Letter to the Editor: Replace the Human Admissions Factor
Re: College to reinstate standardized test requirement for Class of 2029
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Re: College to reinstate standardized test requirement for Class of 2029
Dartmouth recently reinstated standardized testing as one of its admissions requirements. This is commendable: we must select the smartest minds. But we should not just raise our intellectual standards, we must raise our physical standards.
As a low-income, international student from Peru, I write to express my profound concern about the reinstatement of the SAT requirement in the admissions process for the Class of 2029 and beyond. As Dartmouth’s senior leadership is undoubtedly aware, the application process for international students differs significantly from that of American students, since the resources available to international students are both more limited and more exclusive. While some international students are fortunate enough to have the means for SAT fees and preparation, many do not have these privileges. This is especially burdensome for low-income, international students who seek to apply to prestigious institutions such as Dartmouth.
A coalition of Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latiné, first-generation, international, individuals with disabilities and working-class organizations and students on this campus express our dissatisfaction towards the recent repeal of Dartmouth’s test-optional policy and the reinstatement of required standardized testing.
As members of Access Dartmouth, a student group dedicated to student accessibility, we are writing to oppose President Sian Leah Beilock’s decision to reinstate the standardized testing requirement for undergraduate admissions. This decision will harm the admissions chances of disabled students, a group that has for far too long been overlooked in higher education. Disabled students are equally capable of excelling at Dartmouth and equally deserving of inclusion and opportunity.
This article is featured in the 2024 Winter Carnival special issue.
On Jan. 13, Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party won the Taiwanese presidential election, with citizens rebuking the more conciliatory tone of the Kuomintang regarding relations with the People’s Republic of China.
This article is featured in the 2024 Winter Carnival special issue.
Re: Coaching changes, athlete turnover and injuries abound: Former men’s cross country and track runners expose challenges of past two years
Google collects users’ data and sells it, and that’s an undeniable fact. The reality that the world’s most popular search engine is spying on us is such common knowledge that it barely registers for most people anymore. Google is so ingrained into everyday life that most consider the search engine’s data collection to be a necessary sacrifice for the sake of browsing the internet. However, this accepting and defeatist attitude ignores the fact that there is a far superior alternative: Firefox. For any internet user, but especially those in college, Firefox is the only browser with no caveats.
Re: College to reinstate standardized test requirement for Class of 2029
Last Friday, the Biden administration delayed its approval of 17 liquid natural gas export terminals, including an expansion of the Calcasieu Pass 2 terminal on the coast of Louisiana that would have made it the largest in the country. Though the delay of the export terminals will decrease American exports of natural gas, it is not clear that it will actually reduce global emissions. Biden’s willingness to pause the projects due to shaky evidence signals a lack of solution-oriented climate action. Facing re-election, the President has prioritized the appearance of emissions reductions, not actual emission reductions. Young voters should keep this in mind when they go to the polls this year.
At Dartmouth and beyond, there have been significant improvements in normalizing the discussion of mental health conditions in the past decade. However, there are still huge strides to be made in reducing the stigma around mental illnesses, especially those categorized as severe mental illnesses. Any mental illness refers to any emotional, behavioral or mental disorder. To be categorized as an SMI, the disorder must also substantially interfere with or limit one or more major life activities.
We all remember the chaotic election four years ago, as then-incumbent Donald Trump faced former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. With the nation divided more deeply than ever while also suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump proved to be an ineffective leader, and with the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, he proved to be an authoritarian seeking to destroy democracy through violent abuse of power. Now, as we seem to be close to a rematch between Trump and Biden in this year’s election, we must address the failures of the Republican and Democratic parties to nominate leaders that voters actually want to be in office.
Although we live in one of the most peaceful times in human history, we are likely the most engaged generation in the politics of our world. Student responses to the war in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza prove just that. However, what I find disheartening is that students often only mobilize around whatever is currently most shocking and highlighted in the news. Seldom do I see people talking about the quieter issues. Now, this isn’t a slight upon college students. We are all exceptionally busy with exams, papers, extracurricular activities and the like, but I would like to encourage students to take an interest in the events that are unfortunately placed far behind the front page.
Climate change has been a hot button issue for decades now, and the surrounding fervor has even grown in recent years. Politicians continue to make it an issue on the campaign trail, while scientists search for solutions to what may be the greatest looming threat to humanity in the coming decades.
I love recycling — seriously. Nothing indulges my inner environmentalist more than rinsing a dirty plastic container and tossing it into a recycling bin. I once felt assured that my recycling habits had prevented immense amounts of plastic from ending up in a landfill. One can imagine my dismay when I learned that not even a third of waste in the U.S. gets recycled.
For as long as I can remember, climate change has been looming over my future. More and more people fear dying due to environmental devastation, and some even alter their plans for the future because of it. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 5% of childless people cite environmental problems as their reasoning behind not having children. While climate change and environmental destruction are some of the most pressing issues of our generation, having such a doomed mindset detracts from accomplishing tangible policy changes and environmental preservation.
Re: Muller: Standardized Tests Don’t Deserve Our Hate