing down the free-market legacy of American innovators like Henry Ford? This policy is unviable because it is so far left of the mainstream. By seeking to win over a strategically crucial progressive base, primary candidates are also alienating the majority of voters that oppose the Green New Deal. The policy does not just run afoul of the constitutional limits on government, it runs afoul of the basic limits of what the American people can tolerate. This is a tragic story of the Democratic disingenuous radicalism, a trend that alienates the American public and inevitably betrays the
party base. This story will only repeat itself with “Medicare for All”, court packing and free college as the Democrats inadvertently roll the red carpet for President Trump’s next four years in office. — Steven Adelberg ’21 Writers in several media outlets and newspapers, including this one, have expressed concerns about the growing divide within the Democratic Party; between the more progressive “socialist” left and more moderate Democrats. A recurring argument seems to be that the latter is the only viable option for the Democratic Party — that because Trump still enjoys substantial support from the Republican Party, progressives don’t stand a chance at reclaiming the votes needed to win the election, whereas more moderate Democrats with broader appeal do. People seem to forget that in 2016, Trump did not win against “democratic socialists” or against progressives advocating for, among other things, universal healthcare and free community college. He won against exactly the kind of moderate Democrat that some pundits would suggest we put up for election again, only to yield very likely the same results. Making the 2020 Democratic primary a question of how we can think ourselves into Trump voters’ shoes is a game Democrats can easily lose — instead, they should focus on a collective vision of how they want America to change, abandon all notions of playing it “safe” and follow inspiration where it takes them. My hunch is that it will not lead them to the same names and faces with the same political baggage, but to the new and untested. — Raniyan Zaman ’22
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ISSUE
PETER CHARALAMBOUS & ANTHONY ROBLES
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.
A call to recognize an undeniable reality. I was in high school the first time I heard able to “opt out” of conversations on race and the term “white privilege.” A 90 percent view racism through binoculars. I appreciated white faculty taught me and my mostly white Korver’s column because America needs more classmates about the wrongs of racism in an white guys to put down the binoculars and American history course. Racism felt like opt in. something out of the past. Once I arrived at Opting in at the most basic level requires college, though, I suddenly faced the reality recognizing that certain inequities are in that racial issues in our fact racial injustices — nation should not be seen “Opting in at the most redlining, wealth inequality through the rose-tinted and mass incarceration, to basic level requires lens of “history.” name a few. Progress will At my first meeting as recognizing that not be achieved when a staff columnist for The people who look like me certain inequities are Dartmouth, the Editorial still argue over whether Board discussed writing a in fact racial injustices such issues really exist. piece about how minorities — redlining, wealth That ignorance is the most are underrepresented on basic manifestation of the College’s faculty. I inequality, and mass white privilege — which, learned about Dartmouth’s incarceration, to name if anything, is too soft a past of denying tenure to term. a few.” minority professors, but I Opting out of conversations still left the conversation about race is precisely what discouraged because I felt as if I had nothing grants white America the ability to ignore and to contribute. I never had to think about this even deny the existence of racial injustices. issue. I am a kid from a wealthy, predominately From a distant vantage point, one where white Chicago suburb. I’m a Catholic, racism seems like a thing of the past, white heterosexual man who leans Republican; privilege itself can be easily denied. The fact I even teach tennis at a local country club that people can deny it, despite the clear during the summers. I am exactly what white evidence for persistent racial inequalities, is privilege looks like. Because of the privilege one of the strongest proofs of its existence. my skin color affords me, I have the choice What I have learned is that privilege whether to participate perpetuates racial in conversations on race. inequality by suppressing T h i s a b i l i t y i s wh i t e “While I am not the dialogue surrounding privilege in its most basic personally responsible the barriers that form, a privilege that I discrimination presents. for the injustices of unknowingly enjoyed for While I am not personally this nation’s past, eighteen years. responsible for the injustices L a s t m o n t h , Ky l e given that I receive of this nation’s past, given Ko r ve r p u bl i s h e d a n that I receive an undeniable article titled “Privileged” an undeniable level level of privilege from in The Players Tribune, of privilege from such injustices, I have a a publication featuring responsibility to support such injustices, I have articles by professional actions and policies that athletes. Korver is an NBA a responsibility to advance racial equality. shooting guard for the support actions and Anything less is complicity Utah Jazz, a white guy who in structural oppression. I plays in a league in which policies that advance may disagree with others only 20 percent of players racial equality.” on what the solutions to are white. In the piece, longstanding injustices Korver admits: “What should look like. And that’s I’m realizing is, no matter how passionately okay. But for me to opt out and deny the I commit to being an ally ... I’m still in this existence of the problem altogether is hardly conversation from the privileged perspective a political opinion. It’s an evasion of reality, of opting in to it.” I’ve experienced just what and an abdication of responsibility — and it’s Korver describes: that as a white guy, I am all of our’s responsibility to recognize that.
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
PAGE 7
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
GUEST COLUMNIST THOMAS KNIGHT ’22
STAFF COLUMNIST OLIVIA REYNA-LOVELACE ’21
Trump and the Family Farm
Stop Supporting Racist Mascots
Everyone’s favorite New England postcard is Although large-scale and non-family farms in trouble. For years, tourists have flocked to the make up only five percent of U.S. farms, they Upper Valley, where antique barns are framed are responsible for over half of the value of by the rough-hewn fences that rein in gentle production in America. Not only does this hurt and photogenic Holsteins. If they’re lucky, customers who are left with fewer options, but they might even get a glimpse of a farmer who it also threatens to put the land and livelihoods charmingly lacks a few teeth and says “ayup” of hundreds of thousands of small farmers in with that old New England agrarian accent. danger. Some may argue that this is destined But you would be hard pressed to find that to happen due to the existing pressures of the today. The reality is that market, but government the Upper Valley and many “Although largepolicies are expediting the rural farming communities process at a breathtaking scale and non-family around the country are and worrisome pace. feeling the squeeze. Family farms make up only There is nothing farms found some success 5 percent of US that Donald Trump enjoys in the later years of the more than a good oldObama presidency, but agriculture, they are fashioned trade war. He since then, profits have responsible for over notoriously claimed they decreased by almost a third. are “good, and easy to win,” half of the value There is no question that but if the current state of family-run agriculture has of production in American agriculture is any been in decline over the last America.” evidence, then it is simply a half-century, partly due to lie. These tariffs hurt many the changing demands of farmers — after a recent ever-changing consumer tastes. Trump tweet about increasing tariffs on China, But much blame is to be laid on the futures on soybeans and wheat fell to a 42-year governance of the federal agencies, which in low. recent years, has turned from poor to abysmal. I wish I could tell you that I found these The Trump administration is threatening to things interesting. I don’t go to bed dreaming decimate what family farms are left in America of alfalfa and corn, nor could I tell you the through a disastrous combination of regulatory optimal milking strategies for certain breeds reform and tariffs. It may be misleading to of cows. But little activism has been directed say that Donald Trump against these policies that hates small farmers, but his “But little activism has are dooming a whole administration favors largegeneration of people who been directed against scale, factory agriculture have epitomized the ideals over the local, family farms these policies that of hard work, discipline and that have been the bedrock are dooming a whole living off the land. When of rural communities for these farmers go, the barns hundreds of years. By generation of people will crumble, the fences will exempting large factory who have epitomized rot and the pastures of rural far ms from important that once rang out the ideals of hardwork, America regulations, President with the sounds and colors Trump encourages factory- discipline and living off of spring will be replaced scale farms to emphasize the land.” by industrial feedlots, filthy, profit and production over packed cages and the emissions and sustainable smokestacks of rendering husbandry. Even though their profits have plants. been rising steadily year after year, large-scale farming operations still receives the lion’s share Knight is a member of the Class of 2022. of federal subsidies. According to a Forbes report, since 2008, the 10 largest recipients of The Dartmouth welcomes guest columns. We request federal farm subsidies each received around that guest columns be the original work of the submitter. $1.8 million annually. These policies are part Submissions may be sent to both opinion@thedartmouth. of the reason why impersonal, industrial-scale com and editor@thedartmouth.com. Submissions will farming has grown so quickly in recent times. receive a response within three business days.
For hundreds of years, Dartmouth did not fulfill proudly wear Redskins jerseys, and some even its commitment to Native Americans. Dartmouth’s go as far as painting their faces red to match. I campus is built on the land of Abenaki indigenous think it is a shame that sports fans feel they can people, and Dartmouth’s founding charter outlines dress up in racist clothing and “play Indian” in that the school’s principal mission is to educate the name of supposed team spirit. Respecting Native youth. But in its first 200 years of existence, the personhood and dignity of indigenous people Dartmouth only graduated 19 Native Americans. should outweigh the personal pleasure that people When Native students finally did matriculate to get from wearing these offensive jerseys and red Dartmouth in meaningful numbers, many of face paint. them were not exactly thrilled Unfortunately, indigenous to see that Dartmouth had “Unfortunately, students at Dartmouth are all an Indian mascot, and they too familiar with the history widely protested it. Native indigenous students and use of Indian mascots, students Howard Bad Hand at Dartmouth are redface and racial slurs. Many ’73, Duane Bird Bear ’71 of the indigenous students I all too familiar with and Rick Buckanaga ’72 have spoken with on campus were among those who led the history and use have expressed that the the call to end the use of of Indian mascots, continued use of the mascots Dartmouth’s Indian mascot is offensive, disgusting and in the 1970s, and in 1974, redface and racial highly disrespectful. Of the Board of Trustees agreed slurs.” all the students I’ve talked with the protestors that the to, only one expressed any mascot was inconsistent with positive sentiments about the values that Dartmouth is Indian mascots. This student, supposed to uphold. however, was referring to indigenous students Yet, half a century later, some students at wearing the mascots as a symbol of their own Dartmouth still proudly purchase and wear pride in their culture, not of non-Natives wearing jerseys with Indian mascots. It’s very jarring to the mascots just for fun. me that non-Native people, especially Dartmouth I admit that there is a difference between students, would still support the existence of these non-Natives wearing offensive jerseys and a mascots. group of Native students wearing an Indian Indian mascots do not honor, respect or mascot. To Natives, it may be a symbol of their uplift Native people. What they do instead is own indigeneity. The context between those portray Natives as a monolithic group with two scenarios is different enough to warrant backwards, antiquated traditions and exaggerated two separate discussions. But the fact that many stereotypical attributes. Most of these mascots Native people want these racist mascots to be show caricatures of Native people with bright discontinued should be, by itself, enough reason red skin, neon feathers in their hair, face paint, for non-Native people to stop wearing them. To headdresses and loin cloths. They show little regard continue to wear these mascots fails to take into for the actual clothing, culture and traditions of account the history that America as a country the peoples that they supposedly represent. and Dartmouth as an institution have with One especially egregious thing about these Native communities. I urge non-Native students racist mascots is that they often feature depictions at Dartmouth as well as non-Natives in general to of redface or racial slurs against Natives. The stop using “Indian” mascots, as well as the racial National Congress of American Indians has slurs and redface that too often accompany these weighed in on Indian mascots, redface and racial mascots. As a non-Native, if you want to honor slurs for decades now. According to the NCAI Native people, wearing a racist jersey is not the website, Indian mascots have adverse effects way to do it. on the self-esteem and mental health psyche of Native youth. In particular, the NCAI, along with Reyna-Lovelace is a member of the Class of 2021. hundreds of other tribal nations, condemn the use of the term redskins — a well-known racial slur The Dartmouth welcomes guest columns. We request against Natives which is very popularly associated that guest columns be the original work of the submitter. with Indian mascots and redface. Yet, despite Submissions may be sent to both opinion@thedartmouth. calls by groups like the NCAI to stop the use of com and editor@thedartmouth.com. Submissions will these harmful terms and practices, many people receive a response within three business days.
Family farms are suffering under President Trump.
Non-native people need to stop wearing Indian masots.
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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
Student Spotlight: Kelleen Moriarty ’19 reimagines dated theater
B y Malcolm Hanchet The Dartmouth
Kelleen Moriarty ’19, the student director for the upcoming production of “The Glass Menagerie,” has been involved in theater since she was in middle school. According to Moriarty, when she first came to Dartmouth, she knew that she wanted to major in theater and eventually pursue it professionally, since theater was “the one thing” in her life she was “very sure” of. According to associate professor of theater and Moriarty’s advisor Jamie Horton, Moriarty exhibits a great deal of potential in direction, which allowed her to pursue her honors thesis. “Kelleen … [has] real promise; [she’s] one who has taken advantage of everything this department has to offer,” Horton said. “An honors thesis is granted to a student who has demonstrated development in their particular area of study, and Kelleen definitely qualified.” Though Moriarty said she has worked in acting, set design, stage managing and technology, she has the most passion for directing. Naturally, her honors thesis in the theater department focuses on directing and culminates with the presentation of her innovative direction of Tennessee Williams’ classical play. Unlike many theater majors, who, according to Horton, are interested primarily in contemporary work, Moriarty’s speciality lies in reimagining classics. He said that she takes more dated plays that are widely considered problematic and reinterprets them to see what they can teach us today. Moriarty said that her passion for reinterpreing classics led her to select “The Glass Menagerie” for her thesis,
as it is “one of the only major works in American dramatic canon that deals with disability and represents it on stage [but] does so in a way that too many disabled people … find troubling.” As a result, Moriarty said that she wants to reclaim the story of “The Glass Menagerie” for people with disabilities themselves. “What has been really important to me in this project is to reframe, reimagine and reclaim this story for myself as a disabled artist … and other artists with disabilities.” Moriarty said that, in order to “reclaim” the play and accurately represent the identity of disability, she ensured that many members of the cast and crew live with disabilities themselves, have loved ones who do or have different experiences with mental illness in some capacity. The theatrical results Moriarty produces stem from not only talent, passion and a dedication to inclusivity, but also continuous, concentrated effort. While working on “The Glass Menagerie,” she dedicated most of winter term conducting her own research on Tennessee Williams’ body of work as well as developing a director’s book and script. Horton added that she did “a great deal of research on accessibility [and] the representation of disability.” According to Clara Batchelder ’19, who has performed in many of Moriarty’s productions including “Circle Mirror Transformation,” another ingredient for Moriarty’s success is her dedication to collaboration, which is also her unique strength as a director. For example, when Moriarty was in her research phase of the play, she said she felt overwhelmed and needed other people’s input, so she conducted design meetings with collaborators, in which she presented her research
and artistic process for the meeting’s attendees to provide feedback on. Moriarty said, it was “wonderful” to get their perspectives and use them to improve the play. In addition, Moriarty said her rehearsals revolved around her cast members. In them, she said she and her cast spent at least an hour talking about what they would be working on to create dialogue and an environment conducive to feedback. “I’m not the kind of director who tells folks what to do,” Moriarty said. Furthermore, Batchelder said that Moriarty often holds one-on-one rehearsals with her cast members in order to flesh out the characters. In these rehearsals, the cast member in question and Moriarty ask each other questions to understand the character
better, such as by devising a backstory 16 years before the setting of the production or what the character should be doing off-stage, Batchelder said. “She really cares about her actors as artistic collaborators … so it’s really fun to be in rehearsal with her,” Batchelder said. Will Maresco ’19, a fellow theater major who has worked with Moriarty in the past, commended her caring nature, which he said impacts other aspects of her life as well. According to Maresco, Moriarty tries her best to bring attention to voices from marginalized communities that often go unheard. “She fights pretty hard for those who need it,” Maresco said. After Dartmouth, Moriarty said
she plans to further pursue art and theater. Specifically, she said she wants to work as an apprentice or fellow in the theater world. Horton added that he is also excited for her future and has faith in her capabilities. “She is already well on her way to becoming a first-class director,” Horton said. Though Moriarty said she wants to direct theater in the future, she added that she is open to wherever life takes her. Whatever form it takes, she said, “I want my future to be filled with art passion and creation.” Moriarty’s production of “The Glass Menagerie” will be staged in the Warner Bentley Theater at 8 p.m. on May 9, 10 and 11.
COURTESY OF KELLEEN MORIARTY
Kelleen Moriarty ’19 has been involved in theater since middle school.