THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
VOL. CLXXVI NO. 68
RAINY HIGH 72 LOW 47
OPINION
HORAN: THE IRONY OF SAFETY PAGE 6
TESZLER: VOX CLAMANTIS IN DOLLARS PAGE 6
HOLZER: DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY: FROM THE OTHER SIDE PAGE 7
COLIN: IS FAKE NEWS FAKE? PAGE 7
ARTS
SANKOFA DANZAFRO TELLS STORY OF AFROCOLOMBIANS THROUGH DANCE PAGE 8 FOLLOW US ON
@thedartmouth
COPYRIGHT © 2019 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Duo implementation Residential access policy elicits increases security, adds sharp rebuke from student body time to student logins B y ANDREW SASSER The Dartmouth
Information, Technology, and Consulting finished the migration of all accounts and services to Duo 2FA, a twofactor authentication program, on July 24. ITC switched to using Duo to create a more secure method for logging into Dartmouth accounts and services, replacing the old method of security questions for authentication. However, some students have voiced concerns about the
system’s efficacy since its implementation. According to interim senior director of information security Sean McNamara, Duo represents a massive security improvement over the previous use of security questions. He said that drawing from both “things you know” — like a NetID and password — and “things you have” — like a smartphone — improves the strength of authentication.
ALEX FREDMAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
SEE DUO PAGE 3
Three new businesses open in Hanover B y ELIZA GALLANT The Dartmouth
This term, three businesses — AroMed Essentials, Han Fusion and J. McLaughlin — opened in downtown H a n ov e r. A d d i t i o n a l l y, Still North Books & Bar — an independently-owned bookstore set to replace the Dartmouth Bookstore — will open later in the term. The last several months have seen the closure of several Hanover businesses,
including Orient Chinese & Japanese Restaurant and the Dartmouth Bookstore, leaving noticeable vacancies in their respective storefronts. Han Fusion, which serves authentic Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese food, opened on Sept. 24. Restaurant owner and German studies department administrator Wadeane Kunz said that he hopes that many Dartmouth students, SEE BUSINESS PAGE 5
The new housing policy restricts students’ access to buildings only within their House communities.
B y Marco Allen The Dartmouth
The College’s new housing policy that restricts students’ access to residential buildings outside of their own House communities has sparked a debate over how building access affects student safety and well-being, and a petition drafted and circulated by Student Assembly leadership demanding a reversal of the policy has garnered nearly 3,000 signatures. Director of residential education and associate dean of residential life Michael Wooten told The Dartmouth in early September that the change, which restricts students from dorms and
House centers outside of their housing community, came in response to a request from Student Assembly after a series of racial bias incidents last October. Under former president Monik Walter s ’19 and former vice president Nicole Knape ’19, Student Assembly passed a resolution calling for “additional security and technological measures, including but not limited to technology to monitor or regulate entering and exiting dorms after an incident.” However, Student Assembly’s new president Luke Cuomo ’20 and vice president Ariela Kovary ’20, denied requesting a change of this nature and issued a statement strongly
opposing it. Additionally, Student Assembly emailed a petition to the undergraduate student body on Sept. 18 that solicited signatures in opposition to the dorm access restrictions. Cuomo said that the petition received over 2,900 signatures, approximately two-thirds of the undergraduate student body, which he said demonstrates widespread support for changing the current policy. Cuomo and Kovary told The Dartmouth that there was “miscommunication” between the College and the previous Student Assembly a d m i n i s t r at i o n . C u o m o SEE HOUSING PAGE 5
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
Cornel West returns to College to teach class on race and modernity out of that I decided it would be terrific to bring him back to teach The Dartmouth a class.” In the summer of 2017, West This Monday afternoon, Cornel We s t — H a r va rd U n i ve r s i t y was invited back to campus to teach professor, political activist, public a course called “The Historical intellectual and social critic — stood Philosophy of W.E.B. Du Bois.” outside Filene Auditorium and Last summer, he also spoke at the chatted with a student about 20th- Race Matters@25 conference in century, African-American identity celebration of the 25th anniversary in the United States. Fifteen minutes of his book “Race Matters.” This week, West started his later, nearly a hundred students flocked into the auditorium to lecture by reviewing the four attend West’s class — titled ENGL legacies of Du Bois covered in the previous class and presenting a short 53.43, “Race and Modernity.” This fall, West is teaching as biography of Du Bois’ early life. a temporar y faculty member He then gave a detailed analysis at Dartmouth in the English of the first few chapters of Du department. His course examines Bois’ seminal work, “The Souls of the themes of race and identity Black Folk,” exploring the themes among works of three African- of victimization, alienation and suppression. American West connected intellectuals: “He’s just a very D u B o i s ’ wo rk J a m e s powerful speaker. It’s to the works of Baldwin, a wide range of L o r r a i n e very different [from] philosophers, H a n s b e r r y anything I’ve ever such as Socrates, and W. E. B. G o e t h e, K a f k a Du Bois. The taken before.” and Nietzsche, as class meets for as elements three hours -ARABELLA MCGOWAN ’23 well of today’s every Monday popular culture, during the 3A like hip-hop and “swagger.” His and 3AX period. Before this fall, West had come literary interpretations were often to Dartmouth several times both to intertwined with personal anecdotes teach and speak. In 2017, associate and deliberate digressions, causing dean for the faculty of arts and the audience to fall into alternating humanities and English professor periods of laughter and silence. Will expressed her appreciation Barbara Will invited West to give a speech as part of a lecture series for West’s teaching style and method titled “Why the Humanities Matter of close reading. “The reason his teaching is so in the 21st Century.” “I invited him to give a lecture powerful is that he can speak to two years ago, and there were anybody, wherever they are in their about six hundred people in the lives, and talk about really essential audience,” Will explained. “It was issues — about what it means to
B y Emily Zhang
CORRECTIONS Correction appended (Sept. 24, 2019): In the Sept. 24, 2019 article, “Sexual misconduct policy seeks to clarify institutional response,” the article originally stated that the parties in a complaint will be cross-examined by a trained professional. The online version of the article has been updated to reflect that the questioning process is not done in a live hearing format. We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
NATALIE DAMERON/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
West’s class focuses on the work of James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry and W. E. B. Du Bois.
be human, what it means to be American, what it means to have an identity, race, gender,” Will said. “He often takes a paragraph and goes through it very closely, so you can see all of the nuances. It may mean you don’t always get to cover everything, but you do get that in-depth kind of connection to the text.” English professor James Dobson is co-teaching the class with West. Dobson explained that the reasons they chose those particular AfricanAmerican writers are because their works cover a wide variety of literary genres — including plays, essays and autobiographical reflections — and because they represent three different time periods. “From the late 19th century to the 20th century, [it is] an unfolding process to track the evolution of these twinge problems of race and modernity,” Dobson said. West also expressed high respect for the three authors, adding that it was difficult to find “three more
towering figures” than Baldwin, Du contemporary significance of Bois and Hansberry. Du Bois’ insights about AfricanNatan Santos ’21 said he American identity in 20th-century thoroughly appreciates West’s U.S. lecture style. Elizabeth Whiting ’21, a student “[West’s lecture had] a constant whose response was selected, flow of imagery [and context] analyzed the influence of Jerusalem — all tied into and American o n e, ” S a n t o s Romanticism on “Students are hungry said. “It’s really Du Bois’ work. for truth, for beauty, engaging.” As an English A r a b e l l a for goodness, and I major, she said McGowan ’23 she chose this said that West’s love to be part of that course in part class was unlike hunger.” because the anything she’d topic was related taken in the past. to a class she “He’s just a -CORNEL WEST took during ver y powerful her sophomore s p e a k e r, ” summer. McGowan said. When asked why he decided to During the second half of the come back to Dartmouth to teach class, six student responses to “The a course again, West said, he has Souls of Black Folk” were selected had a great time teaching at the and discussed together, touching College. upon the influence of Jerusalem, “Students are hungry for truth, American Romanticism, Athens for beauty, for goodness, and I love and European Enlightenment to be part of that hunger,” West on Du Bois’ work, as well as the said.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Some students express dissatisfaction with Duo implementation phone,” Donohue said. “Now, the next DOC secretary will have to The goal of adopting this procedure, contact me.” Roseman also voiced similar according to the ITC, is to prevent hackers from stealing Dartmouth concerns for organizational leaders, credentials and account information. adding that Duo “sends a push One of the benefits of Duo, notification to someone else’s phone according to the ITC’s website, is that and we don’t even know where that there are several ways one can use person is.” Acknowledging these concerns, to verify passwords. These include push notifications produced by the McNamara noted that the Duo staff Duo 2FA mobile app, passcodes has developed an exception to the generated by a hardware token system for shared organizational that can be purchased from the and institutional email accounts Dartmouth Computer Store, as well that meet the qualifications of being as text messages and phone calls to shared accounts. “We can issue really what is the linked phones. All of these methods work, but McNamara recommended equivalent of a one-time password using push notifications from the app or a bypass password,” he said. Another problem that has arisen for the greatest level of security. according to I TC a s s e r t s some students that the rollout is that pressing f o r D u o h a s “I think we’re always the “remember been generally looking for ways to me for 14 days” successful, with button does not only some minor improve the user work as intended. p ro bl e m s t h at experience with the According to t h ey a r e s t i l l services we provide McNamara, this working on fixing. issue is not the H o w e v e r, n o t and that’s certainly fault of Duo and all students are the case with Duo.” instead may be satisfied with the due to students implementation using different of Duo to their -SEAN MCNAMARA, browsers or accounts. INTERIM SENIOR devices to login. “ E ve r y t w o Additionally, he weeks, it wants DIRECTOR OF suggested that all the two-factor INFORMATION SECURITY other problems a u t h e n t i c at i o n with Duo be and I have to run and find my phone and [figure out] referred to the ITC general help desk. Duo is also looking at rolling where it is and then get the push notification and touch it,” said Levi out some other methods of authentication for the system. Roseman ’21 . Roseman also said that while McNamara said that Duo will soon the system appears to be more allow the use of Apple TouchID and comprehensive, it can also be similar software for login purposes. redundant, especially when it asks Furthermore, McNamara said that for authentication for logging in from ITC is currently working on linking emails for campus institutions and his phone. Kevin Donohue ’21, the secretary student organizations to personal of the Dartmouth Outing Club, logins to further simplify the login said that Duo can create problems process. “We hope to continue to improve for organizations that utilize shared the experience,” McNamara said. “I college emails. “I recently set up an email for the think we’re always looking for ways DOC secretary and I had to setup to improve the user experience with Duo with it, so I didn’t know what the services we provide, and that’s to do with it [and] I linked it to my certainly the case with Duo.” FROM DUO PAGE 1
ALISON ZENG/THE DARTMOUTH
Students can receive a push notification on the Duo app to verify their log-ins to Dartmouth accounts.
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
ONION GOT YOU CRYING? CASEY SMERCZYNSI ’20 FROM COLIN PAGE 7
TODAY 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Lecture: “The Struggle for Human Rights in an Era of Resurgent Popular Nationalism,” with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, sponsored by the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Hanover Inn, Hayward Room.
6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Conversation: “Colombia Today and ‘The City of Others’,” with director and choreographer Sankofa Danzafro, Hopkins Center, Top of the Hop.
TOMORROW 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Testing Inflation with the BICEP/Keck Array and South Pole Telescope,” with Dr. Kimmy Wu, sponsored by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wilder, Room 104.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Lecture: “Space for Dialouge: The Poitics of Pink,” with Museum intern Charlotte Grussing ’19, sponsored by Hood Museum of Art, Hood Museum of Art.
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Panel: “Dartmouth and the World: Religion and Political Economy @ 1769,” sponsored by the Political Economy Project and the College Sestercentennial Committee, Dartmouth Hall, Room 105.
FROM HOLZER PAGE 7
today — namely, male and white — would defy the past four years of rhetoric and action. The Democratic nominee must echo this message of representation both in terms of rhetoric and image, and many do. Harris, Warren, Julian Castro and Cory Booker have effectively used their respective images to inspire voters who have not typically felt adequately represented on the debate state. For example, Harris brought up a personal anecdote about bussing during the debate to appeal to black and minority voters. Simply put, if Democrats want the best shot of recapturing the White House, they should nominate Kamala Harris. She is both fresh and politically tested. She has a rhetoric
that can galvanize Democratic voters and win over independents. Her image is far enough from the left to capture moderate Republicans while still exciting the far-left. Whether desired or not, Donald Trump has changed the formula for winning a presidential election. No longer does policy plus experience plus poise equal victory. The Democrats must not nominate a candidate who could win a typical presidential election. If they are to be successful in putting a Democrat in the White House, the Democrats must nominate a candidate who can beat Donald Trump specifically. And Kamala Harris is the woman for the job.
not the only people with access to social media. In the same way one can publish a false statement, one can also counteract or even preempt this by publishing the truth. Unfortunately, there are still cases of widespread panic where, despite the facts in front of them, people still refuse to believe the truth. The best tool reporters can use to combat this bandwagoning is to not only present the facts proving the truth, but also include negations of the masses’ counterargument. While instances like these are a threat to our public knowledge, even the media cannot control the individual biases and preconceptions that readers have going in to an article. So what should be done about this fake news phenomenon? Nothing. While America’s freedom of press comes at the cost of allowing lies to be published, this concession is worth the political liberty. Trying to stop the spread of fake news would bring up technicalities as to what is truly “fake” or “real.” While there are facts that can be proven true or false, the line becomes blurry when it comes to dealing with heavily biased or one-sided arguments. For all the hype that “fake news” has gotten over the past year, this image of a population brainwashed by lies is far from the reality we are facing, which is simply the exercise of freedom of press. The idea that “fake news” is a considerable threat to our public knowledge is nothing more than “fake news” itself.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
New businesses change landscape of downtown Hanover FROM BUSINESSES PAGE 1
specifically those of Asian descent, will come to the restaurant. The restaurant is located off of Lebanon Street and occupies the space where Orient formerly operated. Han Fusion offers a variety of dishes and “strives to serve fresh, authentic and flavorful food,” according to Kunz. He added that the restaurant offers many glutenfree dishes, uses minimal grease and no MSG. Additionally, Han Fusion delivers, which Kunz believes will encourage more Dartmouth students to try their food. Operating in the building formerly occupied by the Dartmouth bookstore, J. McLaughlin opened its doors on Sept. 16. According to its website, J. McLaughlin is “a brand that offers upper-end clothes with a ‘neighborhood feel.’” Hanover manager Jennifer Dunham said that the store hopes to attract Dartmouth students’ business, specifically for professional outfits for interviews. Dunham said that there was a need for an upper-end and classic women’s and men’s clothing store in Hanover and
believes that J. McLaughlin fits that description. Dunham acknowledged that many college students may not see J. McLaughlin as a store at which they would regularly shop, but said that the store supplies standard clothing that she believes many young college students will like. She added that the Hanover community has been “extremely welcoming.” Currently, Dunham added that she is the store’s only employee and is looking to hire some Dartmouth students. In August, AroMed Essentials opened on Allen Street. AroMed, which has two other locations in Vermont, sells a variety of products, such as essential oils, cannabidiol, jewelry and yoga supplies. AroMed owner Lauren Andrews said she chose to open a Hanover location to provide support for Dartmouth students and offer a “wellness resource” that did not previously exist in downtown Hanover. Andrews added that she has worked to educate people about cannabidiol and ensures that all of her products are “green, plant based and free of any synthetic chemicals.” According to Andrews, AroMed’s
products provide remedies for insomnia, brain fog, cold and flu, pain and anxiety — many of which plague college students. Andrews encourages people to buy her products because her staff is very well-trained and cares deeply about its customers. She believes that the Hanover location will appeal both to the baby-boomer generation, as well as college students. She added that consumers should be very cautious as to where they are buying their cannabidol products and that purchasing these products from online retailers is a “very bad idea.” In addition to these newly-opened businesses, Still North Books & Bar is expected to open late this fall. Bookstore founder Allie Levy ’11 said that she decided to open a bookstore because she “couldn’t imagine Hanover without one” and believes that bookstores are essential for a community. According to Levy, Still North Books & Bar will sell books, food and drinks. She said she hopes that students will come to the store to meet with professors and work off campus. Levy decided to create a hybrid
SYDNEY GILMAN/THE DARTMOUTH
J. McLaughlin opened a store in downtown Hanover earlier this month.
bookstore and bar so that Hanover has a space that is “not work or home — just a place to spend time with the rest of the community.” She added that she hopes the bookstore will be a safe space for everyone and also a space in which students can host
events. She said she strongly believes that small and local businesses contribute to Hanover’s culture and community and hopes that students will support her business, as well as the other small businesses of Hanover.
Petition criticizing residential policy garners nearly 3,000 signatures FROM HOUSING PAGE 1
added that while he believes the Office of Residential Life was “well-intentioned” when creating the policy, he disagrees with how the decision was made. “This decision was taken in a way ... that didn’t adequately notify students,” Cuomo said. Wooten said that the new policy was “somewhat in concert with some conversations and things happening with Student Assembly last year, but was also something that we had, of course, been thinking about.” Wooten said that although Student Assembly may not have asked for this specific change, they did ask the administration to “reexamine” issues surrounding
access and safety on campus. According to Wooten, Walters and Knape had previously discussed with him the possibility of adding additional cameras to dor m buildings to reduce bias incidents, but he had rejected the idea on the grounds of student privacy. Wooten characterized the new policy as a way to address concerns about bias incidents while still respecting privacy. Wooten added, however, that he may have made a mistake in citing Student Assembly when he announced the new policy. Nonetheless, he said that he believes Walters and Knape would have supported the change. “My belief was yes, that they supported [the new policy],” Wooten said. “You would have to
talk to them about how they recall those conversations.” Walters and Knape told The Dartmouth that they support the actions of Cuomo and Kovary. “We never had a formalized conversation about the policy that the administration was already planning on pushing out, so when we had heard about it, we heard about it in the context of what was already in motion,” Walters said. “We are on board with what Luke and Ariela propose as amendments to the policy.” Wooten said that he knows reducing access is not a “silver bullet” for acts of bias on campus. “No one believes that,” Wooten added. “What we do believe is that it moves the needle in the direction
of safety.” Cuomo suggested that the policy could actually make campus less safe. “There are potential unintended consequences of the dorm restrictions that could adversely affect safety in some regards,” Cuomo said. Wooten directly addressed the claim that the policy decreased safety, saying that it is “categorically untrue” and counter to the advice he has received from safety professionals. “I don’t know of any community that would argue that limiting access to itself creates a higher level of unsafety,” Wooten said. Wooten also noted that at many peer institutions, students only have access to the buildings they live in, but said he feels that the situation
at Dartmouth is different. “There’s a real sense at Dartmouth that what makes us special is that we’re not like those other places and that there’s a culture of openness,” Wooten said. Moving forward, both parties indicated optimism about the future. Wooten stated that the change “has highlighted some of the inequalities [between Houses] in our spaces” and said he felt that recent meetings with Cuomo and Kovary offer possible solutions to mitigate unintended consequences of the policy. Cuomo and Kovary likewise stated that the administration has been working closely with them to move forward and reach a resolution. Kyle Mullins contributed reporting.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST HELEN HORAN ‘22
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST MAX TESZLER ‘23
The Irony of Safety
Vox Clamantis in Dollars
The new residential safety measures may put students in harm’s way. Campus is abuzz with talk of Dartmouth’s new residential access policy. Students have discussed the absurdity and uselessness of the decision, while bemoaning its consequences. The exclusivity of the Cube, the now everyday nuisance of letting a friend in to a dorm, the ludicrous “solution” to end racism and the continued failure of the House system have been amply talked about among the community. But what about safety, the essence of the policy? The College characterized the decision as a security measure. I find it difficult to believe the administration did much thinking about safety before making this call. It is horrendously ironic. If this policy had been in place a year ago, it would exacerbate the danger in a critical situation. Almost a year ago, on Nov. 2, Hanover police responded to a drive-by shooting of a 19-year-old non-Dartmouth student at around 9:45 p.m. that evening. More than 30 minutes after the incident, the College issued a “shelter in place” alert which remained until 12:35 a.m. Amid flurries of texts and hours spent listening to police reports, panic was spread out of proportion before accounts were confirmed the next morning. The victim was in stable condition, and despite multiple reports for various gunshots, just one was confirmed. The College’s handling of the situation caused more chaos and fear than already innate to the situation. There was a delay in alerts causing widespread confusion. The response on the part of the administration gave many the impression the College was not doing an adequate job of protecting their students. Imagine that same situation now, but with the new house restriction policy. Fortunately, I was already in my dorm, in the appropriate “House,” when I received lockdown
DEBORA HYEMIN HAN, Editor-in-Chief
alerts. If that occurred this year, the consequences of the access policy would be students not able to take shelter from an active shooter because nearby buildings were not assigned to their House. People would be unable to access the closest residence hall because it happened be School House, instead of Allen. The peril of such a scenario is palpable. Safety and Security may be able to reverse the access restrictions in an emergency. However, that action is dependent upon verification of an emergency, which takes time. In conjunction with the time spent to reprogram access, students could be stranded outside during that waiting period and susceptible to whatever harm is imminent. There are other reasons why students might have an immediate safety concern that wouldn’t impact the entire campus like an active shooter, but would necessitate their access to the closest building. With the current card access policy, those students would remain in whatever danger is about to befall them. Many current Dartmouth students spent years participating in active-shooter drills at high and elementary schools. While those drills were chilling on many fronts, at least we had somewhere to go to seek safety. Under the new, misguided housing access policy, if the unfortunate event did reoccur, many students may well be left with nowhere to go. It is now more pivotal than ever that Dartmouth listens to students’ voices for risk of losing credence all together. The student and university relationship is fundamentally a mutual one — without faith in one another, both will suffer. The administration needs to stop using the stalking horse of “security” to conceal its continued House system agenda. It is due time to reverse a policy that does the exact opposite of what it claims — that increases danger and divides us further.
AIDAN SHEINBERG, Publisher
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The College must use its wealth to reduce absurdly high tuition prices. On Sept. 17, the College announced that its endowment grew by 7.5 percent over the past year, reaching a total value of $5.7 billion. Growth has been even greater in past years — the endowment grew an average 10.7 percent annually over the past decade, well past the rate of inflation. Yet rather than use this wealth to dramatically reduce tuition, the College seems content to sit back and count its billions. For the 2019-20 school year, undergraduate expenses will total roughly $76,000, including all costs like tuition, housing and dining plans. The expense is nothing short of absurd. For too long, top colleges like Dartmouth have gotten away with charging exorbitant tuitions, all while hoarding rapidly growing endowments. It is time for schools to totally reset how they manage their expenses, taking advantage of their substantial wealth rather than ringing tens of thousands of dollars annually from hard-pressed families. Ivy League schools and other elite colleges benefit from a de facto monopoly in an increasingly status-obsessed world. Students believe they must attend a prestigious college in order to succeed, and that failing to do so means “throwing your future away.” To be sure, these assumptions also deserve reexamination. But, as it stands, young people feel massive pressure to attend a highlyranked school, no matter the cost. With the exception of a few elite state schools, top colleges get away with charging in excess of $70,000 for the privilege of attendance. Of course, a sizeable number of students do not pay full price due to financial aid, but elite colleges could continue offering generous aid while cutting their sticker price dramatically. In 2017, for instance, Dartmouth’s endowment profited $630 million from investment income, not including new donations. The fund distributed $225 million to the College’s operating budget and accounts for 25 percent of total net operating revenue. Tuition, meanwhile, covered roughly 23 percent of revenue, about another $200 million. Simple arithmetic shows if the College had covered all tuition and fees with the endowment, it would have come out over $200 million in the black. At Dartmouth, going tuition-free would still leave room for millions of dollars in endowment profits. Other top institutions present similarly rosy statistics. Harvard’s endowment now stands at a whopping $39.2 billion, up from
$26 billion a decade ago. Overall, the 120 largest college endowments totaled to $401 billion in 2016. But if these schools really have such strong finances, what’s holding them back? Many administrators cite concerns over longterm growth and financial security — past recessions led to temporary losses for some colleges. Furthermore, since endowments are heavily invested in stocks and mutual funds, directly spending these investments presents logistical challenges. Sitting on large endowments simply amounts to prudence and foresight, the reasoning goes. It is difficult to say for sure if the College would finance everything it currently does if funds were redirected to tuition, but this is an issue of morality that demands a reprioritization of value. College endowments continue to grow from investment income alone, notwithstanding additional donations, which added a further $47 billion to college endowments in 2018 alone. In such an environment, the “need for caution” rings hollow. At least one school has already recognized something must change. In 2018, New York University announced that its medical school would go tuition-free for all current and future students. Though students still have to pay for room and board, the university now covers the entire $55,000 tuition. In order to finance the program indefinitely, NYU plans to raise $600 million in seed money, $450 million of which was already raised by the time of the announcement. An ambitious capital campaign at Dartmouth could likely raise the same amount or greater, given that during the ongoing Call to Lead fundraising campaign, alumni donated over $420 million to the College in 2018 year alone. NYU based its decision on a “moral imperative” to counter the student debt crisis, in which an estimated $1.5 trillion is owed in government student loans alone. But the wealthiest institutions in the country still ask their students to contribute an outsize share of the funding. Just as in the 1960s and ’70s, when many top colleges began to admit women, it is time for a rebirth of ambition in higher education. That change can start right here at Dartmouth. President Hanlon and the Board of Trustees sit on massive sums of money that could dramatically reduce tuition expenses. It is their moral imperative to act.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
PAGE 7
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
STAFF COLUMNIST EMORY HOLZER ‘22
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST SARAH COLIN ‘23
Democratic Primary: From the Other Side
Is Fake News Fake?
The Democrats should focus on electability over policy.
The hype around “fake news” threatens freedom of the press.
With more than 400 days until Election like Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar, fall short. Day, an overlong list of Democratic candidates This is no ordinary time in politics. A shows no signs of shrinking. The slate of previous career in government is no longer candidates is polling at numbers as varied essential to win the presidency. In fact, as their experience, policies, backgrounds it was precisely Clinton’s entanglements and tones. At the forefront of the minds in Washington that made her stink of of presidential candidates and Democratic corruption to so many voters. Clinton’s voters alike is how to beat President Trump ideological development struck many voters in the 2020 election. as inauthentic and dated — in a Morning The 2016 election proved that elections do Consult survey, 84 percent of respondents not adhere to long-standing tenets. Extensive agreed that “she changes her positions when careers in public service and robust policy it’s politically convenient.” Voters support proposals have waned in importance, and in campaigns that feel timely. John McConnell, their wake have risen identity and rhetoric. speechwriter for President George W. Bush, Democrats must weigh their priorities. If coined the 14-Year Rule, a theory that voters want any Democrat, rather than any candidates whose first election to public specific candidate, to beat Trump, they must office occurred more than 14 years prior to throw out policy and focus on electability. the presidential election face a significant This electability hinges disadvantage. In other on three qualities: energy, “Winning a general wo rd s, a c a n d i d at e ’s experience and image. message loses urgency While success in a election requires after more than fourteen primary means gaining appealing to people years in public office. the support of Democrats, who are hesitant to Thus, Joe Biden, winning a general election who has been in D.C. for requires appealing to lend their support.” decades, has significant people who are hesitant name recognition, but to lend their support. As has been beating his same a conservative, I see that drum for years. Voters in it requires convincing people from the other the general election want to put their support side to abandon ship. Kamala Harris is the behind candidates whose campaigns are candidate to do this, tailored for now. Warren is clearly smart, In the 2016 election, Donald Trump’s articulate and impassioned. But her career in campaign exhibited a remarkable energy: politics, similar to Sanders, has permanently zig-zagging across the country, inspiring tied her image to a far-left end of the many voters with a message of urgency, and Democratic Party that will repel independent dominating news coverage. According to a voters and fail to win over reluctant Trump study by The Harvard Kennedy School’s supporters. Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke Shorenstein Center, Trump received around and Andrew Yang are promising fresh faces 15 percent more coverage than Hillary but lack sufficient vigor to match Warren, Clinton throughout the campaign. Today, Biden or Sanders, much less Trump. this feat requires a candidate who can capture Lastly, and arguably most importantly, and sustain the attention of the electorate. is image. Since the 2016 election, the Of course, any candidate for the presidency Democratic Party has championed the has great passion for their vision for the cause of combating underrepresentation in country. However, that passion does not politics. Democrats elected unprecedented always translate to an outward vigor that can numbers of women and minorities to public invigorate and inspire voters. While Clinton office in the 2018 midterm elections. This had a significant record of qualifications, her has constructed a stronger base of support level-headed demeanor was drowned out by from minority groups across the country Trump. In the 2020 election, a Democratic and has set a course for the future, working candidate will need a fervency to wrestle to ensure a more diverse and representative Trump for the microphone. While some Congress. For the Democratic nominee to candidates can generate emotion to match be a person who looks like most politicians Donald Trump — namely, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris; some, SEE HOLZER PAGE 4
How many memes have you seen about are internalizing the lies they read and then “fake news” in the past year? While “fake voting on these conclusions is unsupported news” has become a comical buzzword, this by any statistical data, even in the most phenomenon of publishing blatantly false recent presidential election, according to a information has caused quite a stir in the 2018 study led by Dartmouth government world of journalism. Even though there is professor Brendan Nyhan. no substantial proof that the spread of “fake Should we try to stop the spread of fake news” holds any significant influence over news? In a perfect world, sure. However, there the population, some are advocating for a is no feasible way to censure what is “true” change in policy forbidding “misinformation” or “false” without violating citizens’ rights from being published. While it is important to freedom of the press. The power to make that the public reads the truth, striving for one’s opinion heard, whether it be speaking a lie-free media is not worth surrendering out against or endorsing the government and our freedom of the press in a vain attempt other institutions, is essential to the values to stop the age-old and inevitable spreading of American liberty and justice. Freedom of lies. of the press also serves as a check on the Even though the term “fake news” was government’s authority and a powerful tool coined during the 2016 presidential election, for creating social change. people have been using If we decide to censor false claims as propaganda the media, we are not since the inception of “Even though the only sacrificing our mass communication. term ‘fake news’ was publishing rights, but In fact, our Founding also taking a dangerous Fathers proudly wrote coined during the 2016 s t e p t o w a r d s l o s i n g exaggerated stories to presidential election, our other fundamental garner public support for liberties on which America people have been the American Revolution. was founded. According In the ultimate colonial using false claims as to Freedom House, an f a k e - n e w s s c a n d a l , propaganda since the organization dedicated B e n j a m i n Fr a n k l i n to statistical analysis of published a fake issue of inception of mass inter national human a Boston newspaper in communication.” rights, the three countries France telling a madewith the worst ratings for up story in which Native government censorship of Americans scalped hundreds of innocent media are Syria, Eritrea and North Korea colonists as a way of showing their loyalty to — all three of which are run by repressive, King George. While fake news in Franklin’s autocratic regimes. While the spreading of days could only gain a certain momentum lies in the press has gotten out of hand in because of limited technologies, it still serves our current state of political polarization, as an example of the type of fabricated we have to bite the bullet to preserve our claims that modern critics would like to other freedoms. Ultimately, the publication see forbidden. Today, people can spread of fake news is inevitable, regardless of the misinfor mation more easily by taking political climate. advantage of our technological advances Even if we wanted to, do we really in communication. We see it all the time have the power to stop the spread of false in advertisements, from magazines with claims? Publishers of fake news have Photoshopped models to commercials using capitalized on the most powerful weapon camera cuts to falsely portray a product’s of the 21st century: social media. This functionality. Yet, people have always been new way of communicating allows people the root of the problem, not the media. to instantaneously access millions of Critics argue that lies in the media have individuals, allowing the message to reach led to a decline in the quality of our public more people and increasing its chance of knowledge. It is fair to say that people rely penetrating people’s newsfeeds. The bright on the media for facts to make well-informed side of this? The publishers of fake news are decisions for their country. However, the idea that a significant amount of readers SEE COLIN PAGE 4
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
Sankofa Danzafro tells story of Afro-Colombians through dance
B y ELIZABETH GARRISON The Dartmouth Staff
Tonight and Friday night, the Sankofa Danzafro dance troupe will perform its show “The City of Others” in the Moore Theater at the Hopkins Center at 7:30 p.m. Through the art of dance and music, “The City of Others” tells the powerful story of young Afro-Colombians who are struggling to combat the historical legacy of slavery and racism in Colombia. Sankofa Danzafro was founded in 1997 by director and choreographer Rafael Palacios with the mission of bridging the gap between AfroColombians and the African diaspora through art. The name Sankofa Danzafro comes from the African philosophy “Sankofa” which means “to return to the root.” By going back to traditional African culture and customs, the artists can navigate their current reality and find a sense of solidarity among each other. “The City of Others” explores the lives of young displaced AfroColombians trying to overcome the challenges of discrimination and alienation in an urban environment. Palacios said he hopes “The City of Others” to challenge the way people think about slavery. “It was made in 2010 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of slavery in Colombia,” Palacios said “We wanted to commemorate the end of slavery, not just by talking about slavery, but also how today’s world is still influenced by its historical impacts.” According to Palacios, the show is a collaborative piece inspired by the personal stories and backgrounds of the performers. The performance is broken up into a series of vignettes each featuring one of the performers’
own struggle with racism and discrimination in Colombia. “I worked closely with the dancers to tell the story because they each have their own personal background and history,” Palacios said. “We came together and talked about how this history influenced their own lives.” According to Hopkins Center publicity director Rebecca Bailey, this performance is a great opportunity for the community to learn more about Afro-Colombian culture and to interact with the artists themselves. In addition to the performance, there will be a public talk with Palacios at the Top of the Hop at 6:30 p.m. before Thursday’s performance. After the show, there will be a dance party with members of Sankofa Danzafro and the Mashrou’ Leila dance troupe. Both of these events will give community members the opportunity to personally engage with the performers. “It is an intra-cultural experience,” Palacios said. “So, we are trying to build a social network and remove the boundaries between people of different cultures. We want the Dartmouth community to know a little more about our experiences in Colombia, and vice versa.” The performance invites audience members to interact with a difficult story that is transformed into a highly energetic performance, Bailey said. “Afro-Colombians as a population are marginalized,” Bailey said. “There is a gap in opportunities that are available to them, and they are disproportionately the victims of violence.” Bailey anticipates that “The City of Others,” despite its difficult portrayal of diaspora and the lives of displaced young Afro-Colombians, will communicate that there is something beautiful in the experience
of seeing this hardship turned into a dynmaic performance of moving art. According to Bailey, audience members will be exposed to a combination of Afro-Colombian musical and dance traditions. “What we think will be really wonderful for Dartmouth students is that it is really viscerally exciting to watch,” Bailey said. “It is made out of dance forms that come out of African dance, Latin dance and this hybrid of Afro-Colombian dance and music — which is one of the most wonderful dance and music cultures in the world because it has given us a lot of great rhythms and dance forms. It also has a contemporary element; you’ll see hip hop, which has now become a universal dance language.” Hopkins Center administrator Karina Sainz said that she thinks the show will defy viewers’ expectations. “The music and dance are
a combination of traditional Colombian music with new-age influences,” Sainz said. “Hopefully, viewers will experience that crosscultural connection, especially up here in New Hampshire where you don’t see much Colombian or Southern American music or theater. Maybe they can see that this type of music is not always traditional and can be very appealing to modern day viewers.” In addition to experiencing unfamiliar rhythms and dance forms, viewers can learn more about the everyday lives and struggles of young Afro-Colombians. “The City of Others” provides viewers with a glimpse of a reality they may be completely unaware of, Bailey said. According to Bailey, Colombia, following Brazil, has the largest population of people of African descent in Latin America. “So, hearing about that experience
and the challenges and realities those young people face will be really interesting to students at Dartmouth as we contemplate our own country’s history with race and racism,” Bailey said. After seeing this performance, viewers might realize that we have more in common with other cultures than we might think, Bailey said. “Coming into the performance, people might not know how relatable the life experiences of young AfroColombians are to Americans,” Bailey added. Bailey said the performance depicts people displaced from the countryside who are now working in city offices. “We’re in a time where a lot of people have to leave their ancestral homes to go to the cities in order to find opportunities and it is really no different in Colombia,” she said.
COURTESY OF SANKOFA DANZAFRO
Sankofa Danzafro combines dance and music to bring to life the stories of Afro-Colombians.