VOL. CLXXVI NO. 103
CLOUDY HIGH 32 LOW 23
OPINION
MUSCATEL: BIG PHARMA NEEDS TO CHANGE PAGE 6
WOODLAND: THE FRAT BAN IS ACTUALLY GOOD PAGE 7
ELIAS: STUCK IN HANOVER PAGE 7
ARTS
‘THE LIVING’ TO DISCUSS HUMANITY IN THE FACE OF DEADLY EPIDEMIC PAGE 8
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COPYRIGHT © 2019 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
College conducts tests Letter to town clerk asserts new for applicability of new voters can register without license geoexchange system B y ANDREW SASSER The Dartmouth
As students walk across the Green over the next few days, they may notice another fenced-off, ongoing campus project. Earlier this week, the College commenced drilling wells on the Green to learn more about the viability of a geoexchange system at the College, which would be a renewable energy option to meet up to 30 percent of the College’s heating needs. According to facilities
operations and management associate director Tim McNamara, this drilling was done to test the viability of geoexchange heating as an alternative to the current steam-powered heating system. Geoexchange heating is a mechanism of heating that relies on the difference in temperature between the surface and underlying rock. According to sustainability director Rosalie Kerr ’98, SEE GEOEXCHANGE PAGE 3
Barber chides exclusion from voucher program B y PIERCE WILSON The Dartmouth
Co-owners of Hanover Haircutters Ryan and Robert Romano, a father-son duo, have voiced criticism of the Office of Pluralism a n d L e a d e r s h i p ’s h a i r c a re vo u ch e r p ro g r a m , which serves low-income communities on campus by offsetting the cost of hair care. The Romanos said that the vouchers can only be used at one barbershop in
Hanover, unduly benefiting the operations of one shop over others. OPAL hair care vouchers can only be used at The People’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor, which has been open for nearly two months as of this week. Sean Taylor, the owner of the shop, had previously had a relationship with the College through a previous iteration of OPAL’s hair care program, wherein SEE VOUCHERS PAGE 5
PETER CHARALAMBOUS/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Students register to vote in New Hampshire at a registration drive in the Rockefeller Center.
B y MAYA KEMPF-HARRIS The Dartmouth
Individuals seeking to register to vote in New Hampshire cannot be denied the right to do so even if they have not yet obtained a driver’s license, according to a Nov. 7 letter sent by state officials to Hanover town clerk Betsy McClain. The letter — signed by New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald ’83 and New Hampshire Department of Safety commissioner Ro b e r t Q u i n n , o f f e r e d clarification on House Bill 1264, a state law signed by Gov. Chris Sununu (R)
last year that changed the statutory definition of residence. Despite concerns that in order to be able to register to vote in New Hampshire, new voters — particularly college students from out of state — would have to first obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license, the letter asserts that registering to vote means an individual is establishing residency in the state. According to the letter, the definitions of ‘resident’ and ‘residence’ hold the same legal meaning as ‘domiciliary’ and ‘domicile’ as a result of HB 1264, and because registering to vote requires that a voter establish his or her domicile, McClain said
it appears as if registering to vote is therefore now a declaration of residency. “We used to refer folks to a publication on the Secretary of State’s website prior to this law,” McClain said. “It was very clear that students in particular have the option of claiming New Hampshire as their voting domicile while still continuing legal residence in another state. T his law seems to sort of — if I understand the guidance correctly — this law takes that option off the table, which means when you register to vote, you are declaring your residency.” The letter to McClain SEE VOTING PAGE 2
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
License acquisition must occur by 60 days after establishing residency Regardless of any question around the law, any votes cast in a New further details that “obligations for Hampshire election by out-of-state new residents have not changed,” students must be counted because and that under the motor vehicle those students are able to register code, an individual has 60 days to vote and receive a ballot. from the day he or she establishes “All votes cast are counted,” residency in New Hampshire to McClain emphasized. “We don’t acquire a driver’s license if they have any provisional voting here, operate a vehicle in the state so all votes cast are counted.” and the same amount of time to McClain further elaborated that register a vehicle if they own a the lack of a New Hampshire’s vehicle. driver’s license “will absolutely not “It seems to be somewhat in get in the way of registering to vote conflict with earlier guidance or casting a ballot or having that that we had, ballot count.” which basically “The important thing This same told us that if point was is, there is absolutely we received emphasized by q u e s t i o n s no confusion, nor has New Hampshire regarding the there been in my mind League of laws of New Women Voters H a m p s h i r e anyway, that a person president Liz o t h e r t h a n does not need a New Tentarelli, who election laws, said she does Hampshire driver’s we were not believe that s u p p o s e d t o license in order to the letter sent convey those to register to vote.” to McClain the appropriate was effective in state agency,” clarifying the M c C l a i n -BETSY MCCLAIN, effects of the HB said. “The 1264 law. HANOVER TOWN CLERK important “I don’t think thing is, there it clarifies is absolutely no anything,” confusion, nor Tentarelli said. has there been in my mind anyway, “I think it keeps insisting there are that a person does not need a New no changes, but if there are no Hampshire driver’s license in order changes, why did we pass the bill to register to vote.” in 2017 with a very specific change New Hampshire does not have in it? So I think it’s disingenuous on provisional voting, a type of voting the part of the Secretary of State in which a voter whose eligibility and the [New Hampshire] Justice is in question is given a provisional Department to say that nothing has ballot that is kept separate from changed.” other ballots and not counted She later referred to the letter until their eligibility is resolved. as “a way of not addressing the FROM VOTING PAGE 1
situation honestly.” Critics of HB 1264 have said that the bill constitutes a poll tax, citing the requirement that college students and others affected by the law obtain a driver’s license as an example. However, the letter states that “No one can be denied the right to register to vote or vote for failure to meet the requirements of the motor vehicle code.” “The idea that [college students] might have to get a new driver’s license even if they still have three years to go on it in their home state is an intimidation to them as they prepare to register,” Tentarelli said. “[College students] are spending nine or 10 months a year here, they’re spending money in local stores, they’re working part-time jobs, they’re volunteering in their communities, and they really did consider it their civic domicile.” Tentarelli also noted the possible financial problems the law could
pose for out-of-state college students beyond the price of purchasing new licenses and car registrations. “Nobody is quite sure of where they stand,” Tentarelli said. “If they register to vote, are they now residents of New Hampshire? Would that affect their scholarship from Pennsylvania or Maryland or wherever they might have gotten a scholarship if they’re now residents of New Hampshire?” Tentarelli added that it was “not realistic” for students to have to worry about something such as the status of their scholarships while registering to vote. Tentarelli said that she believes one of the law’s f laws is its inability to be cross-checked for enforcement. “You are basically declaring residency when you sign that voter registration form,” Tentarelli said. “And by law in New Hampshire, residents need to get — if they
drive — need to get driver’s licenses in New Hampshire within 60 days. Right now, there is no way to crosscheck that. A student at Dartmouth or any other college who may have a car on campus and may be driving in New Hampshire — if he does not get a New Hampshire driver’s license — the Secretary of State and Attorney General aren’t going to know that.” If an out-of-state student feels discouraged about voting in New Hampshire, Tentarelli said she wants students to be aware of alternative options, such as absentee ballots for their home state. “If this law is discouraging to college students to vote in New Hampshire, but they still have ties to their home state, they should remember that they can register there and vote in that state’s presidential primary and vote in that state’s November election as well,” Tentarelli said.
THE STARS AND STRIPES
CORRECTIONS Correction appended (Nov. 12, 2019): The Nov. 12, 2019 article “College’s capital campaign nears 75 percent of $3 billion goal” described Robert Lasher’s position as senior vice president of advertisement. He is senior vice president of advancement. The online version of the article has been updated to reflect this change. We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
LORRAINE LIU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Members of Dartmouth’s ROTC lower the American flag on the Green on Veterans Day.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
PAGE 3
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Testing evaluates efficacy of new heating system on small scale FROM GEOEXCHANGE PAGE 1
geoexchange heating involves moving heat without burning oil to either heat or cool buildings. McNamara added that geothermal exchange with hot water could be up to 15 percent more efficient than the current steam-based system the College uses. However, before the College can commit to geoexchange heating, testing must be done to evaluate how effective the heating will be on a small scale. According to vice president of institutional projects Josh Keniston, the testing will evaluate the number of wells needed to heat buildings such as Webster Hall, the site of Rauner Special Collections Library, with geoexchange heating. Kerr added that because drilling wells can cost up to $10,000 per well, the College does not want to commit to geoexchange heating without seeing its full benefits. “It’s expensive to drill a 500-foot well, and in order to heat one building we might need 20 wells,” Kerr said. “We don’t want to drill these wells without determining whether the geological conditions are good for geothermal exchange.” According to McNamara, the well will sit for five days to allow the pipe to heat up to the underground temperature. He added that after this phase, water will be injected
into the pipe, and the difference in temperature between the water that goes in and the water that comes out will be measured. In planning for the geoexchange testing, both the Green and the Dewey Field Lot were chosen as sites to evaluate geoexchange heating. The drilling on Dewey Field Lot will occur during winter break in the week of Dec. 9. Kerr said that these sites were chosen because they are surrounded by a number of different buildings. McNamara also added that because the pipes are underground, these sites could have hundreds of wells and still be used for their normal purposes. “These are big open sites,” McNamara said. “We don’t have that many areas central to campus that are big and open, so the Green and Dewey Field [Lot] would allow us to put down lots of wells without changing the use of the sites.” The geoexchange testing is a part of the Dartmouth Green Energy Project, which, according to Kerr, seeks to improve the efficiency of on-campus heating and cooling. While she noted that the process would require a source of electricity to pump heat to and from the ground, she added that it would transition the campus away from a dependence on carbon-intensive fuels like the No. 6 fuel oil currently used for campus
NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
An area of the Green is fenced off for geoexchange testing.
heating. When it comes to determining whether or not the College will move forward with geoexchange heating, Keniston said that it will take some time for the costs and benefits to be
determined. Keniston added that the College does not expect that geoexchange heating will meet more than 30 percent of the College’s heating needs, a factor that will have to be weighed against the cost of
drilling the wells. “We have to look at the financials and how much we’re talking about,” Keniston said. “We also want to see how much of our heating and cooling needs can be met by this system.”
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DARTMOUTHEVENTS
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
SUN GOES YEET
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
CHARLIE PIKE ’22
TODAY 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Reading: “Leadbelly and Olio,” with poet Tyehimba Jess, sponsored by the Department of English, Sanborn House, Sanborn Library.
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Lecture: “Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed,” with New York University professor Lisa Duggan, sponsored by the Ethics Institute, Department of Government, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, and the Consortium of Studies in Race, Migration and Sexuality, Steele Hall, Room 006.
7:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Screening: “Student Film Screening: FS30 Documentary Videomaking,” sponsored by the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Black Family Visual Arts Center, Loew Auditorium.
TOMORROW 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Fair: “Dartmouth College Library Staff Association’s Annual Craft Fair,” sponsored by the College Library, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Alumni Hall.
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Viewing: “Public Astronomical Observing,” sponsored by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shattuck Observatory.
ADVERTISING For advertising infor mation, please call (603) 646-2600 or email info@ thedartmouth.com. The advertising deadline is noon, two days before publication. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Opinions expressed in advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of The Dartmouth, Inc. or its officers, employees and agents. The Dartmouth, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire. USPS 148-540 ISSN 0199-9931
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
PAGE 5
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Barber says voucher program creates unfair business advantage FROM VOUCHERS PAGE 1
he visited campus once a month to provide haircuts — primarily to black students. Since the opening of his shop, Taylor’s partnership with OPAL hair care has continued — students are able to use $20 vouchers from OPAL to receive a discount at the People’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor. Ryan Romano, who moved to Hanover recently to join his family’s business, said that OPAL’s voucher program, its partnership with the People’s Barbershop and the news coverage surrounding the prog ram and barbershop opening not only created an unfair business advantage, but also conveys the message that the People’s Barbershop is the only place in town for black hair care. “Anybody who has hair, we can cut it,” Ryan Romano said. “So, my question was — and you know I hope that he does well out there, I’m not against that. My question is, why is the voucher only being promoted through his shop as only to be used at his shop. I feel like it should be any shop that somebody chooses.” Romano said that he had previously reached out to OPAL about his desire to take part in
the program, but he claimed that they were unreceptive to his request, noting that OPAL would only be working with The People’s Barbershop for the time being. Representatives from OPAL were unable to be reached for comment for this article. Romano said that Hanover Haircutters has a large black clientele, and he worries that the OPAL hair care vouchers will unfairly draw that clientele away from Hanover Haircutters and into The People’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor. “We have a lot of black clientele, so do we lose our clientele all of a sudden because they say, ‘Oh wow, I can go get a voucher and get a haircut over there?” Ryan Romano asked. Romano said that he understands the difficulty black students face in finding hair care services on campus. He added that when he used to cut hair in Vermont, he had black clients who would drive from hours away to see him as they could not receive hair care services elsewhere. “But the thing is, we can do it, and we’re willing to participate [in OPAL hair care], so why can’t we?” he asked. However, not all hair care
OLYMPIA NAGEL-CALAND/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
The owners of Hanover Haircutters assert that their business should be eligible for OPAL’s hair care voucher program.
businesses in town expressed c o n c e r n a b o u t t h e vo u c h e r program. Tanzi’s Salon hosts a stylist brought to Hanover by OPAL on select dates each term. Owner
Heather Blake said the opening of the The People’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor and the OPAL hair care voucher program have not impacted her business, as salons
and barbershops typically draw different crowds. “There’s a big need for someone who can cater to thick hair,” Blake said.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
GUEST COLUMNIST GARRETT MUSCATEL ’20
Big Pharma Needs to Change
Surging prices and excessive profit margins aren’t necessary for innovation.
DEBORA HYEMIN HAN, Editor-in-Chief
AIDAN SHEINBERG, Publisher
ALEX FREDMAN, Executive Editor PETER CHARALAMBOUS, Managing Editor
PRODUCTION EDITORS CAROLINE COOK & EOWYN PAK, Opinion Editors KYLEE SIBILIA & NOVI ZHUKOVSKY, Mirror Editors LILI STERN & ADDISON DICK, Sports Editors LEX KANG & LAUREN SEGAL, Arts Editors DIVYA KOPALLE, Photo Editor SAMANTHA BURACK & BELLA JACOBY, Design Editors HATTIE NEWTON, Templating Editor JESS CAMPANILE, Multimedia Editor
ANTHONY ROBLES, Managing Editor
BUSINESS DIRECTORS JONNY FRIED & JASMINE FU Advertising & Finance Directors HIMADRI NARASIMHAMURTHY & KAI SHERWIN Business Development Directors ALBERT CHEN & ELEANOR NIEDERMAYER Strategy Directors VINAY REDDY & ERIC ZHANG Marketing, Analytics and Technology Directors
ELIZA JANE SCHAEFFER, Engagement Editor WILLIAM CHEN & AARON LEE, Data Visualization Editors
ISSUE LAYOUT AMBER BHUTTA
ISSUE COPY EDITOR
JULIAN NATHAN
SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College and
should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.
As talk of “Medicare For All” begins to dominate the Democratic presidential primary, discussion of “Big Pharma,” or the pharmaceutical industry, become all the more frequent. The rising price of life-saving drugs contributes to a fast-growing sense of insecurity in the American health care system. A Nov. 7 column in The Dartmouth written by Gabrielle Levy ’22 implored students in to “Stop Hating on Big Pharma” because research and development is expensive — thus, the rise in prices is necessary to pay for this R&D. However, this argument misses the larger picture of Big Pharma’s corrupting influence on the rising cost of life-saving drugs for people who need them the most. For full disclosure, I serve on the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, where I spend most of my time on health insurance and culling the rising cost of prescription drugs. The pharmaceutical industry can attempt to frame Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli and his outrageous price hikes as an outlier, but he is just one of many insidious examples of the pharmaceutical industry profiting off of people that must buy their products to stay alive. Take insulin as an example. In 1923, the patent for insulin was sold for $1; yet today, the most popular forms of insulin can cost over $400 per vial. Most diabetics need several vials per month, raising the cost of surviving for millions of Americans by thousands of dollars each year. Due to weak regulatory enforcement, these price hikes go unchecked, putting American lives at risk just to make a buck. A January study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that as many as one in four diabetics report difficulty paying for life-saving insulin. “Big Pharma” shouldn’t need profit as an incentive to innovate when human lives are at risk. Day after day, I hear stories in the legislature about how rising prescription drug costs are the number one driver of increasing insurance premiums. The industry’s tactics are harming Americans far too frequently, which is why Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord) and I have introduced a bill to cap cost-sharing for insulin at $100 per month. Big Pharma lobbyists have continually opposed critical efforts like ours to make prescription drugs more affordable, calling them harmful to “innovation.” Pharmaceutical executives often dismiss rising prices as a result of the extremely high costs of research and development associated with new drugs. It is true that Big Pharma spends billions of dollars developing new drugs that significantly
improve our lives every year. However, R&D does not actually account for the majority of company spending — a study from the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing showed that R&D accounts for only 20 percent of spending, about the same as what is spent on marketing. Television ads alone accounted for $3.7 billion in spending in 2018, with much of it going towards expensive brand name drugs like Humira, used to treat arthritis, which retails at approximately $8,200 for 40 milligrams. Direct-to-consumer advertising is illegal in every other country except New Zealand and often faces criticism for exaggerating benefits, downplaying side effects and avoiding even the slightest discussion of cost. According to my calculations, Big Pharma could nearly double R&D spending and still make a hefty profit if they cut down on ads, but that’s just the beginning. Pharma also spends big on efforts to stifle generic competition, such as offering coupons that lower the copays of brand-name drugs to just below the cost of generic alternatives. These coupons seem like a great deal, but we all end up paying for them through higher insurance premiums and lower wages for those who get their insurance through an employer. A 2016 study showed that coupons increased drug spending by $2 billion during the sample period. Manufacturers make a six-to-one return on investment from coupons, but the evidence suggests that coupons have no impact on patient’s ability to access their medications. We pay more for insurance, the pharmaceutical industry walks away with a bigger profit — and no one is any healthier. This is just one more example of the brilliant yet devastating efforts of Big Pharma to increase their profits at our expense, and it demonstrates the urgent necessity of reform. This College sits in New Hampshire, a state hit hard by the opioid epidemic. This is a place where Big Pharma’s greed seemingly knows no bounds. I’ve known too many people hurt by the lax regulation in this industry, and I’m sure many of you reading this feel the same way. I’m not ready to write off Big Pharma just yet, but it’s about time we did something to rein in the high prices and pill-pushing that are claiming too many American lives. Garrett Muscatel, a Democrat and a member of the Class of 2020, represents Hanover in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The Dartmouth welcomes guest columns. We request that guest columns be the original work of the submitter. Submissions may be sent to both opinion@thedartmouth. com and editor@thedartmouth.com. Submissions will receive a response within three business days.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
PAGE 7
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST OPHELIA WOODLAND ’23
STAFF COLUMNIST CHANTAL ELIAS ’22
The Frat Ban is Actually Good
Stuck in Hanover
The frat ban promotes freshmen class bonding.
Dartmouth must remove barriers to study abroad experiences.
I’m a first-year, and I love the “frat ban.” However, dorm parties certainly force you to Well, maybe I don’t love it, but I certainly meet other freshmen. After all, how can you not understand where it’s coming from. when you’re somehow touching three of them Barring freshmen from open Greek spaces at once? Getting to know members of your for the first six weeks of fall term is honestly own class is essential for a happy Dartmouth one of the best things Dartmouth does for us. experience. There are pros and cons — as with all policies Dorm parties also make frat parties safer. — but I would say the frat ban is a net positive. They naturally lead freshmen to find “GoingIt encourages class unification, friendship and Out Buddies”: friends who look out for you and gives freshmen a safer space to test their limits, won’t leave the party without you at their side. in alcohol and otherwise. I’ve been here for These buddies become especially important only nine weeks, but I’ve been a freshman for when navigating a basement for the first time; all of them, so I feel confident that I’m mostly it’s dark, loud, crowded and every surface is qualified to offer an opinion on this. mysteriously wet. That can be disorienting The frat ban requires freshmen to bond — and somewhat disconcerting — no matter with their class before they your level of intoxication. seek out relationships with It’s nice to have a hand to “Barring freshmen upperclassmen. This isn’t hold and someone to walk from open Greek to say that upperclassman home with. friends aren’t amazing — Then, there is the spaces for the first six they are. They can show alcohol issue. To put it weeks of fall term is you the cleanest bathrooms gracefully, some of us really honestly one of the on campus and teach didn’t know how to handle you how to send a flitz. best things Dartmouth ourselves at the beginning They’re excellent mentors. of the year. I’ve overheard does for us.” The sad truth, though, several rather comedic is that eventually they’re Friday night snippets in my going to leave you soon time here, including gems enough. Only your own class will be around like, “How do you get vomit out of a suit?” to remember the fall of 2019 and the days and “If I drink a gallon of water, will that of yore. These memories are important and cancel out a hangover, like PEMDAS?” only remain alive when relived through oral Lucky for us, we’ve had the tame tradition and mutual reminiscence. environment of freshman dorm parties to Freshmen friends are vital. Recognizing learn about the joys and pitfalls of moderate this, the College insists on sophomore rush to extreme intoxication. The stakes are much and makes great efforts to encourage class lower in a dorm full of friends than in the bonding during Orientation Week (class-wide anonymity of a crowded frat basement; it assemblies, s’mores parties, class crafting is very easy to spot and assist a struggling activities, etc.). In Chef Hanlon’s kitchen, classmate in the harsh fluorescent lighting the frat ban is simply the cherry on top, the of first floor Mid-Fay. The number of fellow final garnish, the finishing touch for unifying freshmen I have coaxed into drinking a glass the incoming class. I’m thinking of writing a of water — or convinced to maybe slow down thank you note. a bit with the Black Cherry White Claw — is Don’t get me wrong — I’ve complained staggering. about the frat ban pretty much every night I’ve his feeling of camaraderie in our shared been out this year. I know it’s good for me, but tomfoolery has created a safe, judgment-free that doesn’t mean it’s fun — like going to the environment for us naive ’23s to make absolute dentist. It can be annoying! clowns of ourselves and figure out what our The frat ban necessitates six long weeks limits truly are. of dorm parties, and you’re only able to fit But, after six long weeks of throwing up, so many bodies in a dorm before things start poor decision-making, learning, growing, to get sweaty — and that’s if you can find a finding friends and throwing up some more, dorm party to begin with. There’s no pong, the Class of 2023 has emerged from our frat no dancefloor and the music is coming out ban chrysalis, and we are ready to join the of some tinny bluetooth speaker. This is not ranks of the rest of campus. We’ll see you in what I would call the perfect party experience. the basement.
As we gear up to pack our bags for abroad, Dartmouth should consider running winterim and head off campus, one subject language immersion trips during winterim frequents conversation: Dartmouth abroad to increase student accessibility to such experiences. With the quick turnaround experiences. between arriving back on campus for winter At first glance, I will admit the study abroad term and the Feb. 1 due date for applications options appeared diverse and plentiful. But for study abroad programs in the 2020-21 now, having completed more research and year, now is the time we must consider attending abroad fairs, I have noticed that our options and reach out for letters of the diversity of international programs is recommendation. limited. For example, there are government I was particularly excited for this year’s programs offered in Washington D.C., in Language Study Abroad and Foreign Study London, as well as the Rockefeller Center’s Programs, as I decided last year to remain on exchange program with Oxford University, campus all of sophomore year and save my while only “The Stretch” is offered for Earth abroad experience for junior fall or winter. Sciences. In addition, there are some areas My FSP, LSA+ and Exchange search over the of study that lack any study abroad option past couple weeks has offered me a window outside of the country, such as the math into an international education program that department, which only offers a domestic is not as robust as it may seem, and one that study program in Tampa, FL. The program precludes many students from participating. inequality across departments is discouraging Dartmouth inter national education for students who want to study a subject in a experiences are out of touch with Dartmouth’s different part of the world or perhaps during academic program, lack a different term than it is diversity in its offerings and offered. “The immersive are priced at exorbitantly Another barrier to Dartmouth study high levels. participation in these For most foreign study abroad experience is p ro g r a m s i s t h e c o s t programs, you must be associated with them. undoubtedly one of willing to give up a term In general, abroad to take courses in just one the College’s defining experiences come at far department. Dartmouth too high a price tag. The features.” encourages students to cost of flights and the large craft degrees that fully sum of money spent on encompass a liberal arts experiences while abroad education. Yet, for students pursuing a double creates an accessibility barrier to many, even major, or any combination of diverse areas of with Financial Aid being offered. Financial study, committing an entire term to another Aid may help with tuition costs and flights, course of study is often impossible. Not every but food being more expensive in many major course is offered each term, and thus, students cities, as well as suplemental experiences like have to account for this inconvenience and weekend travel and cultural events, makes a craft their schedules with this mind. This term abroad more expensive than a domestic requirement for international experiences, one. in addition to the prerequisite requirements, Dartmouth must make a concerted effort can be a major barrier to participation by to broaden its abroad offerings, to decrease Dartmouth students. their price and amend them to be more Specifically, LSA and LSA+ programs are flexible to account for demanding degree perhaps the hardest programs to complete requirements. The immersive Dartmouth if a student is pursuing a degree that does study abroad experience is undoubtedly one not include a language as a major, minor of the College’s defining features. Offering or modification. In many cases, students do a foreign study program with accompanying not have room in their academic plans to faculty members is admirable, but it needs to dedicate an entire term to credits from one be made more accessible. It is crucial that we language department, making the language acknowledge that the abroad experience is a immersion experience unattainable. While major draw for many prospective Dartmouth I acknowledge the merit in immersing students and develop programs to meet the oneself in a three-course language term large demand that exists.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
‘The Living’ to discuss humanity in the face of deadly epidemic
B y Helen liu
The Dartmouth
Bringing a new perspective to our understanding of how people react in the face of disease is this term’s MainStage theater performance “The Living,” which will be performed in The Moore Theater from Nov. 15 to 17. With darkly dramatic scenes and a profound take on the humanity of remaining kind in the face of adversity, the play recalls the struggle of Londoners in 1665 during the height of the bubonic plague in a way that is current and unmistakably relevant to the epidemics that still threaten to unravel society today. “The Living” depicts different characters interacting and processing the onset of the bubonic plague.. The play itself tackles some very difficult subject matters, including death, loss and the delicate balance between morality and survival. Each character is forced to confront the extent of their compassion for other people in the face of an active threat against their own well-being. The play is an incredibly emotional depiction of human suffering, and the hardships that each character undergoes are horrifying yet strikingly real. The cast brings to life the grit and tenacity of true survivors in a time where just staying alive is a challenge. Characters include Sarah Chandler, a mother left with no one but herself to lean on, played by Kerrigan Quenemoen ’20, Sir John Lawrence, a mayor singlehandedly saddled with the impossible task of restoring London to its former glory, played by Jenna Gallagher ’21, and Reverend Thomas Vincent, a clergyman who begins to question his own faith, played by Sophia Kinne ’20. These troubled individuals do the best that they can to survive
given the little they have left in the wake of an unrelenting disease. They support each other through their worst crises and keep each other from succumbing to hopelessness, forming a united front against an indefatigable enemy. “What stands out to me is the sense of humanity that’s underlined in the play,” said director Jamie Horton. “It really is about people helping other people in a time of colossal affliction.” Having himself played the role of tradesman John Graunt in the 1992 world premiere of the play, Horton said he feels a special connection to this production. According to Horton, it was refreshing to approach the play from a director’s perspective rather than an actor. “The Living” was written by Anthony Clarvoe during the height of the AIDS epidemic, and the play uses the 17th century bubonic plague to parallel the seemingly unstoppable progression of AIDS in the 1980s and 90s. “When you look at it through that lens, some of the lines in the play are really telling,” Gallagher said. A crowd favorite was the oneliner delivered by Lord Brounker, portrayed by Gabriel Jenkinson ’20: “Just a moment. Are you proposing the government pay for medical care?” Contrasting the grim nature of death and the AIDS epidemic, the writing of the play is often witty and clever, which adds a dimension to the show beyond just misery and suffering. In addition to dialogue, the actors took care to communicate their characters’ fear of contamination through movement and staging. It is impossible to ignore how none of the characters touch each other at all until the very end of the play. They are all so terrified of jeopardizing
their own health that they cannot bring themselves to come close to other people. This decision creates a telling distance between characters that informs how the audience perceives their anxious states of mind and establishes a general atmosphere of paranoia and fear throughout the play, much like the terrible tension felt throughout society during the AIDS crisis. A c c o r d i n g t o G a l l a g h e r, considering the persistence of modern-day epidemics like Ebola and the Zika virus, the play is quite relevant in spite of the difference in era. The entire production is extremely well-researched and historically accurate, in large part thanks to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center epidemiologist Elizabeth Talbot, who gave the cast an informed perspective on how people truly react when faced with pandemics like the plague. Having worked with Ebola victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she was able to not only teach the cast about epidemics in general but also help them develop various subtleties in their actions to reflect the reality of being unable to touch other people — to have to fight the instinct to hug and comfort others for the sake of staying alive. Another notable aspect of the play is that several of its male characters are played by women. According to Gallagher, the objective of the women who were casted was not to imitate men, but rather to first respond to the characters personally and genuinely and then add a few minor gender-specific movement adjustments. Additionally, Horton said that the play features more women actors in order to expand upon a traditionally male-dominated cast.
Gallagher said that she didn’t approach the play with the intent of playing a male character, but focused more on the personability of the character itself. “I fully played the role as myself,” Gallagher said. Design details in the sound, lighting and set were also used to highlight crucial themes of the play. The character John Graunt, played by Holden Harris ’20, describes the homes of the time as “crates of poisoned air floating in the air,” which is directly reflected in the set itself — a literal crate floating in the air. That image serves as a continual visual reminder of the miasma that threatens to choke out the entire population at any time. Costume designer Laurie Churba created period silhouettes with modern fabrics to immerse the audience in the period in which the story is set. Sound and lighting are used
dramatically throughout the show to incredible effect, heightening the emotion and power of every scene. This culminates in a final scene that leaves the audience with a lasting impression of hope, enduring and eternal. “They’re reflecting on life and death and looking to the future as well,” said stage manager Catherine Darragh ’13. Despite the dark themes that are prevalent throughout the play, it is ultimately neither depressing nor bleak; instead, the play inspires people to live on and face their destiny without fear. “That’s why the play is called ‘The Living,’” Gallagher said. “It’s not supposed to be doom and gloom. It’s about the people who live — it’s about how we push forward, but we don’t forget what has happened. It’s about how we can pick ourselves back up and move on with kindness for others.”
COURTESY OF ROB STRONG
The play incorporates modern, realistic references to infectious disease.