VOL. CLXXIX NO. 17
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
David Gallagher ’20 dies while Twenty-four students visiting Hanover for Commencement complete DOC Fifty BY ARIELLE feuerstein The Dartmouth Senior Staff
KRISTIN CHAPMAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
BY the dartmouth senior staff This story was originally published on Monday, Aug. 8. David Gallagher ’20 died on Sunday, according to an announcement from the College. Gallagher, who is from Downingtown, Pa., attended the Class of 2020 commencement ceremony in Hanover the day before, as the ceremony was delayed due to the pandemic. “T he Dartmouth community is deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy,” College spokesperson Diana Lawrence wrote in a statement to The Dartmouth. “President Hanlon has been in touch with the parents of David Gallagher to share his condolences on their profound loss.” Lawrence referred further comment to Hanover Police. According to a joint press release from Hanover Police
and the Hanover Fire Department, a member of the Class of 2020 died on Sunday morning after being injured under the Ledyard Bridge. He was 24 years old. Emergency officials declined to identify the individual for reasons related to HIPAA, according to Hanover Fire Department deputy chief Michael Gilbert. According to the release, the Hanover Fire Department, Hanover Police and Dartmouth Safety and Security responded to the incident. The release stated that Safety and Security used a pontoon boat to transport the patient to an area by the river, where an ambulance awaited. T he release added that the ambulance then transported the patient to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for “treatment of severe injuries,” where the patient succumbed to his injuries. Hanover
Police continues to investigate the cause of the individual’s death. The individual’s family has been notified of the incident, according to the release. According to Gallagher’s LinkedIn, he was a member of the varsity men’s lacrosse team and Theta Delta Chi fraternity. As of July 2020, he worked as an investment analyst in California. The College flag on the Green will be lowered in honor of Gallagher today and tomorrow. For students, counseling services are available at (603) 646-9442 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and at (603) 646-9440 outside of regular hours. The Student Wellness Center and Undergraduate Deans Office remain available resources for undergraduate students. A full obituary will be published in the near future. If you would like to share a memory, please contact editor@thedartmouth.com.
Dickey Center hosts Young African Leadership Initiative alumni on campus
MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH 78 LOW 51
BY adriana james-rodil The Dartmouth Staff
ARTS
REVIEW: ELTON JOHN’S GILLETTE STADIUM CONCERT PAGE 2
OPINION
RATEKIN, SHERIN & TAYLOR: UNCERTAINTY OF MEDICAL TRAINING POST-ROE PAGE 3
SPORTS
Q&A WITH ATHLETIC DIRECTOR MIKE HARRITY PAGE 4 FOLLOW US ON
@thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.
From July 22 to Aug. 5, the Dickey Center for Inter national Understanding hosted 24 members of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State Young African Leadership Initiative — a group launched in 2010 to support young African students as they work for economic growth, democracy and peace, according to the Dickey Center. During their two-week visit to Dartmouth as part of MWF’s Alumni Enrichment Institute, the fellows engaged in various activities — including community service in the Upper Valley, discussions with each other on topics such as volunteerism and visits to the Hood Museum and New Hampshire State House — to participate in cultural exchange and build leadership skills. “This summer, [we] had the opportunity to do a cultural exchange element of the program and come in and do more of the experience on a U.S. campus [and] have some leadership sessions,” Dickey Center program officer and YALI MWF academic director Amy Newcomb said. The fellows also visited businesses within their professional fields or interests. All 24 participants had previously engaged in virtual programming for the 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship, which was moved online due to COVID-19. The College last hosted the fellows in person for a six-
week program in 2018, according to Newcomb. In addition to the 24 fellows at Dartmouth, approximately 170 alumni from the 2021 fellowship will attend programming at seven other educational institutions across the country, according to the webpage. N e w c o m b s a i d t h e U. S. S t a t e Department reached out to the eight educational institutions to request a condensed two-week version of the program for the 2021 fellows. She added that the Dickey Center “jumped at” the opportunity to host. “Our entire team said this is the most fun we’ve ever had in our professional experiences,” she said. “We absolutely wanted to find a way to do it.” Following a three-day orientation, the fellows dedicated each day to topics such as social justice and race in America; leadership and networking; and community engagement and volunteerism, Newcomb said. Dickey Center staff then organized discussions, workshops and site visits based on the theme of the day. The fellows also participated in community service projects with Upper Valley organizations, including Willing Hands and Spark Community Center, Newcomb said. Dickey Center associate director of Global Health and Development Dawn Carey added that the Dickey Center partnered with the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact to curate the service component of the program. The fellows also participated in SEE LEADERSHIP PAGE 2
On Friday, Aug. 5, 32 students embarked on the Dartmouth Outing Club Fifty, a hike in which students trek 54 miles and six different peaks along the Appalachian Trail without breaking to sleep. According to Fifty co-director Anna Byrd ’23, 24 students — including finishers from seven out of the eight teams of four — successfully completed the hike. Fifty co-director Elliot Alberts ’25 said the number of successful hikers was particularly high this term — only 14 out of the 32 hikers completed the Fifty in the fall, which featured colder weather. The route began at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, from where hikers summited South Peak and then continued along the Appalachian Trail on the Glencliff Trailhead. Students then traversed Mount Mist, Mount Cube, Mount Smarts, Holt’s Ledge, Moose Mountain and Velvet Rocks before arriving back at Robinson Hall on campus, Alberts said. He added that the entire route followed the segment of the Appalachian Trail maintained by the Dartmouth Outing Club. This term, the participants took approximately 28 to 32 hours to complete the route, according to Byrd. She said the typical duration of the Fifty ranges from around 24 to 32 hours, “depending on the teams that year.” Byrd added that the route taken this summer was slightly different than in previous terms — whereas hikers typically summit Mount Moosilauke, Byrd said the directors chose to reroute them to South Peak due to concerns about thunderstorms. “South Peak isn’t exposed at the top like the main peak is, so [it was] a little safer,” Byrd said. On their hike, the participants passed by five support stations run by students who volunteered to support the Fifty. At each of these stations, there was a station captain, who was responsible for overseeing the station and ensuring that each hiker who passed through was provided with food and medical attention. Each station also had at least one “safety dork,” or an individual with medical certifications. There were 10 to 12 volunteers who were “students
from different corners of campus who might have friends hiking and want to support them,” Alberts said. He added that the additional volunteers helped with cooking and cheering for hikers returning to Hanover. Joe Earles ’24, one of the students who successfully hiked the Fifty, said the support stations were a highlight of his experience. “You just felt very cared for – very supported and loved – and that was really awesome,” Earles said. “Instead of feeling like a 50-mile hike, it was like, ‘I’ve got nine miles until I get to eat soup, or I’ve got nine miles until someone can look at my feet and fix my blisters.’” According to Byrd, many more students typically apply to hike the Fifty than can partake in the event — this year, 128 students signed up to hike, and only 32 were chosen. She said students were selected via a lottery system, and those with previous experience supporting the Fifty had increased lottery odds. Some participants with previous hiking experience said the Fifty presented new challenges. Earles said he had previously hiked similar distances, but this was the first time he completed such a lengthy hike without pausing to sleep. He said his team completed the Fifty in about 30 hours. “I’ve never missed a night of sleep before,” he said. “I’ve had all-nighters, but then I sleep for hours the next morning. According to Alberts, many students directing or supporting the Fifty also had to work through the night. He added that the Fifty directors “were up for around 40 hours straight.” “By the end of it, we were just totally exhausted,” Alberts said. “It was a different sort of exhaustion [from] the hikers, who had the physical exertion for the same amount of time, whereas we had the mental stress of having to be prepared 24/7 for basically two days to respond to anything, anywhere.” Earles said he appreciated that the Fifty allowed him to challenge himself in a safe environment. “The way the Fifty is set up, you can get the thrill of pushing yourself while being supported, or being with friends while being cheered on, knowing that you’re in a relatively low-risk environment to do so,” Earles said.
KRISTIN CHAPMAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS & ARTS
Mandela Washington Fellows participate in community service, cultural exchange in two-week visit to Dartmouth FROM LEADERSHIP PAGE 1
a digital storytelling workshop with Jones Media Center media learning technologist Susan Simon, who said she enjoyed getting to know the fellows. “It’s [been] a highlight of my career to work with the YALIs,” Simon said. “Their stories are quite profound.” The program ended with the fellows’s departure from campus on Aug. 5. Carey said that the fellows “exceeded expectations in their preparedness and their engagement.” One fellow, Chifuniro Kambauwa, founded an organization that works with women living with HIV/AIDS in her home country of Malawi called Open Arms Foundation. Kambauwa said the foundation encourages women to venture into the fish farming business and teaches the importance of adhering to medication use. Kambauwa described YALI as a “very good experience,” adding that she can apply lessons learned in the
program to her organization. “Being at the college, at least I had the chance to see how people in America do volunteerism, which is very different from what my country does,” Kambauwa said. “... [Here] I saw people [who were] very much passionate about what they do, about their work, which is different from my country.” Another fellow, Maribe Mamobolo, said he started a company in South A f r i c a c a l l e d t h e Pa r t n e r s h i p s Resource Hub, aimed at addressing one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Mamobolo said the YALI program “absolutely fed the core of what I do because I’m in that space of collaboration.” “There is no other program like this for young Africans to come together and be able to work together, so, for me, that’s at the core of my business,” he added. “...I can easily say that if I go to a particular country [in Africa], I’ve got somebody that I can work with, someone who help me navigate certain spaces.”
COURTESY OF KATIE LENHART
Review: Elton John demonstrates breadth of talent and successful discography at Gillette Stadium concert BY ELEANOR SCHIFINO The Dartmouth Senior Staff
I am a sucker for a concert. If anyone notable is playing within three hours of me, I can’t help but go. I’m attracted to the energy, the lights, the live music, the food — and my wallet hates me for it. So, when my friend texted me last minute about seeing Elton John in Foxborough, Mass. on July 27, suddenly the interview I had the next day, my upcoming midterm and my discussion post due in two hours all fell to the wayside. Nosebleed tickets were purchased and an outfit was thrown together. Piling into my beloved Subaru with four other Dartmouth students, we began the three-hour drive to Gillette Stadium. Throughout the drive, we couldn’t hold in our excitement as we listened to John’s greatest hits and made a brief Chick-fil-A stop on the way. Despite our excitement, we ended up being late for the concert. Traffic was abysmal, Apple Maps barely got us to the concert venue and parking was a nightmare. After finding a random spot in a gym nestled behind a forest, we trekked through the woods to get to the stadium, only to miss the first song, “Bennie and the Jets.” Sprinting to the entrance of the stadium, I could hear the “B-B-B-Bennie!” which only made me run faster. Sitting down just in time for “Philadelphia Freedom,” I let the sweet sound of Elton John carry me away. In his signature sparkly suit and sunglasses, John performed a stunning show that was an ode to his icon status and a comforting goodbye to his fans. After “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Bennie and the Jets,” John rounded out the introduction of the show with
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” “Border Song” (dedicated to Aretha Franklin) and an obvious fan favorite, “Tiny Dancer.” While every song was great — John knows how to work a piano — “Tiny Dancer” entranced the entire stadium. Swaying in time and belting our hearts out, we felt on top of the world in those few minutes. Performed in a lower register (most likely to suit John’s aging vocal cords), the song sounded phenomenal — even better in person than on the recording. John then performed “Have Mercy on the Criminal” before jumping into “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time).” John’s performance of “Rocket Man” was magical. His concert rendition was slightly different then the recorded version — small changes to the timing, pauses and notes with some added embellishments — which made the listening experience even more special. As John sat at his piano in his glittery suit, he wailed his heart out to an audience of jaw-dropped listeners. Long time fans and new fans, old and young all listened and sang along to “Rocket Man,” pulled in by the power of the music. It was an unforgettable experience. After “Rocket Man,” the concert entered a bit of a lull —most likely my own fault, since my knowledge of John’s discography proved to be not as holistic as I had thought. In the middle section of the concert, I only knew “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” one of my favorite songs. While I may not have known the lyrics to his other songs, it was still easy to sit back and bask in John’s powerhouse voice and phenomenal band. However, I am still upset that John cut my favorite song,
CAROLINE KRAMER/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
“Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters,” which he had included on previous set lists from the tour. To end the concert, John kicked it back into high gear. With a costume change and revived energy, he brought a remarkable amount of energy to his performance. With a powerful rendition of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” John flawlessly covered George Michael’s parts. “The Bitch Is Back” followed, spurring the crowd out of their seats through “I’m Still Standing,” which immediately followed. From here, it was hit after hit. “Crocodile Rock” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” had me jumping around
and screaming my heart out, even though it was a Wednesday night. While satisfied with what I had heard, I knew the concert wouldn’t end without an encore. Finishing the concert with an encore of “Cold Heart,” “Your Song” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” fans went home happy. Ending his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was not a shock — it would have been foolish to end with anything else — but it was an emotional moment as John said goodbye to his fans, and we said goodbye to him as well. Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour was undoubtedly
bittersweet, and his fans are not ready to say goodbye to his live performances just yet. The concert was amazing, and I consider myself lucky to have seen him live. All throughout the concert, John was energetic, engaged and seemed refreshed. He interacted with the crowd, never missed a note and owned that stage. The set list highlighted his skills and was a walk down memory lane, acting as a tribute to his lengthy and iconic career. The concert demonstrated the breadth of John’s talent and was a beautiful addition to his long list of stellar performances. Rating:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022
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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
GUEST COLUMNISTS CARLY RATEKIN MED’24, MAGGIE SHERIN MED’24 & DELANEY TAYLOR MED’24
GUEST COLUMNIST NICOLAS MACRI ’24
Ratekin, Sherin and Taylor: The Uncertainty Macri: 46 States Offer Early Voting. New of Medical Training Post-Roe Hampshire Still Won’t? Roe v. Wade’s overturn will dramatically impact access to quality training for abortions and obstetrical emergencies, residency applications and patient care. T his Se ptember, fourth-year medical students around the world will spend countless hours perfecting their applications for residency positions. In order to practice medicine in the United States, students must obtain impeccable grades throughout their undergraduate years, demonstrate competence and compassion during four years of medical school and learn innumerable clinical skills during their three to seven years of residency. Only then are they able to start their careers as physicians. While this journey can be difficult and overwhelming, it is also incredibly rewarding, offering us the chance to help people through some of their most vulnerable and formative moments in life. Those of us writing this letter are interested in careers that will incorporate reproductive health into our everyday practice. More specifically, we went into medicine for the opportunity to empower people with information and options about their reproductive health, and to provide care that helps patients meet their reproductive goals. Abortion care is a critical aspect of that health care delivery. It not only provides patients with autonomy over their choices and lives, but it is also often a necessary and lifesaving medical procedure — such as in the case of ectopic or high-risk pregnancies that require termination for the health and safety of the pregnant patient. Unfortunately, for students like us who are hoping to cultivate careers providing full-spectrum reproductive health care, the path to doing so became far more difficult after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. As part of accreditation, Obstetrics and Gynecology residency programs must provide training, or access to training, in performing abortions. Though there are more than 230 Ob/Gyn residency programs in the U.S., only 106 programs have abortion care integrated into their curriculum as a designated Ryan Family Planning Program. Ryan programs guarantee abortion and contraception training as part of their family planning rotations for residents, either on site in their teaching hospitals or through partnerships with local abortion clinics. Of these 106 programs, only half are in states that are now protective of abortion rights. The remaining programs are in states that have either already severely restricted abortion access or may likely restrict access in the future. The unfortunate reality is that the next generations of reproductive care providers will likely not get the training they need to manage abortions, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and other gynecological emergencies. Matching into an Ob/Gyn residency
p ro g r a m i s a l r e a d y c o m p e t i t i ve. N o w, graduating medical students seeking to receive comprehensive abortion training may only apply to residency programs in states where it remains legal, making the already competitive application pools at these sites even more so. This may make it even more difficult for students to secure a position at one of their programs of choice. Students who match into an Ob/Gyn program in states that have banned or severely restricted abortion may have to travel to other states during their training to learn how to perform abortion care and manage obstetric emergencies, which may be a significant barrier to them. As medical students hoping to provide full spectrum reproductive health care, we are in difficult positions. We are uncertain how the overturning of Roe will affect our ability to apply for and match into residency programs that meet our needs as future reproductive health care providers. Once we complete our training and earn our medical licenses, we are scared of how abortion restrictions and the criminalization of care will impact our medical licenses and ability to practice. Most importantly, we are worried how this uncertain future will endanger the health of all our future patients and their families. Only time will tell how the overturning of Roe will impact the number of physicians qualified to provide full spectrum reproductive health care in states without protected abortion rights. What we do know is that the impact will extend far beyond people seeking elective abortion. Without adequate staffing of physicians trained in abortion care, millions nationwide may not be able to get the care they need when faced with an ectopic pregnancy, or in need of miscarriage management. Eventually, they may not be able to find an Ob/Gyn at all, as providers choose to practice in less hostile regions. Diminished access to care is not the future of medicine that we envisioned when we started our medical careers. We must do better. Lawmakers in New Hampshire, Vermont and across the country must act now to ensure that doctors are able to freely provide the care they need to patients and their families. Carly Ratekin, Maggie Sherin and Delaney Taylor are students at the Geisel School of Medicine graduating in 2024. This column was written with the assistance of Ashley Yang Med’24, Katie Allan Med’24, Lily Greene Med’24 and Sarah Matsunaga Med’24.
Nearly every American gets multiple weeks to cast their ballot. In New Hampshire, voters only get 12 hours. In a democracy that cares about consent of the governed, everybody loves voting. Who wouldn’t? Voting empowers every citizen to express their voice. We the people elect our political leaders; we the people chart out our own destiny; we the people get to decide our own bright future. As an American, you deserve the opportunity to vote. …but only if you happen to not be busy on a seemingly random Tuesday; am I right? Despite strong political disagreement across our country, nearly every state now offers early voting. From South Carolina to New York, Idaho to New Mexico, states of all political stripes and backgrounds allow their citizens to vote early because it is the perfectly sensible thing to do. In the 46 states that offer early voting, voters get multiple weeks, often including weekends, to cast their ballot, giving voters the flexibility to choose what day and time works best for them. No longer forced to have their voices denied just because their shift at work lasted longer than they expected, nearly every American has far more than only 12 hours in the middle of the work week to cast a ballot. That is, almost every American. If you happen to live in the four states that don’t offer early voting, your state government has decided it does not think you deserve more than half a day to cast your ballot. You have a lab after your classes and won’t be finished until 8 p.m. that day? I guess you can’t vote. By not having any early voting, New Hampshire stands practically alone in making life harder for its citizens for no good reason. Connecticut, one of three other states besides New Hampshire without early voting, will likely pass a referendum this fall to allow early voting in future elections. Very soon, New Hampshire will stand on the hill of making voting needlessly stressful and difficult with only two others: Alabama and Mississippi, states famous for so harshly suppressing voters that it necessitated the passage of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark civil rights movement law. In fact, voting laws in New Hampshire are, in some areas, worse than Alabama and Mississippi’s voting laws. Alabama’s state government has discovered the internet and allows online voter registration, which 42 other states have also enacted. Mississippi allows its citizens to register to vote by mail. In fact, every single state with
voter registration allows people to register to vote by mail except New Hampshire. That’s right — New Hampshire is the only state in the nation where you are not allowed to register yourself to vote. Instead, a clerk has to do it for you. Your town hall is only open until 4 p.m., and you have work? Sorry. Why? Is our state government incapable of doing what every single other state can accomplish, the incredibly complex task of… letting citizens fill out a voter registration form by themselves? Our state government has no excuse to treat voters this way. Asking for early voting, online voter registration — come on, even paper voter registration — is not asking for the moon. This is asking for the bare minimum. Instead, our state government wastes time and money searching for voter fraud that does not exist, and on passing laws to make voting harder for overseas military voters, leaving the people of New Hampshire with an electoral system that senselessly makes voting more difficult. If our current Republican governor and state legislative majority get re-elected, their efforts to make voting even harder are unlikely to end anytime soon. With our state’s next election coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 13, the only defense for most New Hampshire voters is to mark their calendars. Unfortunately, this election falls on the second day of Dartmouth’s fall term –– a day when most Dartmouth students, professors, staff, local small business owners and many other local residents will be extremely busy as we begin another school year. But that’s the price we seemingly have to pay if we want to live in New Hampshire… we only get half a day to vote, for absolutely no good reason. It’s long past time for our state government to catch up. Let us vote early. Nicolás Macri is a member of the Class of 2024 and a Democratic candidate for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, running to represent Hanover and Lyme (Grafton County District 12). Opinion section editor Thomas Lane ’24 was not involved in the production of this column due to a conflict of interest.
The views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Geisel School of Medicine, and they may not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
SPORTS
Q&A with recently appointed athletic director Mike Harrity BY Heath Monsma The Dartmouth Staff
Mike Harrity, the newly appointed athletic director for the Big Green, sat down to talk about his perspective on the Dartmouth community, how athletics might change at Dartmouth and what the job means to him.
they hoped. That tells me that there’s a special heart and soul to the place, and that’s something I hope to be a caretaker of in this role as director of athletics and recreation.
How have you been adapting to the Dartmouth community so far? MH: Overall, I’ve been doing a lot of listening and learning as I spend time with my fellow teammates in the athletics department and head coaches. There are certainly a lot of people who care about Dartmouth athletics and really want to elevate the College, who have reached out.I’ve been really deliberate in prioritizing those conversations because my belief is that you seek first to understand. I’m most excited to meet our student-athletes, since I haven’t had the opportunity because of my start date. I’m really looking forward to the fall kicking off here in a few weeks with pre-season practices.
In 2021, spectator restrictions were lifted and there were fewer game cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How will you facilitate the healing and rebuilding of programs that suffered due to COVID-19? MH: First of all, in my short time here in the listening and learning sessions, it’s clear that Dartmouth has done a phenomenal job of managing the situation that was caused by COVID. In terms of how I plan to facilitate the healing of programs, I go back to what I said earlier, and I ask myself, “How do I come alongside head coaches, and what does that look like?” It’s a little bit different in each case because there are 35 different sports here, not to mention the recreation side, which is so important, too, and making sure that the resources are there for Dartmouth students given the new conditions.
Thinking longer term, what do you see as some of the fundamental values of Dartmouth athletics, and what are some ways you will work toward maintaining these values? MH: Dartmouth is a very value-driven institution. The sense of community and tradition is so strong. One of my favorite questions to ask the few students that I have been able to meet is why they chose Dartmouth. What I hear is the ability to grow as a person here, the sense of community that they felt during a visit –– they talk about the collaborative nature and the spirit of this place.What’s also really neat is that, when I’ve asked folks who are nearing the end of their time here: “Has Dartmouth lived up to what you hoped it would?” Thus far they’ve said Dartmouth has exceeded what
One of your predecessor Peter Roby’s tenets was coaching consistency, as he only made hires over his tenure and did not let coaches go. Do you intend to have that same long leash with coaches? MH: Again, my mentality is seek first to understand where we’re at. One great thing that I’ll note is that president Phil Hanlon has been incredibly generous in offering the opportunity to work with Roby as an advisor for the next year. Roby is somebody that I lean on heavily and who I trust completely. We actually have a previous relationship from the NCAA pathway program, and we built great rapport then. Overall, I think we have a phenomenal group of coaches here. I haven’t met all of them yet because of recruiting –– their calendars are all over the place and I
certainly don’t want to be an obstacle to their progress. I’m looking forward to having conversations with them, and I really see my job as a partner to them who is identifying ways to clear the path, so they can be the coaches and educators that they intend to be. A year ago now, Dartmouth announced its goal of reducing student-athlete admissions by 10% for future incoming classes. What are your thoughts on such a reduction? MH: I’m still learning all the factors that went into that, but I have the good fortune to report directly to President Hanlon who has been an incredible mentor through this. I certainly support any institutional decision like that, and I seek to understand the context around it, as well as the potential short-term and long-term impacts of
those decisions. In the wake of a threatened class action lawsuit following the elimination of five varsity prog rams, the athletic department released a Gender Equity Plan in March. What steps will you take to continue building on this plan? MH: That’s what I have spent the biggest percentage of my time on –– understanding and working alongside others to ensure that this Gender Equity Plan is implemented in full. We have put some folks in place to make sure that this isn’t just a document that sits in a drawer somewhere, but that it is a living and breathing document. We will both follow the letter of it and the spirit of it to make sure that people have equitable access to these opportunities. In your administrative role, you
are somewhat removed from being in the midst of competition like a coach — how much do you intend to bridge the gap to have a more direct influence on Dartmouth’s athletes and teams? MH: That’s important to me because I came up through student-athlete development, and there were many times where I was the lone advisor for a group of student athletes. I was the one meeting the pizza delivery person, setting out all the tables and making sure the agendas were printed — that’s ultimately why I got into this business. To the extent that my schedule allows, I will be present at practices and sporting events that we’re hosting, just to make sure that I never lose sight of why we do what we do. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
COURTESY OF MIKE HARRITY
The Cheap Seats: Deshaun Watson Faces Suspension BY LANIE EVERETT The Dartmouth Staff
On Aug. 1, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson received a six-game suspension after being accused of 24 allegations of sexual misconduct by personal massage therapists from 2019-2021, when he was still a member of the Houston Texans. Following a 15-month investigation into the allegations, federal judge Sue Robinson decided to suspend Watson for six games. The ruling was made on behalf of the NFL’s policy that a third-party counsel should decide the course of action for players who have violated the league’s code of
conduct. The Cleveland Browns owners, Dee and Jimmy Haslan, said they “continue to support’” Watson. Similarly, the NFL player’s union encouraged the NFL not to appeal Robinson’s penalty. For context, Brown was a first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in 2022 with a $230 million assured contract. However, a six-game suspension seems dramatically low for a player at the center of a whopping 24 cases of sexual misconduct –– 23 of which have been settled by Watson. The league had originally recommended suspending Watson for a minimum of one year. To many, including
Goodell, Watson’s penalty is not punitive enough. In Robinson’s 16page report, she wrote that Watson is “a genuine danger to the safety and well-being of another person”and that his conduct “undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL,” according to ESPN. Although Watson claimed he was innocent from all allegations of sexual misconduct, and two Texas courts denied Watson criminal trial, Robinson concluded from interviews with four of Watson’s therapists that Watson did, in fact, sexually assault them. Why did Watson receive such a light penalty for his actions? For one, there is no established precedent for a situation
such as Watson’s. Because Robinson characterized Watson’s actions as “non-violent,” his behavior called for a standard six-game suspension penalty, even though she acknowledged that Watson’s actions fell under the NFL’s definition of sexual misconduct. To remain consistent with the NFL’s prior rulings, Robinson did not authorize a longer sentence. For example, Ray Rice, a star running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was suspended for a mere two games –– a slap on the wrist –– for punching his fiancee in 2014. It was not until TMZ released a graphic video of Rice knocking his fiancee unconscious on the ground that Goodell appealed his
ZOORIEL TAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
suspension to an indefinite status. This case set a precedent that Robinson may have had to take into consideration when making the decision about Watson’s penalty. Two days after Robinson’s decision, the NFL once again appealed. The league will rely on former New Jersey attorney general Peter Harvey to decide on Watson’s fate for a second time. In a statement on Aug. 9, Goodell publicly endorsed the appeal, saying that Watson’s treatment of women and embarrassment for the league should have permitted “at least a one-year suspension,” including the regular and post 2022 season. To Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins, the irony of Goodell’s appeal after helping to establish a poor judicial precedent should be a lesson learned for the NFL. Because of inconsistent treatment of players who engage in domestic abuse, sexual misconduct and other actions that violate the league’s code of conduct, many survivors have not gotten justice. Even though Watson’s actions toward his therapists were deemed as “nonviolent,” Robinson still acknowledged that Watson engaged in “predatory conduct.” Watson’s six-game suspension is simply unfair. He will continue to travel with the Browns, keep his $230 million, face no criminal charges and no required counseling or fines. He has accepted confinement to only “club-approved massage therapists, in club-directed sessions, for the duration of his career.” Meanwhile, those people who came forward against him have not received justice. On July 30, a day before Robinson’s initial penalty was made public, a Cleveland Browns Instagram post showed Watson playing rock paper scissors with young boys, perhaps some of his youngest fans. Thousands of little boys across the United States look up to star athletes, like Watson, as role models and heroes. With an inconsistent penalty for serious offenses such as sexual assault, is this really how we want the next generation to see what athletic power and fame can allow one to do?