No offense to the news section of The Dartmouth, but I rarely bother to read it. It's not that I am an apathetic ignoramus whose interests do not venture outside the frat basement. Rather, I find that many of the issues simply do not concern me in any fashion. Fine, call me self-absorbed for it. But, hey, at least I'm honest. However, a few weeks ago, while browsing through the newspaper, I did, to my own surprise, notice an article which was actually quite pertinent to myself, and being the egocentric scoundrel I am, I read on.
The article of which I speak concerned the Town of Hanover's attempt to block Dartmouth's attempt to construct a clubhouse for Dartmouth's rugby teams. Now, as poor and novice a rugby player as I am, I am a rugby player nevertheless, so the issue obviously concerned me in a way. Apparently, according to the article, Hanover is tired of being "ruled" by Dartmouth, and its attempt to build a clubhouse on Sachem Fields would only exacerbate matter. In fact, Hanover's leaders are adamant enough about this issue that the case of the clubhouse is heading for the New Hampshire Supreme Court, since Hanover contends that Dartmouth is unfairly wielding its power and that no private citizen could even propose this construction. Now, I am not particularly bright, and my deftness in legal matters is as low as it gets. Yet, from what I understood, I am never going to get to see a rugby clubhouse. Shame on you, Hanover.
First of all, I think that the fine town of Hanover (and a fine town it is, indeed) is having an identity crisis. Hanover is that balding middle-aged man who decides that he is free and buys a Harley and divorces his wife to prove the point. (OK, I know I'm stretching it.). I don't mean to be crass, but Hanover is Hanover because of Dartmouth. The Dartmouth Bookstore, the Dartmouth Co-op, the Hanover Inn at Dartmouth, as well as pretty much every business in Hanover, lives and breathes Dartmouth money. We can all admit to once looking at Hanover as part of our campus, and although this is no reason to justify Dartmouth's prominent presence, it does demonstrate how integrated the two are. Not only do the students themselves frequent Hanover businesses, Hanover also enjoys an influx of alums and parents every big weekend, and I am sure this only aids business. Basically, like it or not, Hanover is a college town, and as far as I know, the only college around is Dartmouth. If it wasn't for us, Hanover would be New Hampshire's version of White River Junction. Savor the image, my friends. But, why, you ask, would I go off on this haughty tirade about how much Hanover needs Dartmouth?
The answer is simple: Hanover seems to be acting as if it has forgotten this simple point. It should not be a big problem for Dartmouth to build this clubhouse, considering the fact that Dartmouth surely constitutes am extremely large percentage of Hanover's industry, and the town is acting irresponsibly by choosing to quibble with Dartmouth over a relatively small matter. Remember, we are only talking about one clubhouse, not a large construction project which would drastically alter the face of Hanover. Hanover is undoubtedly an idyllic town, but it must recognize that this has been achieved by the presence of Dartmouth. Obviously, our presence in the town is prominent, but what else would you expect? Dartmouth is not a crime syndicate (i.e. the Mafia) trying to control the town in a money-making scheme. We are building a rugby clubhouse.
I won't even mention how badly the rugby team needs this clubhouse, as we have no place to hold team meetings, or host the opposing the team after games (a rugby tradition). I am not going to complain about any such factors. Rather, I hope that those spearheading the efforts to prevent the building of the clubhouse sober up and act responsibly in the best interests of everyone.
