Ivy and leaves grow along the rusty-red brick facade of Parkhurst administration building. Two monolithic pillars and massive wooden doors, more than three times the size of even the tallest Dartmouth student, will stare you down as you take your first steps into Parkhurst on the way to the Freshman Office.
A staircase in the center of the hall leads down to the recess of Parkhurst's basement. To the right a green sign reads "Freshman Office." The door is always open, and when you enter the office bright lights, soft music and carpeting peppered with red, pink and white will welcome you.
The Freshman Office is home to three freshman deans: Dean Peter Goldsmith, Assistant Dean Gail Zimmerman, and Acting Assistant Dean Stephanie Hull, who replaced former Associate Dean Tony Tillman earlier this summer.
These deans probably won't fit the stereotypes of a 'dean' you might bring to Dartmouth from high school. They all said they are here to help you, so you need not be intimidated about walking in just to say, 'Hi'.
"The first and foremost thing that I would like incoming '99s to know is that this is a place for help, regardless of what type of concern or question they may have," Zimmerman said.
"This is a place where they can come to for a resource," she added.
"We may not always have the right answers, but we'll at least know how to get them to the right places."
Zimmerman, who has been at Dartmouth for two years, said she recognizes a lot of students who feel they don't need help, perhaps because they are independent, self-reliant, and confident with their knowledge of Dartmouth.
"There are lots of reasons you can come here for," she said.
"What I would say to these students is to think of us as simply another gear. You have ideas you want to talk about, come and talk to us about them.Maybe you're trying to start a new organization or maybe you need some ideas about a paper for which you are writing in a course," she added.
Zimmerman said a reason for intimidation is students might come to the Freshman Office thinking they are going to be told what to do.
"Ultimately, a student's decision is his or her choice," she said. "We're here to offer guidance and advice."
Former Associate Dean of Freshmen Tony Tillman said he wanted the incoming freshmen also to know, "We are not surrogates, disciplinarians.We are not principals or assistant principals."
"And if a student is referred or called down to speak with one of the deans they should simply view it as an opportunity to have a conversation with a College administrator, who by in large has his or her best interest at heart," he added.
"We're not going to snap your head off," he added, chuckling.
Zimmerman said freshmen may initially be intimidated worried about coming into the office.
"They may be intimidated because of their stereotypes about what a dean's office is for," Zimmerman said. "Also, part of it could probably be the idea of walking into Parkhurst -- and not to mention coming down into the basement."
Roger Johnson '98, who said he first went to the Freshman Office just to have a conversation with one of the deans, remembers standing in front of Parkhurst his freshman fall.
"Parkhurst is kind of gloomy and imposing when you walk by," Johnson said. "It's kind of a dungeon -- those big heavy doors and the austere facade.And the Freshman Office is tucked away in the basement."
"I think there should be more natural light so it is a more welcoming and brighter place for students to go. I really don't think the appearances go along with the personali- ties of the deans," he added.
Johnson said once he stepped into the office, though, he felt very welcomed.
"I got the chance to meet Dean Tillman and to have a good conversation with him. We had a good chat about what I'm doing, my activities, what my interests are, and what my future could be like here," he said.
Johnson also met with Goldsmith for the opportunity to get to know him and discuss some ideas with him.
"I went to him to discuss my ideas for a freshman research project. We had a nice conversation about my experiences at home and here. It was nice to meet him because before I'd see him all the time from a distance speaking or something. So it was nice to actually meet him close up and talk for a while," he said.
Johnson reaffirmed the purpose of the Freshman Office is to help the students.
"They're here to help.I've had memorable conversations with them and I think they have a very good outlook. They are very open and interested in students. They're really cool people," Johnson said.
But both Tillman and Zimmerman said they don't think freshmen are coming into the office to talk as much as they could.
"We're not hurting for business, though. We have more than our share of things to do," Tillman said.
"But I think it would be refreshing to have a student to just come in and say, 'Hey, my term has gone well, my questions have been answered, these are some of the resources I have used. What do you think?'"
"We'll maybe reply, 'Hey, I think you're doing okay. Should you ever need us, call us.'We're not going to be intrusive," he said.
Tillman added that the deans would love to see all the students drop by the Freshman Office. "But we recognize that with a class of 1,000 plus we would probably have to extend our hours just a little bit."
