Student Assembly President-elect Nicole Artzer is not a woman whose thoughts and ideals can be summed up in a simple catch phrase or idiom. Her personality is a product of many different things -- such as her eight different homes.
Her family has shuttled between Chicago, Atlanta, Connecticut, Memphis, California and Texas, but she said she doesn't mind the constant moving.
"I've liked moving a lot," she said. "It's given me more of a balanced perspective -- I'm more well rounded and more accepting."
"I got to know a lot of different kinds of people, different cultures and different values ... I'm not one to settle into anything, settle for anything," she said.
Artzer said she could not pick one word to describe herself. "I hope I can't be described by one word. It changes depending on the day," she said. "I'm pretty consistently energetic about stuff, I don't wimp around stuff too much if I'm a part of it."
When she has free time, Artzer said she likes to do almost anything. "I just like to be outside and hang out. I like to be silly, I like to play tennis ... I like to sit on the beach and walk around," she said.
But she said what she does every day "depends on the amount of sleep I got and the time of day."
And when the weekends come, Artzer said half-jokingly that she likes to "drink beer." Then taking a more serious tone, she said she likes to "go out, have a barbecue, watch movies and do homework when I have to do homework."
Artzer is not in a sorority.
"I find it so inconsequential," she said. "I've been made to feel so welcome in so many sororities. It's really possible to take part in the Greek experience without actually being in a Greek house."
Artzer applied to Dartmouth early, and said she is very happy here. "I thought I would feel very lost ... It's to Dartmouth's credit that people can be involved. The school makes itself accessible. It's a really charming place."
Having her older brother Chris Artzer '93 at Dartmouth has been a great experience for her, Artzer said. "I've been in the luckiest situation," she said. "We both didn't plan to come here, and he's been a best friend."
Artzer said she did not participate in student government in high school. The Assembly "was just my curiosity at first. It solidified for me freshman spring, especially when I worked on bringing in the AIDS quilt," she said.
"I think I'm really being fair to myself -- I really wanted this job," she said. "I'm still very excited about it ... it's consistently the one thing I've heard complaints about."
Artzer also has a younger sister, and said she has a very happy but normal family.
"We're not like a cheesy Wonder Bread family -- I'm a real person," she said. "All of my real experience gives me a perspective."
Artzer, who is an English major, said she has always loved to read. "It all started with Sesame Street," she said. "If I could owe everything to one thing academically, it would be Sesame Street."
She said she does not know what she will do after Dartmouth. "I honestly have no idea. I'll apply to a bunch of stuff and see what happens," she said. "It's not that I'm fickle -- it's just that I'm curious."
Over the summer though, she said she plans to head home and spend time with her family, which she has not done in seven terms.
She said she likes all kinds of music, from Frank Sinatra to country. "I've always listened to music. I have it playing all the time," she said.
Last November, Artzer ran in the New York Marathon, and finished in four hours and 20 minutes.
"I ran with Dartmouth T-shirts and through all five boroughs people were yelling at us," she said. "They were playing 'New York, New York' by Frank Sinatra when we crossed the finished line. It was all too perfect."
Artzer's food tastes are also interesting. She said her favorite foods are cheeseburgers, pickles and chocolate.
"And all of that at once," she said. "I get some funny looks when I have chocolate ice cream and pickles."
Since coming to Dartmouth, Artzer has been active on the College's squash team. She said that the team aspect of the sport helped her to learn about dealing with people. "Every match is just as important as your own," she said.
Artzer said she does not have the time to think about herself while at Dartmouth. "I haven't spent a lot of introspective time here. I'm involved in what I'm doing, and I don't think of what my role is in things."
