It's a rare event when the music stops playing and Dartmouth students stop dancing to hear an announcement of breaking news. And yet this is exactly what the community experienced Saturday night as the story of the Zantop tragedy spread across campus. In many ways this pause reflects the atmosphere of the College as we try to understand this terrible incident and cope with its aftermath.
It is difficult to believe that such an event could shatter the peace that members of the Dartmouth community have come to expect at the College. It has forced us to question whether Hanover is truly as removed from the problems facing the outside world as we usually assume.
In this trying time, as the outlets that usually inform us of the misfortunes in our society shift their focus to Hanover, it is crucial for us to remember that we are all attempting to answer the same questions and to understand the events of the past weekend. Only then will we someday be able to accept them and move beyond what happened. It is our responsibility to support each other and not be afraid to express our reactions.
As the investigation moves forward and the facts become clearer, we must also refrain from undue speculation, working instead to ensure the well being, both emotional and otherwise, of our friends, co-workers and classmates.
With this in mind, we respectfully remember the lives of Susanne and Half Zantop who served the College and the community for more than two decades. Their commitment to education and their impact on all those who knew and worked with them was profound and will never be forgotten.
