VOL. CLXXVI NO. 49
RAINY HIGH 74 LOW 54
OPINION
MAGANN: HOW TO INTERVENE PAGE 4
VERBUM ULTIMUM: TAKE A SEAT PAGE 4
ARTS
ALBUM REVIEW: SNOH AALEGRA’S NEXT PROJECT PROMISES TO DELIVER PAGE 7
SPORTS
WOMEN’S LACROSSE COACH DANIELLE SPENECER DEPARTS FOR STANFORD PAGE 8
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FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
College concludes Moosilauke missing student investigation B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The external investigation into how a student went missing during a May outdoor programs office-led trip on Mount Moosilauke has concluded, College spokeswoman Diana Lawrence confirmed to The Dartmouth yesterday. The director of outdoor programs Tim Burdick ’89, Med ’02 also resigned yesterday. Members of the Dartmouth Outing Club were informed
International students recommend changes to College in letter B y Elizabeth Janowski The Dartmouth Staff
Last week, a group of inter national students sent a letter to the College administration to call attention to the challenges they have encountered in pursuing off-campus internship a n d j o b o p p o r t u n i t i e s. The letter contained six anonymous testimonials
Commencement sees return of seat saving practice
of Burdick’s resignation in an email sent by assistant outdoor programs director Rory Gawler ’05 obtained by The Dartmouth. Lawrence confirmed that Burdick no longer works at the College as of yesterday, but declined to speculate on the reason behind his resignation. After Arun Hari Anand ’19 was separated from May 10 until May 12 from his hiking trip, the College SEE INVESTIGATION PAGE 2
from international s t u d e n t s a n d p re s e n t e d six recommendations to the College to better support international undergraduates. The recommendations asked that the College increase of ferin gs of Cur ric ular Practical Training — work authorization granted by the SEE INTERNATIONAL PAGE 3
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
DIVYA KOPALLE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Students arrive at the Green early to secure seats for guests of graduates.
B y eileen brady The Dartmouth Staff
O n S u n d a y, Ju n e 9 , students from the class of 2019 graduated from the College with family and friends looking on from the audience. The process of securing these seats is one that many families dedicate much money and time to ensure they are able to see the graduates receive their diplomas. Save for a few sections r e s e r ve d fo r a c c e s s i b l e seating and special guests, all commencement seating is handled on a first come, first served basis, according to executive director for c o n f e re n c e s a n d eve n t s
Ernest Kiefer. Seating opens four-and-a-half hours before the ceremony’s 9:30 a.m. start time, and many guests, rather than arriving on the Green before dawn themselves, turn to paid seat savers to secure an optimal section or view. Kiefer noted that the practice has been common for at least 18 years which is how long he has worked at the College’s conferences and events office. This early morning practice is unique to Dartmouth’s graduation ceremony. For example, Yale University opens gates at 8:00 a.m. with the ceremony starting at 10:30 a.m. Similarly, Harvard University allows guests to enter at 6:45 a.m. at the earliest. Princeton
University limits the number of guests each student can bring to five. Steffi Colao ’19 was one of the many seniors to pay for saved seats this year. While her family did not desire any particular seats, she said a long commute to the ceremony made reserved seats an attractive choice. “My parents were staying an hour and a half away from Dartmouth,” Colao said. “I personally don’t love the whole idea [of seat saving] as a concept, but, for them, they already had to wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning to leave in time and get there with traffic and parking.” SEE SEAT SAVING PAGE 2
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
College permits, but does not condone, seat saving practice
and said she would accept a $150 payment to save the maximumNot wanting to push up an allowed three seats, though she already-early start to the important heard $70 to $100 per seat was a day, Colao started looking for seat common rate. savers through what she said were Jennifer Qian ’22, another seat the usual channels: clubs, teams, saver at this year’s ceremony, was and other student organizations also paid $50 per seat, which she said she was a member of. She said she she believed was roughly the “going was willing to pay rate” for the savers $50 per “People asked me if service. Already seat. planning to G i a v a n n a I hopped the fence. participate in L a G a m b a ’ 2 1 I was like ‘Well, the a Dartmouth said she was Outing Club fence was down, so I hired as a seat trip ending back s ave r t h ro u g h stepped over it.” on campus the h e r s o r o r i t y, day before the Kappa Delta. ceremony, Qian A m e m b e r o f -JENNIFER QIAN ’22 said she decided the organization it would be shared a spreadsheet to facilitate natural to stay for graduation the arrangements between graduating next day to say goodbye to some of seniors who needed seats saved and her older friends. underclassmen willing to save them, Both LaGamba and Qian LaGamba said. She was matched arrived around 3:45 a.m. and said with an older Kappa Delta sister the gates opened slightly before FROM SEAT SAVING PAGE 1
5:00 a.m. According to LaGamba, seat savers poured onto the Green, even knocking over the temporary barrier. “People asked me if I hopped the fence,” Qian said. “I was like ‘Well, the fence was down, so I stepped over it.’” Once inside, the two both recounted watching videos on their phones, chatting with other seat savers and napping. LaGamba said she was warned by fellow seat savers not to indicate to Safety and Security officers that she was being paid to save seats, as that was grounds for dismissal. Kiefer confirmed, however, that while the College does not condone paid seat saving, no such policy is in place. “What we do police, what we do keep an eye out for, is a person that has no connection to any families who goes to the Green, saves three seats, and then goes around saying, ‘I have seats here; come buy these seats,” Kiefer said.
OPO director Tim Burdick resigns FROM INVESTIGATION PAGE 1
of May 10-13 very seriously,” programs and activities relating to the summary says. “Our goal the Dartmouth outdoors, including began an investigation into the for the future is to ensure that those involving the Second College incident as a possible case of OPO continues to offer best-in- Grant, Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, negligence. class, safe, educational outdoors the waterfront, the DOC, Cross An external investigator hired activities for Dartmouth students Country Ski and Skate operations by the College found that there is for many years to come.” and physical educational programs. “significant room for improvement” Burdick, who assumed the He previously worked as an in the execution of OPO-led trips. role of director a s s i s t a n t The College has subsequently i n A u g u s t “The College takes the professor at the published an executive summary 2018, oversaw Geisel School events of May 10-13 which includes recommended OPO. He was of Medicine policy, practice and training responsible for very seriously.” and an associate changes. These changes include the supervision m e d i c a l increased supervision of OPO staff o f t h e o f f i c e director and members, more structured plans s t a f f , r i s k -INVESTIGATION clinical leader for all OPO offerings and use of m a n a g e m e n t , EXECUTIVE SUMMARY at Dartmouthcommunications technology in budgets and all Hitchcock areas where cell reception is not other executive Manchester. always available. decision making, according to the “It was an honor to serve as “The College takes the events OPO website. OPO facilitates all the director of OPO,” Burdick wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth. “I wish all the best for CORRECTIONS the organization.” We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
Another story with more information will be published in the future.
Kiefer said that the conferences it’s just a waste of money to do seat and events office does not have plans saving.” to restrict seat saving in the future Besides being a potential waste because the private arrangements of money, Colao voiced concerns are out of the office’s control. about the message that the popular “I don’t want to call it the ‘black practice sends. market,’ but it’s all happening “Dartmouth has such a outside of problem with t h e C o l l e g e ’s socioeconomic oversight,” Kiefer “I don’t want to call stratification,” said. “Our office, it the ‘black market,’ she said. “I representing think seat commencement, but it’s all happening saving is just we don’t condone outside of the another way it.” that, at your last College’s oversight.” Despite this, event of being Kiefer maintains on this campus, t h a t p a y i n g -ERNEST KIEFER, a moment that seat savers isn’t should be EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR necessary. celebrating “ T h e r e a r e FOR CONFERENCES AND ever ybody’s plenty of seats successes still on the Green, and EVENTS becomes a show families shouldn’t of who can pay waste their money,” he said. “All the for what and whose experience is seats on the Green have a great view better based on the money that they of the stage and the jumbotron and have.”
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
International students ask for support
my Dartmouth career, and therefore colleges and universities that had I had to give up opportunities in the addressed the issue in different College — so that international past. I felt very alone, and it was ways,” Helble noted. students could pursue internships very frustrating to go through.” However, for recent graduates, and jobs without the longer wait However, letter co-writer Janvi like Lucia Caballero ’19, the times associated with Optional Kalra ’21 expressed frustration College’s expansion of CPT options Practical Training authorization, that the College had not acted in does not offer a solution to the issues which the federal response to OPT created by the delay. By the time she government concerns sooner. graduated, Caballero had not yet grants t o “I know this issue had “I know received OPT authorization that she i n t e r n a t i o n a l been brought up to this issue had needs in order to pursue her poststudents. Since them before, and they been brought up graduation job and consequently the letter and a to them before, could not begin her work as separate petition had a chance to act and they had scheduled. She was also unable to requesting CPT rather than react.” a c h a n c e t o return home, since she would not be for this summer act rather than allowed back into the United States were sent to react,” she said. without her student status or OPT administrators, -JANVI KALRA ’21 Provost authorization. the College Joseph Helble “Dartmouth hasn’t offered us announced on a c k n ow l e d g e d a place to stay, a stipend, a meal June 15 that it that prior to the plan or any reparations in that will offer CPT. 21 students have dissemination of the letter and sense,” Caballero said. “I know that applied for CPT authorization as petition, a group of students it isn’t Dartmouth’s fault that the of Monday afternoon, according had alerted himself and College government process is delayed, but to College spokesperson Diana president Phil Hanlon to the I do think they have the resources to Lawrence. issue via an email provide support The letter made additional statement. during this “We have been requests that were not acted “ We h a v e time.” on by the College. It requested been aware for aware for several While that the College expand the several months, months, maybe six Caballero Office of Visa and Immigration m a y b e six received her OPT months, that this Services and improve the resources months, that this authorization and infor mation available to was potentially was potentially going earlier this week, international students throughout going to be a to be a challenge she expressed the process of finding work in the ch a l l e n g e f o r hope that the US. The letter also urges the College i n t e r n a t i o n a l for international administration to advocate for the “expansion of s t u d e n t s , ” students.” will create a the rights of international students Helble said. “But plan to address at the federal level.” we — the faculty, the needs of “I think that it’s important that administration -JOSEPH HELBLE, international Dartmouth takes a political stance a n d s t a f f — PROVOST students and on this issue,” said international w e r e u n d e r recent graduates student and letter co-writer Gustavo the impression left stranded by de Almeida ’20. “If you look at that the OPT process was still the delays in OPT processing. some of the hostile rhetoric around functioning in a reasonably timely De Almeida similarly stressed this issue and around international manner.” his desire for the administration students and immigrants, this He added that upon receiving to continue evaluating ways really is an issue that’s harming the the email, the administration that it can support Dartmouth’s Dartmouth community.” began to discuss work authorization international student body. He Provost Joseph Helble said opportunities for international views the student body’s concern that the College currently has no students that would have become over the work authorization delays plans of expanding OVIS, despite effective in the summer of 2020. as an opportunity to initiate broader international students’ concerns “ T h e s t u d e n t s p l a ye d a n conversations regarding the issues over slow communication outlined important part in raising the that international students face. in their letter. urgency of the issue, doing it in “Going forward, we want to “I was very surprised that the a way that was constructive and take this momentum and use it to CPT option was able to happen this helpful, helping us very quickly discuss what still needs to be done summer,” de Almeida said. “I’ve had understand the impact on them and what we should be pushing for,” issues with OPT twice throughout and also helping identify … other de Almeida said. FROM INTERNATIONAL PAGE 1
ADRIAN RUSSIAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Parkhurst Hall houses the offices of the president and the provost.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
STAFF COLUMNIST MATT MAGANN ‘21
THE DARTMOUTH EDITORIAL BOARD
How To Intervene?
Venezuela demands action, but it also demands caution. The situation in Venezuela is dire. Beset by years of mismanagement, the country now faces economic and social crisis. Over four million have fled Venezuela. Shelves are empty at grocery stores. Power outages flicker across the country as hospitals struggle to operate medical equipment — not that the hospitals have much access to basic medication anymore. Perpetuating this humanitarian catastrophe is Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian ruler of Venezuela and an avowed champion of the “Bolivarian Revolution.” In practice, that revolution has combined ineffective economic and social policies with a brutal crackdown on opposition. Venezuela, once the richest nation is Latin America, is now in economic, social and political crisis. Amid Venezuela’s humanitarian emergency, the opposition has reasserted itself, with Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly, declaring himself the interim president and challenging Maduro’s legitimacy. The U.S., along with the majority of Latin American countries , quickly took Guaidó’s side, recognizing him as president of Venezuela and calling on Maduro to step down. Over the following months, the U.S. floated the threat of military intervention against the Maduro regime. The U.S. is right to consider action in Venezuela; the Venezuelan government manipulates elections, suppresses opposition and fails to provide for its people. But direct military intervention isn’t the solution. The U.S., in conjunction with its Latin American allies, should continue to support Guaidó’s efforts to depose Maduro, while
providing humanitarian aid to the Venezuelan people. However, historical precedent in the region combined with the increasing role of sphere-of-influence politics makes military intervention a risky move, a risk too great for a humanitarian intervention not directly tied to America’s national interest. According to a survey conducted last November, 63 percent of Venezuelans supported a negotiated settlement to remove Maduro; when asked about foreign intervention to remove the leader, however, only 35 percent voiced support. At least some of that difference likely stems from memories of past U.S. interventions in Latin America. America’s track record in the region is an unfavorable one. The U.S. has launched dozens of interventions in Latin America, some of them brutally realist Cold War moves against elected left-wing leaders in favor of right-wing dictators. The most infamous case was the U.S.-backed overthrow of Chile’s President Salvador Allende, a member of the Socialist Party, in favor of the brutal right-wing dictator Augusto Pinochet, who the U.S. supported due to his pro-market, pro-American policies. The shadow of these interventions looms large over the Latin American consciousness. It allows Maduro to conspiratorially blame the U.S. for “trying to fabricate a crisis to justify political escalation and a military intervention in Venezuela,” and as the polling data suggest, it disincentivizes Maduro’s opponents from seeking foreign intervention. SEE VENEZUELA PAGE 6
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Verbum Ultimum: Take A Seat Seat saving takes away from the spirit of commencement.
Earlier this month, the College held its commencement ceremony for the Class of 2019. The event, highlighted by a speech and musical performance by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, marked the successful culmination of four years at Dartmouth for the outgoing senior class. Thousands of family, friends and alumni gathered on the Green on a sunny day to view the ceremony and celebrate with the graduates. For the last several years, commencement has brought with it the practice of “seat saving”: a process in which individuals save up to three seats for family or friends of a graduating student, usually in exchange for payment. When the Green opened to the public at slightly before 5 a.m. on the day of the ceremony, a large crowd of mostly underclassmen and local high school students rushed to claim the prime seats. The scene has been described as a “wild” one, with people running, pushing and shoving in the early hours of the morning — and most of the best seats are claimed within minutes. Having secured the seats, savers remain in their seats until 8:45 a.m. at the latest, when audience members must be seated for the ceremony. Seat savers have reported being paid anywhere between $40 to upwards of $100 per seat by friends or families of graduates. This is, no doubt, a strange spectacle to be juxtaposed with the pomp and circumstance that occurs just four hours later during the ceremony itself. Of course, for any kind of event with open seating, people naturally save seats — and there’s nothing inherently wrong with people wanting to make sure they have a good view and are sitting with people they know. But seat saving in the context of Dartmouth’s commencement has evolved into a practice involving a literal race to claim a finite number of “good” seats, and it has been going on for too long for the College to remain silent about it. In an article in today’s issue of The Dartmouth, the executive director of Dartmouth’s conferences and events office said that the College is aware of seat saving but does not condone it, adding that any seat saving occurs outside of the College’s oversight. Dartmouth should not turn a blind eye toward seat saving: The College should reconsider its hands-off approach to seat saving because it is an unfair competition that detracts from the spirit of commencement. The primary issue with seat saving at commencement involves fairness. If there is a relatively expensive de facto price to be paid to obtain the better seats, then relatively wealthier families and friends are logically more likely to be willing to pay that price. This creates a “pay to play” scenario in which low-income families and friends — who for some, commencement might be one of their only
trips to Hanover — do not have the same ability to get as good seats. Of course, people can still technically view the ceremony from farther back or on the jumbotron without acquiring seat-savers. By allowing seat saving to occur, however, the College is — albeit unintentionally — implicitly accepting the fact that people with more financial resources can more easily claim the best seats. Beyond the socioeconomic implications, seat saving engenders competition that forces parents to worry about whether they will have a relatively “good” seat for the ceremony — and this seems to go against the spirit of commencement more broadly. If commencement is a celebration of graduates and the conferring of their degrees, those closest to them and who have supported their collegiate journeys should be prioritized on the last day. Family members, especially parents, provide moral and financial support for students throughout the four years. What message, then, does the College send to parents — many of whom have already spent a significant amount of money to travel to Hanover and stay for the weekend — when they find out that the best way to secure good seats is to spend a few hundred dollars for a seat saver or get up at 3:30 in the morning to compete with students? Should graduates and their families really have to consider whether they want to participate in the seat-saving practice — which many find to be upsetting — or not? The issue is not whether guests will be able to procure seats period — certainly, they will be able to see the stage from afar or through the jumbotron. Moreover, whether the seats are “good” may be an extraneous matter that the College would be unable to completely control. However, given the nature of seat-saving, the College should at least try to ameliorate the situation. The College could consider waiting until later in the morning to open the Green to make people more willing to claim their own seats or institute a system in which each student is given a certain number of tickets for family and friends and seat locations are randomly assigned. Each of these options have their pros and cons, and it is true that other institutions of Dartmouth’s size don’t require tickets for their commencements. Ultimately, the practice of seat-saving takes away from the day that commencement should be, and the College should consider whether its policy of passivity toward the practice is worth reconsidering. Commencement is a proud and happy moment in the lives of graduates, their families and friends. Its spirit shouldn’t be tarnished by an atmosphere in which finding good seats is a free-for-all competition and a little bit of cash can buy one’s way to the best views.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
TOY STORY
CAROLINE COOK ’21
TODAY 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Lecture: “SPACE FOR DIALOGUE GALLERY TALK” sponsored by the Hood Museum of Art, Hood Museum of Art.
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Lecture: “SHIFT...the Conversation Keynote Address” sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Visual Arts Center.
8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Performance: “Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles SHIFT” sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Spaulding Auditorium.
9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Exhibition: “Public Astronomical Viewing” sponsored by the Department of Physics, Shattuck Observatory.
TOMORROW 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Public Talk on Energy and Whaling for “Moby Dick” SHIFT” sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Top of the Hop.
8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Performance: “Gare St. Lazare Players “Moby Dick” SHIFT” sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Moore Theater.
FROM VENEZUELA PAGE 4
The optics of the U.S. forcibly overthrowing a left-wing Latin American leader are fantastically bad. So bad, in fact, that they would likely spark voter backlash from the U.S.’s Latin American partners in the pro-Guaidó coalition. If Latin American politicians cast a humanitarian military intervention as imperialism — and they likely would — then the removal of Maduro would likely face stiff resistance and threaten a protracted insurgency. If that weren’t enough, power politics has now claimed a stake in the Venezuelan crisis. Russia supports the Venezuelan regime, providing Maduro with bomber air planes, g round troops and political support. China too has come to the assistance of the Venezuelan gover nment. The involvement of America’s rivals gives the U.S. a stronger strategic interest in dictating the outcome of Venezuela’s crisis, irrespective
of the humanitarian situation. That fact further opens the U.S. to accusations of self-interest disguised as humanitarianism. And that makes humanitarian intervention even more infeasible. There is a time and a place for humanitarian intervention. In select cases — say immediate prevention of a genocide — the U.S. should intervene. Ultimately though, Venezuela is not a clearcut problem: forcibly deposing Maduro’s government is unlikely to resolve the crisis. Military intervention might eliminate the regime, but it would compromise the legitimacy of any successor government. If the U.S. wants to help Venezuela, it should avoid the kneejerk reaction of military intervention and instead focus on more effective, less-costly measures. We s h o u l d s u p p o r t t h e Venezuelan people as they call for fair elections and an end to dictatorship. We should offer
humanitarian assistance to a country wracked with shortages. But we should not use military force to depose Maduro. Tempting as it is to quickly move and eliminate the regime, military intervention would compromise the opposition’s legitimacy and threaten to turn the crisis into all-out war. Simply put, the best strategy for Venezuela is to help the Venezuelans help themselves.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
Album Review: Snoh Aalegra’s next project promises to deliver also featuring a collaboration with Staples, proved this point once more. The Dartmouth Staff In revisiting her first studio album, On June 14, Iranian-Swedish singer- listeners will be reminded of what songwriter Snoh Aalegra released a new Aalegra does best, as we wait for her song, “Find Someone Like You,” in second album to drop in a few months. anticipation of her sophomore album “FEELS” starts off with the opening coming in August, “-Ugh, those feels track “All I Have,” setting the stage again.” for the reflective, “Find Someone “Rising to fame due rhythm-driven Like You” delivers work to come. to her sweet yet gritty what Aalegra It is simple and always promises: vocals, Aalegra’s genre- piano-heavy, but real emotions with crossing style is defined the vocals sound R&B classic backing as if Aalegra is a n d A a l e g r a ’s by her dynamism” singing through velvety vocals. w a t e r. H e r Often compared to voice is distant, -MADISON WILSON Amy Winehouse, establishing that Aalegra is more the listener will i n f l u e n c e d by need to close R&B, but listeners this distance for may find that the themselves. comparison rings truest for Aalegra’s The following track “Sometimes,” vocals, especially in this latest song. featuring Logic, continues to set up the On “Find Someone Like You,” album, bringing in the central thesis of plucky strings foil Aalegra’s soft and the record. Aalegra sings her thesis, wavery vocals, creating the contrast “and sometimes life, it just happens to that carries the song. Without this me.” This is the first stage in the journey detail, the song would fall flat and feel of the album. Aalegra is floating along, redundant. The song’s short choir things are happening, but she seems to section, reminiscent of Chance the have little agency in her own life. Logic Rapper’s signature gospel style, feels commands throughout his feature as the corny in comparison to Aalegra’s usual only assertive voice on the track. The emotive and melodic style. Ending on song ends in a prolonged fade out, again this section was disappointing — I wish sounding as though Aalegra is singing Aalegra wparted from the overused through water. choir trope and ended the single on “Worse” is one of the best tracks something more original. on the record and shows Aalegra at Aalegra, born in Sweden in 1987 her most sultry — her silky vocals and to Persian parents, began releasing a sparse rhythm section create a sense music in 2009. Rising to fame due to of space within the work. The same her sweet yet gritty vocals, Aalegra’s distance that characterizes the entire genre-crossing style is defined by her work reappears here — Aalegra cannot dynamism defines. Early in her career, seem to fully connect. While initially Aalegra appeared on music by both this can make the listener feel isolated, RZA and Vince Staples, showing the distance is bridged by the intimacy her vocal ability to move between between the music and the listener genres. Her debut album, “FEELS,” deepens throughout the album. For
B y madison Wilson
instance, “You Got Me” brings a more upbeat, yet emotive tone to the record. On “Out of Your Way,” Aalegra sings a balladic plea and offering where she asks for something, anything, from her lover. Moving into the album’s emotional core, on “Nothing Burns Like The Cold,” Aalegra puts her emotions and pain on full display. At the beginning of the album, Aalegra hold us at a distance. On this track, however, she brings listeners into her world. The track is centered around Staples’ feature, where he discusses the mercurial nature of love. He raps, “In and out of love/Is it because you’re cold and heartless?/ Or is it our withdrawals?” Staples’ sharp rhythmic interlude ties the track together, emphasizing that one will never fully know what is going on in the minds of those we love. “Nothing Burns like the Cold”
launches the album into “FEELS,” the climax to the story Aalegra has woven throughout the record. “FEELS,” the titular track, returns to the central theme of the album: that emotion is a difficult thing to capture. The track is upbeat and whimsical, reminiscent of Aalegra’s earlier, more pop-y work. Still, an undercurrent of dark, unexplainable emotion still runs through, with lyrics like “I never knew, no, no/All of these feels.” Even as the album concludes, Aalegra still cannot explain her emotions. Perhaps this accounts for the earlier feeling of distance: How can we be close to the music’s message if Aalegra herself cannot understand it? Wi t h “ F E E L S, ” A a l e g r a demonstrated her ability to dive deep into her own emotions while maintaining honesty. The album as a whole operates like the stages of grief — though out of order — as
Aalegra motions through joy and grief, bargaining and acceptance. Each track details the ways a relationship can change while Aalegra serves as our tour guide and narrator. Personally, I find it peaceful listening to Aalegra’s own experiences, which are so easy to relate to, accompanied by simple, rhythmic instrumentals and accompaniment. On her upcoming album, “-Ugh, those feels again,” I hope Aalegra will bring this same depth but avoid repetition. What new perspective can she provide? If “Find Someone Like You” is any indication, this new album may rely on more gospel and soul influences, and perhaps fuller instrumentals. Nonetheless, with her vocals serving as the backbone, “-Ugh, those feels again,” should be a soothing end-of-summer listen — one that promises to go deeper than she’s gone before.
VESTIGES OF SPRING
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Yellow flowers add a splash of color outside Moore Hall.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
SPORTS SPORTS
Women’s lacrosse coach Danielle Spencer departs for Stanford B y eriC vaughn
The Dartmouth Staff
Following a highly successful season that saw the women’s lacrosse team claim a share of the Ivy League crown and a berth to the NCAA tournament for the first time in her three-year tenure, head coach Danielle Spencer has departed for the same position at Stanford University. This past year, Spencer was named Ivy League Co-Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and the New England Lacrosse Journal’s Division I Women’s Coach of the Year after posting a 6-1 record in Ivy play and an 11-6 record overall. The Ivy League title under Spencer’s tutelage was the team’s first since 2011 and 12th in its history. In her three years at the helm, Spencer has left a profound impact on the players she coached, according to multiple athletes. Recently-graduated captain Lindsay Frumer ’19 spoke highly of Spencer’s leadership. “[Spencer] leads by example through her actions and commitment to the team,” Frumer said. “She dedicates herself wholeheartedly to studying the game and genuinely cares about fostering a competitive yet supportive team environment.” Attacker Michelle Yu ’21, whose shooting percentage improved by almost .200 this year under Spencer, said that Spencer consistently pushed the team to improve. “Spencer’s intensity for the game has inspired our team to work hard every day,” Yu said. “Her passion enabled us to find inspiration within our teammates and train even harder to accomplish the goals we set.” When Spencer took over for longtime coach Amy Patton before the fall of 2016, she became the fourth head
coach in 44 years of women’s lacrosse at the College. She assumed the role after four years as an assistant coach at Northwestern University, her alma mater. Before that, she spent the 2012 season as an assistant coach for Stanford, so next season will not be her first time wearing the cardinal and white. Spencer has had a prodigious career in lacrosse, both as a player and a coach. As a player at Northwestern, Spencer starred in one of the greatest women’s lacrosse dynasties, contributing to three national championships and a runnerup performance. Spencer led the way as a Second-Team All-American in her junior year before garnering First-Team honors as a senior. She started 65 of her 83 career games, finishing third in draw controls, seventh in goals and eighth in points in Northwestern’s history. Her performance at Northwestern earned her an induction into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Rochester Hall of Fame in 2018, and she spent the 2018 season playing professionally. In addition to a stellar playing career, Spencer has performed well as a coach. When she coached at Northwestern, the Wildcats appeared in both the NCAA tournament and the top 10 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll every year of her tenure. Northwestern reached the Final Four in both 2013 and 2014 and finished at the top of the American Lacrosse Conference in 2013. Spencer was also an extremely successful recruiting coordinator, highlighted by her recruitment of the No. 1 class in the nation in 2014. Dartmouth presented a new challenge for Spencer as she became head coach. After a tough first season in which the Big Green finished 7-8 and 2-5 in the Ivy League, the team exceeded expectations in her second season. Dartmouth finished 11-5 overall
COURTESY OF LINDSAY FRUMER
Head coach Danielle Spencer led Dartmouth to a share of the Ivy League title and won Ivy League Co-Coach of the Year.
and 5-2 in Ivy play in 2018 and ranked in the top 20 in the nation for most of the season. Her most recent season as head coach was her most successful: In addition to winning the Ivy League and reaching the NCAA tournament, the team set many records both for Dartmouth and the Ivy League. The Big Green scored 272 goals and 401 total points, which were new highs for the program. Led by midfielder Kathryn Giroux ’19, the 312 draw controls were the best-ever in the Ivy League, outpacing the previous total by more than 50. Spencer helped her players amass individual accolades as well, with eight total players garnering All-Ivy honors during her three years with the Big Green. She coached three FirstTeam All-Ivy players in both 2018 and 2019, with Ellie Carson ’20 and
Giroux earning unanimous selections. Additionally, in 2018, Kiera Vrindten ’20 was named Ivy League Goalkeeper of the Year. Looking ahead, Frumer said she believes that Dartmouth will continue to excel because of both the depth of the team and the “pride” for the program. Frumer said she was extremely grateful for Spencer’s role in her lacrosse career and “wishes her all the best at Stanford.” Yu said she was initially surprised by Spencer leaving but is apppreciative of her time with the Big Green. “I am genuinely happy Spencer has another opportunity to show the lacrosse world just how strong of a coach she is, and [I am] grateful to have learned so much from such an inspiring and determined coach,” she said. Midfielder Sophia Turchetta ’20 also expressed surprise and gratitude with regard to Spencer’s decision to leave,
but said she believes the team will still maintain its culture. “She has taken this program so far in just three years and we will definitely miss her passion and love for the game,” Turchetta said. “I know that our team will stay true to who we are and we will not let our traditions go away regardless of who our coach is.” Dartmouth women’s lacrosse has been very successful over the past two years, and the team hopes to build upon that success in the future with a new coach. “We are always looking to improve and achieve bigger and better goals each season,” Yu said. “We are looking forward to getting a new coach that can hopefully put us on the right path toward success.” The team’s search for its fifth head coach in program history is currently underway.