What is the essence of Winter Carnival? This traditional weekend of revelry has been a central Dartmouth tradition for generations of students since Fred Harris '11 wrote his famous letter in 1909 proposing the establishment of a winter field day.
As the event has evolved over the past 86 years, different aspects of it have become more prominent, while some have faded away entirely.
Indeed, the definition of Winter Carnival inevitably changed throughout the decades as Dartmouth and the world changed too. It is true that we no longer celebrate the same Winter Carnival as the students of the 1950s, but it is also certain that they were not celebrating in the same manner as the students did in 1910.
Now, as Dartmouth enters a new era of gender equity symbolized by the Class of 1999, Winter Carnival has changed to match new realities. The endless parties and the snow sculpture on the Green are still central to the celebration, and students still enjoy their outdoor sports, whether they be skiing, sledding or snowball fighting. Still, there is no denying that it is unlikely that CBS News will come to film the revelry of students in 1996.
Perhaps it would be accurate to say that the pre-coeducation Carnivals were attempts to display Dartmouth to a distant outside world that could not participate in it. The trainloads of dates, the movie cameras and the newspapermen came to a remote, all-male school that was, in many ways, removed from the outside world.
Today, however, this is no longer the case. The throngs of people don't need to come by train or watch Carnival on television. The world doesn't need to watch.
The Dartmouth College of 1996 is an international, coeducational institution and not the isolated institution of the past.
At today's Winter Carnival, the world has no time to watch -- it will be too busy participating.
Have a great weekend!
