The Dartmouth 4/25/18

MIR ROR 4.25.2018

A WORD-LOVER TAKES ON STEM | 6

HERACLES VERSUS DARTMOUTH GREEK LIFE | 4-5

TTLG: THANKS FOR SAYING HI | 7 SUNNY TANG/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

2 //MIRR OR

Editors’ Note

The Rassias Method Travels Far STORY

MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

If a Cornell or University of Pennsylvania student were to stand in the middle of the Green on a sunny day, they might overhear comments containing foreign phrases such as “My English class is such a layup” or “He never responded to my flitz....” The visitor might scratch their head, shrug their shoulders and say, “It’s all Greek to me.” At Dartmouth, we have our very own language, reflecting our unique culture cultivated in the hills of New Hampshire. With any language, there are idioms and expressions reserved for fluent speakers who understand these unique phrases.

This week, the Mirror explores all that is Greek to us. Sixty-four percent of the eligible student body at Dartmouth is affiliated with a Greek letter organization.

White-panelled and Georgian-style mansions pepper our campus — collegiate playgrounds of the sons and daughters of Dartmouth. Letters from an alphabet we do not know and a language we do not speak appear on our doors, sweatshirts and laptops. Therefore, it is only fitting that in this issue we delve into all that is related to the ancient world of Aristotle and Plato — just kidding! Instead, we investigate the phenomena of block rushing fraternities, follow Hercules as he strolls through campus and get a glimpse of what it’s like to feel disoriented in class.

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4.25.18 VOL. CLXXV NO. 23 MIRROR EDITORS MARIE-CAPUCINE PINEAUVALENCIENNE CAROLYN ZHOU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ZACHARY BENJAMIN PUBLISHER HANTING GUO EXECUTIVE EDITOR AMANDA ZHOU

By Tina Lin

The Rassias method, created feel confident about themselves,” by former French and Italian Rassias-Miles said. “You should professor John Rassias, has touched love your audience in the sense countless students and teachers that you respect them, are trying globally. Even after his passing in to pull them in and make them feel 2015, this legacy continues to grow good about themselves.” and influence language education Overall, the Rassias method is worldwide. Developed during focused on spreading the love of Rassias’s time teaching languages language to others, conveying this to Peace Corps volunteers, the love and passion to them through R a s s i a s the use of method was “[The Rassias Method body language, designed to promoting engage people is] all about making m u t u a l in learning the people feel more respect and language by understanding confident about emphasizing and eliminating r e a l - l i f e themselves. You s e l f situations and should love your consciousness. the spoken On campus, the audience in the sense Rassias method word.

There are that you respect them, has impacted the five key points way Dartmouth t o R a s s i a s ’ are trying to pull students learn, p h i l o s o p h y, them, are trying to helping them according to pull them in, and make rapidly develop a PowerPoint their language providing an them feel good about skills. Many introduction themselves.” students arrive to the Rassias with learning method. The experiences f i v e p o i n t s -HELENE RASSIAS-MILES, revolving around are “know traditional EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR thyself,” t e x t b o o k “ c o n n e c t , ” OF THE RASSIAS CENTER exercises, “ s p e c i a l FOR WORLD LANGUAGES g r a m m a r d e l i v e r y, ” memorization “ s t a g e AND CULTURES AT and structured presence” and DARTMOUTH readings. As a “senses and result, exposure emotions.” to this new type “Know thyself ” refers to the of curriculum has yielded positive understanding one’s own values, feedback from many. beliefs, strengths, weaknesses Kylie Palacios ’21, who teaches and principles. “Connecting” adults Spanish in the local emphasizes relating the material to community, first encountered the the students’ life. As an example, Rassias method at Dartmouth.

John Rassias’ daughter Helene She noted that for her, it is a Rassias-Miles, the executive way of teaching the language director of the Rassias Center for exclusively through speech and World Languages and Cultures at hearing. For Palacios, the Rassias Dartmouth, suggested sharing fun method has a very specific pattern facts about the topic that tie it to that plays off sounds and actions. the underlying culture — in short, Drill instructors choose students making the content lively and to respond to questions by first relatable by integrating relevant pointing, snapping and then topics. “Special delivery” refers to a looking at them. These cues are drilling system that allows students pre-determined down to the body to work on communication skills, language the instructor uses, such learn pronunciation and recognize as hunching over or kneeling when l a n g u a g e p a t t e r n s t h r o u g h the student makes an error. repetition and manipulation.

Having been both a student Drilling and other techniques and a teacher using the Rassias work to making sure the student method, Palacios believes that its is the “star of the show” by efficacy lies in it enabling students developing a “stage presence.” to apply their language skills to Rassias-Miles emphasized the the real world, such as speaking goal of helping students feel well in the language at a normal empowered, recognizing that tempo. As a result, the Rassias learning languages can create method helps efficiently build up anxiety and vulnerability. Finally, a fluency unobtainable by simply “senses and emotions” points to reading a textbook. However, the use of multiple senses.

Palacios has been frustrated when “It’s all about helping people she experiences students hearing

the words but not knowing what the instructor is saying.

Evalyn Li ’21, who was first exposed to the Rassias method during a drill instructor workshop, noted that it was “super lively and very exciting.” She also remarked that it forced students to concentrate due to the rapid-fire repetition and random selection process.

Beyond Dartmouth, the Rassias method has gained global recognition for its impactful teaching style. Its application to different languages has led to workshops that bring together teachers from all over the country.

In January, Rassias-Miles led a workshop at Belmont Abbey College for Latin teachers from nine different states. Outside of the United States, the Rassias method has been used in multiple projects, such as the Inter-American Partnership for Education, which uses a “train the trainer” model to create an education network of Mexican teachers hoping to improve language instruction in classrooms through the Rassias method. IAPE teachers gather for intensive training before returning to their school systems to pass on their knowledge to district teachers. So far, both students and teachers have benefitted from improved proficiency in English after being taught by IAPE-trained mentors.

Furthermore, the method has been successful in China as a way of teaching English. Currently, some students are selected to go through existing programs throughout the school year.

Overall, the Rassias method represents a powerful conviction of commitment to the love of languages and teaching, promoting students’ senses of empowerment and fulfillment in their language studies. Its high-energy, attentiongrabbing implementation provides a captivating and fun experience for both teachers and students while helping meet their goals of proficiency. With its growing popularity, the Rassias method car ries the passion of John Rassias forward and continues to encourage the love of language.

MIRROR //3

Block Rushing at Fraternities — History and Present Day STORY

By Jimmy Nguyen

While some of the fraternities at Tu’64], you get a clear sense that the College may fall under certain fraternities have a character that stereotypes, many fraternities have can be ‘read’ by examining current diversified their incoming classes members,” Dobson wrote in an to better encompass the College’s email statement. “There also starts different strengths, from its sport to be more depictions of rush as teams to its student government. involving the concept of ‘fit’ in This is a vastly different outcome terms of the existing culture. I than the homogeneity that can would think that this was all a result from block rushing — when prerequisite for a concept of ‘block a group of friends or teammates rushing’ — otherwise there would rush a single fraternity. be no recognizable change.”

With Dartmouth’s male history, Dobson’s point about “fit” it is easy to seems to resonate t h i n k t h a t “Things pick up a bit with what current block rushing fraternity traces back to more in the 1940s and brothers have to times of black 1950s and certainly say about rushing. and white H oweve r, j u s t photographs. by the time of Chris because the H o w e v e r , Miller [’63 Tu’64], you opportunity for E n g l i s h block rushing get a clear sense that professor exists at every J a m e s fraternities have a fraternity doesn’t D o b s o n , character that can be mean block who teaches rushing will ‘read’ by examining English 55.12, a l w a y s o c c u r.

“Dartmouth current members.”

Nowadays, some Fictions,” in fraternities are which students m ai n t a i n i n g a analyze the -JAMES DOBSON, ENGLISH sustained effort C o l l e g e ’ s PROFESSOR to keep their h i s t o r y fraternities t h r o u g h diversified in literature, sports and other explained that block rushing is extracurricular activities. a relatively recent phenomena.

Benjamin Adler ’18, a brother of Dobson explained that people Beta Alpha Omega fraterity, thinks probably didn’t attribute major Beta is open-minded in evaluating stereotypes to Greek organizations prospective brothers. until sometime after World War II. “We’ve had a history of trying “Things pick up a bit more in to select classes that pull from the 1940s and 1950s and certainly different places in campus, so it’s by the time of Chris Miller [’63 always had a strong contingency

COURTESY OF RAUNER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY

The College derecognized Beta Theta Pi fraternity in 1996, which went local as Beta Alpha Omega in 2008.

of varsity athletes, club athletes from lots of different teams, but those teams are varied,” Adler said.

“We try and look at each person as an individual. For example, of the ’19’s class, we had like eight or nine track guys, but the year before I think there was two or three …

That year, there was a lot of track guys who, on their own accord, wanted to rush the house and would be good fits.”

This variety isn’t limited to Beta. As Adler, a lightweight rower, recalls, for the Class of

COURTESY OF RAUNER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY

A group of brothers from Beta Theta Pi fraternity, now Beta Alpha Omega, gather for a group photo in the 1970s.

2018, the lightweight rowers did not block rush Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, as was expected.

According to Adler, lightweight rowers in the class of 2018 are spread across fraternities like Alpha Chi Alpha, Beta, Chi Gam and Sigma Alpha Epsilon — not to forget that there are also rowers who choose to be unaffiliated with the Greek system.

Adler remember s how he considered rushing Chi Gam, but knew he wanted something different and rushed Beta.

“I knew that I wanted a new outlet,” Adler said. “Rowing takes up a lot of time. I wanted to find a place where I can meet new people and get away from the sport when I needed to.”

Despite being in a different fraternity than most of the other lightweight rowers, Adler still feels welcome and comfortable in his team. As with many, if not all, organizations on campus, deciding to rush a certain house does not necessarily interfere with one’s relationships outside of Greek life. And such is the reason why breaking away from patterns of block rushing have occurred in present times without consequence.

Junfei Yu ’19, brother at Sigma Nu fraternity, also sees plenty of diversity in his fraternity. Even so, Yu further expands the concept of block rushing to recognize that there are advantages and disadvantages to the block rushing process.

“I think that personally, if I’m involved in a house where there are a bunch of athletes, and if

I’m one of them, I would feel great because I’d be living with my teammates,” Yu said. “But if I’m in a house and everyone but me is from a certain team, then I’d feel a bit uncomfortable because I wouldn’t feel as close to everyone.”

To Yu, whether block rushing is beneficial depends on whether or not one is part of the group doing the block rush. Block rushing is not so much a crooked process as it is teammates building a supportive network. Most people who have been on a team understand the importance of sticking together and fostering close ties; Yu understands this from playing basketball in high school.

Fraternities that center around a specific sport understand this too.

During the rush period, the concept of block rushing is not on all students’ minds as they decide which fraternity to rush.

Rather, it simply occurs from the desire to connect with already well-established friendships. What Yu and Adler both agree on is that block rushing is not a controlling factor in the Greek system. When block rushes occur at Dartmouth, the relationships between each group member should not be ignored. It is a driving factor and not so different from why any student rushes a fraternity that houses familiar friends and acquaintances.

“I think at the end of the day, the decision of where you rush is something that is controlled far more by the people who are rushing and less by the systematic — if there are any systematic — norms or trends or histories,” Adler said.

4// MIRROR

STORY

By Cristian Cano

According to legend, Heracles was tasked with slaying the Lernaean Hydra, a nine-headed water monster who grew back two heads for every one cut off. Eventually, with the help of his nephew Iolaus, Heracles discovered that fire could cauterize the Hydra’s necks, preventing the regeneration of new heads. With this strategy, he sliced off the beast’s last head and won the fight.

This time around, Heracles’ mastery of water and heat again proves useful. Instead of killing a monster, he simply must make his way into the Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity hot tub. Not unlike the Hydra’s regeneration, it seems like one person always leaves the hot tub only for two more to enter (usually a brother and his romantic interest.)

So, how will Heracles make his way into the crowded space? Perhaps he will once again take advantage of scorching temperatures, discreetly raising the temperature until no student can stand it anymore. Our Greek hero, however, is accustomed to extreme conditions, so sitting in scalding water is nothing more than a relaxing experience.

The Lernaean Hydra

AMANDA ZHOU/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

MIRROR //5

With his final task completed, Heracles is finally free to depart from Hanover. Whether he’s saving Ancient Greece from evil or just kicking it back with his friends on Webster Avenue, Heracles has once again proven himself to be a true Greek hero.

AMANDA ZHOU/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Another of Heracles’ original tasks was to clean the Augean Stables in one day, inhabited by immortal livestock known for producing plentiful amounts of waste. The clever Heracles rerouted the two rivers to flood the stables, cleaning them instantly — albeit at the cost of some serious water pollution.

The modern-day equivalent, some might say, is cleaning every single fraternity house in a single day. Unfortunately, the only rivers he’ll be finding this time are those arising from overflowing toilets and urinals, so he’ll have to do things the old-fashioned way. With trash bags in one hand and a mop in the other, our hero will zip through each house, placing each discarded beer can where it belongs and doing his best to cut through the suspiciously sticky layer of grime coating the floor.

Although, let’s be honest, even Heracles can’t completely get rid of the stickiness. Having done his best, Heracles moves on to his next assignment, blissfully oblivious to the fact that after this weekend, each house will be just as bad as before.

The Augean Stables

Heracles was ordered to defeat bronze-beaked metallic-feathered birds with a hunger for human flesh. Unable to venture into the swamp where the birds dwelled, Heracles received help from the goddess Athena. The goddess gave Heracles a rattle that could scare the birds into the air. Then, he could shoot down the birds with his arrows.

Heracles’ next task is to empty a crowded, totally-not-over-maximumcapacity basement dance party. Shoving his way through the crowd is probably worse for his health than traversing a poisonous swamp, so that strategy won’t work. Without Athena’s help, what can he do?

Fortunately, Heracles soon learns an important weakness of crowded basements: warnings of Safety and Security. So, Heracles starts spreading the word that S&S is coming, maybe even flickering the lights for dramatic effect. Sure enough, the cautious crowd soon disperses.

According to myth, the frightened birds would eventually run into the Argonauts, proving to be a nuisance once again. Perhaps the frustrated partiers will also relocate and continue their night of revelry in another basement. For once, it’s not Heracles’ problem.

The Stymphalian Birds

A Greek Hero Reborn: Heracles Versus Dartmouth Greek Life

Cerberus

Thousands of years ago, legend says that the Greek hero Heracles, having killed his own family in an act of madness, traveled to the Oracle of Delphi to learn how he could atone for his wrongdoings. The Oracle instructed him to serve King Eurystheus for 12 years, completing any tasks that the king requested.

Despite Heracles’ successes, 12 years of servitude were not enough. Now, in 2018, Heracles has been ordered to face new challenges, inspired by some of his original trials of millennia past.

The Nemean Lion Heracles’ final task was to make his way to the Underworld, where no mortal dared venture, and return with Cerberus, the three-headed canine that guarded the Underworld’s entrance. According to legend, Heracles had encountered the Underworld’s ruler, Hades, along the way. Hades agreed to let our hero face the three-headed beast only if he did not use any weapons.

Heracles proceeded to defeat Cerberus by wrestling him with his own two hands, carrying it all the way back to Eurystheus.

Dartmouth’s Greek houses are home to many furry friends, and though they may not be as monstrous as Cerberus himself, some of them can get feisty. Heracles’ final task is to walk all of the fraternity and sorority dogs on campus … simultaneously. Weapons are of no use to him here. He can only use his two hands and some treats to make sure that the canines stay calm and the sidewalks stay clean.

Dartmouth dogs are energetic — some more than others — and it will take all of Heracles’ might to keep them from wrestling with each other. At times, our hero may even want to join in the wrestling himself, but in the end, he resists the temptation.

Heracles was asked to perform a seemingly impossible task: steal the apples from the garden of the Hesperides. He eventually did so by offering to momentarily switch places with Atlas, the Titan responsible for holding up the heavens. Atlas, free from his burden, grabbed the apples but then decided that he didn’t want to return to his previous life. Heracles had to trick him back into his original place, leaving with the apples in hand.

Now, Heracles’ power of persuasion will be even more essential as he completes yet another seemingly-impossible task: persuade the workers at Collis Late Night to let him grab some food after closing time. Late Night workers have heard it all, and Heracles’ insistence that he knows exactly what he wants and it will only take a minute isn’t likely to work.

He could try to run past the worker at the entrance, but that’s just rude — and our hero refuses to practice bad character. Instead, he will again have to ask for help, this time by screaming to a student still inside to grab him what he wants. After a few loud, simple exchanges with the likely-intoxicated student, he will leave victoriously with his six mozzarella sticks.

Heracles promises to pay back his new friend eventually, although he’s still not sure what this “DBA” phenomenon is — perhaps it is some form of currency? In any case, isn’t the entire world already indebted to our hero for all the times he saved the world? For his sake, let’s hope so.

The Apples of the Hesperides

Back in the day, Heracles’ first task was to slay the Nemean Lion, a dangerous beast notorious for bringing its hostages back to its cave. Thanks to its impenetrable golden coat, Heracles’ efforts to shoot arrow after arrow proved futile. In some versions of the tale, he finally succeeded with an arrow to the lion’s furless mouth; in others, he strangled the lion with his bare hands.

There may not be lions on Dartmouth’s campus, but you can find something else golden and impenetrable in the depths of fraternity basements: The Golden Tree. Heracles’ first trial in Hanover is to face the Golden Tree head-on, playing pong against the best pong players on campus. Just as the Nemean Lion’s fur deflected Heracles’ arrows, the pong players’ paddles infallibly deflect even the most well-arced balls.

Serve after serve, rally after rally, neither side seems to ever detect an opening. Suddenly, with a perfect combination of luck, reflex and spin — he sinks! Heracles’ opponents sink to their knees in despair, oblivious to the filth of the basement floor. Heracles, on the other hand, raises his arms in a stance of victory. He has, at long last, triumphed over the Golden Tree.

Who knows what cruel punishment he has just avoided — the kind only whispered about in the legends of old? Thank the gods, he will never have to find out.

AMANDA ZHOU/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

6 //MIR ROR

A Fish Out Of Water: A Word-Lover Takes On STEM STORY

By Vanessa Smiley

AMANDA ZHOU/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

Numbers confuse me, science eludes me, but fortunately I possess the “useless” ability to hear the rhythm between words and read too deeply into texts — to transform the female body into a gesture of capitalist resistance, a character’s mixed skin tone into the embodiment of hybridity, a spectral figure into the enduring presence of our past or — if I’m feeling particularly misanthropic — the nonhuman, neoliberal Other.

I have worried, of course, about finding a job, because I presume that not many companies are seeking to hire someone with my qualifications.

But I take comfort in knowing that I still have a full three years before the capitalist machine that I have critiqued so fervently in writing subsumes me for a lifetime. In any case, my immediate concern is graduating, for which I need a technology or applied science course, a quantitative and deductive science class, two science courses and a lab. After bemoaning what I like to dub the academic hierarchy (why must I fulfill two science credits but only one literature credit?), I concluded that Computer Science 1, “Introduction to Prograaming and Computation,” was akin to learning a new language and so as close to a humanities class as any STEM course would ever get — except with a little more logic and a lot fewer symbols.

I was wrong.

My slow and painful death began the instant I set foot in the classroom — well, no, the auditorium which I

was to call a classroom. Accustomed relationships do, a nod of approval, to classes of 15 students gathered a glance every now and then, but around a table, all united in their these glances soon matured into collective enthusiasm or hostility full, uninterrupted stares. By the toward a text, I stood aghast as a second week, the ticking that only foreign and appalling scene unfolded I could hear had overpowered my before my eyes: hundreds of students professor’s voice, and the hundreds filed into the auditorium and, as of nameless heads had faded into if preconditioned to a mechanical the background as if to set the stage sitting formation, slipped into for a love story between my eyes and the rows and columns of their the clock. Perhaps the clock had choosing. Where was the book? found pleasure in this newfound How would the professor ever learn attention and, wanting to keep my our names? I voiced my concerns to gaze as it was, frozen and suspended, the student sitting next to me, who slowed down its beat: the ticking merely shrugged and explained that grew slower, the clock hands inched the professor would likely never forward. Sometime during my loveknow us by name. It struck stupor, was an introductory “He looked at me, it hit me: I STEM class, after all. was indebted slightly confused, Oh. This was my to time. My cue to seek refuge in the slightly amused, p a s s i o n fo r non-recording option, and, not quite language was but I was young and characterized naive and ready for knowing how first and the challenge, and thus to help, finally foremost by convinced myself that the absence laughed and the class would improve of time, but once the content rolled dismissed my alarm t h i s s i m p l e in. indif ference as a ‘humanities Wrong, again. By towards time thing.’” the second lecture I had soon found myself becoming escalated into more and more aware full-blown of things that had previously eluded hatred, for time was, in my eyes, me. a construct, an attempt by the The clock on the wall. An entity dominant culture to establish its of its own. I have never been notions of synchronicity as truth. Yet aware of time passing, but right here I was, anchoring my sense of then, confused as I was by the freedom on the very construct that while-loops and if-statements on enslaves us. I started panicking, and the screen, my eyes became fixated shared my concerns once more with on the clock. It started off like most the guy on my right. He looked at me,

slightly confused, slightly amused, had Computer Science 1 merely and, not quite knowing how to help, been an exercise in self-control. But finally laughed and dismissed my Computer Science 1 lacks the beauty alarm as a “humanities thing.”

I carve out from texts, be they visual But it only got worse. or auditory in nature. It’s the type My mind, you see, craves language. of beauty you find only when you In fact, craving may even be an reconstruct the world, when you understatement take the words — I need words and images to conceptualize “I scrummage through before you and t h e wo rl d , t o words every day, elevate them encapsulate to something a m b i g u i t y assigning a verb to greater than ( i m p o s s i b l e , every motion and an themselves, I know) and imbuing them adjective to every package the with meaning wide spectrum expression.” again and of emotions again until i nto co m pa c t, the meaning digestible chunks. itself, however I scrummage through words every personal and constructed, becomes a day, assigning a verb to every motion word or image of its own. Computer and an adjective to every expression. Sceience 1, however, has forced me The closer a word comes to to deconstruct the computerized representing reality as it is, or at least world to its most basic, constitutive as it appears to be, the more satisfied components: a series of 1s and 0s and calm I become. Numbers, I and nothing more. Every image now realize, stir up confusion in the and word on screen is merely that place of clarity for me, agitation in — 1s and 0s whose configuration the place of calm. But beyond this, is their only marker of uniqueness. numbers have forced me to confine Everything inside me recoiled at my thinking to a series of logical this truth, because it threatened to steps that are simply unfitting for impose on me a new framework a mind that creates universes from that utterly violates my tendency to words — forced me, even, to seek invent and reconstruct. But perhaps the objectivity of answers over this, too, is but another symptom the subjectivity of meaning, even of my humanities-stricken mind, though I have and will continue known only to those who share my to believe that my only certainty is same disease. overwhelming ambiguity.

In any case, I’m here now, Still, I could have tolerated indebted to time, enslaved to booleans and for-loops and operators, numbers and past the deadline for replete with their impulse to confine, the NRO.

Through The Looking Glass: Thanks For Saying Hi TTLG

MIRROR //7

By Alma Wang

By some mishap I’ve ended my day: a smile and a “Hey!” up here: senior spring, less than I know, logically, it’s not hard seven weeks left until I lose student to say “Hi.” How could one discounts and syllable be more access to the “How do I reply stress-inducing Cube and the than explaining Onion — not to the constant concepts as t o m e n t i o n complaint that a Te a c h i n g other trivial Assistant or people on this points, like writing an essay? lifelong friends campus don’t say How do I reply a n d a l u m n i hi to each other? to the constant connections and complaint that what not. Every I’ll agree that’s a people on this day since the problem, but I don’t campus don’t say realization of hi to each other? think I’m brave my impending I’ll agree that’s graduation hit enough to solve it.” a problem, but I has been a day of don’t think I’m mild existential brave enough to crisis, where my solve it. own identity Understanding and impact my “Hi”-related here feel like stress requires an a philosophical introduction to a question that different version even Aristotle or of myself. Young, Socrates would pre-Dartmouth break down at. In the midst of one me could have been the main particularly existentially stressful character of a cliché high school day, a friend-acquaintance whose movie where nerdy mathlete meets friendship thus far has been limited angsty teen, who then becomes to a single climbing trip passed by the popular girl’s pet project and me and gave me the highlight of has her life transformed. Except

this is real life, and a stereotypical nerd walked away from her time in high school not with a higher sense of self-worth and great hair but instead more lonely and self-conscious than before, her self-image shaped by the gumcovered floor she stared down at while rapidly shuffling from classroom to classroom. I was never bred to be friendly; rather, I’ve grown up trying so hard to avoid interactions that I still tense up in an instinctive fight-or-flight response within nanoseconds of making eye contact.

When I showed up to Dartmouth, weighed down by too much personal baggage, the biggest culture shock wasn’t the drinking or the wealth or the incredibly skewed ethnic breakdown of the student population. It was the chorus of “Hi!”s that filled this campus in that special, Dartmouth, small-school way. Genuine “Hi”s that not only acknowledged my existence, but also intentionally included me as a candidate for XYZ’s friend or acquaintance at the very least. The more Dartmouth students I get to know, the more I’m convinced that every student at Dartmouth, regardless of background, has an incredible story and perspective just waiting to be told. And somehow nervous, ordinary me gets the honor of being sewn into the conscious fabric of that person’s life — granted, as a thin thread of a hello, but that’s still a meaningful thread to me.

There was the moment when most common of all: a “Hi” from my DOC First-Year Trips leader a friend in passing, a reaffirmation said “Hi” to me, and I fell off my that I’ll see him or her again. bike. And the numerous times I am said “Hi” to, therefore I I’ve tripped saying am — I am a “Hi” back to a part of this “The more friend, once campus and walking into a wall. Dartmouth students as such have The enthusiastic I get to know, the the ability and mutual “Hi” to carve out more I’m convinced of a quality friend a p l a c e fo r a f t e r o v e r 2 4 that every student myself. I’ve hours apart. The built my own at Dartmouth, numerous “Hi”s Dartmouth that assuaged my regardless of using that fears of if he or background, has awareness that she remembered I have some me from our one an incredible story ownership introduction. The and perspective just over this “Hi” of a friend space. For me, waiting to be told.” whom seeing in this school p e r s o n re m i n d s is a mix of me of pleasant my love for memories past. academics, the The drunken outdoors and “HEYYY” and Tuesday (not bear hug on a night We d n e s d a y ) out. The “Hi” Collis trivia. t h at t u r n s i n t o It’s the time long meaningful I took over conversation or the “Hi” that just my sorority’s kitchen to make leads to small talk. And then the mochi with my non-sorority mix

COURTESY OF ALMA WANG

of friends. Or the Tuesday nights watching Rick and Morty on one of the big TVs in the Cube, the high level of procrastination loosely hidden by whiteboards surrounding the TV. It’s even the sense of impending doom from scrambling around lost on the top of Mount Cube in complete darkness and subfreezing temperatures during the Fifty. Now older, wiser and definitely crustier, I feel capable of, at the bare minimum, mustering up the courage to say “Hi” to those that lie somewhere in between stranger, acquaintance or friend, passing on that good juju that I know gets me through a bad day — and sometimes gaining a friend in return.

So to the person I forgot to tell my name to as a TA, the person who passed me on roller skates, the person I met at a Women in Computer Science meeting, the person I played trivia with at a Collis event, the person I met that one time via that one thing (you know who you are) and pretty much anyone else, thanks for saying “Hi.”

8// MIRROR

Mount Olympus on Earth PHOTO

By Divya Kopalle