VOL. CLXXIX NO. 2
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nicolás Macri ’24, emeritus Q&A with Mabelle professor Thomas Cormen announce Drake Hueston ’86, campaigns for NH House seats newly-appointed assistant director of the Native American Program
KATELYN HADLEY/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
BY EMILY FAGELL The Dartmouth Staff
As the 2022 midterm elections approach — and amid New Hampshire’s decision to redraw their two congressional districts — races in the New Hampshire House of Representatives are close to campus, with a Dartmouth student and former professor announcing campaigns in two different districts. Nicolás Macri ’24 is running to serve as a state representative of Grafton County’s 12th district. In addition, emeritus computer science professor Thomas Cormen is vying for a seat in Ward Three of Grafton County’s 15th district. The 12th District: Nicolás Macri ’24
Macri, a government and history major from College Station, Texas, is running for one of four seats in Grafton County’s 12th district, which encompasses Hanover and Lyme. He will run alongside five Democrats — four of which are seeking reelection: M a r y H a k k e n - P h i l l i p s, S h a ro n Nordgren, government professor Russell Muirhead and James Murphy. Former College Democrats president Miles Brown ’23 announced his campaign in May. No Republicans have announced plans to run. Macri said he has been interested in politics since arriving at Dartmouth, where he has voiced opposition to voter suppression and gerrymandering, participated in labor union advocacy on campus and helped spearhead the cross-community coalition for housing reform last May. Macri said he also
gained political experience by serving as campaign manager for Student Assembly president David Millman ’23’s selectboard campaign in 2021. “Ever since coming to Dartmouth, I have gotten involved in the local communities’ politics,” he said. “Being involved in that, not just on the local level but also on the state level, has just shown me how important it is to have representation in government, but especially from people connected to communities that are not represented.” As a state representative, Macri said he would continue working to address the housing crisis, protect voting and reproductive rights, halt climate change by “supporting towns in their conversions to green energy” and raise SEE CAMPAIGNS PAGE 2
Computer science faculty create laser light system to detect aquatic robots
PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 86 LOW 57
BY Adriana James-Rodil The Dartmouth Staff
NEWS
FIZZ LAUNCHES ON CAMPUS PAGE 2
OPINION
DICKMAN: IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION ON MASS SHOOTINGS PAGE 3
ARTS
MUSINGS FROM THE MUSEUMS OF D.C. PAGE 4
SPORTS
THE CHEAP SEATS: BIG TEN STRIKES GOLD PAGE 5
MIRROR
A MONUMENTAL DECISION PAGE 6
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Computer science professors Xia Zhou and Alberto Quattrini Li, along with researchers from the HealthX and Reality and Robotics Labs, have created an alternative system that detects robots underwater. The system, called Sunflower, uses a drone to beam a laser light through the water’s surface and track the robots. On June 28, the researchers presented their findings at the 20th annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services. According to Zhou, what sets Sunflower apart from other underwater detection systems is that it uses light technology instead of an acoustic signal, which is the first airborne drone to do so. “We are not aware of other systems that can do 3D localization of the robot in the water from the air – at least no real demonstration that we have seen before,” Zhou said. Zhou said she and the other researchers chose to use light because they believed it would be a “better medium for both communication and sensing because of the physical properties of light.” She said that not only can light travel farther than sound, but it also has a higher “communication bandwidth” than sound. Once they decided to use a drone, the researchers deemed light to be the sole medium to travel through the water effectively, leading to its use for both communication and sensing, she said. Charles Carver GR ’22, a co-author of the paper that discussed the researchers’ findings, said that Sunflower could help people explore unknown regions of the ocean and work toward combating climate change. “Climate change is a pretty important thing, especially relating to underwater,” he said. “You can explore reefs and other underwater ecosystems with better granularity [and] knowing where they are in relation to other ecosystems, and it could show the impacts of climate change.” In a written statement to The Dartmouth, Carver also explained that the Sunflower operates with two main
parts — the queen, on the aerial drone, and a worker, on the underwater robot. The queen has a laser beam that helps in transmitting information. “The queen steers its laser beam through the air-water boundary, hits the worker – which senses the laser’s angle of incidence – [and] retro reflects the light back to the queen and encodes this angle information,” he wrote. Carver wrote that the drone, or the queen, then senses the weak retro reflections of light and converts them to a digital signal by decoding the data received from the worker, or the underwater robot. He also wrote that he designed and built the optical circuits and hardware for the queen, aside from the algorithm that handles the queen’s “angle of arrival sensing” created by Qijia Shao, another author of the paper who received a master’s degree from the College this year. Everyone was involved with the design that involved “combining the whole system and computing the final location [of the robot],” Carver said. Zhou explained that the inspiration for Sunflower came from Li’s previous work as an underwater roboticist. She added that Li has focused on programming robots underwater for a variety of tasks and understands the challenges of robotto-system communication. “One challenge I learned from [Li] is the difficulty of communicating with the robots and also knowing where they are,” Zhou said. “The mainstream method now is mostly based on acoustics…but we thought of doing something different.” Li said that prior to developing Sunflower, he and Zhou collaborated on a project called Amphilight that allows for the communication between an aerial drone and a laser light beam, for which Carver was also a lead author. Li said they expanded upon their project Amphi Light to create Sunflower, which uses laser light for localization purposes. “The [previous] paper showed that you could do wireless communication with laser light,” Carver said. “And this paper [‘Sunflower: Locating Underwater Robots From the Air’] was the immediate follow-up.”
COURTESY OF MABELLE DRAKE HUESTON
BY Taylor Haber The Dartmouth
In early May, Mabelle Drake Hueston ’86 was appointed as the new assistant director of the College’s Native American Program, which supports Native students at Dartmouth. Hueston sat down with The Dartmouth to discuss her experiences as a Native student and alumna, her previous work with the Alumni Council and her hopes for her new role. Can you talk about your own experiences as a Native American student at Dartmouth? MDH: I come from a small community in southern Utah, which is part of the Navajo reservation, and I was pretty excited to come to Dartmouth. Once I got here, I worked hard and kept my head down. By the start of winter break, though, I was ready to go home and stay home; I was miserable. There was an onslaught of not only cultural differences — more than that, I was exhausted. Having to learn how to read and write better in English — instead of speaking primarily Navajo — was very difficult. I really, truly thought my high school classmates had a better situation than I did. But, when I started hearing about some of those same classmates making very poor choices and dropping out of school, I couldn’t understand it. I soon realized that my initial discomfort at Dartmouth was what made me work harder. With all the resources at the College supporting me, it became enough to help me graduate and later succeed in life. You’ve previously held several alumni positions at the College — including Alumni Council member, Tucker Foundation B o a rd o f Vi s i t o rs m e m b e r and Native American Visiting Committee chair. Could you talk about your career path and how you got to where you are now? MDH: The reason I applied for this job is because of all those volunteer committees that I previously sat on. Since arriving back on campus, I’ve realized that Dartmouth has a very short institutional memory — not just in the Native American Program office, but campus-wide. When I graduated, I left Dartmouth knowing that I would always be supporting the students, especially the Native American students. And because of that, I kept myself engaged. Particularly, I found my committee position with the William Jewett Tucker Center really helpful, because it allowed me to meet other alumni with a passion for social justice. These service-oriented men always seemed to have the best interests of the students in mind; they were a great influence on me. As both a woman and Native American alumna, serving on the Dartmouth Alumni Council was far more frustrating. There were a lot of vocal, older guys unhappy with the direction of the College. I realize now, in retrospect, they were afraid of change. But, I was empowered by the thought that I had paid just the same amount of tuition as they had. The College means just as much to me as it
does to them, and my voice mattered. Why did you gravitate towards the role of NAP assistant director? MDH: I’ve been actively going through various scenarios of what I enjoy and what gives me passion. I asked myself what I would truly like to do, even if I wasn’t paid for it. I had been struggling: none of my previous hypothetical jobs gave me a similar level of excitement to the Native American Program. I’ve always wanted to be on campus. Coming back to Dartmouth is like coming home; it’s the place where I’m comfortable now. Coming back as a 58-year-old, 36 years after graduating, is incredible. My husband and I are having fun exploring Vermont. It’s a lot of fun. Can you describe the role of the Native American Program at the College? MDH: The Native American Program will always be a little different from all the other student service offices because of this unique relationship and cultural differences that Natives have in general in the United States. My task is to make sure that the students have the services that they need to become acclimated at Dartmouth as well as to be able to graduate; it’s as simple as that. I’m sure I could tell you why Native students will need a program like mine, but it’s really just the complexities in our cultures. It can make it very difficult for someone who’s Native or who is a part of Indigenous cultures to be here at the College. After a while, it becomes exhausting to explain who you are. And I felt like I had to do that a lot when I was at Dartmouth. It’s really annoying that my non-Native friends and classmates were never asked questions about who they were or why they were here. So, I think it’s nice to have someone in the community who doesn’t need to ask. The Native American Program is just here to focus on what everyone else has the privilege to focus on: your education. We almost become professors of our own culture because we have to spend so much time explaining ourselves to everyone. What are the goals you hope to achieve in your new position? MDH: We are definitely building this office. The Native American Program has not had a consistency in staffing for several years. Just by being here and being on campus and being visible, it is an improvement. I want to make sure this program has the mission of being a student affairs office that supports Native students. Ushering the students through Dartmouth and making sure the students stay true to themselves is important. Educational institutions, by design, were used to assimilate Natives. We’ve survived policies of assimilation and genocide in many North American governments and educational systems. I think the Native students here need to be supported as they change what they think about the educational system to be able to thrive in it. We are going to build a strong and purposeful program. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
New anonymous discussion app Fizz Tuck receives $52.1 launches on campus million donation for creation of global summit
DIVYA KOPALLE/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF EMIL LIDEN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
BY ARIZBETH ROJAS The Dartmouth Staff
On June 28, Dartmouth became the latest college community to download Fizz, a social media platform that allows users to engage in anonymous discussion. Co-founded by Teddy Solomon and Ashton Cofer, two sophomores from Stanford University, the app is comparable to Librex, another social media platform with anonymous forums, which abruptly shut down on Feb. 17. According to Solomon, he and Cofer took a leave of absence from Stanford in December of 2021 after raising a “seven figure seed” funding. Solomon said they created Fizz as a place for students to discuss events on campus, confessions, crushes and anything else that comes up. “Fizz’s drive to fill a void in social media and create authentic social media is what is going to lead us to success, no matter how many copycats show up in the space,” Solomon said. “We’ve got the passion and the mission, and we’re going to make sure that every college student is using Fizz.” During the launch of the app at Dartmouth on June 29, students received donuts in exchange for downloading the app and bucket hats if they promoted it across social media, Solomon said. Isabella Hochschild ’25 wrote in a statement to The Dartmouth that she believes that other anonymous platforms, such as Flok, Sidechat and Pantake – which have come to Dartmouth since the end of Librex – have not been as widely adopted by students as Fizz has. “In the first day and a half, [around] two-thirds of people currently on Dartmouth’s campus downloaded the
app,” Fizz ambassador John Renda ’24 said. Other schools that participate on Fizz include Arizona State University, Chapman University, Pepperdine University, Rutgers University and University of Texas, Austin. Unlike Librex, which enabled messaging between multiple college communities, students on Fizz cannot interact with students outside of their institution. Solomon said he thinks Fizz has received a warm reception because the anonymity of the app might decrease social anxiety for some users. Solomon said that social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat can have negative impacts on users’ mental health because users often only show the highlights of their lives, whereas Fizz aims to uncover the daily thoughts of college students and enable more “authentic connections.” “What’s beautiful about these communities is the intimacy, and the fact that you know who is in the community – it’s everybody around you, everybody you go to school with – you just don’t know who is who in the community [because it’s anonymous],” Solomon said. Lead ambassador for the app, Alina Chadwick ’24, compared the aim of Fizz to the purpose of sophomore summer – which is to bring the college community closer together. Renda said he believes anonymous platforms have been popular with the Class of 2024 as a result of COVID-19 limitations on gatherings during their freshman year. It was in this “restrictive” environment that some students used Librex to connect with people, Renda explained. Solomon added that COVID-19 restrictions on Stanford’s campus sparked the idea for Fizz due to a similar desire to
communicate with his fellow students across campus. The beta version of Fizz was tested in 2021 by nine people living in the same house. Later, another version of the app was tested at Cornell University before being shut down to incorporate community feedback. Finally, the app was released to Stanford students, where 7,000 users joined. According to Solomon, moderators are interviewed with an emphasis on objectivity based on Fizz community guidelines. Solomon also said users that engage in doxxing — the unwanted identification of users through their initials or class year — will be removed from the platform. Renda explained that features such as pseudonyms also make it easier for users to keep track of their posts, whereas students were entirely anonymous on Librex. TJ Parekh ’24 said he liked how the app seems to be regulating hate speech, as he feels that this is a “good and important” initiative. However, he said the app has not been effective at preventing doxxing. “It feels less anonymous,” he said. “I know particular names have been mentioned on the app.” Parekh added that the app seems more “artificial” than Librex because he believes that “bots” are increasing upvotes on discussion threads to make it seem like the app has more users than it does. “On Librex, it would [have been] crazy if somebody had 50 upvotes,” Parekh said. “With this app, [almost] every single post has 400 votes, which almost ruins the effect of engaging with the app.”
BY THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFf The Tuck School of Business has received a $52.1 million gift from an anonymous donor, the largest donation in the school’s history, Tuck announced on Thursday. The gift will create and endow the Dartmouth Summit on Health, Wealth and Sustainability, a recurring summit that aims to “improve the health, wealth and sustainability of people and the planet in the 21st century,” according to the announcement. Several faculty members from Tuck and the college have been tapped for the summit’s faculty council, including Tuck business administration professor Ron Ardner, Tuck clinical professor Lindsey Leininger, history professor Matthew Garcia and economics professor Douglas Irwin. Bringing together global leaders and scholars, the summit will initiate discussions on topics such as policy, health care, climate change, politics and finance. The summit is a One Dartmouth initiative, which aims to take a
collaborative approach to education, according to Tuck communications officer Eric Walters. Other schools and programs, including the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering and the Irving Institute for Energy and Society, will be invited to participate in the summit. Details of when and where the inaugural summit will take place will be announced in the new academic year, according to the announcement. The donation is part of The Tuck Difference campaign, a 2018 endeavor that was announced as part of the College’s Call To Lead campaign. In January, Tuck announced that The Tuck Difference campaign surpassed its $250 million goal. Prior to this $52.1 million gift, the Bakala Foundation — the family foundation of Zdenek Bakala Tu’89 — had given the largest gift in Tuck history at $25 million, according to Walters. The gift helped to endow TuckGo, the school’s global learning program.
John Renda ’24 is a member of The Dartmouth arts staff.
Macri, Cormen vie for House seats in Hanover and Lebanon FROM CAMPAIGNS PAGE 1
the College’s $11.50 minimum wage — which he said is “nowhere near the nationally suggested minimum of 15.” “ We n e e d t o r e s t o r e N e w Hampshire’s status as an actually pro-choice state,” Macri continued. “The governor claims to be pro-choice and turns around and signs these bills restricting abortion access. [That is] really not something that should be tolerated.” Macri also said that, as a Hispanic student and member of the LGBTQ+ community, he can help bring diversity to the state legislature — which he said previously has “not looked like the population here in Hanover and Lyme.” He added that representation has become particularly important given the current Republican majority in the House. “We’re fortunate that in the previous legislature, the Democrats were able to pass some pretty strong LGBT protections –– A lot of this stuff is at stake now with Republicans passing all these restrictions on what teachers can discuss,” he said. “There is this image that New Hampshire is not a diverse place, but that’s really not true. There are so many immigrant and non-white communities here whose history also deserves to be told.” Many students expressed a desire to see student representation in politics, while those who have worked with
Macri commended his commitment to amplifying student voices. Jordan Narrol ’25, who has worked with Macri on grassroots organizing, said that Macri has found “creative” ways to connect with students — such as suggesting tabling on Webster Avenue at night. Millman added that Macri has “a lot of experience making concrete change happen.” “I know him really well, and I think he would be amazing in the state house,” Millman said. “We need people who are willing to really fight for students in the community. I’m obviously very happy to see just students and young people getting involved in state and local politics because there’s such an age divide.” Some students said student representation is especially important given Dartmouth’s remote geography. “I think especially here at Dartmouth, we are not as politically engaged as other colleges are [of our] caliber,” David Lim ’24 said. “It’s hard to be politically involved [in the middle of New Hampshire]. But as long as we have student leaders who are passionate about issues and are fighting to represent students and the younger generation in general, I think we will all be okay.” S o p h i e S a r a i s k y ’ 2 5 a g re e d that, given the College’s somewhat “apolitical” atmosphere, candidates will likely need to put extra effort into engagement to get Dartmouth
students to vote. “I think that there is a very vocal and politically active section of Dartmouth students,” Saraisky said. “I also think that potentially, because Dartmouth is such a bubble, there is a large portion of students who are fairly apolitical, at least while they are at school. I think this would probably take really strong campaign platforms and really try to engage the entire Dartmouth community to get them to vote, but I think it totally could happen.” Macri said he will continue to engage with both students and the broader Grafton County community throughout the summer and fall, using both social media and in-person conversations to connect with voters. The 15th District: Thomas Cormen Cormen, who has lived in the Upper Valley for 30 years, is running uncontested for the only seat in Ward Three of Grafton County’s 15th district, though he said an independent candidate is trying to gather enough signatures to join the ballot. He added that a Republican candidate could join the race if any individual receives 15 write-in signatures during the Republican primary. Cor men said he was initially considered running due to a change in voting regulations: Whereas Lebanon previously elected four state
representatives at large, this year, each of the city’s three wards, as well as the floterial district, will be granted its own representative. Cormen said all incumbents live in either Ward One or Two, which opened an opportunity to run for Ward Three, his own neighborhood. Cormen said that political office was “not part of [his] original retirement plan.” However, he said he ultimately decided to “fight the good fight” and try to preserve a Democratic seat in the legislature. “There are some very important issues, and in particular, what we are seeing with this current U.S. Supreme Court is that a lot more issues are coming down to the states,” he said. “We need state legislatures that are going to be doing the right thing and act sanely.” Specifically, Cormen said one of his key goals in office would be to protect reproductive rights. While Cormen said he believes abortion is “100% a medical decision and the government should have absolutely no say in it,” he also said the issue is personal for him — his wife, who passed away in 2015, suffered an ectopic pregnancy in 1993 and consequently had surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. “In Missouri, the current state law says that no abortion, even for an ectopic pregnancy,” Cormen said. “These idiots who pass this law don’t
seem to know or care that an ectopic pregnancy kills the woman, and the baby is not going to make it either … If these jerks had their way, my wife would have died at the age of 36 in 1993.” Cormen said he also aims to protect voting rights in New Hampshire, particularly for college students, medical residents, military nurses and others who are not permanent residents. Cormen added he cares about sustainable and clean energy, pointing to an impending increase in electrical rates that could be prevented by more locally-produced renewable energy sources. If elected, Cormen said he hopes to be on the Science, Technology and Energy committee, adding that he would stand out as a candidate and representative due to his scientific and technological background, campus connections and 30-year tenure in the Upper Valley. In the leadup to the elections, Cormen said his campaigning will be “pretty lowkey,” including a table near the Lebanon farmer’s market with other Lebanon Democrats, door-todoor canvassing, a potential letter to the Valley News and a potential post on the Lebanon listserv. According to Ballotpedia, the primary election will take place on Sept. 13, the first Tuesday of the fall term. The general election will take place on Nov. 8.
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
GUEST COLUMNIST GRACIE DICKMAN ’24
STAFF COLUMNIST THOMAS DE WOLFF ’24
It’s Time to Take Action on Mass Shootings
End Test-Optional Admissions
The mass shooting in Highland Park proves that America needs stricter gun laws — and we need them now. Highland Park, Ill. is a town that anyone would be lucky to grow up in. Nestled along the shores of Lake Michigan, its tree-lined streets are idyllic and safe. It’s a small, tightly intertwined community that is vibrant and diverse. I’m lucky to say that the town I go to college in is the only place I can think of that’s even more safe and more idyllic than the one I grew up in. Hanover is the quintessential American small town. It has rolling hills, farmer’s markets and a colorful main street. A river runs by it. Like Highland Park, Hanover isn’t usually the kind of place where bad things happen. Like Highland Park, Hanover’s the kind of place where many of its residents are privileged enough to happily celebrate the Fourth of July. My sister and I were witnessing Hanover’s Fourth of July celebration on our way back from breakfast this past Monday — families picnicking on the Green, horses giving rides to children clad in red, white and blue — when we learned of a mass shooting at our own town’s Fourth of July celebration, a parade that my sister likely would’ve attended had she not been visiting me. As we blissfully ate breakfast in Hanover, planning our America-themed outfits for later, a man in Highland Park opened fire from the top of a building into the middle of the town’s downtown square with an assault weapon. In seconds, the scene of families ready for a day of fun, which I imagine was similar to the one playing out simultaneously on the Green, turned into one of people running for their lives. The lawn chairs, scooters and American flags left strewn across the streets serve as an eerie reminder of the joy the day was supposed to hold, and of the freedom we as Americans possess which now teeters so precariously. The shooter murdered seven people, orphaned a young boy and injured over two dozen others. In September 2019, the Highland Park police visited the home of the shooter, Robert Crimo III. They came in response to a family member reporting that Crimo said he was “going to kill everyone.” During this visit, police seized 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from Crimo. They reported the incident to the Illinois State Police. But over the next three years, Crimo was able to legally purchase five firearms, including two assault rifles, which he then used to fire over 70 rounds into the Highland Park parade this past Monday. The shooting was preventable. It likely wouldn’t have happened had there been better procedures in place. We need to ban assault weapons, or at the very least put in place strong enough laws that prevent a person from obtaining them when the police are aware they have claimed to want to kill people. For those who insist upon the right to bear arms: would you rather have your assault weapon
or your life? Your child’s life? Your mother’s? I’ve seen people brush that off as far too hypothetical of a question to mean anything. But as this week’s events and all 300+ mass shootings in America this year have shown, it’s not a hypothetical question. It’s a very real one, towards which we should take preemptive rather than reactive action. Unlike Illinois, New Hampshire is one of the most gun-friendly states in the country. It lacks a series of important gun safety laws, including measures to bar gun possession from people who’ve been involuntarily committed or found to be a danger to others, and measures to allow mental health record-reporting in background checks. New Hampshire also lacks legislation protecting against the Charleston Loophole, which allows gun sales to proceed while a background check on the buyer is still pending. So from one idyllic American town to the next, I urge all of us in Hanover, students and residents alike, to take action. I urge us to be proactive rather than reactive, a luxury that members of my community back in Illinois unfortunately no longer have. Whether it’s calling elected officials or organizing petitions to instate specific gun laws, there are steps we can and should be taking to reduce the likelihood of more mass shootings. I urge us to take action not only because this week’s events have demonstrated that bad things can happen in “bad things don’t happen here” towns, but more importantly because we shouldn’t be waiting until it happens here to do something about it. The problem with sayings such as “bad things don’t happen here” and “things like this shouldn’t happen here” is that they insinuate that there are places in America in which they should happen. That there are places in America where these kinds of events are somehow more warranted or more expected. The bottom line is mass shootings shouldn’t have to happen anywhere. They shouldn’t have to be warranted anywhere. They shouldn’t have to be expected anywhere, regardless of the socioeconomic status of a town, regardless of its demographic. Above all, we shouldn’t be waiting for tragedies like this to strike in our own areas before we do something about them. Once again, I urge us to take action and to pressure whoever is in power — regardless of their party — to create and enforce better gun laws. In the aftermath of Monday’s shooting, a petition has been created to help move HB 5522, a bill that would ban assault weapons, out of the Illinois House of Representatives and into the Senate. People are circulating scripts for calling their Illinois representatives via social media to encourage the passing of the bill. We can be doing the same things here. We should be doing the same things here, before it’s too late.
Dartmouth should reinstate its standardized testing requirement. For Dartmouth’s Classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027, the admissions office has instituted a “testoptional” policy, in which applicants may choose whether to submit standardized test scores as part of their application, but will not be penalized if they do not. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ website claims that “it is not the moment to restore the testing requirement” due to the pandemic. Recently, standardized testing has come under fire for two different reasons: access and equity. But these attacks do not hold up under scrutiny. Recent advancements in public health and technology, as well as extensive research, all show that these arguments are either inaccurate or wholly unfounded. Ultimately, Dartmouth will be less able to accept students who will succeed academically if it stays test-optional. The College should once again require applicants to submit standardized test scores. From an admissions perspective, these tests. are a strong indicator of future academic success. This predictive ability is why another top university reversed course on its testing requirement earlier this year: as of March, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology began requiring standardized test scores as part of its application for the class of 2027 and beyond. MIT stated that it could not reliably predict how a student would do academically unless it considered standardized test results as part of the student’s application. MIT’s dean of admissions even explained that by considering SAT and ACT scores, the school actually increased admissions from socioeconomically disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. The first main argument against standardized tests — lack of access — is more easily addressed. During the pandemic, many opportunities to take the test were canceled due to the risk of COVID-19 exposure. Now that most pandemic restrictions have subsided, students are again able to take these tests. Widespread vaccinations, the expansion of the free in-school SAT and the advent of the digital SAT have all overcome these roadblocks to access that students may have faced during the last few years. But addressing the second main argument, equity, is more difficult. Critics have labeled the test a racist perpetrator of structural inequalities in the American education system. There are two main kinds of disparities contributing to this accusation: disparities caused by wealth and by race. Access to outside coaching, more rigorous schools and more supportive environments have all been targeted as unfair factors leading to certain students being better equipped to take these tests. Regarding disparities caused by wealth, wealthier students who can pay for outside test prep and coaching do not score much better than those who cannot afford to do so. Coaching only
has a small positive effect on the SAT, resulting in about a 10-to-20-point total improvement, concentrated mostly in the math section. The effects of coaching are minimal, and far less than what major commercial test preparation companies claim to achieve. Nor do standardized test scores follow income distribution. Studies have demonstrated that when considered together, an applicant’s SAT score and high school GPA are a more accurate predictor of future academic performance than either one on their own. Even when controlling for the socioeconomic status of test-takers, the SAT maintains this accuracy, implicitly showing that SAT results are not just a reflection of socioeconomic status. The second component of the inequality equation is race. Standardized tests show disparities across races and ethnicities in test results. As a whole, white and Asian-American students score higher on standardized tests than Black and Hispanic students. These gaps in scores are not a cause of systemic inequality, but rather a result of it. Instead, social, economic and cultural factors all play a role in causing this distinction. In getting rid of standardized tests, we remove one more indicator of that gap, which erases one more signal of the inequalities that we should address instead. Finally, according to the dean of admissions at MIT, standardized tests are more objective compared to other means of evaluating a student and can increase the admission of disadvantaged applicants. Well-off applicants can pay for outside essay coaches (and in some cases, essay writers). A perfect score on a test is a better measurement of scholastic aptitude than your ability to write an essay that can entertain a random admissions officer for seven to eight minutes. A bright but underprivileged student may not be able to found a nonprofit or go on a mission trip to Nicaragua, but they can take the SAT. While the move by the College’s admissions office to go test-optional for three years makes some sense in light of the pandemic, any further adoption of this policy will hurt Dartmouth in the long run. Progress in public health and technological advancements have made it safer and more accessible for students to take standardized tests than in past years when the pandemic ran rampant. Standardized tests are accurate predictors of future academic success, even when controlling for the socioeconomic background of applicants. Nor are these tests the relics of white supremacy their opponents paint them as, for Asian-American students, rather than white ones, score highest on it. Dartmouth should make the move that will best position it — and its student body — for success in the long run by reinstating its testing requirement for future classes.
ANSWERS FROM LAST WEEK’S MINI ZOELLA LIN ’24: WARM WEATHER ACTIVITIES
EMILY LU, Editor-in-Chief OMALA SNYDER, Production Executive Editor DANIEL MODESTO, News Executive Editor
AMY PARK, Publisher
KRISTIN CHAPMAN Managing Editor
PRODUCTION EDITORS THOMAS DE WOLFF, Opinion Editor STREET ROBERTS, Mirror Editor LANIE EVERETT, EVERETT Sports Editor ELEANOR SCHIFINO, SCHIFINO, Arts Editor KATELYN HADLEY, Photo Editor ZOORIEL TAN, TAN Design Editor ARIELLE FEUERSTEIN, FEUERSTEIN Templating Editor
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FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
Musings from the Museums of Washington D.C.: Portraits, Photos, Stories
COURTESY OF SOPHIE SARAISKY
“The Weather” by Laurie Anderson is a multimedia exhibit featured at the Hirschhorn Museum.
BY Armita Mirkarimi The Dartmouth Staff
Over the last month, various students interning in Washington D.C. have spent time hopping from museum to museum, reveling in the National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn and the Smithsonian museums as arbiters of history. Gazing at unfinished portraits of U.S. presidents in the National Portrait Gallery or indulging in the abstract modern exhibits of the Hirshhorn have brought to life the historical anecdotes previously heard in class, according to some students.
“It feels like everything in D.C. is coded in the layer of historical significance that make exhibitions — like the presidential portraits — really special to experience in our nation’s capital,” Akhand Dugar ’25 said. The presidential portraits, a favorite within the cohort, reside in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. Particularly, Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished portrait of George Washington entitled the “Athenaeum.” “Walking through the galleries is literally walking through history,” Dylan Griffith ’25 said. “Seeing
unfinished pictures on the wall is something I could only see in D.C.” The museums in D.C. transcend beyond traditional exhibits. Historical presidential portraits offer a breadth of opportunities to interact with a variety of styles and disciplines. The Hirshhorn Museum is known for exploring the art and ideas of contemporary times and is filled with abstract exhibits such as Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirrors. “The mirrors were really cool and fun to look at but the one that I liked more was there was a Laurie Anderson exhibit,” Sophie Saraisky ’25 said. “You just walk into a room painted
black and then the floor to ceiling of the walls is covered in drawings with random thoughts she’s had. one of the thoughts that she painted that stood out to me was ‘it’s a democracy, but with humidity, it feels like an oligarchy.’” Featured at the Hirshhorn, Laurie Anderson’s work is called “The Weather.” It is a multimedia sound and spatial exhibit accompanied by live performances. “It doesn’t really make sense, but it just kind of makes you giggle, but it’s also kind of unsettling in a weird way and it just makes you think,” Saraisky said. The National Gallery of Art currently has on display an exhibit titled “Afro-Atlantic Histories.” The exhibit starts from the 17th century and traces the complex history of the African diaspora. The works range from newly imagined sculptures of well-known photos like “The Scourged Back” — depicting a formerly enslaved man known as Gordon — to brand new works by contemporary artists like Aaron Douglass. “It was an amazing blend of social commentary, history and a variety of media that conveyed the stories behind the African Diaspora,” Prescott Herzog ’25 said. Daisy Ferrell ’25 described the exhibit as “enlightening” and a cohesive collection of the nature of diaspora itself. “There was this really complex piece called ‘Whitening’ and it was this bronze sculpture of black boy”, Ferrell said. “He was kneeling and had a bucket of white paint, cascading down on himself. I was in awe of how powerfully it illustrated assimilation in America.” In D.C., there seems to be a museum for everything, no matter how niche the interest. Clark Paolini ’25 said he went to the National Postal Museum. “I was concerned that I wasn’t the
target audience since I lack that prior knowledge. But I found it to be very accessible to visitors who are new to the subject,” Paolini said. “My favorite part so far — I’m hoping to go back and view more exhibits — is the stamp collection, which has literally millions of stamps but is organized in an intuitive way.” Art doesn’t just stop at stamps, however. The Natural History Museum is filled with butterfly pavilions, live insects and mummy exhibits. With a wide variety of exhibits and themed museums, D.C.’s art scene captivates everyone who interacts with it. “By far, my favorite place was the National History Museum. I was weirdly fascinated by the mummy exhibit— especially the mummified ox and 3,000-year-old Egyptian,” Vynateya Purimetla ’25 said. Adam Tobeck ’25 also noted the unique accessibility to historical artifacts featured in the D.C. museum scene, adding that he was able to see the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives. “The document can only see sunlight for a certain period of time, so it was only on display for 36 hours,” Tobeck said. “It was just crazy special to look at this document that I have read so much about.” The D.C. art scene is also free. Museums are ingrained into the community and facilitate regular conversations with history. “I can literally waltz in at the end of the work day for a brief visit,” Paolini said. Museums have become a point of gathering to reflect on the past, hope for the future, or simply look at creative works that inspire. “The D.C. scene is simply one-of-akind with high-quality, free educational entertainment. It’s a testament to the value of publicly-funded museums,” Purimetla said.
Review: ‘Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy’ provides a view of Italy’s culinary diversity BY Madeline Sawyer The Dartmouth
In the second season of the CNN original documentary series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” actor, writer and producer Stanley Tucci continues his travels across Italy to learn about the nation’s cuisine and culture. Over the course of four episodes, the four-time Emmy Award winner and Academy Award nominee brings his audience across different regions of Italy — Venice, Piedmont and Umbria — with the final episode taking place in London. Tucci focuses not only on each region’s signature dishes, but the rich history and legacy of these dishes. Fans of last year’s six-part first season — in which Tucci seeks to “discover how the food in each of this country’s 20 regions is as unique as the people and their past” — will be pleased with the second season, as it continues in the same vein. Traveling to different areas in each region, Tucci explores the interconnected nature of the cuisine, history and people. “Searching for Italy” is more than a typical travel and cooking show as it communicates a deeper message about appreciating history and valuing diversity. Tu c c i ’s l i k a b l e p e r s o n a l i t y, unpretentious manner and good humor continue to shine through in this continuation of the series as he meets with restaurateurs, Michelin-starred chefs, vintners, local growers and food producers. There is something to pique nearly everyone’s interest; if you're interested in learning more about Italian cuisine or about the nation’s history, economy, politics or culture, this is the show for you. The power of this show is wellrepresented by the first episode; it introduces Tucci’s primary focus on the incredible diversity present within Italy. Kicking off the season in Venice, Tucci debunks its reputation for bad food. The day starts with a Venetian breakfast at a wine bar, followed by a traditional lunch with a local gondolier and a walk through the Piazza San
Marco. Set in a place where no food is grown and everything must be caught or outsourced, this episode successfully traces the origins of the ingredients that cooks use. In one of the oldest parts of the city, an Afghani restaurateur has opened the restaurant, Orient Experience. The staff — refugees from Iran, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria and Pakistan — prepare recipes from their home countries. Through this restaurant, the show introduces its viewers to new culinary experiences and the diversity of Venice dining. In Friuli, near the Slovenia and Austria border, a meal of goulash fuses Austrian, Hungarian and Italian tastes, honoring its history as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This episode surprised and delighted me, challenging preconceived notions of a region overrun with tourists. The northern region of Piedmont highlights the Slow Food movement, the eclectic truffle industry, winemaking entrepreneurs and Alpine food. We quickly learn that traditional cuisine is often served with a modern twist. In Vercelli, brothers Christian and Manuel Costardi put an inventive spin on the traditional risotto, transforming it into something creative and unique. When Tucci meets with Carlo Petrini at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the audience gets a firsthand account of the Slow Food movement’s history and mission. I especially appreciate Tucci’s effort in both seasons to highlight young female entrepreneurs who are making waves in traditionally maledominated professions. Tucci meets 30-year-old winemaker Giulia Negri, one of Piedmont’s youngest vintners and the first person in her family to make Barolo — one of Italy’s finest wines — from the vines on their property. This mirrors Tucci’s Season One meeting in Sicily with a young winemaker, Arianna Occhipinti, who started her own winery and label. Tu c c i ’s j o u r n ey t o U m b r i a illuminates the traditional, rustic, homeg rown lifestyle that many imagine the Italian countryside to
ZOORIEL TAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
be. Tucci describes Umbria as a place where families live close to the land and provides ample evidence: wood-fired oven cooking with cooking show host Giorgio ‘Big George’ Barchiesi, wild boar hunting with the first all-female hunting squadron in Italy, visiting a family-run black truffle plantation, and seeing the centuries-old pigeon caves in Orvieto. Sustainable food practices are the focal point at Citta Della Pieve. This family-owned farm cultivates vegetables resistant to climate change and embodies Umbria’s evolving and independent culture. Season Two concludes in London, an unexpected — but successful — addition. According to Tucci, London could be Italy’s 21st region, demonstrated by its large Italian population and thousands of Italian
restaurants and delicatessens. A resident of London, he shares his favorite Italian spots and meets Gennaro Contaldo, credited with transfor ming the city’s culinary landscape. This episode harkens back to something that season one did particularly well: demonstrating the contributions of immigrants to a place’s cuisine. In the first season, Tucci focused on the benefits of diversity to Italian cuisine. In Season Two, Tucci looks at the import of Italian cuisine to London and the contributions of Italian immigrants. The food, according to Tucci, is “how Italian immigrants have defined who they are and where they come from.” He spends time in the kitchen of a renowned chef whose grandparents immigrated to Wales
from Emilia-Romagna, dines at a restaurant where Italian mamas cook dishes from different Italian regions and visits multiple immigrant-owned businesses. Season two of “Searching for Italy” is just as successful as the first in simultaneously diving into Italian cuisine and catering to a broad audience. Tucci’s exploration of Italian culture touches on themes of tradition, innovation and the forces shaping moder n Italian cuisine. The show educates audiences on the nation’s history, geography and politics and its people’s daily lives. Tucci uses a cooking and travel show to impart deeper lessons about the vast network of people that contribute to the cuisine that shapes Italy. Rating:
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
SPORTS
The Cheap Seats: Big Ten Strikes Gold with Two New Teams BY Lanie Everett The Dartmouth Staff
Waking up on the opposite side of the country from most of their new conference’s teams, the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Southern California announced that they would be joining the Big Ten in 2024. Last Wednesday, the news from UCLA and USC left a devastated Pac-12 scrambling to look for future ways to expand their conference, while the Big Ten gained two teams with name recognition, a Los Angeles television market ranked second in the nation and a college football monopoly. A monumental and geographically relevant shift, the move mirrors the Southeastern Conference’s news that the University of Oklahoma and University of Texas at Austin — which formerly belonged to the Big 12 — would be joining their ranks to propel the SEC forward as a college football powerhouse. As the Big Ten’s new additions make headlines, so does the notion of a complete realignment of college sports. While the Big Ten and SEC clearly sit at the top, what does this mean for the teams left behind? More importantly, what does this mean for conferences such as the Big 12 and Pac-12? Notre Dame Many people eye the University of Notre Dame as a team that could be a complementary addition to the Big Ten if they choose to keep competing with the rapid development of the SEC. Although the Big Ten does not have immediate plans for expansion, Notre Dame could become the key to enticing the conference to make space. While most sports at Notre Dame align with the Atlantic Coast Conference, Fighting Irish football acts independently. Stanford University could potentially also be invited to the Big Ten as an opponent for Notre Dame. By moving to the Big Ten, Notre Dame would be welcomed to a conference with historic playoffs, financial resources and the ability to keep some non-conference games (ie: the Fighting Irish’s annual rivalry with the United States Naval Academy). Notre Dame’s move could become even more critical as the SEC eyes some of the best ACC teams: Clemson University, Florida State
ZOORIEL TAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If the ACC becomes dismantled, the prospect of Notre Dame becoming part of the Big Ten grows tremendously. A “Hybrid-conference” As the Big Ten and SEC rise to hegemony, where does this leave the Big 12 and the Pac-12? Both dismal from the losses of two of their most valuable teams, realignment could involve a merger. Even last summer’s alliance between the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC couldn’t keep the Big Ten restrained. With the notion of trust among college teams and their conferences seemingly long gone, the Big 12 and Pac-12 could take the high road to reform themselves, pulling the best teams from each conference into what CBS sports calls a “hybrid-conference.” Last but not least, the Rose Bowl, an American football tradition, has for
decades hosted the champions of the Big Ten and Pac-12. As the Big Ten moves to football supremacy and the Pac-12 begins to crumble, the odds would be stacked against the Rose Bowl’s Pac-12 team. Following the Gold While the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC were founded on geographic distributions, today each conference follows the money. There is no doubt football is the money maker for this endeavor; UCLA and USC will receive exposure like they never have before. With games in the Midwest, these teams will likely have games that air earlier in the day. While in the Pac-12, when UCLA and USC played games at home in the evening, audiences on the east coast were sleeping. Now, everything changes — the Big Ten has the capital and the fanbase for football games to air earlier,
possibly allotting UCLA and USC an offer they couldn’t refuse. Plane time versus play time As th e n ew i d en ti ty o f th e superconference arises, UCLA and USC DI athletes could need an adjustment period as well. Think about the multiple basketball, baseball, softball and soccer games that athletes play in a week — now add to that the time it takes to fly from Los Angeles to a college town in the central or eastern time zone of the country. There is no doubt it can be done with sufficient capital and resources, but the experience of playing teams in the Big Ten for sports that have games more frequently will be harder. For schools that take pride in the accomplishments of teams other than football — UCLA men’s basketball is ranked no. 1 by multiple sources in 2022 — a move to the Big Ten comes with additional
consequences. The Big Ten’s gain is not a spontaneous win for the conference, but rather evidence of a new era of college sports — one driven less by geographical location and more by capital investment. Supposedly, UCLA and USC will swap an annual $19.8 million from the Pac-12 to a $80 million dollar check from the Big Ten every year. By waiting until 2024 to make the move, UCLA and USC will face no financial sanctions from the Pac-12, as their contract ends after the 2022-2023 academic year. Capital has become a top priority for all conferences and teams that plan to be at the forefront of college athletics. Although the superconferences and seemingly-random geographic distribution of teams may be striking today, moves such as the Big Ten’s look like only the beginning of a historic trend.
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MIRROR THE DARTMOUTH MIRROR
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
A Monumental Decision: Students reflect on Roe v. Wade STORY
By Farah Lindsey-Almadani
O n Ju n e 2 4 , t h e S u p r e m e Court ruled to overtur n Roe v. Wade., consequently removing the constitutional right to an abortion. The decision sent reverberations around the world, including here at the College. The College released a statement in response to the decision, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire held a “Ban Off Our Bodies” rally on the Green and many students reacted to the monumental legislation change in their own way. Ady Chaudhari ’24, co-president of the Planned Parenthood Generation Action, said that she was angry and enraged at the Supreme Court decision Chaudhari, alongside her co-president Eliza Holmes, Rep. Mary HakkenPhillips, D-N.H. and Alyssa Antman — organizing manager for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire — arranged the “Bans Off Our Bodies” rally on the College Green, which occurred the same day as the decision. “It was a very difficult day, but also I was very happy to see the turnout,” Chaudhari said. “It was really great, especially as a woman of color, to … be able to speak about my experiences, especially being from Texas.” Chaudhari said speaking about these experiences was important because access to birth control and reproductive health services has “saved her life” in the past. For Miles Brown ’23, for mer president of the College Democrats, the leak of the Supreme Court’s opinion back in May — as well as his knowledge of abortion restrictions in some states – lessened the surprise. “It is difficult to say I was shocked, but it was a really sobering moment [because] this is now America and it is going to affect millions of people,”
Brown said. “It was something that was emotionally impactful for a lot of people and overall, I would say devastating.” Members of College Democrats previously participated in a rally for abortion justice last fall, and Brown said that in the future, the College Democrats will direct students to abortion providers in New Hampshire. However, not all students feel the same way. Keli Pegula ’24, who supports the pro-life movement, said she was “very excited” to hear about the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Pegula said that she is involved in an on-campus chapter for Students for Life of America — a pro-life organization, as well as the David Network — an organization that connects students in the Ivy League and other schools to the March For Life, an annual pro-life march in Washington D.C.. “The reversal of Roe v. Wade. is now giving the power back to the people to be able to vote within each state on how the abortion laws should be,” Pegula said. “I don’t think it was right that the Supreme Court took the decision upon themselves back in 1973 to decide on how women should be allowed or not allowed to have abortions.” Grayling Peterson ’24, who also identifies as pro-life, said he is concerned that the Supreme Court decision wasn’t enough for the pro-life movement. “I am not entirely confident that the best way to do that is by simply making it illegal,” Peterson said. “... I at least think that there needs to be more done than making it illegal.” According to both Peterson and Pegula, it is crucial to also change
ELAINE PU/THE DARTMOUTH
people’s minds on abortion, rather than simply altering laws. “By eliminating abortions, we are not only helping pre-borns, but also women as [abortions add] a lot of grief to a woman’s life,” Pegula said. H o w e v e r, Pe t e r s o n s a i d h e ultimately supports the Supreme Court decision because the Constitution does not provide the right to abortion, and therefore, the right should be determined by the states. But constitutional law can be open to many interpretations. Sam Bevins ’25, an avid pro-choice supporter and Freshman Board Executive for the College Democrats,
believes that the Supreme Court is inconsistent when giving states rights. “If they were truly being a conservative court and giving power back to the states, they wouldn’t have ruled the way they did about guns,” Bevins said, in reference to the Supreme Court decision on New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen. In that case, the Court ruled that New York state’s limitations on carrying a firearm in public violates Americans’ right to bear arms via the Second Amendment, removing the ability of states to deal with the issue of gun control as they wish. According
to Bevins, the two decisions highlight an inconsistency in Supreme Court rulings that “shows that [this decision] is clearly an attack on women.” The decision has exacerbated emotional tensions across the United States. Pegula said that although she is proud of the Supreme Court’s ruling, she is still empathetic to others grieving the decision. “Although this is certainly a very tumultuous time for many people, and I know that there are a lot of emotions going on [...] it does not mean that in any way I am against anybody who may think differently than me,” she said.
Smooth Sailing Ahead: Spotlight on Summer Sailing Lessons STORY
By Arielle Feuerstein
Just 13 miles from campus on Mascoma Lake lies the Dartmouth Yacht Club. Home to a secluded beach and fleet of sailboats, the club also serves as the site of various instructional sailing programs during the summer months. This includes sailing camps for children, adult lessons and Dartmouth Physical Education sailing classes, which provide beginner sailing lessons to Dartmouth students. Summer sailing is a popular pastime for many sophomores on campus, so
much so that there are four sections of sailing classes for undergraduates — offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays — each with space for 16 students. According to Dartmouth Yacht Club director John Brady, every section is either full or at near capacity. “We fill our classes pretty much every year,” Brady said. This is the first summer since the COVID-19 pandemic that summer sailing lessons are operating at full capacity. According to Brady, the Yacht
Club shut down during summer 2020, and summer classes returned in 2021, but with a limited number of students. Alex Rego ’24 is one such student to enroll in Dartmouth’s sailing program. She grew up in Martha’s Vineyard, where she was able to take sailing lessons for free as a child, and she saw Dartmouth’s lessons as an opportunity to reconnect with that part of her childhood. Rego praised the accessibility and affordability of Dartmouth’s sailing program. “I really fell in love with [sailing]
COURTESY OF SOPHIE RAGG
as a kid and I’ve missed it a lot,” Rego said. “To learn to sail full price is a lot — it’s a really expensive sport. I thought that Dartmouth offered such a good deal, and I wanted to get back into it.” Registering for sailing lessons costs $210 for undergraduates, although students receiving financial aid can apply for a discount. When students enroll in sailing lessons, they also receive membership to the Dartmouth Yacht Club. The first thing sailing students must do, according to Brady, is pass a 50yard swim test at the beginning of their first lesson. After that point, sailing instructor Sophie Ragg ’22 stressed that each lesson is often dictated by the conditions that day. “Some days there will be loads of wind and we can learn how to helm, crew, put up the spinnaker, balance the boat and set the sails effectively. Other days there will be less wind and it’s a good time to learn some theory, tie knots, learn about navigation and the wind or go out and do capsize drills,” Ragg said. “Depending on the wind direction we can also play games, follow the leader or tag or go further down the lake to explore. It really just depends.” Rego found herself pleasantly surprised by how “laid-back” and approachable her first few sailing lessons were. “I have background experience, and yet I still get timid sometimes on boats because there obviously is risk and the opportunity for things to go wrong, but we all felt so, so safe,” Rego said. Fostering this casual lear ning environment was important to Ragg, and she stressed that she liked that sailing classes were a place where students could be unafraid to make mistakes or try new things. “You’re going to fall in the water and things are going to go wrong,” Ragg said. “It’s a steep learning curve, but it’s kind of fun in a place that can be as pressurized as Dartmouth to have an environment where people can just give things a go and have fun. It doesn’t matter how you do at it; it’s more just about the experience While learning to sail, students have the opportunity to become skipper certified. This enables students to
take boats out on the water alone, and because sailing students are already members of the Dartmouth Yacht Club, they have access to the club’s fleet of boats for no additional fee. “So that’s a really cool goal to reach and then try and get people satisfied by week two or three, four, so that they have the summer to enjoy the experience of sailing as much as they can,” Ragg said. According to Brady, in order to become skipper certified, students must demonstrate that they can sail a boat upwind, downwind and across the wind. They must also know how to tie various knots necessary for sailing, and they need to be able to stop the boat in the water at any time if someone were to fall overboard. Students must also be comfortable leaving the dock with the boat and returning to the dock. “By the end of the course, everybody is able to do that and we’re able to let them out alone in a boat,” Brady said. “The learning curve varies quite a bit for everybody. Some people just pick it up intuitively, others it takes a little bit longer to get them comfortable doing it, but it’s just a process that everyone has to go through.” Rego said she is particularly excited about having the opportunity to sail on her own time. “Theoretically, in a few weeks here, when I get certified, I can go out and sail whenever,” Rego said. “It’s just the best way to break up your day.” Ragg similarly emphasized that sailing can provide a valuable break from the stress of campus life. “The sailing school down on Mascoma Lake is a really beautiful place, and I think not many students know that it exists,” Ragg said. “It’s cool to get off campus and … come outside this Dartmouth bubble and experience something that when you’re there, you don’t feel like you’re at school. It’s like a completely separate place.” To Ragg, the most rewarding part of teaching sailing is seeing her students become comfortable on the water. “It’s cool to see how people go from having no confidence, and they’re a little bit wary, especially on a windy day, to being super confident sailors and to be able to take the boats out — it’s a cool experience to see the transformation,” Ragg said.