Orientation 2018
VOL. CLXXV
09.05.2018
No. 58 ZACHARY BENJAMIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
www.thedartmouth.com
Copyright © 2018 The Dartmouth, Inc.
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THE DARTMOUTH ORIENTATION ISSUE 2018
EDITOR’S NOTE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
Table of Contents Join The Dartmouth, America’s Oldest College Newspaper PBS Investigation Shattuck Threatened
Welcome to Dartmouth, Class of 2022. We’re incredibly excited that you’re here, and we can’t wait to get to know you. The 2018 Orientation Issue highlights some of The Dartmouth’s most important coverages of the past year. At the start of last fall, we saw the beginning of a nearly year-long investigation into three professors in the psychological and brain sciences department for sexual misconduct. We also saw plans to construct a new 750-bed residence hall in College Park, plans that were cancelled after concerns that this structure could destroy Shattuck Observatory. The spring saw the announcement of the College’s capital campaign, “The Call to Lead.” This $3 billion initiative seeks to increase financial aid, help renovate campus, create new programs and support study abroad, among other goals. It also saw Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity face a membership review that decimated its brotherhood. Nationally, the March for Our Lives against gun violence sparked conversations about the role of gun control in our society, discussions that were reflected in The Dartmouth’s opinion pages. And throughout the year, Dartmouth’s athletes shone as they played for the Big Green — the brightest of whom were recognized as The Dartmouth’s Athletes of the Year. You may hear about these topics as you settle into life here at Dartmouth, We hope that this issue will give you a sense of what Dartmouth faced in the past year, and the kinds of things you yoursleves might be able to look forward to. We also hope that this edition will inspire you to become engaged in the Dartmouth community No matter what side you take on any of these topics, diversity of opinion and willingness to engage are essential for the College to thrive. Lastly, we invite you to join our team here at The Dartmouth. Whether your passion is writing, editing, photography, data-driven journalism, blogging or business development, there is a role on the second floor of Robinson Hall for everyone. We pride ourselves on being a teaching environment while serving the important function of an independent, student-run college newspaper. We look forward to providing you with the most timely, accurate and transparent coverage available over your four years here at the College.
6175 ROBINSON HALL, HANOVER N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600
ZACHARY BENJAMIN, Editor-in-Chief IOANA SOLOMON, Executive Editor ALEXA GREEN, Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS MATTHEW BROWN & LUCY LI, Opinion Editors MARIE-CAPUCINE PINEAU-VALENCIENNE & CAROLYN ZHOU, Mirror Editors NATHAN ALBRINCK, MARK CUI & SAMANTHA HUSSEY, Sports Editors JOYCE LEE, Arts Editor DIVYA KOPALLE & MICHAEL LIN, Photography Editors JESSICA CAMPANILE, Multimedia Editor JEE SEOB JUNG, Design Editors HATTIE NEWTON, Templating Editor ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN, Survey Editor
HANTING GUO, Publisher AMANDA ZHOU, Executive Editor SONIA QIN, Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS HEEJU KIM & BRIAN SCHOENFIELD, Advertising Directors SARAH KOVAN & CHRISTINA WULFF, Marketing & Communications Directors VINAY REDDY, Assistant Marketing & Communications Director BRIAN CHEKAL AND CAYLA PLOTCH, Product Development Directors BHARATH KATRAGADDA, Strategy Director YEONJAE PARK, Technology Director
4-7 8-11
Dartmouth’s Political Climate
16-17
Dartmouth Announces “The Call to Lead”
22-27
Opinion: On Guns and Gun Control
28-29
Sigma Phi Epsilon Faces Struggles Within
30-31
The D Sports Awards
THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
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THE DARTMOUTH ORIENTATION ISSUE 2018
Join the Dartmouth! B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The offices of The Dartmouth are located on the second floor of Robinson Hall, affectionately known as “Robo.” With editors and reporters cycling in and out as well as business staff facilitating the day-to-day operations, the offices are always filled with activity. The Dartmouth holds the distinction of being America’s oldest college newspaper (founded in 1799) and prints daily. In addition to our day-today written content, we have a blog (Dartbeat) as well as a social media presence on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. With nearly two million online page views every year, The Dartmouth serves an important role as the College’s independent newspaper. Most importantly, we are a teaching institution: many of our current Directorate members had their first taste of journalism at The Dartmouth and have stuck with it since, gaining realworld skills in editing, communication and management. Keep an eye out for applications for both our editorial and business sections during Orientation. The newspaper and the Dartmouth community welcome you to Hanover — our doors are always open. EDITORIAL News The news section keeps up with the pulse of the Dartmouth community, informing campus and our broader audience with happenings from all corners of the College. When Dartmouth-related news breaks, the community looks to The D for the important details. Recently, we’ve covered topics such as sexual misconduct allegations against multiple professors, the newly-announced capital campaign and housing controversies. Through investigative pieces, we delve deeper into campus issues and incorporate data analysis and visualization, providing insight into topics from political leanings on campus to the impact of social programming. Sports The Dartmouth’s sports coverage extends beyond game recaps to include columns, Q&As, weekly features and “Roundups” of a week’s game activity. Recent content included a series of columns on senior athletes and their last terms as well as The Dartmouth Sports awards for the year’s most outstanding players. The sports section has featured a broad range of topics, from Mormon players and how their faith ties into football to different coaching styles by different coaches and how they motivate their players. Arts Arts highlights creative endeavors at the College, covering everything from performances and exhibitions at the Hopkins Center for the Arts to
new movie reviews. The arts section also regularly features profiles of the College’s own artistic talent, such as student writers, playwrights, musicians and painters. Opinion The opinion section offers staff columnists and community guest columnists a platform for lively debate on relevant issues, both on and off campus. Recent pieces have taken a critical look at the current political environment, the College administration and Dartmouth’s social life. Opinion also features work from student cartoonists commenting on campus and popular culture. Mirror The Mirror, our weekly eight-page magazine published every Wednesday, focuses on campus culture and student life through both long-form features and lighthearted stories. In addition to senior columns, photo essays and “Through the Looking Glass” reflection pieces from guest writers, The Mirror has recently examined themes such as time, blessings in disguise and beauty.
ZACHARY BENJAMIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Editors work using Adobe InDesign to lay out each day’s print edition.
Snapchat The writers and designers on the Snapchat team put out The Dartmouth’s weekly Snap story, featuring a mix of humor, campus commentary and news. Whether you’re an aspiring designer, an experienced video editor or a budding humor writer, the Snapchat section has a place for you. Dartbeat Dartbeat is our blog, which features content such as weekly “overheards,” surveys, Dartmouth-edition “Texts From Last Night” and more. Check out the page for your fill of Dartmouthspecific laughs and musings. Photo and Multimedia Editorial isn’t just about the written word. Our reporting would not be complete without the hard work of our photographers and graphic designers, whose visuals give life to the paper. BUSINESS While our editorial staff is working around the clock making sure our pages are filled with relevant, up-todate information, our business staff works to ensure that the production and operation of the paper run as smooth as possible. That’s because The Dartmouth receives no funding from the College — we are a registered nonprofit in the state of New Hampshire and are the largest student-run business in Hanover. That is, The Dartmouth operates as a business run entirely by you, the students, and the business staff provides an unparalleled real-world opportunity to engage in this business with a variety of different teams.
DEBORA HYEMIN HAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Every story undergoes multiple rounds of edits to ensure accuracy before publication.
Advertising The advertising staff works to sell the ads that fill our pages on a daily basis. The bulk of their work includes building relationships with local clients — from Dartmouth academic departments to local businesses — to ensure that our advertising platform fits with their specific marketing needs. Together, they build and implement the out-bound sales strategy that makes up the bulk of the paper’s revenue. Technology Our technology staff supports The Dartmouth’s web and mobile presence. They create customized websites for our Special Issues and help design and implement changes to our website. More recently, they have begun work to integrate the paper with mobile news mediums, such as Apple News,
Facebook Instant Articles and Snapchat. Strategy If you’d like to solve real-world business problems, then our strategy staff is the place for you. They operate as The Dartmouth’s internal consultants. Each quarter, they split up into teams and tackle pressing issues we face every day. How do we effectively recruit and retain talent? How can we change our advertising offerings to fit a mobile-first media landscape? How do we better foment a strong community of the paper’s alumni? The strategy staff has tackled all these questions and more over the last few years. Communications and Marketing This staff aims to refine and improve both the internal and external perspective of the paper. Internally,
they focus on staff development, helping plan termly socials along with our annual Changeover and Banquet celebrations. Externally, they manage staff recruitment, run our social media accounts, help with recruiting and develop our alumni network. Product Development Ever been told that print news is a dying industry? Try telling that to members of our product development team. They focus exclusively on making sure that our product offerings remain useful and relevant with our readers by developing alternative revenue streams that add to The Dartmouth’s core news offering. Recently, they’ve worked on building out a digital classifieds section and developing of a Dartmouththemed coffee table book based on the paper’s historical archives.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
PBS Investigation On Oct. 25, 2017, The Dartmouth broke the news that three professors in the psychological and brain sciences department were under investigation for “serious misconduct.” Soon after, it reported that the three professors — Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley and Paul Whalen — were under criminal investigation. Fifteen graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral students subsequently signed a statement to The Dartmouth alleging the three professors created a “hostile academic environment in which sexual harassment is normalized.” After a recommendation from dean of the faculty Elizabeth Smith that the professors’ tenure be revoked and their employment terminated, Heatherton retired in June, with Whalen and Kelly resigning soon after.
Three psychology professors under investigation for ‘serious misconduct ’ B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
This article was originally published on Oct. 25, 2017. Psychology and brain sciences professors Todd Heatherton, Bill
Kelley and Paul Whalen are on paid leave and under “ongoing investigations into allegations of serious misconduct,” according to a statement from College spokesperson Diana Lawrence. Several posters were distributed around campus yesterday asking
“Where is Prof. Paul Whalen?” and “Where is Prof. Bill Kelley?” The College has restricted the professors’ access to campus p e n d i n g t h e i nve s t i g a t i o n s ’ conclusion, according to Lawrence. “We are engaged in a thorough and impartial process that protects
the rights of all parties and promotes the safety of our campus community,” Lawrence wrote. Hanover Police Department captain Mark Bodanza said that the department does not have any active investigations regarding the three professors.
Emails to Heatherton received an automatic reply that the professor is “on sabbatical and not monitoring this email account until September 2018.” The Dartmouth is reaching out to the three professors for comment.
Three professors under criminal investigation for sexual misconduct B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
This article was originally published on Oct. 31, 2017. Three professors are alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct and are being investigated by law enforcement, College President Phil Hanlon wrote in a campuswide email Tuesday morning. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, the Grafton County Attorney’s office, the New Hampshire State Police, the Grafton County Sheriff ’s office and the Hanover Police Department have all launched criminal investigations of the professors. Psychology and brain sciences professors Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley and Paul Whalen are on paid leave and their access to campus has been restricted, College spokesperson Diana Lawrence confirmed on Oct. 25. Lawrence said the professors were being investigated by the College for “allegations of serious misconduct.” “It is important to remember that investigations are ongoing, with no official findings yet produced,” Hanlon wrote. “However, we take these allegations very seriously and are pursuing our own independent investigations in coordination with law enforcement officials.” The College is cooperating with law enforcement officials, Hanlon wrote. “I want to say in the most emphatic way possible that sexual misconduct and harassment are
unacceptable and have no place at Dartmouth,” Hanlon wrote in his email. “Such acts harm us as individuals and as members of the community.” I n a p re s s re l e a s e, N e w Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald ’83 wrote that the office “engaged in a dialogue with Dartmouth” following The Dartmouth’s Oct. 25 reporting that the three professors were on paid leave and learned that the College had received allegations of sexual misconduct. Associate attorney general Jane Young said the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office became aware of the allegations “late last week.” She said the College had not reached out to the Attorney General’s office regarding the investigation prior to the Attorney General’s office contacting the College. In conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, the Attorney General’s office has decided to conduct a “joint criminal investigation into this matter,” MacDonald wrote. “At this time, we have no basis to conclude that there is a threat to the general public,” MacDonald wrote. Attor neys representing Heatherton wrote in a statement sent Tuesday after noon that Heatherton immediately cooperated with Dartmouth’s investigation and “continues to do so to this day.” “Dr. Heatherton is confident that he has not violated any written policy of Dartmouth, including policies relating to sexual misconduct
and sexual harassment. He has engaged in no sexual relations with any student,” the statement, signed by Julie Moore of Employment Practices Group and Steven Gordon of Shaheen & Gordon, read. According to the statement, the attorneys learned Tuesday that the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office has yet to receive any information from the College. The attorneys have also repeatedly and unsuccessfully reached out to Dartmouth to determine whether the investigation relates to an “out-of-state incident about which Dr. Heatherton was previously questioned.” Heatherton has continued to meet with his current graduate students and advisees, and his year away from campus is related to a Senior Faculty Grant for a year-long sabbatical, which began on July 1, before he learned of the investigation, according to the statement. In a phone interview, Moore said the allegations against Heatherton are unrelated to the investigations of the other two professors. The Employment Practices Group began formally representing Heatherton on Oct. 26 and is not representing Kelley or Whalen. Representatives from the Grafton County Attorney’s office, the New Hampshire State Police and Dartmouth Safety and Security declined to comment. Emails seeking comment were sent to the three professors. Students, faculty and staff can speak to counselors through the College’s Counseling and Human
Development office and dean on call. Safety and Security can help community members find assistance 24/7 at (603) 646-4000. Free and confidential services for victims of domestic and sexual violence in the Upper Valley are available through WISE and its 24-hour crisis line at
(866) 348-9473. Anyone with information about these allegations is urged to contact the New Hampshire State Police at (603) 419-8014 or New Hampshire Attorney General’s office at (603) 931-9570. For tips, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
ERIN LEE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Moore Hall houses the psychological and brain sciences department.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
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THE DARTMOUTH ORIENTATION ISSUE 2018
Fifteen students allege three professors created ‘hostile academic environment ’ B y erin lee and Ray lu
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
This article was originally published on Nov. 18, 2017. In allegations that span multiple generations of graduate students, four students in Dartmouth’s department of psychological and brain sciences told The Dartmouth this week that three professors now under investigation by the College and state prosecutors created a hostile academic environment that they allege included excessive drinking, favoritism and behaviors that they considered to be sexual harassment. The three tenured professors, Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley and Paul Whalen, have been under College investigation for what College President Phil Hanlon has described as alleged “sexual misconduct.” A student who spoke to The Dartmouth alleged that students filed complaints as early as March. The College confirmed internal investigations of the three professors on Oct. 25 following an inquiry from The Dartmouth. Hanlon formally disclosed the investigations on Oct. 31, the same day that the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office launched a criminal investigation into the three professors. The College had hired an external investigator to conduct its investigations, according to a Nov. 10 statement from Hanlon. All three professors are on paid leave and their access to campus has been restricted. Fifteen graduate students, undergraduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the department have signed a statement to The Dartmouth alleging the three professors created a “hostile academic environment in which sexual harassment is normalized.” They accused each of the professors of violating one or more of Dartmouth’s Employee Sexual Misconduct Policy, Employee Sexual Harassment Policy and Policy on Instructor-Student Consensual Relationships. The 15 individuals gave their statement to The Dartmouth only on the condition that their identities would not be disclosed. Four of the 15 also spoke directly to The Dartmouth, and three more provided their own written statements recounting their time with the department. All 15 have also given statements to the College’s external investigator describing what they considered to be inappropriate behavior by the professors. The group requested anonymity because the three professors have sat on numerous grant-proposal review boards and are members of academic organizations that could influence the students’ professional futures.
The students also generally declined Lawrence said she believed they were to provide specific anecdotes, saying represented by John Barter and the they were concerned about interfering firm of Good Schneider Cormier & with the ongoing investigations and Fried, respectively. protecting the privacy of victims. Several PBS students who The four students who spoke spoke to The Dartmouth said that with The Dartmouth all had direct they were part of a group that interaction with at least one of the initiated the College’s internal professors under investigation. investigation. The first source said The Dartmouth has independently that during an academic conference confirmed that all 15 of the in March, several graduate students signees have spent time in the PBS began exchanging stories about department. uncomfortable experiences they Multiple signees confirmed that, had had with the three professors. as far as they know, the scope of the According to this student, before these College’s investigation is focused on conversations occurred, students accusations of sexual harassment and had not realized how widespread misconduct. They emphasized that, student concerns were about these to the best of their knowledge, the professors. The source said that this investigation is not related to child prompted a group of students to file a pornography or to the content of the Title IX complaint with Dartmouth. professors’ research — two rumors In response to an inquiry about that have recently circulated around recently filed Title IX complaints, Dartmouth’s campus. Dartmouth Title IX coordinator Julie Moore, a lawyer representing Allison O’Connell directed The Heatherton, Dartmouth to wrote that publicly available “There were clearly Heatherton information on “is confident points at which the College’s that he has not I felt like people Sexual Respect violated any of website. the referenced were testing my A l l policies.” She boundaries, and if I of the students added that the external “he has never didn’t immediately investigator engaged in sexual push back, that then interviewed were relations with the next step would told at the time any student” that they could a n d “ r a r e l y make me even more reach out to law has socialized uncomfortable.” enforcement with students but chose not to and the other do so, the first professors under -AN ANONYMOUS source told The investigation.” PSYCHOLOGICAL & BRAIN Dartmouth. This The other student said that t w o a c c u s e d SCIENCES STUDENT the investigation professors, is taking longer Kelley and Whalen, did not respond than expected because more people, to repeated telephone and email including alumni of the department, messages from The Dartmouth have come forward. seeking comment. Neither did their The four PBS students who attorneys. College spokesperson spoke to The Dartmouth said that Diana Lawrence confirmed in a as far as they know, no one involved Nov. 5 email to The Dartmouth that in the investigation has sought to the allegations regarding the three press criminal charges, though the professors are “separate.” New Hampshire Attorney General Lawrence declined to comment opened a criminal investigation on on the students’ allegations, Oct. 31. Associate Attorney General instead noting that the College is Jane Young declined to comment, undertaking “an extensive fact- citing the ongoing nature of the finding process led by an experienced investigation. external investigator ... we are In interviews with The Dartmouth, determined to complete thorough several students in the PBS department and comprehensive investigations.” described what they called an PBS department chair David Bucci uncomfortable workplace culture that declined to comment for this story. blurred the line between professional Over a two-day period, The and personal relationships. They said Dartmouth repeatedly attempted to they often felt pressured to drink at contact Kelley and Whalen and their social events in order to further their lawyers by both phone and email professional careers, a dynamic that seeking a response to the students’ they allege promoted favoritism and allegations. While the identities of at times inappropriate behavior. Kelley and Whalen’s legal counsel “There were clearly points at have not been publicly disclosed, which I felt like people were testing
my boundaries, and if I didn’t immediately push back, that then the next step would make me even more uncomfortable,” a second student said. She described an incident at a social event with members of the department, at which she said everyone was drinking, and one of the professors put his arm around her. She said his arm slid lower, to the point that she was uncomfortable and “very aware of where his hand [was] on [her] body,” and she said she felt like she was being tested. She immediately left and went to the bathroom, she said. Several students who spoke to The Dartmouth said that Kelley encouraged his lab members to drink and socialize at least weekly, often on weeknights and at times during business hours, noting that Whalen occasionally joined Kelley for events off-campus. At certain social events, the second student said she sometimes refused drinks, only to find another drink in her hand, purchased or provided by one of the professors under the premise of being “a good host.” Graduate students and mentors often have collegial relationships, which can involve occasionally grabbing a drink, but some interactions with the professors in question blurred personal and professional lines, the second source alleged. She said her perception is that work-related advice and assistance were implicitly contingent on socializing and being part of the “in crowd,” and graduate students were pressured to choose whether they would participate in the socializing or not. “Access to professional opportunities and professional information was specifically associated in participating in casual social events that included alcohol,” she alleged. A third source said he believed almost everyone in the department was aware of the excessive drinking, but not everyone had knowledge about the associated consequences. He corroborated accounts that the socializing between the professors and students sometimes appeared to cross the line from professional to unprofessional. “What’s [not] normal is the amount of drinking, the number of times they did it and how it affected their relationships with the other students,” he said. “It didn’t have the professional character of an afterwork meeting.” In a Nov. 13 article in Slate, Simine Vazire, a tenured psychology professor at the University of California-Davis, alleged that Heatherton “squeezed her butt” at a conference in 2002. In an email statement to Slate,
Heatherton wrote that he did “not remember touching her in any way.” In a Nov. 15 article in the Valley News, Jennifer Groh, a former professor in Dartmouth’s PBS department and a current tenured professor at Duke University, said she filed a report against Heatherton in 2002 after a female student told Groh that Heatherton had touched her inappropriately at a graduate student event. Heatherton denied the claim via a lawyer to the Valley News. Multiple PBS students who spoke to The Dartmouth said they and others they had talked to had either considered leaving Dartmouth at one point or regretted coming to Dartmouth over other institutions because of the workplace environment. “People turned down other professional opportunities in order to be here, and upon finding out the extent to which these inappropriate behaviors influenced their professional careers, very much wanted to switch,” the second source said. Several of the individuals interviewed said they are optimistic about the progress of the investigation and are hopeful for the future of the PBS department. “I’m looking forward to hopefully the eventual conclusion of this being that we can move things back to a place where people can continue to do incredible science and continue to pursue positive careers without the constant and sometimes unconscious ways in which this kind of pernicious behavior infiltrates a community,” the second source said. The third source noted that the investigation has not yet concluded and is hopeful that the investigation will yield positive outcomes for their community. “I’m really appreciative of the work the College and PBS as a department are doing to make sure this investigation gets to the truth and that the people who are involved in it are safe,” he said. Several members of the PBS department expressed hope that the investigation will eventually communicate a clear finding to the community. “Because there are three professors involved, my fear is that people will compare them to each other,” a fourth source wrote. “They’ll excuse one professor’s behavior because it wasn’t as bad as another professor’s behavior. But that’s the wrong reference point. The standard of comparison should be a professor that doesn’t engage in sexual harassment.” Information and resources regarding sexual misconduct can be found on the College’s Sexual Respect website. For tips, please email editor@ thedartmouth.com.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
Heatherton retires following sexual misconduct allegations B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
This article was originally published on June 13 and updated June 15. Psychological and brain sciences professor Todd Heatherton has elected to retire immediately following a recommendation from Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Smith, upheld by the facultyelected Review Committee, that his tenure be revoked and his employment terminated. Smith’s recommendation follows a review of Heatherton by an external investigator for sexual misconduct. Professors Bill Kelley and Paul Whalen of the PBS department, who are also under investigation for sexual misconduct, remain under review. In a press release provided by his lawyer Julie Moore, Heatherton stated that he retired because he thought it was best for his family, the College and the graduate students involved in the investigation. Multiple students in the PBS department have previously spoken to T he Dartmouth alleging sexual misconduct on the part of Heatherton, Kelley and Whalen. “I acknowledge that I acted unprofessionally in public at conferences while intoxicated,”
Heatherton wrote. “I offer a humble and sincere apology to anyone affected by my actions.” Heatherton, Kelley and Whalen have been under review since last fall. Per an email sent to all of campus by College President Phil Hanlon, Smith has also made recommendations for Kelley and Whalen that have been upheld by the Review Committee. Kelley and Whalen will remain on paid leave until Dean Smith’s recommendations are reviewed by the Dartmouth-wide Council o n A c a d e m i c Fre e d o m a n d Responsibility, an 18-member council elected by the faculty. Heatherton, who was eligible to retire based on his age and length of service, chose to do so prior to CAFR review. After the reviews are completed, Hanlon will deliver the CAFR report, as well as full transcripts of any hearings, to the College’s Board of Trustees, who will make a final decision on each case. According to an email from College spokesperson Diana Lawrence, none of the external investigator’s reports or information from the CAFR will be made public for any of the professors. Hanlon’s email did not disclose Smith or the Review Committee’s recommendations for Kelley and Whalen “out of respect for the
ongoing process.” Lawrence wrote funds, Heatherton is eligible to that she cannot speculate on the receive retiree health coverage from timeframe for the CAFR and the the College. Lawrence wrote that Board to reach a decision. employees who have reached the The three professors have also age of 55 and have at least 10 years been under criminal investigation of continuous service are eligible by t h e N e w for some retiree Hampshire health benefits, a t t o r n e y “I acknowledge regardless of g e n e r a l ’ s that I acted their reason office since for leaving unprofessionally in last October. t h e C o l l e g e. Senior assistant public at conferences Dartmouth attorney general while intoxicated. I does not have Geoffrey W.R. the power to offer a humble and Ward wrote in prevent a an email that sincere apology to retirement t h e a t t o r n ey r disallow anyone affected by my ohealth general’s benefits office remains actions.” for retirees, o n g o i n g. Lawrence Hanlon’s email wrote. n o t e s t h a t -STATEMENT FROM T h e t h e C o l l e g e FORMER PSYCHOLOGICAL Dartmouth is continuing first reported on AND BRAIN SCIENCES t o c o o p e r at e Oct. 25, 2017 with l a w PROFESSOR TODD that the three enforcement on HEATHERTON PBS professors their separate were on paid investigation. leave and under Heatherton remains barred investigation for misconduct. On from entering campus property or Oct. 31, Hanlon wrote a campusattending College events. He will wide email confirming that the also not be granted emeritus status, professors were “alleged to have according to Lawrence. Kelley and engaged in sexual misconduct Whalen are also restricted from and are being investigated by law entering College property. enforcement,” including the New In addition to his vested retirement Hampshire attorney general’s
Whalen resigns amidst review for alleged sexual misconduct B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
This article was originally published on June 26. P s yc h o l o g i c a l a n d b r a i n sciences professor Paul Whalen has resigned from the College effective immediately following an investigation into his behavior for allegations of sexual misconduct by a College-appointed external investigator. Professor Bill Kelley of the PBS department, who was also investigated for sexual misconduct, remains under review. Whalen’s resignation follows a recommendation from Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Smith that his tenure be revoked and his employment terminated. Smith’s decision was upheld by the faculty-elected Rev i e w C o m m i t t e e. A t t h e time of his resignation, Smith’s recommendations for Whalen were being reviewed by the Dartmouthwide Council on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, an 18-member council elected by the
faculty. Kelley has also received a recommendation from Smith, as of yet undisclosed, that was upheld by the Review Committee, and is currently undergoing CAFR review. E a rl i e r t h i s m o n t h , P B S professor Todd Heatherton, who was also investigated for sexual misconduct, chose to retire after Smith recommended and the Review Committee upheld that his employment be terminated. According to an email statement from College spokesperson Diana Lawrence, Whalen was not yet eligible for retirement, which requires that the retiree be at least 55 and have served at Dartmouth for at least 10 years. While Heatherton will receive his vested retirement funds and retiree health coverage from the College, Whalen is not eligible for retiree health benefits. Whalen remains barred from entering campus property or attending College events following his resignation, as does Heatherton following his retirement. Kelley is also restricted from entering
College property. Kelley will remain on paid leave until the CAFR reviews Smith’s recommendations, after which College President Phil Hanlon will deliver the CAFR report, as well as full transcripts of any relevant hearings, to the College’s Board of Trustees. The board is responsible for making a final decision on Kelley’s case. After Heatherton’s decision to retire, Lawrence wrote in a statement to The Dartmouth that none of the external investigator’s reports or information from the CAFR will be made public for any of the professors. The New Hampshire attorney general’s office has been conducting a criminal investigation of the three professors since last October. A campus-wide email from Hanlon announcing Whalen’s resignation stated that the College is continuing to cooperate with law enforcement for their investigations. The Dartmouth left a voicemail with the attor ney general’s office SEE WHALEN PAGE 7
office, the Grafton County attorney, the New Hampshire State Police, the Grafton County Sheriff’s office and Hanover Police. On Nov. 10, the College announced that it had hired an external investigator to conduct its own investigations of the allegations. On Nov. 18, The Dartmouth reported that fifteen undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students and scholars in the PBS department signed a statement to The Dartmouth alleging that the three professors created a “hostile academic environment in which sexual harassment is normalized.” They further claimed that the professors had violated one or more of the College’s Employee Sexual Misconduct Policy, Employee Sexual Harassment Policy and Policy on Instructor-Student Consensual Relationships. Four of those signees spoke directly to The Dartmouth about their experiences, and three more provided written statements about their time in the PBS department. On Feb. 19, 2018, Hanlon announced that the exter nal investigator was “close to concluding her work,” and that, after the completion of investigations, disciplinary action following procedures in the Organization of the Faculty of Dartmouth College would be pursued.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
Whalen resigns from College FROM WHALEN PAGE 6
asking whether there have been any updates in the criminal investigations. As of press time, Whalen had not responded to requests for comment. Lawrence previously told The Dartmouth she believed he was represented by the firm of Good Schneider Cormier & Fried. An employee of the firm told The Dartmouth over the phone that she could neither confirm nor deny that the firm represented Whalen. The Dartmouth first reported on Oct. 25, 2017 that the three PBS professors were under investigation for misconduct and on paid leave. On Oct. 31, Hanlon wrote a campus-wide email explaining that the three professors were “alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct and are being investigated by law enforcement,” including the New Hampshire attorney general’s office, the Grafton County attorney, the New Hampshire State Police, the Grafton County Sheriff ’s office and Hanover Police. On Nov. 10, the College announced that it had hired an external investigator look
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into the allegations. On Nov. 18, The Dartmouth reported that 15 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students and scholars in the PBS department signed a statement to The Dartmouth alleging that the three professors created a “hostile academic environment in which sexual harassment is normalized.” In addition, the student claimed that the professors had violated one or more of the College’s Employee Sexual Misconduct Policy, Employee Sexual Harassment Policy and Policy on Instructor-Student Consensual Relationships. Four of those signees spoke directly to The Dartmouth about their experiences, and three more provided written statements about their time in the PBS department. On Feb. 19, 2018, Hanlon announced that the exter nal investigator was “close to concluding her work,” and that, after the investigations were completed, disciplinary action following procedures in the Organization of the Faculty of Dartmouth College would be pursued.
Kelley resigns, concluding sexual misconduct investigation B y THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
This article was originally published on July 17. Psychological and brain sciences professor William Kelley has resigned from his position effective immediately following an investigation by the College into allegations of sexual misconduct, College President Phil Hanlon announced today in an email to the Dartmouth community. Kelley’s resignation marks the end of a monthslong investigation led by a Collegeappointed external investigator of three PBS professors following sexual misconduct allegations. The other two professors who were under investigation — Todd Heatherton and Paul Whalen — have already left the College. According to the email, Kelley’s resignation came after Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Smith recommended that, in accordance with College policy, Kelley’s tenure be revoked and his employment terminated — a decision that was upheld by a faculty-elected Arts and Sciences Review Committee. Smith and the Review Committee had made the same recommendation for both Heatherton and Whalen last month, after which Heatherton retired and Whalen resigned. All three professors are no longer associated with Dartmouth. Kelley did not respond to a request for comment. Kelley, who has been on paid leave since last fall, has not entered into a separation or non-disclosure
agreement with the College and, along with Heatherton and Whalen, is prohibited from entering campus property or attending Collegesponsored events. The College has not made any severance payments to Kelley, although Heatherton is eligible to receive vested retirement funds and retiree health care from the College. Hanlon and Smith declined a request for comment. Although the College has now concluded its own investigation and disciplinary actions, the three professors remain under criminal investigation by multiple law enforcement entities. New Hampshire senior assistant attorney general Geoffrey Ward confirmed that the professors remain under investigation by the attorney general’s office, but declined to comment further. Hanlon’s email said that the College is continuing to cooperate with the separate law enforcement investigations. Criminal investigations into the allegations began last fall following an Oct. 25, 2017 article in The Dartmouth reporting that the three professors had been placed on paid leave and were the subjects of an internal investigation by the College. Six days later, Hanlon wrote an email to campus stating that the professors were “alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct” and were being investigated by the New Hampshire attorney general’s office, the Grafton County attorney, the New Hampshire State Police, the Grafton County Sheriff’s office and Hanover Police. On Nov. 10, the College announced the hiring of an external investigator to take over the College’s
internal review. The Dartmouth reported on Nov. 18 that 15 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students and scholars in the PBS department signed a statement to The Dartmouth about the academic environment of the PBS department. In their statement, they wrote that the three professors created “hostile academic environment in which sexual harassment is normalized.” They also claimed that the professors violated one or more of the College’s Employee Sexual Misconduct Policy, Employee Sexual Harassment Policy and Policy on Instructor-Student Consensual Relationships. On Feb. 19, 2018, Hanlon announcedthattheexternalinvestigator was “close to concluding her work.” He wrote disciplinary action following procedures in the Organization of the Faculty of Dartmouth College would be pursued after the conclusion the investigation. In his most recent email, Hanlon also announced that the Presidential Steering Committee on Sexual Misconduct, which was appointed last January, has completed a report pending review by senior College administrators. Following the review, the College will seek feedback from the College community on suggestions made in the report. “I would like to reiterate that sexual misconduct and harassment have no place at Dartmouth,” Hanlon wrote in the announcement. “We will investigate all allegations fairly and impartially and hold accountable any community members found to have violated our policies or standards.”
ERIN LEE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Three members of the psychological and brain sciences department were investigated for sexual misconduct.
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Shattuck Threatened Last fall, the College announced that it was considering the construction of a large, 750-bed residence hall in College Park, an area of undeveloped land owned by Dartmouth. Construction on the site threatened to destroy Shattuck Observatory, one of the country’s oldest surviving college observatories. Over 1,600 respondents signed a petition against constructing the residence hall. The plan for the larger residence hall was ultimately scrapped; however, the College is continuing to investigate sites to build a smaller residence hall.
College considers constructing new residence halls in College Park B y claudia bernstein The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on Sept. 29. 2017. The College is studying the possibility of adding additional residence halls in a portion of College Park, a largely underutilized 35-acre green space east of central campus. The park is home to several monuments and iconic structures such as Bartlett Tower, a statue of Robert Frost, Bema and Shattuck Observatory. The plan stems from concerns about the long-term sustainability of the College’s student housing amid recent student-body size increases. While housing has been a source of concern since the unexpectedly high yield of the Class of 2021, the
housing shortage on campus has been a consistent issue in the College’s history. A previous housing shortage was the impetus for adopting the D-plan. “When Dartmouth went coed back in the ’70s, one of the ways [sufficient housing] got accomplished without building new residence halls was to go to the D-plan and have people yearround,” executive vice president Rick Mills said. “It was sort of a way to get more people onto the campus without adding beds.” Additionally, the College is seriously considering upgrading older dorm clusters, associate dean of residential life and director of residential education Michael Wooten said. The Choates and River clusters in particular have been identified as needing renovations, Wooten said. While the residence halls in these two locations are technically
up to safety code for the time that they were built, the College’s goal is to bring them up to today’s code, update their heating and reassess their lighting and energy efficiency and potentially add air conditioning, Hanover director of planning and zoning Rob Houseman said. However, it is also a priority to renovate these residence halls to improve the experience of residents living there, Mills said, adding that the College hopes to mitigate the inequality of housing on campus. With the addition of the McLaughlin cluster and the renovation of Morton Hall after its fire, Mills said the disparity in housing quality became starker. Mills noted that some people have reacted with concern about preserving the natural space and beauty of College Park, but the College maintains that
the area is the only viable place for development and that the monuments will be appropriately preserved, according to an email statement by College spokesperson Diana Lawrence. “We are focused on the western edge of College Park because it is in the interior part of the campus, immediately adjacent to other residence halls (Ripley, Woodward, Smith, the Fayerweathers, Richardson and Wheeler), and it is the only available site with the necessary capacity,” Lawrence wrote. “If we decide to move forward, the Bema, Bartlett Tower and the special character of the park would be preserved.” Mills noted that the College is considering expanding the student body by up to 25 percent in the future, and the development of College Park may provide an opportunity for this. This
possible expansion is being studied by a task force headed by Rebecca Biron, dean of the College, and Elizabeth Smith, dean of the faculty of arts and sciences, who will report back to College trustees about how expansion’s possible impact and implementation, Mills said. Wooten said renovating College Park and the potential student body expansion are separate issues. He added that a new residence hall on campus was necessary regardless of the prospect of increased enrollment. “Our work of building a new residence hall began before this project,” Wooten said. “These are not interrelated projects.” Mills added that if the Trustees decide to eliminate the Choates or River Cluster altogether, student body expansion would require development well beyond College Park.
Physics and astronomy department urges College to preser ve obser vator y B y alex fredman The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on Nov. 3, 2017. The physics and astronomy department is raising concerns that building new student housing in College Park could seriously i m p e d e i t s a b i l i t y t o t e a ch undergraduate astronomy courses and conduct experimental physics research. The College announced on Sept. 20 that it would explore the feasibility of housing 750 undergraduates and that the Board of Trustees will make a decision on the conceptual design in November. In an Oct. 17 letter obtained by The Dartmouth, 88 faculty, staff, students and alumni associated with the department expressed opposition to constructing student housing in College Park and urged College President Phil Hanlon and other administrator s to explore alternate sites. All 25 of the department’s primary faculty members and all 15 members of the physics and astronomy
department’s Alumni Advisory Board signed the letter. “The sheer enormity of [the proposal] – we were horrified,” said Miles Blencowe, a physics professor who helped organize and draft the letter. “And so we felt that we had to inform the relevant senior administrators about the possible unanticipated or unforeseen consequences of this on our department.” On Nov. 1, the alumni board sent an additional letter to Hanlon. Signed by advisory board chair James Slinkman A&S’86 and 12 of the other 15 board members, the letter echoed the concerns of the first letter and urged the administration to include a faculty representative from the department in the planning process. “[The alumni board letter] was an attempt by the board to help the department and the College to see things from the perspective of dedicated alumni,” Slinkman said. A key matter discussed in both letters is the future of Shattuck Observatory, located on the edge
of College Park, which opened in 1854. The first letter’s authors write that they are “dee ply concerned” about the potential construction project and that the development could lead to the loss of the observatory, which the second letter said would be “a huge blow for Dartmouth.” “Shattuck has a lot of historical significance,” said physics and astronomy professor Brian Chaboyer, who also helped organize and draft the first letter. “I’d really hate to see Shattuck destroyed, because it’s really the oldest extant college observatory in the country — one that has not been altered, is still in its original footprint.” According to the College’s Campus Services website, the conceptual design would preserve the Bema, Bartlett Tower and “the special character of the park,” but no mention is made of Shattuck Observatory. In an email statement, College spokesperson Diana Lawrence said that there is “no definitive plan related to Shattuck Observatory,” adding that the College is still in the early
stages of the College Park design process. C h a b oye r n o t e d t h at t h e observatory is used for frequent public viewing sessions labs and in introductory astronomy courses, which is made convenient by its proximity to Wilder Hall, host to the physics and astronomy department. He added, however, the potential light pollution from new dorms would seriously impair the telescopes’ view of the night sky even if the observatory was left standing. “If they destroy Shattuck, I don’t know how we’d run our introductory labs, unless they built us another observatory somewhere on campus,” Chaboyer said. Blencowe sent Hanlon a revised version of the first letter on Oct. 27. Two days later, Hanlon replied to the letter, in which he recognized the department’s accomplishments and the historical significance of College Park but did not specifically address Shattuck Observatory. “It is helpful to hear the Department’s concerns around any construction that might take place in the College Park area,”
Hanlon wrote. “It is important for us to understand, and we will consider the potential impacts of any possible construction project on neighboring entities before final decisions are made.” Ethan Isaacson ’18, a physics major and signee of the first letter, said that Shattuck Observatory is an important site for the department’s public outreach efforts. “I think one of the characteristics of the physics [and astronomy] department that makes it particularly special is its eagerness to share the work that it does with the public, and the observatory is a big part of that,” Isaacson said. Isaacson added that he trusts the department faculty’s judgment re g a rd i n g t h e o b s e r vat o r y ’s significance, and he hopes the administration takes note as well. “It would have encouraged me as an undergraduate physics major to see an indication that people in the administration are concerned by the potential impacts on the research and history of that space,” SEE SHATTUCK PAGE 9
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he said. Isaacson referred in part to Hanlon’s initial response to the Oct. 17 letter, which Isaacson said acknowledged the letter but did not specify whether its concerns would be addressed. Chaboyer said that he and his colleagues were surprised when they saw the news release about the College Park planning study because no one from the administration had consulted the department beforehand. He said that they decided to write the letter after the director of campus planning could not confirm that Shattuck would be preserved or that the department would be consulted during the planning process. Both letters also addressed the fact that construction in College Park could negatively af fect ongoing experimental condensed matter research in nearby Wilder Hall. According to the first letter, this research involves taking extremely sensitive measurements often on the atomic level, which could be hindered by
vibrations from rock blasting or from a more active electromagnetic environment due to added cell phone communication and Wi-Fi in the new dorms. “Disruption to these research p ro g r a m s d u r i n g a n d a f t e r construction will likely lead to delays in progress, which could irreparably har m their competitiveness and Dartmouth’s reputation,” the letter states. B l e n c owe n o t e d t h at t h e construction’s impact on research could affect students as well. “ We h ave m a ny s t u d e n t s working in those labs, both undergrad and grad students, and if they can’t do their experiments, you know, it would be a disaster,” Blencowe said. Blencowe added that while he recognized the College’s need for adequate student housing, he believes this should not interfere with its academic pursuits. “We really do understand the importance of having good quality residence halls, student accommodations,” Blencowe said. “But it shouldn’t be at the expense of our ability to teach [and] do our research.”
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Over 1,600 sign College Park dorm petition B y alex fredman The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on Jan. 4. Over 1,600 individuals have signed a petition expressing concern in response to the College’s announcement that it is considering building new dormitories for 750 students in College Park. The petition argues that acting on the proposal could result in the loss of the College’s only undeveloped parkland in the center of campus and Shattuck Observatory, which would threaten several ongoing scientific research activities. One of the petition’s main concerns is the future of Shattuck Observatory, one of the oldest surviving college observatories in the country. The petition’s authors write that developing the area around the observatory, which is located on the edge of College Park, could result in the observatory being destroyed or rendered ineffective due to increased light pollution from new buildings. Signed by students, professors and alumni, as well as other individuals with connections to the College, the petition was organized by members of the physics and astronomy department, which originally raised concerns about the College Park plan in an Oct. 17 letter to College President Phil Hanlon. The department plans to deliver the petition to executive vice president Rick Mills during its faculty meeting on Jan. 16, according to physics and astronomy professor Miles Blencowe. “We hope that once [the administration has] seen this very significant outpouring of concern and love for this park and the buildings there, that they will realize they have to think harder about finding other places for essential dorms,” said Blencowe, who helped draft both the October letter and the petition. Blencowe said that after the College made its announcement on Sept. 20, supporters chose to circulate the petition as word spread through November and December about the proposal and potential threat to the observatory. “There was a lot of disbelief and also outrage, concern,” Blencowe said. “And so a lot of [individuals] asked, ‘Well, how can I help, how can I lend my voice to this proposal to build dorms?’” Blencowe said he initially shared the petition with about 70 people and expected only a few hundred signatures to the petition, so he was surprised by how many people have signed on. Because signees could add personalized comments to the petition, Blencowe said that he has found the document to be an “educational experience” as a variety of people
shared their viewpoints on College Park and the observatory. He added that he has not heard any additional information from the administration since sending the October letter to the president. In an interview, Mills emphasized that the plans for College Park is still in an early conceptual phase, and that no final plans have been made to build on College Park. He said that he views the petition as a good thing because it will help inform the administration about the concerns held by faculty, alumni and students before any further planning for the site occurs. “Part of the goal of the exercise is to understand, what are the things that would affect Dartmouth’s use of that land, what things would we need to take into account [and] how would we need to think about it?” Mills said. Despite the concerns raised, however, Mills said that there are benefits to the College Park site, including its proximity to the center of campus and potential for opening up a “corridor of activity” between the northern and eastern sections of campus. He added that while other, smaller sites are being considered for development, College Park would have the most space to build a cluster of dorms in the spirit of the housing community concept. When asked about the potential threat to Shattuck Observatory, Mills said that the conceptual designers are aware of the observatory’s importance and that more study will be needed before any final decisions are made. Noting both the historic and scientific concerns raised by the petition, Mills said that it is possible the observatory could be relocated or rebuilt at a different location, but nothing has been decided yet. Among the petition’s signees were a number of professional astronomers who expressed concerns about Shattuck Observatory. Sara Schechner, a professor and historian of astronomy at Harvard University, wrote in the petition that the destruction of Shattuck would be an “irreparable loss” for both Dartmouth and historians of science and education. “Something is lost when you no longer have access to a traditional telescope like this,” Schechner said in an interview. Schechner, who is a founding member of the American Astronomical Society’s Working Group on the Preservation of Astronomical Heritage, said that concern over Shattuck’s future has spread through the astronomical community and that the working group plans to discuss the observatory during its meeting on Jan. 8. She said she expects the group will send a letter to Hanlon urging protection of the observatory. “This group feels strongly that this
is really a special historic observatory that is worthy of preservation, not just a pretty little building on a hill,” Schechner said. Although most of the petition’s list of concerns directly address Shattuck Observatory and other scientific research activities involving College Park, many of the signees commented on the park’s value as a both a historical and recreational area on campus. Art history professor Marlene Heck, who signed the petition, said that College Park has, for much of Dartmouth’s history, been a place where students can go to decompress and relax from the stress of academic life. She added that the park has always been intended to be a gathering place and natural landscape on campus. “It’s not hallowed ground, but it’s a historic landscape, and I think it is a treasure that Dartmouth still has it,” Heck said. For this reason, Heck said she believes College Park should be offlimits for building new dorms. She added that the College’s current proposal lacks creativity and seems to be a quick solution to the housing shortage problem rather than a welldeveloped idea. “The senior administration and the trustees have to really listen and take into consideration and think about what is being destroyed forever,” Heck said. “That’s a pretty serious charge, a pretty serious responsibility that we have.” Like Heck, Raphael Hviding ’18, who helped draft the petition, expressed doubt over the College’s awareness of the potential negative effects of the plan. “I don’t think that the administration appreciates all of these concerns, whether they knew about them before or are now going to be aware of them because of this petition,” Hviding said. As an active student volunteer for the physics and astronomy department’s public viewing sessions at Shattuck Observatory, Hviding said that the department’s public programming at the observatory is an important component of its mission. He added that the potential loss of these programs influenced him to help with the petition, which he described as an opportunity for anyone who wants “to express their views a place to do so, so we can compile all of those voices together and present a more compelling case to the administrators.” For Blencowe, the ability for the petition to effectively communicate the concerns to the administration is key. “Myhopeisthat[theadministration] will take serious note of the petition, that they will study it, read the comments and they will come to the realization that it was a bad idea in the first place,” Blencowe said.
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Dartmouth will not build large College park dorm, Hanlon announces B y AMANDA ZHOU AND ZACHARY BENjamin The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on Feb. 27. Dartmouth will not build a 750bed residence hall in College Park due to the high cost of such a project, College President Phil Hanlon announced during yesterday’s termly faculty of arts and sciences meeting. The original proposal potentially threatened to demolish Shattuck Observatory. “We have determined the cost of building 750 beds is simply beyond our current financial capacity,” Hanlon said during the meeting. However, Hanlon left open the possibility of building smaller residential facilities, noting that these dor mitories would not necessarily have to be built in College Park. Hanlon said the “pot of money” for a 750-bed residence hall would have to come from donors. He emphasized the issue of underfunded depreciation — that the College had not adequately set aside money to counteract the effects of declining property values. The Board of Trustees, upon hearing last month that the 750bed complex was not financially possible, recommended that the College continue to explore smaller options, which could potentially be built on sites other than College Park. Hanlon added the College is currently investigating these options. “Multiple sites are possible,” he said. Hanlon emphasized the importance of constructing new “swing space” — housing that will provide breathing room to relocate and house students while the College begins work on renovating or demolishing other dormitories like the Choates and the River Cluster. The College has been investigating the possibility of the 750-bed construction project since September 2017, prompted by the fact that the College is currently at its maximum housing capacity. Since its announcement, the College has received significant pushback against the plan, with many students, faculty and alumni expressing concern that this project could threaten Shattuck Observatory, located in College Park and one of the older surviving college observatories in the country. The faculty in the
physics and astronomy department circulated a letter, signed by 88 faculty, staff, students and alumni, on Oct. 17 expressing opposition to the construction. The department’s alumni board also sent Hanlon a letter on Nov. 1 echoing the first letter’s concerns. At press time, 1,949 people had signed a separate petition against constructing the new residence hall on a site that could threaten Shattuck. According to a College press release issued after the meeting, funds for new construction will come from philanthropic donations or reallocation in the operating budget. Hanlon also gave an update on the Task Force on Enrollment Expansion, which has been charged with exploring the effects of the College expanding its student body by 10 to 25 percent. Hanlon said a summary of the committee’s findings will be presented to the Trustees in an upcoming meeting. From there, the Trustees will decide whether it is the “right time” to increase enrollment. Should they decide to go forward, Hanlon said the committee will seek more community feedback. “At this point, no decision has been made one way or another,” Hanlon said. The faculty also passed a motion for all arts and sciences faculty committees to evaluate the enrollment task force’s report and transmit their thoughts to the Committee on Priorities before the committee’s next meeting on April 30. The Committee on Priorities, which promotes the priorities of the arts and sciences faculty in regards to the budget and resource allocation, previously recommended this motion be passed on Feb. 12. At the meeting, Hanlon reiterated two justifications for a possible student body expansion: that a larger student body would enable the College to foster more people who can do good in the world, and that it would enable the College to recruit a more diverse student body, incorporating dimensions of diversity that it cannot currently fit in. During the meeting, F. Jon Kull ’88, chair of the steering committee overseeing the College’s reaccreditation report and dean of the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, detailed the College’s upcoming reaccreditation process. Dean of the College Rebecca Biron also gave an update on the nascent housing communities, introduced in fall
2016. She provided an overview of the house system for the faculty members present and encouraged them to “activate their house membership” and participate in house events. Last, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid Lee Coffin gave an update on admission strategies. From a survey of Dartmouth applicants, he said that while students view Dartmouth as “adventurous” and prestigious, they do not necessarily think of the College as global or flexible. To that end, he detailed changes in the College’s admissions strategies that he has put into place, such as focusing admissions messaging more on the liberal arts rather than the D-Plan and on underrepresented states and countries. At the start of the meeting, Hanlon also thanked the audience for the cards he received during his recovery from a recent surgery. “My new hip is working great and I’m back to 100 percent,” Hanlon said.
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College proposes new sites for dormitories B y ANTHONY ROBLES The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on Aug. 17. Before an audience of around 30 community members, executive vice president Rick Mills proposed on Thursday afternoon three new sites that the College is currently considering for the construction of a new 350-bed undergraduate residence hall. The town hall meeting was the second of three meetings, each of which allow community members to give feedback on the three locations following a brief presentation by Mills. The three proposed locations include the intersection of Crosby Street and East Wheelock Street, a location that would necessitate the removal of the three tennis courts and House Center A; on College Street across from the McLaughlin Cluster, a location that would require the removal of senior society Dragon’s physical plant; and on the location where Gilman Hall formerly stood. The new residence hall would also be used as a location for one of the College’s six house communities. The first of the three meetings took place on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., the second took place on Thursday at noon and the last will take place on Monday evening at 6:00 p.m. The meetings have also been streamed online. All of the town halls were held at Filene Auditorium in Moore Hall. “The purpose [of these meetings] is to create some forum where we can collect input from the community,” Mills said in an interview with The Dartmouth. “As I described, we’re trying to pick a site to build the next residence hall on. There are lots of factors that will ultimately go into the decision of what site to pick, but I think community input is an important element.” In his presentation, Mills, while calling the construction of a new residence hall a “pressing need,” also stated that it was too early to have a timeline in place. He added that the College intends to have a fundraiser for the construction of this project and that it will likely be followed by several years of renovations to various other residential buildings on campus. The College’s residence halls currently host around 3,100 beds and have been at capacity for several years. As a result, the College has been unable to undertake renovation projects on existing undergraduate residence halls, around half of which have not been renovated in over 15 years. Such projects typically require that a building be closed for around a
year, if not more. Mills remarked that the addition of a new residence hall would allow the college to conduct maintenance projects. The selection considerations for the new residence hall site include site-specific project requirements; the project’s impact on surroundings; proximity to other residence halls, academic facilities and the core campus; stakeholder feedback acquired during the town halls; and other uses for the campus. Mills added that regardless of the location ultimately chosen by the College for this project, all of the proposed locations would likely be used in the future for some kind of new project. Mills said in his interview that there are constraints from the town of Hanover itself that would impact the construction of the new residence hall, including zoning regulations, height restrictions that prevent a building from being over 60 feet tall and the approval of the planning board. However, he added that these constraints would have more of an impact as the location and design of the building became clearer in the future. The switch to a 350-bed project comes after the College decided in February not to construct a 750bed residence hall in College Park, which College President Phil Hanlon remarked was “simply beyond our current financial capacity.” Many students, faculty and alumni had already voiced their concerns before Hanlon’s announcement, citing the threat such a building would pose to the park and the nearby Shattuck Observatory. Mills noted in his presentation that there is currently no plan in place to replace the tennis courts or House Center A if the Crosby location is chosen. Furthermore, Mills said that regardless of the location ultimately chosen, the new residence hall would include a multi-purpose area that would function much like the existing House Centers. Those in attendance on Thursday were evenly split between their preference for either the Gilman Hall location or the Crosby and East Wheelock location. The College Street location, however, was considered by most audience members to be the worst proposed location. Audience members cited the impact that location would have on College Park — similar to the concern raised when the proposed 750-bed project was announced — and how it would necessitate the removal of Dragon’s physical plant. One woman said that the College “should hold off on building on College Park for as long as possible.” One positive impact that an
audience member noted was that a new residence hall built on the College Street location would likely lead to sidewalk renovations along College Street, which is currently served by a narrow gravel path along the street’s right side. Some of those who preferred the Gilman location noted that the Crosby and East Wheelock location would lead to more pedestrian traffic in an already congested area of campus. Another audience member remarked that a new residence hall constructed in this area would be a “seamless” fit. Those who preferred the Crosby location often pointed out that the location was closer to the College than both the College Street and Gilman locations. One audience member remarked that Crosby was the best choice because the infrastructure for a new residence hall was already in place on that area of campus. Jack Burgess ’20, the sole student in attendance at the meeting, said that he would rather live in the Crosby location due to its proximity to Alumni Gymnasium, other residence halls and the Hopkins Center of the Arts. He added, however, that it would be “nice” to live at the Gilman site but expressed concerns about the relative lack of dining options in that area of campus. “I wanted to see what exactly the sites were and the ideas they had,” Burgess said. “It was nice to be able to share a student perspective. I definitely think that some of those sites are better than others.” Regarding student attendance, Mills stated in his interview that it required a certain degree of altruism from students, as the new residence hall project would not impact any student currently at the College. He added that although alumni attending the town halls helped by presenting their own sort of “student perspective,” the perspectives of current students also matter. The College’s housing problems have become more pronounced over the last year. In May of last year, the College announced that graduate and professional students would not be able to live in the North Park graduate housing because of an “unprecedented” admission yield from the Class of 2021, the College’s largest class to date. While the Class of 2022’s yield rate is even higher, the class is projected to be smaller than the Class of 2021. The College last completed new undergraduate residence halls in 2006, when both Fahey-McLane Halls and the McLaughlin cluster were erected. The construction of these halls allowed the College to renovate Hitchcock Hall and New Hampshire Hall from 2008 to 2009.
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This article was originally published on May 22. Issues of political discourse at universities have increasingly transcended U.S. college campuses and attracted national attention. Free speech has sparked the most debate, but equally important is how politics affect personal relations and academics more broadly — and whether it has as encompassing and divisive influence as many assume. The backdrop is a national political scene defined by partisan animus, which has been shown to shape people’s lives beyond politics. Given this climate and dynamics on campuses across the country, The Dartmouth fielded a survey to shed light on how these key issues manifest themselves at the College. Politics and Social Relations In the survey, undergraduates were asked if learning that another student had political beliefs opposite from their own would affect a range of possible interactions with them. Forty-two percent of respondents said that knowing they had opposite political beliefs would make them less likely to befriend the student, while 54 percent said it would make no difference. More than two-thirds of student respondents (70 percent) said they would be less likely to consider dating someone with opposite political beliefs from themselves. About a third (30 percent) said learning someone had opposite political beliefs would make them less likely to trust the person. The influence of personal politics does not permeate academics as much;
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only 19 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to study with someone with opposing political views, and for “working on class projects with them” it was 18 percent. Overall percentages like these mask sizable partisan differences — Democrats were consistently more likely to indicate conflicting politics negatively affect potential relationships. While 82 percent of respondents who identified Democrats say they would be less likely to date someone with opposing political beliefs, only 47 percent of Independents and 42 percent of Republicans said the same. Similarly, 55 percent of Democratic respondents said opposite political views would make them less likely to befriend another student, compared to 21 percent of Independents and 12 percent of Republicans. Only gender plays nearly as strong of a role in dividing responses. For example, 83 percent of women said they would be less likely to date someone with opposing political views compared to 56 percent of men. Is this influence of politics so pervasive that it determines whether friendships on campus last or end? Responses suggest it is not that damaging. When asked whether they ever lost a friend because of disagreement over politics at Dartmouth, 85 percent of respondents said no. However, the longer they have been at Dartmouth, the more likely a student is to have experienced this: 24 percent of senior respondents said they lost a friend over politics compared to 13 percent of sophomore respondents and seven percent of freshmen respondents. Beyond relations between students, politics do not seem to seep into academic
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A survey of Dartmouth’s polit The Dartmouth examines campu
decisions. Students were asked whether knowing a professor’s political background would affect their likelihood of taking classes taught by the professor. Majorities of respondents said it would make “no difference” if they knew a professor was a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or socialist. About a quarter of respondents said that knowing a professor is a Republican (26 percent) or a socialist (23 percent) would make them more unlikely to take a class. Fewer students indicate a Libertarian (16 percent) or Democratic professor (6 percent) would dissuade them from taking a class. Democratic students express less willingness to take classes from a Republican professor (38 percent) than Republican students do to take a class taught by a Democratic professor (23 percent). Conversely, Republican respondents say they are more likely to take a class taught by a fellow Republican (51 percent) than Democrats do for a class taught by a fellow Democrat (22 percent). Perhaps distance from the out-group matters more for Democrats, while sticking with the ingroup is more important for Republicans at Dartmouth. Many of these questions lead to a general question: how much do politics factor into everyday life of students? Results show that politics are discussed a fair but not overwhelming amount. Forty-two percent of respondents say politics (current events and issues) are brought up “very often” or “often” during classes in their experience, 53 percent say the same for when they are talking with friends and 42 percent say the answer applied to clubs or organizations on
ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
B y alexander a
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itical and free speech climate us political discourse and social life
campus. Compared to non-athletes, athletes at Dartmouth report politics coming up less when talking with friends and in clubs or organizations.
agadjanian
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Free Speech Issues of free speech are another important aspect of student relations on campus that have increasingly gained national attention. Earlier this year, the College was demoted to a “red light” status from its previous “yellow light” status by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, indicating a worsening state of free speech on campus. Vice president of policy research at FIRE Samantha Harris wrote in an email to The Dartmouth this past Feb. that the demotion was due to College’s Acceptable Use Policy, which “bans broad categories of speech, a great deal of which would be entitled to First Amendment protection at a public university.” Despite this, Dartmouth students do not think free speech is “under attack” on campus as many outside might imply it is. Fifty-two percent of all survey respondents described free speech at Dartmouth as either very or somewhat secure, as opposed to 33 percent who call it very or somewhat threatened. Here, partisan fissures emerge again, as more than three times as many Republicans
ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
(69 percent) think free speech is threatened than do Democrats (21 percent). Responses to a related question about freedom of self-expression paints a somewhat different picture, however. When asked about whether “the climate on Dartmouth’s campus prevents some people from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive,” a large majority of respondents (81 percent) said they strongly or somewhat agree. Republicans (94 percent), white students (86 percent), men (87 percent) and students affiliated with Greek life (86 percent) are most likely to agree that such a limit exists campus speech. Despite these differences, large majorities across all subgroups — political or demographic — agree with the statement. The same question was also asked in 2016 of a nationally representative survey of U.S. college students regarding their respective college campuses: among students across the country, 54 percent agreed, far fewer than those at Dartmouth. Students were also asked what type of environment is more important for Dartmouth to create: “a positive learning environment for all students by prohibiting certain speech or expression of viewpoints that are offensive or biased against certain groups of people” or “an open learning environment where students are exposed
to all types of speech and viewpoints, even if it means allowing speech that is offensive or biased against certain groups of people.” Seventy-one percent of respondents say they prefer the open environment option. Students who are Republicans (94 percent), white (71 percent) and male (84 percent) are most likely to opt for the “open” option. A similar amount of students from across the country at 78 percent (from the 2016 survey) chose the open environment as well. Partisan Contours Dartmouth’s student body is about twothirds Democrat (67 percent) with small minorities of Republican identifiers (19 percent) and Independents (14 percent), a distribution consistent with previous survey results at the College. Significant demographic divides appear only for gender and athlete status. Surveyed women are 79 percent Democrat versus 12 percent Republican, while the divide among men is 55 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Athletes at the College are 52 percent Democrat versus 32 percent Republican, while the split is 71 percent to 16 percent for non-athletes. White Dartmouth students are not politically different from non-white students as a whole, but African-American students are more likely to be Democrats.
Methodology Notes From Monday, Apr. 23 to Sunday, Apr. 29, The Dartmouth fielded an online survey of Dartmouth undergraduates about the role of politics in social life on campus. The survey was sent out to 4,412 students through their College email addresses. Four hundred ninety-eight responses were recorded, making for an 11.3 percent response rate. Using administrative data from the College’s Office of Institutional Research and other sources, responses were first weighted by Greek affiliation for all eligible (non-freshmen) students, then weighted by class year, gender, race/ethnicity, international student status and varsity athlete status for all students. Iterative post-stratification (raking) was the method used for weighting, done with the “survey” package in R. Survey results for the entire sample have a margin of error +/- 4.4. Subgroup differences are statistically significantly different from one another unless otherwise noted, and all reported differences hold in multivariate models.
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Dartmouth Announces “The Call to Lead” In late April, the College formally debuted its capital campaign, titled “The Call to Lead.” The campaign, which began its “quiet phase” of soliciting funds in 2015, seeks to raise $3 billion for the College, $1.5 billion of which has already been raised. The funds will go to a variety of causes, including eliminating loans from financial aid packages, restoring need-blind admisions for international students, renovating the west end of campus, establishing an entrepreneurial center, improving mental health resources and expanding study abroad programs.
‘The Call to Lead’ seeks to raise $3 billion for the College B y julian nathan The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on May 4. If all goes according to College President Phil Hanlon’s plan, sweeping changes will be coming to the College on the Hill. On Apr. 27, Hanlon announced the College’s $3 billion capital campaign, “The Call to Lead,” which is expected to run through 2022. Among the expected improvements are eliminating loans in financial aid packages and reimplementing need-blind admissions for inter national students. Beginning with the Class of 2012, the College observed needblind admissions policies while evaluating international applicants until it reverted to using need-aware policies for these applicants while making admissions decisions for the Class of 2020. The College will also build a new 350-bed residence hall; expand the west end of campus to focus on entrepreneurship, technology and design; create a comprehensive four-year leadership program for undergraduates; renovate Dartmouth Hall, the Hopkins Center for the Arts and the Hood Museum of Art; and invest in research and the College’s graduate programs, including its newlychristened Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. At press time, the College had raised approximately $1.6 billion for the fund so far; although the College must raise an additional $1.4 billion to meet its fundraising goal, plans to implement changes are already underway. College trustee Richard Kimball ’78 said that the “quiet phase” of the campaign began in 2014. As part of the “quiet phase,” the College reached out to several potential donors, he said. Kimball added that the board will oversee the College’s various departments to ensure that each is spending money in accordance with its budget. According to Hanlon, the campaign’s $3 billion goal is large compared to those of peer institutions, especially considering the College’s smaller size and donor pool. “This is an ambitious, ambitious number,” Hanlon said. He used the University of Michigan — where he previously
served as provost — and its 2017 capital campaign goal of $4 billion as an example. Since the University of Michigan has nearly 600,000 living alumni, it expected to obtain an average of approximately $6,667 per alumnus. Since the College has nearly 80,000 living alumni, its $3 billion fundraising goal implies that it expects to obtain an average of $37,500 per alumnus. Hanlon said that need-blind admissions for inter national students and loan-free financial aid packages — both goals of the campaign — would be implemented as soon as the necessary funds become available. The cost of providing need-blind admissions for international students will be $90 million, according to Hanlon. The cost of providing students with financial aid packages without loans will be $80 million, he said. Hanlon noted that the College hired a consulting firm to assist in planning the campaign but declined to specify which firm. Chair of the Board of Trustees Laurel Richie ’81 said the College decided to ask 100 women to donate $1 million due to the success of similar past initiatives. Previously, as part of the Centennial Circle of Alumnae, 100 women were asked to donate $100,000. Richie said that the success of this initiative served as a “rally crying for women of Dartmouth.” “[Women of Dartmouth] started to say, ‘Wow, if we have done this, what more can we do?” Richie said. She added that allocating some of the money raised by the Centennial Circle to the renovation of Dartmouth Hall was a conscious choice because the building is one of Dartmouth’s most “iconic” features. “The women of Dartmouth just said, ‘We’d like to take this one on,’” Richie said. “There’s a need and it’s part of Dartmouth’s history, but it’s also charting a path, a new path forward. It’s a combination of the need but also the significance of taking on a really important and visible initiative that we hope will be an inspiration to the women who follow behind us.” According to Richie, the 350 additional beds that the College intends to construct as part of the campaign will all be located in one new building. The building will be used to house students as existing residence halls undergo renovation,
she explained. However, she noted that construction would not begin on the new residence hall until sufficient funds are raised to eliminate the possibility of having to cease construction due to insufficient funds. According to Richie, Harvard University encountered this problem in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Though only $1.6 billion of the campaign’s $3 billion goal has been raised so far, Richie said that she is “100 percent” confident that the College will eventually raise the full $3 billion because of the enthusiasm she has observed among alumni and faculty during the campaign’s “quiet phase” and after its public launch. “That [widespread enthusiasm] just gives you confidence for success,” Richie said. “Failure is not an option.” Richie said that even if the campaign reaches its fundraising goal early, the campaign will still likely continue because additional funds could be allocated to existing projects or new projects altogether. “I suspect that we’d go back and look at some of the things that we wanted to do but didn’t think would fit within the campaign in this timeframe,” she said. Both Richie and Kimball declined to specify which additional projects were considered but ultimately ruled out for the current campaign. Dean of the College Rebecca Biron said the College’s new mission statement inspired the proposed four-year leadership program. Students already prepare for a “lifetime of learning” through their academic coursework, Biron said. She added that the four-year leadership program will allow students to engage in “lifelong responsible leadership,” which is the second component of the College’s mission. “Students want support for self-guided personal development plans,” Biron said. “That’s what this curriculum does to meet the mission of the College. This curriculum, being the only one of its kind among our peers ... [that offers] students four years of leadership preparation regardless of their major or interests ... is really bold.” Hanlon echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the unique nature of the program.
“No one is doing something that’s comprehensive that hits every student,” he said. “If we succeed [in this leadership program,] that will be totally distinctive.” Biron said that existing campus leadership programs — including those offered by Dartmouth Peak Performance, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Tuck School of Business’s Bridge Program — would serve as branches of the four-year program. “There are wonderful, highquality pockets of leadership on campus,” she said. “We need to offer a way to coordinate all of those opportunities, scale up programs that exist and add programs that might be missing so that we can meet all of our students’ needs.” Biron said that other leadership programs would be developed to accommodate students with interests that cannot be satisfied t h ro u g h ex i s t i n g p ro g r a m s. For instance, the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network and the Dartmouth Leadership Attitudes and Behaviors Program might be two of several partners that develop programs for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Biron added that the College administration has not yet decided whether or not participation in the four-year program will become a graduation requirement for students. “We are agnostic about the best way to go about this for now,” she said. However, Biron explained that participation is unlikely to be a requirement during the program’s early phases because stakeholders would use the program’s early years to assess what aspects of it are most effective. She clarified that as part of the program, students will meet specific learning objectives each year, including self-awareness, awareness of others, community building and cross-cultural communication and collaborative strategic action. However, Biron noted that students will be free to meet these objectives through multiple leadership programs and will likely be able to complete each phase of the program in whichever order is most convenient for them. Biron added that she anticipates
t h at t h e C o l l e g e ’s h o u s e communities system will play a role in the four-year program because those communities can serve as “leadership labs” for students. She said she hopes this will allow students to deepen their connections to their housing communities and learn to become leaders in “a microcosm of the diversity on offer across Dartmouth as a whole.” Director of the Hopkins Center for the Arts Mary Lou Aleskie said that at least $75 million will be allocated to the Hopkins Center for improvements. “We see [$75 million] as a floor, not a ceiling,” Aleskie said. “That’s the way it’s been communicated to us.” Aleskie said that the funds would support renovations to the Hopkins Center and types of new programming. Renovations to the building are necessary because the way that people engage with the arts has fundamentally changed since its construction, she said. “The challenge is that this building, having been built in 1962, was built in a configuration that was very much focused on a transactional way of experiencing art,” Aleskie said. “The idea that arts are experienced rather than consumed [represented] a big shift.” She noted that limited classroom and rehearsal space has been a challenge at the Hopkins Center in recent years. “Those are the kinds of things that have to be changed within the Hopkins Center for it to be a destination in the 21st century,” Aleskie said. “Our hope is that we can do that in an architecturally defining way that makes it clear that the arts are for everyone on campus.” Aleskie added that the top of the Hopkins Center and its adjoining terrace may undergo renovation to increase their utility to the student body. “The terrace out there is so under-utilized,” she said. “If there’s a way to put a performance space out there ... [that would be] something we are looking to do.” The $75 million might also permit the Hopkins Center to invite artists to campus for longer-term residencies as opposed to shorter SEE CAMPAIGN PAGE 23
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visits, according to Aleskie. “What we’re looking to do more of is ... [having] longer-term visits that allow [visitors] to collaborate with faculty and students to actually make work together,” she said. Director of the Hood Museum of Art John Stomberg said that $50 million has been allocated to the construction of the museum’s new building. Of the $50 million, $47.5 million was already raised during the “quiet phase” of the campaign, according to Stomberg. He added that the construction project is both on-schedule and meeting budgetary guidelines. According to Dartmouth News, the museum is expected to open in 2019. Stomberg explained that the funds would be used to construct three new classrooms in the museum, six new galleries and a new atrium. He added that the new offerings would give both students and faculty increased access to the museum’s resources. “Almost every department on campus uses the museum ... only about a third of our time, energy
and money goes into departments you would expect, such as art history,” Stomberg said. “The rest goes to other departments, such as biology, history, environmental studies, Native American studies and many others.” Stomberg said he believes that the museum’s new building will increase its visibility and profile on campus. “When you talk to classes from the eighties and nineties, they barely knew the museum was there because it was hidden behind a wall,” Stomberg said. “The new building is very welcoming and gives it a face on the Green.” He added that he interprets the allocation of $50 million to the museum as an indication of the College’s commitment to the arts. “Dartmouth has placed a premium on the arts — our organization is getting a huge boost from the campaign, and that’s no accident,” Stomberg said. “It was carefully calculated that the arts are going to be a part of Dartmouth’s future.” Debora Hyemin Han, Sonia Qin and Ioana Solomon contributed reporting.
This article was originally published on May 8.
Dartmouth’s graduate schools will not be left out of the College’s recently-announced $3 billion capital campaign, “The Call to Lead.” The campaign includes specific fundraising goals for D a r t m o u t h ’s g r a d u a t e a n d professional schools that will provide financial support for their programs and initiatives. The Geisel School of Medicine, the Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business and announced goals of $250 million for each of their campaigns. Before the campaign’s public launch, Geisel had already collected over $100 million and Tuck had collected over $132 million. The newly-named Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies set a campaign goal of $50 million and received a donation of an undisclosed amount from Frank J. Guarini ’46, according to dean of the Guarini School F. Jon Kull ’88. The Guarini School will use the funds for graduate student fellowships, while Geisel intends to reduce student debt and further
develop its program. Tuck intends third mission — “transforming to support scholarships, renovate healthcare” — entails working buildings and improve pre- and with the Dartmouth Institute for post-MBA programs, and Thayer Health Policy and Clinical Practice will expand its engineering and to create solutions that improve the computer science faculty and efficiency of the healthcare system construct a new facility. as a whole. The three missions The Guarini School oversees were selected to strengthen Geisel’s the curricular requirements of 35 major areas of focus, according to graduate and doctoral programs Geisel dean Duane Compton. and provides academic and “ We a re l o o k i n g t o professional support to more than augment the medical education 1,000 graduate students, doctoral program by investing in student candidates and post-doctoral scholarships to help reduce debt scholars, according to Kull. loads and [create] some endowed Kull said that the Guarini professorships, for example,” School will use the funds it collects Compton said. “[The second to support g raduate student priority] — pursuing bold ideas fellowships because obtaining — is really about discovering new external funding has become more knowledge in human biology to difficult for graduate students. help create new and more effective “Our goal is to have the first two therapeutic strategies, and the third years of every graduate student [priority], transforming health care, fellowship paid for by Dartmouth supports faculty and educational resources,” Kull said. “Currently programs at The Dartmouth we do not have that, so this [capital Institute … trying to find the most campaign will] get us closer to [this effective and efficient way to deliver goal].” healthcare to According patients.” t o Ku l l , t h e “Our goal is to have Guarini School the first two years of Tuck’s capital does not campaign, titled every graduate student currently plan “ T h e Tu c k to expand its fellowship paid for by Difference: administrative Dartmouth resources. The Campaign services or staff. for Tomorrow’s Ultimately, he Currently we do not Wise Leaders,” said he hopes have that, so this aims to support the Guarini s t u d e n t [capital campaign will] School will gain scholarships a re p u t at i o n get us closer to [this with $40 for excellence goal].” million, fund i n g r a d u at e faculty research level research with $40 and providing -DEAN OF THE FRANK million, finance students with renovations of J. GUARINI SCHOOL s k i l l - bu i l d i n g the Murdough opportunities OF GRADUATE AND Center and that will help ADVANCED EDUCATION F. Byrne Hall them become Dining with leaders in their JOHN KULL $40 million and fields. strengthen pre“I can almost MBA and postsee a customized MBA programs graduate education [model],” Kull with $50 million. An additional said. “Let’s say a graduate student $60 million will support the Tuck wants to do entrepreneurial work Annual Giving campaign, while … we can connect [them] with another $20 million will be allocated people from [the to-be-constructed for other strategic priorities. Magnuson Family Center for Tuck dean Matthew Slaughter Entrepreneurship], Tuck and said that the strategic priorities Thayer.” component will provide him and Geisel’s capital campaign, entitled other Tuck leaders the opportunity “Interaction: The Campaign for to make particular investments at Dartmouth Medicine,” focuses his discretion. on three missions: educating “Looking at the resources that “complete physicians,” pursuing we have today and at our overall “bold ideas” and “transforming financial model, we built off from healthcare.” According to a Geisel each of those important priorities of press release, educating “complete investment … to arrive at the $250 physicians” entails promoting million figure,” Slaughter said. i n n ov a t i o n , e n h a n c i n g t h e Since the construction of the school’s curriculum and providing Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy students with increased scholarship and Society will require current opportunities. To pursue “bold occupants to vacate the Murdough ideas,” Geisel intends to bolster SEE GRAD PAGE 24 research in health and disease. The
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Capital Campaign aims to address donation gender gap
said. in. Like the Centennial Circle, the The Dartmouth Hall renovation em ph as is on initiatives will This article was originally published on alumnae giving encourage May 10. in the campaign “We have a lot of work alumnae groups c a m e f r o m to do, but we’re seeing — like groups Historically, the College — like its alumnae of the of friends or that women are giving sports teams — peer institutions — has had a gender College. divide in its alumni giving, according “To me, the at all levels, not just to donate as a to executive director of the Dartmouth thing that I am group, Hribar College Fund Sylvia Racca. However, excited by in $100,000.” said. There a goal in “The Call to Lead,” the these initiatives will be ways to College’s capital campaign announced is that they came name specific -DIRECTOR OF THE on Apr. 27, hopes to address this issue. from us,” said classrooms and One of the stated goals of the a founder of CENTENNIAL CIRCLE parts of the campaign is to encourage 100 donations the Centennial MINDI LAINE building after of $1 million or more each from Circle and one communities alumnae and encourage donations of of the alumnae alumnae find any amount to help rebuild Dartmouth driving the initiative Caroline Hribar important. Hall — a project that will cost $25 ’00. “This wasn’t something that “I’ve gotten great feedback from million. Furthermore, the College Dartmouth said ‘We’ve got this people that I’ve seen in person, and I hopes to expand membership of the marketing ploy and we want you to know that the Dartmouth folks who Centennial Circle — an alumnae group help sell it.’” are going out and talking to donors of women who are getting great feedback ... We’re have donated at “To me, the thing that I According to already seeing the momentum building least $100,000 to president for over the Dartmouth Hall fund,” she am excited by in these vice financial aid — communications said. “There’s a really limited number from its current initiatives is that they at the College of women who can give at that level, 188 members to came from us. This Justin Anderson, and that’s not the only goal. It’s about 250 members 5 3 a l u m n a e getting the entire community to by 2019, the wasn’t something that a n d w i d o w s give a gift of any size to help rebuild College’s 250th Dartmouth said ‘We’ve of Dartmouth Dartmouth Hall.” anniversary. a l u m n i h ave T h e got this marketing ploy committed to Centennial Circle and we want you to donations of $1 was introduced in help sell it.’” million or more to 2014 due to the the College so far. grassroots efforts In comparison, o f a l u m n a e --CENTENNIAL CIRCLE four women w h o w o rk e d donated at least in conjunction FOUNDER CAROLINE HRI$1 million during with the College, BAR ’00 D a r t m o u t h ’s according to previous capital director of the campaign, which Centennial Circle Mindi Laine. Before ended in 2010, Anderson said. the founding of the Circle, men gave The College will encourage women 4.7 times more money than women. to donate by word of mouth, Racca Since 2014, the gap has started to close; said. men now give “We’ve only 2.5 times “We’ve been reaching been reaching out more money than to individuals, but women, Laine out to individuals, also things like the said. press release and but also things like “We have a lot mentioning it at the press release and of work to do, but the kickoff parties we’re seeing that mentioning it at the were meant to women are giving kickoff parties were help get the at all levels, not word out about just $100,000,” meant to help get the these initiatives,” Laine said. word out about these H r i b a r s a i d . Previous “We’re trying initiatives.” fundraising to reach out to tactics created different affinity c o m p e t i t i o n -CENTENNIAL CIRCLE groups — really between class all the avenues we years, which was FOUNDER CAROLINE have — to help successful for HRIBAR ’00 get the message targeting men out and ask them associated with to be a part of the College, but women were not this.” receptive to it, Laine said. The focus of According to Racca, there will the current initiative is to have women be some direct marketing, but the reach across class years and encourage campaign has not figured out in which each other to give to the College, Laine form this direct marketing will proceed
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Campaign fundraises for graduate schools FROM GRAD PAGE 23
Center, Tuck plans to redesign the building to serve as a collaborative space that houses Tuck programs and resources for MBA students, according to Slaughter. “[The Murdough Center] is at the heart of our collection of buildings,” Slaughter said. “Our plan currently is to have our Tuck centers located in [the Murdough Center] because they provide pathways to learning and application and career services to our students.” Slaughter noted that the capital campaign will also support programs that provide additional resources to MBA students, such as the Next Step program, which helps military veterans and professional athletes enrolled in the MBA program learn additional fundamental business skills during their transition to the business world. Thayer’s target investment of $250 million will support three major goals: academic integration, faculty growth and facility expansion. The first goal — academic integration — will focus on cultivating closer
ties between the operations of engineering and computer science departments. The second goal — faculty growth — seeks to expand engineering faculty from 35 to 70 members and computer science faculty from 18 to 27 members. The third goal — facility expansion — involves constructing a building that will house Thayer’s current facilities, the computer science department and the College’s entrepreneurial, digital design and electron microscope centers. Last week, the College organized three events to support the launch of the campaign in Hanover, New York City, New York and San Francisco, California. According to Kull, the College plans to organize similar events in other cities across the country to communicate to alumni the goals of the campaign. “We all have a common goal to make Dartmouth the best at what it does,” Kull said. “For me, especially as an alumni, it’s exciting to see how people are stepping up to help every aspect of Dartmouth, from the graduate and professional schools to renovating Dartmouth Hall.”
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College seeks to improve mental health resources B y Sunny Drescher The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on May 11. The increase in student demand for mental health resources — both at Dartmouth and at the national level — has led “The Call to Lead” capital campaign to allocate $17 million towards supporting student mental health resources on campus, according to Dean of the College Rebecca Biron. Director of the College’s health service Reed said that the funding is intended to serve three main focus areas for students’ mental health: improving timely accessibility to mental health services, providing ongoing support to help students and of fering education and prevention programs for faculty, staff and students. These goals may be fulfilled through various initiatives across campus, according to a campuswide email that broke down “The Call to Lead” budget priorities from Student Assembly president Monik Walters ’19 and Student Assembly vice president Nicole Knape ’19. Although Walters and Knape wrote that the College would hire five new counselors at Dick’s House as part of these initiatives in a campuswide email, vice president for communications Justin Anderson wrote in an email statement that
the College has not yet decided how increase in students utilizing college many new counselors will be hired. counseling centers nationally and a “Dartmouth is committed to 40 percent increase in admissions to recruiting new counselors ... [but] the College infirmary for counseling that level of reasons over the specificity has past five years. “Mental health issues not yet been determined and present some of the Director of is dependent on greatest barriers the counseling fundraising,” he services at to students taking wrote. Dick’s House “ M e n t a l full advantage of Heather Earle health issues echoed that what Dartmouth present some there has been of the greatest has to offer. We’re a n increased b a r r i e r s t o really excited that demand for students taking mental health full advantage Dartmouth is seeing services at of w h a t this as an important Dartmouth, Dartmouth has adding that issue.” to offer,” Reed there has s a i d . “ We ’re subsequently really excited -DIRECTOR OF been an that Dartmouth increased effort is seeing this as DARTMOUTH HEALTH to reach more an important SERVICES MARK REED students and issue.” to collaborate Biron said b e t w e e n the decision to focus on mental different mental health related health was part of a larger effort groups, including faculty, staff, to transform the residential life undergraduate advisors and groups experience and occurred in response through the Student Wellness to student needs. She said that the Center. allocation of funds was a process An example of this increased of “collecting, collating and then collaboration is counseling services’ prioritizing ideas that [came] from decision to switch its intake various locations on campus.” mechanism a few years ago from Reed said that mental health an individual intake model to a trends at the College resemble triage system, according to Earle. national trends, citing a 30 percent She said that this switch has allowed
more students to access mental health resources quickly in addition to helping service providers direct students towards the best resources and support services on campus for their specific needs. Biron said that the increase in demand is more complex than simply saying that students today are more depressed or anxious than in the past. She said that examining trends relating to students and mental health is a “nuanced situation where some of [the increase in demand] is about increased awareness and willingness to seek out support services.” Earle emphasized the importance of outreach for mental health services on campus to encourage students to seek out resources and said that the counseling center does close to 300 hours of outreach per term. She said that although these outreach programs are not new, they are recently starting to catch on and resonate with students as mental health issues become less stigmatized. Director of the Student Wellness Center Caitlin Barthelmes said that the increased demand for mental health services allows Dartmouth to strengthen its “network of care,” which ranges from the housing communities to programming committees to for mal mental health services. As more people talk about the importance of mental health, she said, the stigma
surrounding mental health will hopefully continue to decrease and it will be easier for students to access appropriate resources. “The more our community shows that they care about mental health and shows that they care about each other, the better can provide students the opportunity to get into the network of care,” Barthelmes said. Walters said she thinks that this allocation of resources to mental health services for students will help the College proactively address issues rather than reactively. “Dartmouth is taking the initiative to listen to what the students are saying and using that feedback to promote actual change and to put resources in place that students feel like they can access,” Walters said. Barthelmes said that students are increasingly willing to talk openly about their emotions and mental health with each other and the larger Dartmouth community, which is vital to address mental health issues on both individual and macro levels. “If you think of mental health as a public health issue, to be able to engage all community members — including having active student participants trying to come up with solutions and trying to create support for each other — is a really important part of the pie,” Barthelmes said.
COURTESY OF FAIZAN KANJI
Dick’s House, located on Rope Ferry Road, provides both physical and mental health services to students at the College.
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Capital campaign to establish new entrepreneurial center B y Berit svenson The Dartmouth Staff
This article was originally published on May 14. In response to the need to prepare its students for an increasingly modern and innovative society, the College will establish a new center for entrepreneurship as part of its $3 billion capital campaign, entitled “The Call to Lead.” The center, which will be named the Magnuson Family Center for Entrepreneurship, will serve as the official organizational structure for Dartmouth’s current and future entrepreneurial programming and resources, Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network director and the center’s future director Jamie Coughlin wrote in an email statement. With an ultimate investment goal of $40 million, the College has already accumulated $36 million for the new center, which includes a donation of $20 million from Allison and Rick Magnuson ’79. Sixteen additional alumni have also contributed $1 million each to the establishment of the center. The
donors comprise the Dartmouth The center is the next step Founders Circle. in the College’s plan to enlarge The new center t h e c a m p u s ’s will be located on “[The new center] entrepreneurship the west end of p r e s e n c e , campus in a new is an acceleration according to shared building of what we’re Coughlin. After with the College’s the suc cess o f doing right now. computer science DEN’s expansion and engineering We’re focused in 2013 and the programs. creation of the on continuing According to DEN Innovation experiential Rick Magnuson, Center, Coughlin f o u n d e r a n d learning, providing said the College e x e c u t i v e wanted to “create much more actual managing director a more permanent of GI Partners, startup support program within the h e w a n t e d t o and alumni institution.” contribute to the DEN was establishment of engagement.” originally created the new center in 2001 as a network “because of the of alumni affinity entre preneurial groups focused on e x p e r i e n c e -DARTMOUTH entrepreneurship, [he] had as an ENTREPRENEURIAL but its vision undergraduate and and brand were the opportunity CENTER DIRECTOR broadened in 2013 to help students JAMIE COUGHLIN to include new and faculty people, programs succeed with their a n d re s o u rc e s, entre preneurial according to the ventures as both undergraduates and graduates.” SEE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PAGE 27
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Donation from the Frank family will Center will aim to foster entreprenseurship support off-campus programs costs associated with these programs. “The financial aid packages here are very good, but sometimes there are This article was originally published on gaps,” Tansey said. Chair of the Spanish and Portuguese May 15. department Silvia Spitta said the Frank Study abroad programs are popular family’s donation is a “necessary gift.” with Dartmouth students — and now Spitta noted that there are many students the College’s “The Call to Lead” who go on off-campus programs capital campaign will provide more through the Spanish department financial support for students wishing but who do not have the money to take advantage to participate in of the unique these programs. “This gift, we expect, opportunities Karen and Jim will go a long way to available to them Frank ’65 and abroad. their sons Daniel fully opening up the Frank ’92 and [off-campus program] According to Jordan Frank Ta n s e y, t h e ’94 have pledged experience to all College’s off$5 million to students.” campus programs support students have a robust set on financial aid of scheduled who are studying -EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR activities for on off-campus OF THE FRANK J. students, but programs. The there are still family also set GUARIINI INSTITUTE “big disparities” up a $2.5 million FOR INTERNATIONAL in what students dollar-for-dollar EDUCATION JOHN TANSEY of different match challenge economic to encourage backg rounds additional are able to do donations, which outside of the could bring in official program a total of $10 — particularly on million or more the weekends. for this cause. For example, Spitta noted how The Frank family gift will be used to create a scholarship fund for qualifying some students could travel to other students, but according to executive cities on the weekends and visit cultural director of the Frank J. Guarini Institute attractions like museums and theaters. for International Education John Other students often have to forgo these opportunities Tansey, the details out of financial of how the money “By having gifts like concerns, she will specifically be said. allocated are still this, we can continue Spitta being decided. to make sure that stualso said that off“This gift, dents have the means campus programs we expect, will often involve go a long way to really have a full exunexpected to fully opening perience and to particcosts that can be up the [off“onerous” for campus program] ipate in the programs some students. experience to all in the first place.” She cited the students,” Tansey example of high said. baggage fees on While over -EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR i n t e r n at i o n a l 55 percent of OF THE FRANK J. flights as one such Dartmouth “hidden fee.” She students study GUARIINI INSTITUTE added that if a abroad, each year FOR INTERNATIONAL student’s flight there are students EDUCATION JOHN TANSEY is unexpectedly who choose not canceled, the to apply for offstudent would campus programs have to pay for out of fear that a night in a hotel they will not be room, potentially able to afford it, according to Tansey. He said there creating a significant financial burden. To address this concern, Spitta said are also students who withdraw from programs after they have been accepted that for years, faculty across campus have been pressuring the College’s because of financial concerns. While students’ financial aid off-campus programs office and the packages do apply to off-campus financial aid office to increase the programs, there are often additional amount of financial aid given to
B y GIGI GRIGORIAN The Dartmouth Staff
students who participate in off-campus programs. “By having gifts like this, we can continue to make sure that students have the means to really have a full experience and to participate in the programs in the first place,” Tansey said. When Jim Frank was a student at the College, he spent a term studying in Spain in 1963, an experience he described as “life-changing.” “At that time, the world was all about America,” he said. “I had an American point of view of the world. [Studying in Spain] totally changed my perspective on the world in so many different ways.” Jim Frank’s sons also studied in Europe — Daniel in France and Jordan in Spain — during their time at the College. Although Jim Frank noted that “the world is a smaller place today than it was in 1963,” he said that his sons’ experiences still gave them a new perspective of the world. “I know they both had terrific experiences, and that’s one of the reasons we supported this initiative,” he said. “I think every student should have an experience like that, but certainly what we would like to put Dartmouth in a position to say is that every student who wants to have that experience can have it.”
FROM ENREPRENEURSHIP PAGE 26
Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer website. “[T he new center] is an acceleration of what we’re doing right now,” Coughlin said. “We’re focused on continuing experiential learning, providing much more actual startup support and alumni engagement.” The new center will build on the opportunities already offered to current DEN members. DEN currently provides students interested in entrepreneurship ways to become involved in actual business ventures and meet notable figures in the entrepreneurial world. “By week five, right when I got on campus, I was working on a Tuck startup,” DEN member Kevin Ge ’21 said. “I found that to be insane.” With the creation of the new center, there will be more financial support for students’ startups, according to Coughlin. Many proposed startups, such as the development of drone technology used to distribute medicine in underdeveloped areas of the world, address global concerns using modern technology, he said.
“Digital technology has transfor med every sector of society, and brought innovation and efficiencies to so many dimensions of our lives,” Founders Circle member Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe ’81 wrote in an email statement. “But we also need innovative thinking and entrepreneurship to address some of the downside consequences of digital technology for society.” Donahoe wrote that she hopes for the new center to cultivate student leaders who can apply their entrepreneurial skills “to addressing the social, economic and political challenges that flow from digitization.” The new center will facilitate innovative thinking, provide funding and allow students access to unique opportunities, according to the new center’s director Jamie Coughlin. “At the end of the day, it’s about sharing this entrepreneurial thinking with everybody across campus,” Coughlin said. “Because, regardless of whether or not you start the venture, you will benefit from it.” Ge is a former member of The Dartmouth.
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THE DARTMOUTH ORIENTATION ISSUE 2018
STAFF COLUMNIST TYLER MALBREAUX ’20
GUEST COLUMNIST MATTHEW MANN ’21
My First Gun
Not This Time
Effective gun control arguments need to understand both sides. This article was originally published on Mar. 29. Before writing for The Dartmouth, I was an opinion columnist for The Authored Ascension, my high school’s online-only newspaper. Though I lacked the authority to influence much, I had a clear vision for the paper’s direction. Up until that point, most written pieces were schoolspecific. News of homecoming events, sports match-ups and the like were the predominant topics for most writers. Few ventured out to tackle national hot-button issues. As a 16-yearold newly equipped with a driver’s license and many opinions, I planned on changing that. In September 2014, I wrote a politicallycharged piece titled “Should a 9-Year-Old Fire an Uzi?” The month prior, Arizona gun range instructor Charles Vacca was killed after a nineyear-old girl lost control of an Uzi submachine while firing it on fully automatic mode. Unable to handle the gun’s powerful recoil, the girl allowed the barrel of the gun to veer off where Vacca was standing, striking him in the head with at least one bullet. He later died at a nearby hospital. As with every high-profile incident before and after, Vacca’s death incited another, albeit short-lived, debate on gun laws. Groups like Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which felt that the accident could have been prevented with common sense, were outraged. State legislators began introducing bills to restrict gun access for those deemed too young to operate them. And in my article from high school, I too appeared to be seething with indignation — “So, theoretically, speaking, a toddler can fire as many rounds from an AK-47 as he wishes as long as his mommy or daddy is in the same room with him.” Perhaps myopically, I hoped my article for The Authored Ascension would promote serious discussion, at least among the few students who would actually read it. But I was wrong. It was not very popular. Ultimately, few outside of my journalism class even knew it was published. Looking back, I wonder how much impact, if any, my article would have had on discourse. I lived in a deeply red state. The parents of the children I went to school with were mostly registered Republicans, which was reflected in their children’s views. Many students, especially the boys, participated in some type of shooting sport. The majority of them learned how to shoot before they learned basic algebra. If anything, it was I who did not understand the gun issue — I had never shot a gun. Unlike many of my friends, I took no interest in learning how to hunt during deer season. The only thing I owned closest to a gun was a Daisy air rifle my dad bought for me one Christmas when I was younger. I shot it once, put it away and have not seen it since. My lack of shooting experience changed shortly after high school graduation. One day in June, I went to my brother’s house. Casually set on his kitchen table was a rugged black case holding a Ruger .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. My brother said that a gentleman who had contracted him to install a speaker system also happened to own a gun store. Rather than repaying my brother with money, he offered to give him a gun. With the shake of a hand, my
brother had legally bought a pistol. We lined up some targets in my brother’s backyard. I handled the pistol clumsily at first, but with a two-minute training session, shooting accurately became light work. In less than ten minutes, I could empty a magazine and reload and hit a bullseye from a few yards. As I dotted the barrel with quarter-sized holes, I could not help but think about the immense power I held in my hands. Each shot was deafening — foolishly, I wore no ear protection. Each bullet sliced through thick metal with ease, and firmly lodged themselves in the earth. It is often said that those who do not shoot guns cannot understand gun culture in rural America. Maybe there is some truth to that. Maybe there is something titillating about leaving the gun range with the smell of burnt metal stinging your fingertips. Personally, I do not mind taking occasional excursions out to a range. But at no point during my first time firing a weapon or any of the times after that did I ever think, “This seems like a safe activity for children.” Because despite what the current federal data may claim, children are involved in an unacceptably high number of accidental gunrelated deaths. A New York Times investigation revealed that accidental gun deaths among children are sometimes not recorded accurately when local authorities often consider shooting deaths with two people “homicides.” This means that, while pro-gun activists may claim that accident rates are decreasing, the truth is that the data is ambiguous at best . Fortunately, things are slowly changing. A year after his death, Charles Vacca’s four children started an online petition demanding that states create laws that criminalize allowing children access to high-powered weapons. The next year, the family sued the Last Stop shooting range in Arizona where Vacca was killed for negligence. Hopefully, these actions will prompt shooting ranges across the country to adopt stricter policies in lieu of state legislation. While powerful lobbying interests still control the gun debate in Washington, I am comforted to see that the way in which people think about guns may also be changing in deeply pro-gun communities. On March 16, I checked The Authored Ascension to find an article written by the paper’s current editor-in-chief about the recent protests in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Even at my high school, which is still very much pro-gun — one senior was quoted as saying: “protesting [for stricter gun laws] is stupid and a waste of time.” But there is some sign of change. After receiving news of the shooting, some students went out to the school cross in the courtyard during break to gather for a moment of silence. Others, according to the author, were “reacting in their own ways.” And unlike the days when I was writing for The Authored Ascension, people may actually be reading the newspaper now. As I scrolled down the page to the comments section, I saw one reader had posted a cute heart emoji. It is small, to say the least. But it could be a reflection of the bigger national efforts to achieve meaningful compromise. We may be closer to fixing this than we think.
Parkland is my home. This time is different. and highly educated community. While the Never Again movement has gained national attention, this is not the first movement I am an alumnus of Marjory Stoneman against gun violence. Members of minority Douglas High School and a resident of communities across the United States Parkland, Florida. This past Valentine’s have been speaking up about gun violence Day, 14 of my former schoolmates and 3 affecting their communities for a long staff members were senselessly murdered time. Nobody has listened. Not anymore. at the hands of a lone gunman. As a No community is truly immune from the result, my hometown and alma mater have disastrous effect of guns. been tragically affected in ways that are There are those that will state that this is impossible to describe. I cannot understand not a gun issue — that the problem relates what it must have been like for those to mental health or a variety of other factors students to hear gunfire, that allow them to ignore hide under their desks “Support for gun the gun. The issue at and witness the deaths hand is multifaceted reform should be of several of their peers. and requires an equally Although I will admit universal because gun complex solution that that Marjory Stoneman violence affects all extends beyond guns. Douglas is not perfect, However, part of the Americans, regardless I always felt safe there. I solution needs to directly made friends, enjoyed my of what communities address guns. After all, classes, played ice hockey all types of gun violence they identify with. ” a nd h ad a rel ativel y involve guns. comfortable and normal Along these high school career. The lines, I would like to current students at Douglas do not share make something clear. The Never Again this experience; their high school career has movement is not anti-gun. I, like multiple been brutally tarnished by a terrible act of leaders of the movement, have grown up violence. Our school motto is “Be Positive, in a gun-owning household. However, Be Passionate, Be Proud To Be An Eagle.” supporters of the movement are of the It is in this spirit that I write. mind that some guns are made for defense, Unfortunately, gun violence has become and some — like assault rifles — are not. all too common in America. The Washington The latter should not be accessible to the Post reports that since 1999, at least 26,000 American public. Furthermore, the aim is Americans under the age of 18 have been not to take away any American’s right to killed by gunfire. Yet little to no action has defend himself or herself. This movement been taken to better the situation. Usually, instead aims to implement common sense mass shootings — like the one in Parkland gun reform that ensures the safety of all — have a similar aftermath. TThere is a Americans. period of mourning in which individual Universal backg round checks, for thoughts and prayers are directed to the example, are part of common sense gun victims and those around them from all over reform. Polls have shown that 90 percent the country. Memorials are put up, t-shirts of Americans support universal background are made, and an all too brief call to action checks on every gun sale, yet politicians have quickly dissipates into obscurity. Not this not implemented them. This is unacceptable time. This time is different: a movement and undemocratic. For far too long, the has started. Led by students from my alma topic of gun control has escaped the halls mater, the Never Again movement declares of Congress, as special interest groups have that enough is enough. stalled the conversation on gun reform. Not This past Sunday, I joined over 200,000 anymore. Americans in the “March For Our Lives” I ask the Dartmouth community to join to demand change. While marching, I this movement. Students, staff, and faculty witnessed widespread support. I passed alike have a voice that will help to foster a church giving out water to marchers, common sense gun reform. The NRA, as listened to speeches by people of diverse well as members of Congress, have placed backgrounds, and saw signs such as “Reform themselves against Never Again. Their Jews Demand Action,” “Gays Against power will be combatted with votes. This Guns,” and “Hunters Against the NRA.” movement has the ability to vote out the Support for gun reform should be universal elected officials that have resisted reform. because gun violence affects all Americans, Those joining in this fight should sign up for regardless of what communities they identify an absentee ballot with their state elections with. Although some communities face commission or register to vote in Hanover. disproportionate levels of gun violence, its A unified movement can ensure that mass reach extends to all areas. In 2017, Parkland shootings do not become our continued was rated the safest city in Florida, yet reality — citizens can hold politicians this did not prevent the shooting. While accountable for their inaction and should marching, I saw numerous signs asking, not stop until the safety of all American “Is My School Next?” Students today are students is ensured. Be the change we wish to rightfully scared. see in the world. Be Positive, Be Passionate, However, there is a more important take- and Be Proud To Be An Eagle. Stay Strong away here. Parkland is a highly affluent MSD. #NeverAgain This article was originally published on Mar. 29.
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THE DARTMOUTH ORIENTATION ISSUE 2018
VERBUM ULTIMUM THE DARTMOUTH EDITORIAL BOARD (SPRING 2018)
STAFF COLUMNIST MATTHEW ’21
March for Our Values
Safety Under the Law
Opposing the 2nd Amendment Undermines Gun Control.
Dartmouth must consistently and vocally defend its values. This article was originally published on Mar. 30. On Saturday, March 24, thousands of people marched on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. for the March for Our Lives, a demonstration in support of tighter gun control regulations. The march was accompanied by over 800 corresponding protests in cities around the world. Announced in the wake of the tragic mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the march was the culmination of weeks of activism and outcries mostly by students and youth. That the speakers at the march were exclusively high school students or younger is emblematic of the youthfulness and longevity of the movement. Similar energy was also expressed on March 14, when tens of thousands of high school students protested by walking out of class in memory of the lives lost at Stoneman Douglas. Other spontaneous protests had previously occurred at high schools across the country, with various responses from high school administrators. While the Houston-area Needeville Independent School District threatened protesting students with three-day suspensions, the Arlington County School District outside of Washington D.C. issued a statement of compassion and support for its protesting students. It was under these turbulent circumstances that Dartmouth selected the Class of 2022. Many applicants to the College, torn between desiring to exercise their freedoms of speech and assembly yet fearful of retribution that might jeopardize their college admissions prospects, inquired with the College’s admissions office about the issue en masse. In response to questions from apprehensive high schoolers across the country, Lee Coffin, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid, issued a statement clarifying that Dartmouth maintains its support for “active citizenship” and that “participation in peaceful protest in no way jeopardizes [one’s] admission to Dartmouth,” even if a student were to be disciplined or suspended. The Dartmouth administration should be applauded for its restated support of freedom of speech, protest and civil disobedience, values that are integral to the College. As one of the first universities in the country to issue such a statement, the undergraduate admissions office should also be lauded for setting a precedent for other institutions to follow. However, the decision by universities to reaffirm support of active citizenship has not come without scrutiny. Given the timing of the clarification, multiple national media publications, including Newsweek, Mother Jones and Forbes, surmised that the over 80 colleges and universities that issued statements were implicitly endorsing the aims of the movement: stricter gun control. Misperceptions are to be expected with any public endorsement from the College. Yet in this fraught cultural moment, it is necessary to scrutinize the motives and impact that a statement from one of the nation’s
oldest universities could engender. This statement was needed, not only to support these particular protesting students but also because the rights of assembly and speech are seemingly under assault today, and from all sides. This will not be the last time in the near future that values dear to the College will be challenged. Dartmouth, as an institution and a community, must be ready to stand by those values whenever necessary. To that end, the College must be willing to issue statements of public support clarifying its values whenever those values are threatened, not only when it is politically expedient or when the zeitgeist appears to be in the College’s favor. The administration should be lauded in this moment for its affirmation of speech. But attacks on the rights of prospective students, let alone community-members, are not always so easily defended. Dartmouth should also not hesitate to vocally support the rights of free speech and assembly wherever they are threatened in the world. As a global institution, Dartmouth and its community members will inevitably be affected by threats to free association and speech anywhere, and it should explicitly maintain support for such basic rights in all contexts. It is especially important that the next time issues regarding freedom of speech, protest and civil disobedience arise at the College, the administration practices what it preaches. The College should furthermore take seriously the charge that its statement endorses the causes of the recent protest. Given the sheer volume of inquiries the College has received, it can only be assumed that Coffin’s statement of support was genuinely intended as a clarification to the College’s applicant pool. That said, the roster of admitted students likely also contains some who opposed the movement that has captured high schools across the country, and the College must ensure these students know their viewpoints are respected as well. The only effective way to combat perceptions of bias in administrative support is a consistent, vocal and expressive affirmations of the College’s values. Prospective and current students spanning the political spectrum will likely appreciate a consistent defense of basic rights and freedoms. Any student who cannot agree with such a defense may not fare well against the diversity of ideas and divergent action that occurs on campus. Selective affirmation endangers and cheapens the values that the College holds dear. This Wednesday, 1,925 students across the nation and world were admitted to the Class of 2022. Among the ranks of students entering the Dartmouth community this fall will be many who marched for their lives, and many who might feel strongly about their rights to gun ownership, but all of whom exercised basic rights ensured by this nation and college. With such convictions among the community, Dartmouth cannot be timid in its affirmations. The editorial board consists of opinion staff columnists, the opinion editors, both executive editors and the editor-in-chief.
Amendment as the ideal end-goal of gun regulation, with moderate restrictions merely a compromise. His position fit perfectly For decades, the National Rifle Association with the NRA’s caricature of gun control. has advanced a slippery-slope argument. Pundits immediately seized on the justice’s Give an inch on gun policy, the rhetoric op-ed as an example of the gun control goes, and gun control advocates will take movement’s true intentions. Conservative a mile. In 1994, then-NRA executive vice columnist Jonah Goldberg, writing in the president Wayne LaPierre termed waiting New York Post, described the piece as periods on gun purchases proof of what he termed “just one more step in the the “reasonable and march toward national “Reasonable gun commonsense suspicion disarmament.” The NRA reforms do not that the real goal [of gun similarly denounces most regulation] is to do away firear m regulation as threaten the right to with most or all gun rights part of a broader plan bear arms. Recent entirely.” In a Townhall to eliminate Second article titled “Yes, They activism in the wake Amendment rights. are Coming for Your That argument is both of the mass shooting Guns,” contributor deceptive and untrue. at Marjory Stoneman Bruce Bialosky again Far from a conspiracy to invoked the specter of seize Americans’ guns, Douglass High School an anti-gun conspiracy. sensible gun restrictions in Parkland, Florida He dismissed limited are a widely-supported firearms regulation as does not target the public safety measure. an attempt to “hide R e a s o n a b l e g u n Second Amendment; it [gun control advocates’] reforms do not threaten targets military-grade existential goal,” then the right to bear arms. claimed that “the lid was Re c e n t a c t i v i s m i n weapons and the ease blown off that charade” the wake of the mass with which dangerous by Justice Stevens’ op-ed. shooting at Mar jor y Of course, individuals can obtain Stoneman Douglass for many gun safety High School in Parkland, them.” proponents defending Florida does not target the Second Amendment the Second Amendment; is not a charade. Though it targets militarya majority of Americans grade weapons and the ease with which favor stricter gun laws, just 21 percent support dangerous individuals can obtain them. The the repeal of the Second Amendment. That movement’s goals in no way threaten the statistic alone shows that Stevens is not right to own guns. They merely demarcate representative of gun-control supporters. certain particularly-dangerous weapons as Most proponents of stricter gun laws do out of bounds, something which, so long not want to take away Americans’ right to as the fundamental components of the bear arms. Many of them are gun owners right to bear arms remain intact, courts themselves. Stevens’ op-ed gave a false and have repeatedly ruled does not violate dangerous impression of gun control. the Second Amendment. Opposing a few Arguments like the one made by Justice particularly-dangerous varieties of firearm Stevens feed directly into NRA propaganda, does not make one anti-gun or anti-Second recklessly endangering the movement built Amendment. Many Americans understand up in the wake of Parkland. Advocates for this: a Quinnipiac University poll from last gun reform should give Justice Stevens and month found that two thirds of respondents his position a wide berth. Even if his point support a ban on assault weapons. Gun had merit, an attempt to repeal would control advocates must stand up to the NRA, be futile and politically infeasible. Those which has consistently mischaracterized bearing true concerns ought not to waste them as against opponents of all gun their voice and efforts on unproductive ownership. They must continue to push arguments. their principled, common-sense opposition Thankfully, Justice Stevens does not to America’s flawed gun regulations. speak for gun reform advocates. Parkland Last week, however, former Supreme students, March for Our Lives organizers Court Justice John Paul Stevens did the and others do not intend to repeal the Second exact opposite. In a New York Times op- Amendment or infringe on Americans’ gun ed, he proposed the repeal of the Second rights. Instead, they ask for simple, commonAmendment. Without going into much sense measures –– like universal background detail, Stevens urged that protesters go checks and a ban on assault weapons –– to beyond semiautomatic weapons bans and reduce the risk of another mass shooting. universal background checks and instead Responsible gun owners have a place in this take on the Second Amendment. I can movement. Despite what Justice Stevens and hardly think of a better way to torpedo gun the NRA claim, pushing for gun control control. reforms is not an extreme endeavor to Justice Stevens’ article brought the NRA’s erode constitutional rights. Rather, it is a strawman gun-control advocate to life. reasonable, widely-supported movement to Stevens treated the repeal of the Second end unnecessary violence. This article was originally published on Apr.
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THE DARTMOUTH ORIENTATION ISSUE 2018
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
Sigma Phi Epsilon Faces Struggles Within This past spring, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity underwent a membership review from its national orgnization that removed a large number of its undergraduate members. Over 80 percent of brothers were not invited back to the fraternity following the review, which has sparked controversy among alumni of the fraternity. Following the review, there has been significant disagreement among different groups of alumni about what direction the fraternity should take moving forward, leading to power struggles and culminating in a complaint filed in the Grafton County Superior Court.
Sigma Phi Epsilon suspended by national, under membership review B y ALEXA GREEN
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
This article was originally published on Apr. 6. The National Board of Directors of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity voted on March 26 to conduct a membership review of the New Hampshire Alpha chapter, located at Dartmouth. Pending the results of the membership review, all undergraduate members of the chapter have been suspended by the national organization, as has the chapter’s charter, according to an email sent on March 27 by chapter services director Paul Andersen to members of NH Alpha. In response, over 200 Dartmouth Sig Ep alumni have signed a letter sent to the New Hampshire Alpha Alumni and Volunteer Corporation Board of Trustees, which provides oversight of the chapter’s facility and finances. The letter opposed the membership review and the imposition of a national substance-free policy, as well as the AVC Board’s failure to solicit input from the alumni body at large. As part of the National Board’s membership review, brothers of Dartmouth Sig Ep filled out a questionnaire and provided information regarding their finances, their academic transcript and their College “conduct” records. In addition, a membership review board comprised of Sig Ep alumni, volunteers and Headquarters staff members will conduct an interview with each individual member to “identify chapter members who are committed to living up to Sig Ep’s values.” Andersen wrote that members who are not invited to return to the fraternity
following the interview process will either be suspended for a particular period of time, suspended upon condition or expelled permanently. According to his email, Dartmouth Sig Ep members who did not submit the questionnaire to participate in the interviews will automatically remain suspended from the chapter and “will in no way associate with the New Hampshire Alpha chapter moving forward,” though they may also choose to resign. Upon graduation, suspended members will earn alumni status, according to Andersen’s email. The decision comes after concerns from the national board over the chapter’s ability to comply with substance-free regulations, which were passed in August 2017 at a national Sig Ep conference. Concerns were raised in February at a leadership conference organized by Sig Ep National. At the conference, the National Board of Directors was apprehensive about the chapter’s ability to comply with the organization’s new substance-free regulations, according to a letter from Dartmouth Sig Ep president alumnus David Herrera ’18 sent to the chapter’s alumni. The Board asked members present to draft an implementation plan to address these concerns, according to Herrera’s letter. Five Dartmouth undergraduates were in attendance at the conference and were funded by the Alumni Vo l u n t e e r C o r p o r at i o n , a n independent, non-profit corporation which mentors Sig Ep undergraduates and alumni in addition to managing assets and operations, AVC president John-David “JD” Optekar ’91Th’92 said. The Dartmouth chapter presented an initial plan to the Board, which
claimed that the plan did not meet National standards because it lacked accountability, Optekarsaid. On March 26, National voted to temporarily suspend Dartmouth Sig Ep and conduct a membership review, citing multiple risk management violations, failure to live up to expectations and failure to make changes, according to Andersen’s email. “Sigma Phi Epsilon and its 14,000 undergraduates members are united by our common values. When a member or a chapter fails to act in accordance with these values they must be held accountable,” wrote Sig Ep National’s strategic communications director Andrew Parrish in an email statement to The Dartmouth. “Greek life today needs to change,” he wrote. Interviews with individual members of the fraternity will be held on April 13 and 14, according to Andersen’s email. Herrera’s letter encourages alumni to email Optekar and ask him to cease Dartmouth Sig Ep’s membership review, as well as to email former presidents to discuss the situation and advocate for the chapter’s disaffiliation from Sig Ep National. Herrera cited 12 risk management incidents at the chapter over the past four years as one of Sig Ep National’s justifications for the membership review, but added that “many were taken out of context or out of our control.” He disputed the significance of these incidents, citing as examples an incident when a guest stood on a table without permission and fell off, as well as another incident involving an “unregistered party” when football
players and their friends showed up unannounced. “We feel that conducting a membership review will not help us improve, but will rather decimate the house and dismantle the chapter we have all enjoyed participating in,” Herrera wrote in his letter. For mer Dartmouth Sig Ep presidents Eli Derrow ’15, Joseph Clyne ’16, Ellis Guo ’17 and Herrera sent an additional letter to Dartmouth Sig Ep alumni relaying chapter members’ accomplishments since 2014, was well as their leadership and involvement with the College in an effort to demonstrate the “strong brotherhood ... diversity and depth” of the fraternity. “While [the substance-free policy’s] aim is admirable, it is not suited to the realities and needs of Sig Ep NH Alpha,” the Dartmouth Sig Ep alumni letter stated. “We feel that this shortsighted, naïve policy represents an ineffective approach to mitigating the risks alcohol poses.” In an April 2 email to Dartmouth Sig Ep alumni, AVC vice president of facilities Herb Philpott ’85 said the new substance-free policies aim to implement a model similar to Dartmouth’s Living Learning Communities, featuring a live-in advisor, encouraging strong faculty engagement and disassociating from drinking clubs. The signatories of the Dartmouth Sig Ep alumni letter also supported the undergraduates’ considerations regarding potential disaffiliation from the National fraternity and requested a postponement of the review process. However, the members of the College’s chapter were required to
submit their information for review by April 3, multiple sources familiar with the situation said on background. According to Optekar, “going local” is not an option since the chapter is currently on alcohol probation by the College. College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote in an email statement that “only organizations in good standing can pursue going local.” After the probation period is over, the fraternity will continue to maintain its suspended status with the national organization, according to Optekar. Philpott’s email stated that since Moving Dartmouth Forward, the College’s administration has had a policy of not recognizing new Greek organizations, especially those with the intention of “avoid[ing] the authority of a National organization.” Lawrence wrote that the College does not have a moratorium on new Greek-letter organizations. Additionally, Philpott’s email pointed out that Sig Ep’s house at 11 Webster Ave. was funded and built in 2011 for a chapter of the Sig Ep fraternity. Lawrence said the College was informed of National’s decision to review its members; however, she wrote in a separate email statement “the College has no role in the process and it is not connected to any internal College processes.” Director of Greek Life Brian Joyce declined to comment, as did multiple Sig Ep affiliates. In his email, Herrera estimated that 60 to 90 percent of the house’s membership could be expelled, based on previous reviews of other Sig Ep chapters across the country.
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Nineteen Sig Ep brothers remain after membership review B y The DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
This article was originally published on Apr. 25 uner the title “Nineteen Sig Ep brothers remain after national membership review.” Nineteen members of Dartmouth’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity were invited back to the fraternity following a membership review instituted by their national organization, according to a member of Sig Ep who was not invited back after his review. Before the review, there were 102 active members.
Of the 19, one is a member of the Class of 2018, three are members of the Class of 2019 and 15 are members of the Class of 2020, according to the former member. He said that to his knowledge, based off of conversations with other Dartmouth Sig Eps, at least 62 of the chapter’s members chose to pursue the membership review. College spokesperson Diana Lawrence confirmed that invitations were extended to 19 members. She also added that the college recognizes Sig Ep’s ability to select their own members as a private, self-selecting organization.
Those who were not invited back following the membership review or who chose not to participate will remain as suspended members as long as they “remain in good standing with SigEp New Hampshire Alpha until graduation,” according to an email sent to suspended members by chapter services director Paul Andersen. Suspended members are not permitted to identify as members of the fraternity, attend any house events or meetings or wear any clothing associated with Sig Ep, according to Andersen’s email. They may earn alumni status upon graduation,
though members may also choose to resign. Members who were not invited were also given the right to appeal the decision by Apr. 24. The Dartmouth Sig Ep chapter, formally known as New Hampshire Alpha, was suspended on March 26 by Sig Ep National pending the membership review. The suspension came following risk concerns and worries that the house would not be able to comply with a substance-free policy from Sig Ep National. Brothers who wished to regain full standing were required to interview with a review board consisting of Sig Ep
alumni, volunteers and Headquarters staff and to supply their academic transcript, conduct record and financial information. “Knowing that this was a difficult decision, Sigma Phi Epsilon Headquarters and your alumni and volunteers ask that you continue to conduct yourself with the behavior that befits a SigEp and a student of Dartmouth College,” Andersen wrote. “Doing so will benefit all of those invested in the chapter, your friends, yourself, and provide for the future successes of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Dartmouth College.”
After membership review, Sigma Phi Epsilon faces internal strife B y ZACHARY BENJAMIN
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
This article was originally published on July 27. Following a membership review that removed 80 percent of its brothers, the Dartmouth chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity continues to face internal strife. Over the past four months, Dartmouth Sig Ep has seen calls for localization, threats from current undergraduates to depledge and attempts to have current governing alumni removed from their positions. The alumni board of trustees revised their bylaws to remove other alumni’s voting rights. Earlier this week, one alumnus filed a complaint in Grafton County Superior Court alleging that the alumni trustees have violated their fiduciary duties and seeking to stop them from leasing rooms in Sig Ep to third parties. The chapter’s disagreements began this past March, when the national organization voted to conduct a membership review of Dartmouth Sig Ep following concerns about risk management. All 102 members were suspended and invited to complete a questionnaire; provide information about their academic, financial and College conduct records; and undergo an interview with Sig Ep alumni, volunteers and national representatives regarding their fitness for membership. Following these interviews, 19 brothers were invited back as full members of the fraternity. A house divided The decision to conduct the membership review sparked outrage among many Dartmouth Sig Ep alumni. Shortly after the review was announced, over 200 alumni signed a letter opposing both the review and a national policy making all Sig Ep chapters dry. After the results of the review came out, a group of 14 alumni sent out another letter on Apr. 26 condemning the results of review,
citing both opaque review standards and a decline in chapter diversity. “I run a company … the idea that if I had a problem with the accountability of my employees, that I would try a couple things, and if it didn’t work I would just go fire 80 percent of them, feels like, ‘Whoa, things got real heated there. What happened?’” said Zach Supalla ’07, a former recruitment chair for Sig Ep and a signatory of both letters. This second letter encouraged recipients to join the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation, the alumni’s governing body, giving them voting rights in future decisions. On May 15, a group of 15 alumni — with substantial overlap from the signees of the second letter, including Supalla — called via email for a special meeting of the AVC, scheduled for June 6, to discuss the possibility of going local and to remove two AVC Board of Trustee members, vice president of facilities Herbert Philpott and member-at-large Sean Anthony. The board of trustees manages Sig Ep’s physical plant and mortgage, among other duties. The letter states that Philpott was a key figure in instigating the membership review, while Anthony served on the membership review committee. At the time, this special meeting was valid under the AVC’s bylaws. The AVC board, however, rejected the call for the meeting and voted on May 31 to amend its bylaws, making AVC members non-voting and the board “self-perpetuating.” A statement on the board’s website claims that the change was made “to best fulfill the AVC’s mission of serving the Dartmouth chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity,” and notes that its actions are consistent with a previous bylaw amendment giving the trustees the sole power to approve further bylaw amendments. Supalla condemned the decision to change the bylaws, calling it “particularly egregious.” “The AVC is supposed to represent the alumni, not shut down their voice,”
he said. On June 26, the AVC board held a “town hall” to answer the concerns of alumni and undergraduates about the membership review and amendments to the bylaws. On the same day, 14 Sig Ep alumni — again with substantial overlap with the previous letters, and again including Supalla — wrote an email to other alumni summarizing the previous developments and encouraging them to call into the town hall and voice their dissatisfaction. This email called strongly for serious consideration of localization. Threats to depledge Also on June 26, the remaining undergraduates at Darmouth Sig Ep wrote a letter to the trustees in which they stated their opposition to the membership review and substance-free policies. In the letter, they called on the trustees to support a path to localization and threatened to depledge otherwise. “Unless the AVC … commits to localization and works with us to address our concerns, the undersigned members of this fraternity are prepared to depledge from the [New Hampshire Alpha chapter of Sig Ep],” the letter states. Dylan Giles ’20, a current Sig Ep and one of the signees of the letter, said he feels that the AVC trustees have unfairly lumped in the behavior of the Class of 2020 with that of previous classes. “The bulk of the incidents that the national fraternity, and also members of the AVC, continuously refer to occurred while we were not even on campus, let alone members of the house,” he said. Giles said that he was in favor of going local, given the attitude of the AVC trustees toward the current brothers. He said that as chaplain of the fraternity, he is responsible for overseeing brotherhood standards and believes he has improved the house’s accountability. Nevertheless, he is not sure at this time whether or not he will feel forced to depledge, hoping
instead that the chapter can work out its differences with the board. But despite these concerns, the AVC trustees have declined to pursue localization or reexamine their amended bylaws. An alumni newsletter sent by the trustees on July 23 defended the decision not to pursue localization, stating that should the previous members be readmitted and should alcohol continue to be served, the chapter could risk derecognition or having someone die. They also defended their decision to remove member voting rights, stating that allowing a small group of alumni to call a special meeting and “take any and all unilateral actions for the entire organization” is “a terrible way to run an organization responsible for a multi-million dollar property and one that serves 1500 living alumni.” The newsletter noted that because the undergraduates have threatened to depledge in lieu of localization, it is likely that Sig Ep national will revoke the chapter’s charter and that the house will go dormant. It states that in the future, it plans to recruit a group of “founding fathers” committed to Sig Ep national’s ideals to help rebuild the fraternity. It also states that the trustees are working with the College in the short term to find tenants for the house and keep the organization financially solvent, given the current shortage of housing on campus. In response to a query about possible plans to lease Sig Ep’s rooms to the College, associate dean for student life Eric Ramsey wrote in an email that the College has been contacted by Sig Ep national about the facility and chapter recognition, but that he cannot speculate about what direction Sig Ep national will take. “What I’m surprised by is [that] there doesn’t seem to have been any moment when the AVC looked at itself and said, ‘Huh, there sure seems to be a lot of people who have concerns here. Maybe this wasn’t right,’” Supalla said. Seekingapreliminaryinjunction In response to the above actions,
particularly the refusal to hold a special meeting and the amendments to the AVC’s bylaws, Alex Becker ’10, a signee of all six alumni letters, filed a class-action complaint in Grafton County Superior Court. The complaint is against the AVC and certain members of its board of trustees: AVC president J.D. Optekar, secretary Peter Hasenkamp, Philpott, vice president of relations Mike Chapman, Anthony and memberat-large Michael Kimmel. The complaint is stated to be on behalf of Becker himself, as well as “other similarly situated members” of the AVC. The complaint outlines the events that have taken place over the last few months and alleges that the trustees acted ultra vires — beyond the scope of their duties — in declining to hear the special meetings and removing the voting rights of the current members. It also alleges that the trustees plan to expel all current members from the fraternity in response to their calls for localization and that the trustees are looking to enter into a long-term lease with a third party to fill the rooms at the Sig Ep plant. As a result of the trustees’ actions and alleged future plans, the complaint seeks for the court to declare ultra vires and undo all bylaw amendments since March 1, 2018, as well as issue a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction stopping the defendants from entering into any lease agreements for the Sig Ep facility. Becker’s lawyer Carolyn Cole filed the complaint in Grafton County Superior Court on July 24. A hearing is currently set for August 14. “We do not view the board as adversaries or enemies,” Cole said in an interview. “We’re all on the same team. We look forward to resolving this amicably, working through the different opinions the way brothers would.” Kimmel declined to comment for this article. Anthony, Chapman, Hasenkamp, Optekar and Philpott did not respond to requests for comment.
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The D Sports Awards 2017-18: Athletes of the Year B y SAMANTHA HUSSEY
The Dartmouth Senior Staff
This article series was originally pubished on May 25. At the end of each academic year, The Dartmouth’s sports section puts up players to be voted upon by the student body as the best of the best. In this year’s The D Sports Awards, five of the top rookies, five of the top female athletes and five of the top male athletes were pitted against each other. The winners emerged only after a popular vote by members of the Dartmouth community. The D is happy to announce the following athletes as the winners of this year’s awards.
Rookie of the Year
Katharine Ogden ’21 of the women’s Nordic skiing team is The Dartmouth’s Rookie of the Year. Ogden received 34.6 percent of the 445 votes placed from May 21 to May 23. During the 2018 NCAA Skiing Championships, Ogden took not one, but two national titles home in a single year — something a Big Green skier has not done in 56 years — and was also the first woman ever to win a cross-country race for the Big Green. Ogden swept the NCAA women Nordic races, finishing the 5K Classic 46.9 seconds ahead of the nearest racer, and winning the 15K Freestyle with a 37.6 second buffer. With Ogden’s contributions, the Big Green maintained its position in third place with 448.5 points, its best finish in seven years, and won four individual events at the NCAA Championships for just the second time ever. Ogden’s impressive showing this year was affirmed when she was named to the Women’s All-East First Team and also earned the title of EISA Women’s Nordic Rookie of the Year and Women’s Classic Leader.
Female Athlete of the Year
Male Athlete of the Year
enthusiastic. It makes me feel very supported and that support is needed as a student-athlete sometimes.
COURTESY OF CINDI MANSELL
Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 currently holds four school records.
Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 of the women’s track and field team is The Dartmouth’s Female of Athlete of the Year. Rothwell received 49.2 percent of the 445 votes placed from May 21 to May 23. Rothwell currently has four school records: 60-meter dash (7.45 seconds), 60-meter hurdles (8.28 seconds), long jump (20 feet, 7 inches) and 100-meter hurdles (13.24 seconds). Rothwell was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer for the second year in a row during the Women’s Indoor Ivy League Championships, as well as to the First Team All-Ivy for the 60-meter hurdles and long jump and to the Second Team All-Ivy for the 200-meter dash. For the outdoor season, Rothwell was named to the First Team All-Ivy for the 100-meter hurdles and Second-Team All-Ivy for the long jump. Formerly, Rothwell was also The Dartmouth’s 2016-17 Rookie of the Year. What does it mean to you to be recognized by our readers as the Female Athlete of the year? CR: Obviously, very encouraging and
What do you think contributed to your even more dominant performance? CR: I think my season last year was pretty wild and shocked a lot of people because I was a freshman, and so when you have that great of a season, the bullseye kind of gets a little bigger because people expect for you to either fall off or get better. So I think I came in and wanted to prove that I could keep up that level of competition. There wasn’t really any change in the way I approached my training. What is your goal moving forward into next season and for the rest of your Dartmouth career? CR: Next season is for sure Indoor Nationals and Outdoor Nationals. I want to get to both of those. I was first spot out of long-jump for Indoor Nationals this season, which was kind of a bummer but that is definitely high on the list of next year’s priorities. What are you looking forward to most now that the season is winding down? CR: I think time to recover. Track season can be really long but our recovery is just as important, so I’ll obviously still be training, but it is a really nice opportunity to just wind things down a little bit and bring it back a couple notches and building up once again once we start moving into the fall preseason.
EVAN MORGAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
During the 2018 NCAA Skiing Championships, Katharine Ogden ’21 took home two national titles.
COURTESY OF TANGUY NEF
Tanguy Nef ’20 was named to the All-American First Team.
Tanguy Nef ’20 of the men’s alpine skiing team is The Dartmouth’s Male of Athlete of the Year. Nef received 36.4 percent of the 445 votes placed from May 21 to May 23. This season, Nef was named to the All-American First Team after finishing first in the men’s slalom at NCAA Championships. He became the first Dartmouth slalom champion since Karl Johnson in 2006 and is also the first Dartmouth skier to be awarded All-American honors in both the slalom and giant slalom since 2011. What does it mean to you to be recognized by our readers as the Male Athlete of the year? TN: It’s a little bit of a surprise. I wouldn’t think of myself as a popularity figure on campus, but it’s also very valorizing. It makes me happy that people do think that, not just the athletic department but also students all around. What does it mean to you this year to have walked away with the NCAA Slalom title and for
Dartmouth Skiing to walk away overall in third place? TN: It was definitely a great feeling on the personal level, because I came to college with a goal to definitely win NCAAs at some point. I didn’t know if that was going to be possible or anything. I had the chance to experience that my first year; and it didn’t go as expected. This year, I knew that I kind of had a shot and being able to do what you want to do is very valorizing, it’s a great feeling. We did win the overall title for men’s alpine, and in the women’s alpine they didn’t do as well as they wanted to, but it’s just how skiing goes — it can go either way. It can go super well because everything clicks, but it can also go really bad in a split second. It was definitely fun being there with all of the people and receiving all of the support. What do you think contributed to your dominant performance this season? TN: I like to think of different pillars that support me. I look at it like a table with four legs, so if you lose one you have three more so the table can still hold, but if you lose one more it is basically down. These four are like: friendships and relationships, school, sports and overall well-being. I think I really managed to have all these four working together to make myself not too worried with my performances. I was always able to just like look back at it with a different perspective based on my results and not take it too personally. I remember that second run when I won NCAAs, at the start I was like I can’t
really lose anything. Like it matters but it doesn’t matter. It’s not about winning, it’s about how you get to the point. At this point, you don’t have to think about what you have to do like either you have it or you don’t. Being able to have that confidence was definitely key, I think, to a lot of the successes that I’ve had this season and I hope to carry it along next season. What is your goal moving forward into next season and for the rest of your Dartmouth career? TN: There is still a big question mark, because logically the next step would be to perform at the World Cup level, and then World Championships and the Olympics. I also want to get most out of my Dartmouth experience and not just take one term a year like some skiers do, so it’s kind of balancing these two goals without compromising any of them. That will definitely be the tricky part and for next season, right now, I’m planning to come back in the winter, but who knows what is going to come up. If I have a shot to do well in the World Cup, I might choose to do that instead, at least for a season, just give it a shot and see how it goes. I could also definitely see myself being here and having a different focus and being less on the Carnival circuit. It is a bit uncertain at this point, but I think the most important is that I want to get most out of my Dartmouth experience because it is a great experience and as I said, it’s all about the balance. These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.