VOL. CLXXV NO.55
STORMY HIGH 77 LOW 66
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Two senior TDI officials placed on administrative leave
Students march against sexual assault
BY ZACHARY BENJAMIN
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
SAPHFIRE BROWN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Elliott Fisher and Adam Keller of The Dartmouth Institute are subjects of a workplace behavior complaint.
OPINION
ELLIS: JUST DON’T DO IT PAGE 4
PAK: ON THE ELDERLY PAGE 4
BY THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Elliott Fisher, director of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, and Adam Keller, TDI’s chief of strategy and operations, have been placed on administrative leave following a complaint about workplace conduct.
The pair have been barred from College property, according to an email from College spokesperson Diana Lawrence. An investigation into the complaint is currently underway, as is a search for an interim TDI director. Faculty and staff at the Geisel School of Medicine were infor med Tuesday
afternoon by an email from Geisel dean Duane Compton that Fisher and Keller had been placed on leave. The email noted that Compton could not provide any more details about the investigation or the complaint. In follow-up emails, Lawrence confirmed that the leave is paid, and was
ARTS
FILM REVIEW: ‘MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN’ PAGE 7
SPORTS
ALLEN: THE ACCIDENTAL FAN PAGE 8
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Cleanup efforts proceed at Rennie Farm BY PETER CHARALAMBOUS The Dartmouth Staff
The College has reported a reduction in the presence of the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane at Rennie Farm, a site in northern Hanover where the College was permitted to dispose laboratory animal corpses generated from medical research in the 1960s and 1970s. Director of real estate and associate general counsel Ellen
Arnold said that there has been a 46 percent reduction of 1,4-dioxane in the burial area and a 64 percent reduction down gradient from the Rennie Farm property following the College’s site clean-up efforts. 1 , 4 - d i ox a n e i s a ch e m i c a l classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” It has been linked to short-term health effects SEE CLEANUP PAGE 3
“Say it loud, say it clear, rapists are not welcome here!” “ N o h a t e, n o f e a r, survivors are welcome here!” These chants echoed d o w n We b s t e r Ave n u e We d n e s d a y n i g h t a s demonstrators marched in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. Around 80 people participated in the march at its peak, which began at 11 p.m. on the corner of the road outside Sanborn Library, just across the street from the Green. The march began with statements of thanks toward those in attendance from the org anizer s, as well a s a n a c k n ow l e d g m e n t
of survivors and allies who could not attend t h e march . Fo l l owi n g t h e s e s t at e m e n t s, t h e group marched up and down Webster Avenue multiple times, chanting in support of survivors of sexual assault and against perpatrators. Multiple students spoke during the march. One student stressed the necessity of supporting survivors and holding offenders accountable. She said that she was tired of the fact that the fear of being accused of sexual assault has sometimes been taken more seriously than the actual victims of sexual assault, and emphasized that consent is continuously and freely
SEE TDI PAGE 3
SEE MARCH PAGE 5
OL’ MAN CONNECTICUT RIVER
DEBORA HYEMIN HAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The sun sets over the Connecticut River at the Ledyard docks.
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Study finds new interpretation of Dr. Seuss’ s ‘The Lorax’
COURTESY OF NATHANIEL DOMINY
A recent study found that Dr. Seuss’s Lorax has similar physical characteristics to the patas monkey of Kenya.
in the forest. animal is so odd and idiosyncratic, Until recently, the predominant and it looks like it’s been ripped off The Dartmouth Staff interpretation among scholars has the pages of a Dr. Seuss book.” It began over a dinner party, been that the Lorax character, in During his conversation with when two Dartmouth professors speaking of the forest in possessive Pease, who is an English and — Nathaniel Dominy and Donald terms, was essentially protecting his comparative literature professor Pease — had an unconventional own property, and the author of a discussion at the home of College t h e a r t i c l e “The tale is biography of Geisel, President Phil Hanlon. The topic says. But an Dominy said that was the Lorax, the famed Dr. Seuss analysis of the encouraging every Pease pointed out to character, about whom Dominy Lorax’s physical reader to recognize him that Geisel had posed a unique question: has our characteristics spent time that she or he is part indeed interpretation of the curmudgeonly s h owe d t h at in Kenya in 1970, creature who “speaks for the trees” G e i s e l ’ s of an ecosystem during which he been wrong all along? portrayal of whose survivability wrote the first draft After digging into the subject, the Lorax may of “The Lorax.” Dominy and Pease — along with two h a v e b e e n depends upon our At that point, New York University anthropologists, inspired by the increased care and Dominy set out to Sandra Winters and James Higham patas, creating prove a scientific sense of reciprocal — published their findings last week grounds for a connection between in the journal “Nature Ecology & n ew li terar y relationship with the the Lorax and the Evolution.” The character of the interpretation ecosystem.” patas monkey. Lorax, they wrote, may have been of the character. Winter s, a inspired by the patas monkey, a Dominy, an Ph.D. candidate species that author Theodor Seuss anthropolog y -DONALD PEASE, in anthropology at Geisel ’25 — better known as Dr. professor, said NYU, conducted a ENGLISH AND Seuss — viewed during a trip to that he first made facial recognition Kenya not long before authoring his the connection COMPARATIVE analysis that linked widely-renowned book. b e t we e n t h e LITERATURE PROFESSOR the Lorax to the Published in 1971 in the context Lorax and the patas monkey. She of the burgeoning environmental patas monkey wrote in an email movement, “The Lorax” directly during his time in the field in Uganda that her conclusion was that key addressed the movement’s concerns and Kenya — something he would facial characteristics of the Lorax through the tale of the Once-ler, a point out to friends and family who character could be linked to the greedy businessman who destroys a visited him. types of primates Geisel would have forest of “truffula trees” for the sake “If Dr. Seuss had ever created observed during his trip to Kenya. of profit despite pleas and resistance a monkey, this would be the one,” “The idea that such an iconic book from the Lorax, a creature who lives Dominy would tell his guests. “This was influenced, either explicitly or more subtly, by aspects of the local flora/fauna in Kenya is wonderful,” CORRECTIONS Winters wrote. “I think we make a compelling case for this in the paper, Correction Appended (August 3, 2018): The print edition of the July but of course we will never know 27 article “Baseball accident prompts lawsuit” incorrectly spelled College exactly what was going on in Geisel’s spokesperson Diana Lawrence’s name and title. The online version of the head.” article corrected the spelling. Winters noted that drawing a connection between the Lorax and the patas monkey is significant We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, because of the decline in population please email editor@thedartmouth.com. of the patas monkey, which the study says dropped 46 percent in Kenya
B Y ALEX FREDMAN
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
between 1996 and 2004. a commensalist relationship with the “Drawing the parallels [to the forest in which the monkeys benefit Lorax] is interesting, particularly while the forest is neither hurt nor given the current situation regarding harmed — as inspiration for the habitat loss and patas monkey Lorax, the character should be population collapse,” Winters wrote. viewed in a new light, Pease said. “Ultimately, this project points to “The Lorax should no longer be the connection between nature and understood as having spoken about culture, and how losses in one area the truffula trees as if he were its have ripple effects.” owner, or as if he was a policeman For Dominy, showing that Geisel charged with protecting private may have been inspired by the patas property,” Pease said. “[The study monkey is important in re-imagining shows] that the Lorax, in saying ‘my,’ the Lorax’s relationship with the was actually personifying the entirety forest. of the ecosystem.” “[Geisel] saw weird-looking trees, Pease said that this viewpoint he saw a weird-looking primate, and enriches previous interpretations he recognized of “The Lorax,” that there which he argues “In many ways, was this were problematic strong inter- [Geisel] captured a because if re l at i o n s h i p really foundational the Lorax or cowas claiming d e p e n d e n c e and fundamental ownership of the between this ecological concept forest, he was then tree and this acting in the same long before it was m o n k e y, ” self-interest as the formally articulated. Dominy said. Once-ler. D o m i n y And he did it with a “How can the also said Lorax serve as a t h at G e i s e l children’s book.” viable alternative portrayed the to the Once-ler’s truffula trees, desire to make which share -NATHANIEL DOMINY, profit of f the characteristics ANTHROPOLOGY truffula trees if with t h e PROFESSOR the Lorax has whistling thorn as possessive a acacia tree in relationship to Kenya, as a those trees as does keystone species — a species that the Once-ler?” Pease asked. has a disproportionate impact on the The new commensalist ecosystem — even before ecologists interpretation, Pease concluded, had coined the term. places the Lorax in a more positive “In many ways, he captured a light because the character is really foundational and fundamental acting to protect the ecosystem in ecological concept long before it was a selfless manner — a view that formally articulated,” Dominy said. carries implications for humanity’s “And he did it with a children’s book.” relationship with the environment. But how do these findings impact “The tale is encouraging every the literary interpretation of “The reader to recognize that she or Lorax”? Pease said that scholars have he is part of an ecosystem whose tended to view the Lorax as someone survivability depends upon our who claims ownership over the forest increased care and sense of reciprocal because he used the word “my” in relationship with the ecosystem upon describing the trees. But if Geisel which we depend — and in turn used the patas monkey — which has depends on us,” Pease said.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
Fisher and Keller barred from campus FROM TDI PAGE 1
only implemented Thursday. She also confirmed that an external investigator will be looking into the complaint. TDI is an academic center that provides research on the delivery of healthcare and seeks to improve it, in addition to offering master’s and doctorate degrees in public health and health policy. Fisher, an international leader in the field of health policy, has served as TDI director since 2013. In addition, he is a professor of family and community medicine at Geisel, which he joined in 1986. His work has focused on investigating the efficacy of healthcare and healthcare spending across the country. He helped coin the term “accountable care organizations,” which incentivize doctors and hospitals to work together to provide quality care while minimizing unnecessary spending. ACOs were included as a healthcare model under then-President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Keller has been associated with TDI for over 20 years, serving as an administrator, research director, instructor, faculty colleague and advisor. He has also previously served as executive vice president of finance and administration and vice president for health affairs at the College, as well as associate dean and chief operating officer at the Dartmouth Medical School (now the Geisel School of Medicine). Other faculty have also been put on leave over the past year. Last fall, psychological and brain sciences professors Todd Heatherton, William Kelley and Paul Whalen were placed on paid leave over accusations of sexual misconduct, pending an investigation by an external investigator. After Dean of the Faculty Elizabeth Smith recommended that each of the three have their tenure revoked and their employment terminated, Heatherton chose to retire while Kelley and Whalen resigned. Neither Fisher nor Keller had responded to requests for comment at press time.
Property sees reduction in pollutant FROM CLEANUP PAGE 1
such as headaches, dizziness, nausea and eye irritation as well as long-term issues such liver cancer and other liver-related illnesses. “We’re really encouraged, and continuing to move forward with that system, and hope we continue to see these kinds of results and get the site cleaned up,” Arnold said. In 2015, 1,4-dioxane was detected in the drinking well of the Higgins family, whose property neighbored Rennie Farm. The family threatened to sue the College in federal court after experiencing negative health effects from the pollutants. They reached a settlement with the College in April 2017, in which, among other provisions, the College agreed to purchase the Higginses’ property. Another local family, Ivan and Olga Gorlov — two professors at Geisel Medical School — also claimed that their drinking water was contaminated by 1,4-dioxane, but the College has denied that contamination from Rennie Farm affected the Gorlovs’ well. Arnold noted that the College
has tested 140 drinking water wells in the area, and reiterated that the College has asserted that only one, the Higginses’, has been affected by 1,4-dioxane. The plume of the contamination site has not expanded, she added. While the 1,4-dioxane is being successfully removed, the College is planning to begin monitoring for another potential contaminant at Rennie Far m following a new requirement from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services that they test for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a set of contaminants that has been connected to reduced childhood development rates, cancer and lower pregnancy rates. Despite originally offering objections to the testing via a letter from a contracted consulting company, GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. — which has conducted the cleanup efforts at Rennie Farm — the College has agreed to test for the contaminants in September during a larger round of testing for other chemicals. “Our expectation is they’ll test a sufficient number of monitoring wells for PFAS to look at both what we call source area wells — wells near the release point — and the Rennie Farm site itself,” said Paul Rydel, an official for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The new testing and the current cleanup progress will not impact the College’s “Value Assurance Program,” which was launched last year to assist property owners
who were affected by the Rennie Farm contamination, according to Tom Csatari, an attor ney who is working to facilitate the program with the firm Downs Rachlin Martin. Under the VAP, if property owners living nearby Rennie Farm sell their properties at a price under market value, the College will reimburse them for the difference in cost. If a property has been put on the market but is not sold within 180 days, the College is required to purchase the property. By September of last year, the College had purchased five properties totaling 98 acres and $3.4 million in value. Csatari said that there is currently one property on the market that is eligible for the program. As the property nears the 180-day mark since going on the market, the program may kick in this month, requiring the College to purchase the property. Additionally, Csatari said that he hopes to update local realtors about the progress of the cleanup project soon. “We’re hoping to try to get together with real estate agents in a few weeks to try to bring them up to date so they are aware of the situation, so the word can get spread about the good news about the system working,” Csatari said. While the PFAS testing is a new requirement for the College to undertake, Arnold said that the cleanup effort overall is going well and that the College hopes to complete its work on the site within five years.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
STAFF COLUMNIST SIMON ELLIS ‘20
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST EOWYN PAK ‘21
Just Don’t Do It
On the Elderly
Why I won’t run for office, and the dangers of political inexperience. Despite my interest in politics, I have Politicians used to work their way up the no plans to run for political office anytime traditional ladder: college educations mostly soon. While I firmly believe that political at top-tier schools, then advancing to local participation is important at any age, the office, then to state office and finally national rush of millennials to run for public office office. Somewhere along the line, our distrust in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency in individual politicians resulted in a distrust is an ineffective and reactionary approach, of experience. Only one sitting Supreme and it’s not what America needs right now. Court Justice has a degree in government College-aged students are inexperienced, and our current president only has an unprepared and are substituting legislation undergraduate degree in economics. for political activism and protest. Yes, there are benefits to having people The Pew Research Center has identified that from outside the system represent the interests millennials are more likely to lean Democratic, of the majority of Americans who did not 57 percent to 36 percent. attend elite institutions. Although the statistics But that does not aren’t completely clear mean America needs yet, political scientists “Young people have to sacrifice experience are discovering that when there are other historically impacted the number of young ways to create change. people running for office the future of this Young people have has greatly increased. nation through protest historically impacted The numbers are rising the future of this nation particularly fast among and political activism.” through protest and women and people of political activism. When color, an optimistic they wouldn’t run for statistic for identityoffice, they took to the based representation in streets. Increasingly, government. While this optimism and the younger generation is seeking to affect enthusiasm is positive, and young people legislation through similar means, as is the have been winning elections, the American case with the growing anti-gun movement. political system needs experienced politicians Substituting tweets for picketing signs, the above all. Enthusiasm, in other words, just younger generation seems to have tapped won’t cut it. into social pressure as a means for securing Trump was elected, among other reasons, political rights and freedoms. due to the growing number of Americans Further, social movements need to who are fed up with the “Washington accompany decisions made from within swamp.” American’s trust in Congress’s the halls of power. Marriage equality in ability to act is near historically low levels. the United States required activism in But more inexperience is not what we need. conjunction with the Supreme Court decision, Although Americans may distrust politicians, and nationwide racial integration didn’t occur the reactionary answer to elect individuals with “deliberate speed,” even after executive who have no experience is too extreme of a action. But the point remains: young people response. It results in the highest offices of won’t secure political power simply by running the land becoming mere political starting for office. points, giving them huge responsibilities While I commend the efforts of millions of without the experience with which to carry young people around the world attempting to them out. This has been seen in America change the office from within, I believe their throughTrump’s failures and even abroad in enthusiasm is better directed outside of formal French President Macron’s blunders, proving government institutions. I will continue to that both conservatives and liberals make canvas, I will continue to protest and I will mistakes when they lack experience. “peaceably assemble” with like-minded This should not be a partisan issue. I am individuals. But I will not run for office. In not confident that either a Democratic or an age where democracy seems to crumble Republican 20-something can represent all around, I want a well-experienced and my interests in local or federal elections. fair politician to rebuild it.
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Do we really respect our elders?
This past spring term, I went to the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact club fair and happened to be roped towards a stand titled “Dementia Scholars.” The poster’s station was manned by a handful of bright-eyed students, eager to catch my attention. They gave me the whole spiel — who they were, what they did, how often they did it. And without much thought, I wrote down my email on their list and forgot about it once I left. Soon enough, the emails poured in. And what started out as noncommittal emails welcoming its newcomers turned into orientation, then registration and ultimately my first trip to Hanover Terrace, a nearby nursing home for elderly patients with dementia. My initial reaction to the nursing home was aversive. The small nursing complex, lit with greasy yellow lights, had an unsettling presence. The rooms were permeated with a weird scent, the kind of stale scent a house has when the owners come back home from a week-long vacation. Grandmas and grandpas with deep wrinkles and glassy eyes wandered the halls aimlessly. And there were so many of them. With more frequent visits, I grew used to the environment. During my time there, I got to know two women very well. I’ll call the first one Charlie. We started to talk about her family. Although she was old, Charlie definitely had no shortage of sassy, girly spunk. She spoke of her family in a teasing manner, calling her late husband “terrible” and her daughter a “brat,” but with a distinct fondness in her eyes. Naturally, I asked what their names were, and she proceeded to list her husband’s name and her son’s name, but when she reached her daughter, she hesitated and could not remember. She spent about five minutes biting her lip, squinting her eyes and urging herself to remember her daughter’s name.“Come on, Charlie, you know this, you know this,”she told herself. And when I said that it would be okay if we came back to it later, she strongly insisted that she try to remember it at that moment, for fear that she might not remember the next day or any day after that. I had known that people with dementia have terrible memory loss. But what I didn’t realize was that they themselves knew how bad their memory was and how dear those memories were to them. Each week I visited Charlie, I introduced myself again and she received me with kindness. And with each departure, I said goodbye to an enthusiastic, lovable grandmother who couldn’t wait to see me again. But every time I came to see her, she thought I was a stranger. There was another woman I had gotten to know towards the end of the term. I’ll call her Penny. The first day I met her, I found her crying. I didn’t want to intrude on her business, so I suggested that we listen to a local singer who was visiting the nursing home. I sat with her through the
concert while we joked around and sang old songs. I’m not one who is inclined to make physical contact often, but I held her hand and stroked her hair. When the end of my visit had come, she embraced me in the warmest hug I could imagine and said, “Thank you. You’ve changed my day, and I’m so glad you came.” I remember walking back to the bus station, unable to contain my smile. These women, and countless of other elderly patients in nursing homes, are tragically removed from the communities, relegated to hospitals and nursing homes, and therefore isolated from the rest of society. According to the United States Census Bureau, 28 percent of Americans aged 65 and older live alone. The National Council on Aging estimates that eight million adults over the age of 50 are mentally and physically affected by isolation. A survey conducted by Generations United, a non-profit organization that works to form connections between the old and the young, found that 39 percent of grandparents live more than 500 miles apart from their grandchildren. America’s neglect of the elderly is apparent and yet ignored, possibly because American culture stigmatizes aging and death. As psychologist Erik Erickson wrote, “Lacking a culturally viable ideal of old age, our civilization does not really harbor a concept of the whole of life.” Contrary to America, many other cultures (particularly Asian countries) celebrate aging. In Korea, for instance, 60th and 70th birthdays are significant milestones. In India, elders are considered to be the head of the family and often have the final say on a dispute. In China, an “Elderly Rights Law” mandates people to visit their elderly parents or else face punishments, ranging from fines to jail time. Some small steps are being taken to improve the lives of the elderly Programs like Generation United stress the importance of making intergenerational bonds and have received widespread support and success. A survey conducted with Ohio State University found that such programs “reduced loneliness for older adults and increasing levels of engagement for dementia patients who interacted with children.” Among the elderly who participated in these programs, 97% of them indicated a positive experience, noting it made them feel happy, interested, loved and even younger. Children of course, might not be able to visit as often as their elderly relatives would like. With growing technology, life expectancy increases. But prolonging this end period of life can lead to feelings of uselessness and despondency. Thus, it is no surprise that the elderly in America seem to be one of the most overlooked populations. But their life, no matter the age, is of equal value to that of anyone else. Dartmouth students, therefore, should consider visiting the Hanover Terrace. Even an hour of caring, comforting and loving our senior citizens is well worth the trip.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
Solidarity march sees around 80 attendees
were in charge put a lot of effort into it,” she said. Matusewicz commented on given and can be taken back at any the importance of having people time. Another student, who helped show up in large numbers to such lead the march, discussed the 2017 events, noting that she believes this Dartmouth sexual misconduct is one of the best ways to show survey, which found that 34.1 genuine support for survivors. She percent of undergraduate women was “pleasantly surprised” by the had experienced “nonconsensual number of people who showed up, penetration or sexual touching she said, though she added that i nvo l v i n g p hy s i c a l fo rc e o r there could always be more. Jennifer West ’20, another incapacitation” since coming attendee, said to Dartmouth. in an interview She cited an FBI “I think it’s after the statistic noting event that she that only around important to was proud of two percent of remember that students for rape and related with this issue, we coming together sex charges to support each e n d u p b e i n g all have to hold other. determined to be our spaces and “ I t h i n k i t ’s false, a number important to c o m p a r a bl e t o our communities remember that false re porting accountable.” with this issue, rates for other we all have crimes. to hold our A third student -JENNIFER WEST ’20 spaces and our spoke out about communities the importance accountable,” of calling out she said. perpetrators, Organizers even if they are of the march members of one’s declined to comment other than to own social groups. “You [all] need to be standing state that the event was arranged up, because it’s really hard standing independently of any student organization. During the march, up by yourself,” she said. After roughly half an hour, one student said that planning for the march began around half of last spring. the attendees “I just think people In April, around went home. 140 students The remaining need to talk about marched in the m e m b e r s [sexual assault] College’s annual walked past the “Take Back the Massachusetts more. It needs to N i g h t ” m a rch , Row residence not be something which culminates halls to Psi people are hushSexual Assault Upsilon and Awareness T h e t a D e l t a hush about and M o n t h ’s We e k Chi fraternities, are uncomfortable of Action. This where they number was up c o n t i n u e d about talking significantly from to chant that about, because it’s previous years, “rapists are not important to talk when only around welcome here.” a dozen people The group then about it and to stand would typically r e t u r n e d t o up for survivors and attend. Webster Avenue “I just think and continued believe them. And people need to m a r c h i n g believe them.” talk about [sexual until around assault] more,” midnight, at w h i c h p o i n t -ANNA MATUSEWICZ ’20 Matusewicz said. “It needs to not the group be something disbanded. people are hushA n n a hush about and Matusewicz ’20, who attended the march, said in are uncomfortable about talking an interview after the event that about, because it’s important to talk about it and to stand up for she thought it went well. “I thought it was really moving, survivors and believe them. And and I think that the people who believe them.” FROM MARCH PAGE 1
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
SUPERSTITIOUS?
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
CAROLINE COOK ’21
TODAY
8:00 am. - 4:30 p.m.
Exhibit: “Shelley’s Frankenstein in Text and Image,” sponsored by Rauner Library, Webster Hall
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Lecture: “Two Dimensions of Language,” with philosophy professor Martin Seel, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Class of 1930 Room, Rockefeller Center, sponsored by the philosophy department
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Lecture: “The Supreme Court and National Security Law,” with former acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal ’91, Room 003, Rockefeller Center
TOMORROW
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Performance: “Americana Psychobabble (or, my favorite way to die right now in this room),” by Alexandra Tatarsky, sponsored by the Theater Department, Bentley Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m
Film: “2018 Sundance Film Festival Short Films Tour,” Loew Auditorium, sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m
Performance: “After the March,” by Itamar Moses, directed by Michelle Tattenbaum, Bentley Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
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THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
The day ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ broke me By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
The pitch meeting for “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (artistic liberties taken): Producer One: You guys ever seen “The Godfather Part II”? Other Producers: Um … yeah … Producer One: Okay. Well, we need to do that … but with “Mamma Mia!” It’s been a full 10 years since the release of the first “Mamma Mia!,” itself an adaption of the beloved 1999 jukebox musical constructed entirely out of ABBA songs. Back in 2008, critics felt no shame ripping the film to shreds. No one could sing, no one could dance, the songs were shoehorned into the story, etc. The film found its cult following amongst a very select audience, and everyone parted ways. Those who loathed it seemed happy to let it fade into the fabric of forgotten pop culture, while those who loved it were content to do so in private. With that in mind, how on Earth did we get “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”? Or, more precisely, how could The Guardian publish an opinion piece titled “Here we go again: how critics learned to stop worrying and love Mamma Mia!” in response to this sequel without a hint of irony anywhere in sight?
What changed — the film or us? Well, arguably both. On the one hand, the detractors of the first “Mamma Mia!” were never wholly wrong in their criticisms. Having watched it for the first time mere days ago, I can safely say that it is not a “good” film by almost any widely accepted critical definition. This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy it. The singing, dancing, directing and storyline may be bad, but they’re a “so-badit’s-good” kind of bad. Conversely, “Here We Go Again” is legitimately good, at least on a technical level. Whereas the first film always felt like an uneasy marriage between a stage play and a music video, the sequel feels properly cinematic. The cinematography, the choreography, the editing, the directing — it’s all a sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears. Likewise, the screenplay is tighter and more self-aware. For those who haven’t heard, Meryl Streep, America’s favorite actor and the unequivocal headliner of the first film, isn’t in the sequel all that much as beleaguered hotel-owner Donna Sheridan. In fact, she barely has five minutes of total screen time. While it sounds to me like there were some suspicious behind-the-scenes factors at play, it ultimately doesn’t matter. Her absence necessitates the film’s most ingenious creative choice. Inspired — I’m not even
joking — by “The Godfather Part II,” the film parallels the adventures of young Donna in 1979 with the efforts of Sophie and her three fathers (Pierce Brosnan’s Sam Carmichael, Colin Firth’s Harry Bright and Stellan Skarsgård’s Bill Anderson) in the present day to honor Donna, who is now dead. The editing cleverly mirrors Sophie’s and Donna’s stories, resulting in some surprisingly emotional moments. The singing and dancing from the lead actors may not be much better, but it really doesn’t matter. All the retur ners seem more comfortable in their roles, whereas the younger actors stay true to the essence of their older counterparts while still bringing something new to those characters. Lily James, in particular, steals the show as young Donna. You know things have taken an unusual turn for the better when someone manages to play a character better than Meryl Streep. Nevertheless, it would be a blatant falsehood to pretend that the critical turnaround can only be attributed to the improvements from the first film to the second. As mentioned earlier, it’s been ten years since the original. Perhaps in that time we’ve come to realize all the things “Mamma Mia!” has been doing right all along, and thus why we need it in this specific cultural moment. It’s not
just that the franchise has been subversively feminist all along; its sex positivity and belief in the power of sisterhood are both testaments to that fact. Beyond that, the film’s worldview is utopic, imagining a universe wherein humanity is actually — and I know this sounds crazy — nice to itself. In any other franchise, Sophie’s three potential fathers would inevitably engage in a fight about the legitimacy of their parental claims, all simply to assert their masculinity. Not only does “Mamma Mia!” never include such a scene, but it never even lets you consider the possibility. As the sequel proves, the worldbuilding assumption of this franchise is that these men would just become best friends. Likewise, not only does the franchise actively support nonheteronormative and interracial relationships, but it imagines a world where no one would question such pairings. Yet none of this fully explains why “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” left me a sobbing mess. I almost never cry during films. But this one broke me. And as much as I admire its craft and its politics, that isn’t what sent me over the edge. “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is like a Disney film in that it’s run on emotions, not logic. The plot may be superior to the first film, the integration of the songs may be smoother, but it’s still kind
of a mess. None of that matters. If that’s what you’re worrying about while watching the film, then you might as well walk out and ask for a refund. For everyone else, this film will hijack your emotions for two hours. To be clear, that isn’t to say that the emotional impact of the film is entirely divorced from the filmmaking or the politics. Much of my reaction was a direct result of the aforementioned dual structure. To illustrate, there is a point early in the film where Pierce Brosnan’s Sam does a quiet reprise of “SOS” while looking at pictures of Donna when she was younger. In any other film, that scene would still make sense. We wouldn’t need any dialogue, for example, to understand that this woman is Donna from years ago. But, thanks to the structure of this film, we know young Donna by the time he pulls out those pictures. We’ve met Lily James as this character. Thus, the scene’s impact is something else entirely. We aren’t watching a character mourn; we’re mourning with him. To be clear, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is ridiculous. But it knows this. It cherishes that fact. And I’d argue that you should too because if you do, you’ll find it’s the cinematic equivalent of a warm hug. Come for the indestructible ABBA songs, stay for the open, broken weeping. It’s all worth it.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
SPORTS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018
TODAY’S LINEUP
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The Accidental Fan with Sabena Allen ’20
The Accidental Fan: The Suplex Saga, Episode III — Return of the GLOW There comes a point midway through the second season of “GLOW,” short for “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling,” where the in-universe wrestling show is moved to the 2:00 a.m. time slot and nearly canceled. Despite their best efforts to fine-tune their skills, our ensemble of lady wrestlers fail to regain their old time slot. This drives the director, Sam Sylvia, played by actor Marc Maron, to decide that the show can go in whatever direction it pleases. Thus, we get “The Good Twin,” the eighth episode of the second season, which is quite the episode; it follows several of the female characters within the show and takes the show to an entirely new place by including elaborate setups for the actual wrestling matches. Both the show itself and the show that is being made within the show deviate from their normal format. Within the show’s universe, Sam decides to do this because he assumes the show will eventually be canceled, whereas real life cocreators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch knew that they had a committed audience after the first season and decided to run with their crazy ideas for season two. The first season of “GLOW” was filled with drama, but it also had the task of establishing its characters, and thus it focused on stories featuring more emotional and timely topics spotlighting a few of the wrestlers. Additionally, the first season had a lot more to do with the characters pleasing the TV station and trying to get funding and sponsors, whereas season two holds out on these issues until the end of the season and generally focuses more on the characters’
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Continuing her discussion of professional wrestling and “GLOW,” short for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, Sabena Allen ’20 addresses the show’s focus on social issues and commentaries, specifically in its second season, which debuted on Netflix in June.
lives. Overall, season two is more serious. That is not to say that season one didn’t tackle difficult issues, but season two accounts for a lot of what was simply glossed over in the first season. One issue that often comes up in the show is the problematic nature of the caricatures that the main characters play while wrestling. “ We l f a re Q u e e n , ” “ Fo r t u n e Cookie” and the terrorist character “Beirut the Mad Bomber” are some of the most troubling ones. There is a lot of commentary throughout “GLOW” from the individual characters about these racial stereotypes, as well as racebased conflict between characters, but the commentary was never the focus of an episode until season two. For example, one episode takes Tammé Dawson’s (Kia Stevens) “Welfare Queen” character into account and explores her son Ernest’s reaction. Ernest (Eli Goree) is a student at Stanford University and argues that his mother is playing a “minstrel” character. He is disturbed by the racism exhibited by her character’s “gimmick,” but the situation is
complicated because Tammé also seems to like being on the show. These issues are explored with other characters as well, in different ways. In the first episode of season two, a new format for the show is introduced: the women must compete to have their match featured in that week’s episode of “GLOW” (the show within the show, that is). Arthie Premkumar (Sunita Mani), who plays “Beirut the Mad Bomber,” is so desperate to be rid of her character that she devises a transfor mation story for her match where she will become a phoenix and rise from the ashes. Unfortunately, she shares this plan with some of her colleagues, who steal her idea and create transformations for their own characters, that are better executed and end up being chosen for the week. Here, we again have social commentary on stereotypes, though the story is focused more on the nature of the women. On the note of competition, protagonists Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) and Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin) also face further hardship as Debbie deals with her divorce
and continues to punish Ruth for her mistakes in their friendship, forcing her to alienate the two people she is closest to — her husband and Ruth. However, both Debbie and Ruth seem to miss their old dynamic, indicating how complicated relationships can be when one person has done irrevocable damage to it. The show further explores this concept in an excellent scene where Debbie and Ruth confront each other and air out their grievances. The acting here from Brie and Gilpin is phenomenal. The show feels like it is trying to tackle every issue, with plot lines also including sexual harassment, AIDS, sexuality and immigration status. The show also manages to include romance, challenges with parenting as well as divorce and loss. Even so, the show executes and integrates all of these components very well and manages to parallel some of these storylines with what is happening in the ring through the in-universe wrestling show and Ruth and Debbie’s dynamic. That, combined with stories for all the characters, really gives the
sense of how great the characters are together. Indeed, as the season progresses, the women are able to rally and come together for a finale that is both fun from a wrestling stand-point, but also extremely emotional. The end of the season leaves things very open for the characters. T he show has not yet been renewed, but the creators have left themselves plenty of room for another season. The point where season two ends has all the characters moving on to a new phase in their careers; because of this, the story feels like it has reached a conclusion, even if the ending is ambiguous. If the show does not get renewed, viewers will not feel like they were left hanging. However, a third season could go in any number of directions, which keeps things exciting. Regardless, “GLOW” is a fun show, and one that I highly recommend. This column concludes the “Suplex Saga.” Perhaps we will have another episode in the future if “GLOW” gets renewed for a third season — “The GLOW Awakens.” Fingers crossed!