As the Dartmouth Community mulls over possibly changing its mascot from the oh-so vague "Big Green" to the Dartmouth Moose, a more fitting description should be chosen. The color green is ubiquitous at Dartmouth. Not only are students clothed in green Dartmouth apparel and athletic uniforms but also, the Green itself and the neighboring mountainsides and forests further encapsulate this campus in green. Despite the omnipresence of this verdant hue on our campus, the Big Green is not a suitable "mascot." A mascot should be a specific person, animal or character that demonstrates traits and qualities of the body it represents. Dartmouth students, like other fans, should be able to dress up as their mascot. If one wanted to dress up as a "Big Green," how would one do this?
The progression in thought from the Big Green to the Moose is a step in the right direction. The moose is a specific animal that can easily be represented with antlers or a lovely brown fur costume compliments of West Lebanon's Jo-Ann Fabrics. Not only is the Moose an easier and more appealing character for many of us to emulate than the Big Green, but it also has certain admirable traits. A moose is formidable. Along with a big set of antlers, height, speed, impressive kicking ability due to their hyper-extendable knee joints and general appearances make this creature fear-inducing. Despite these attributes the moose offers as a possible mascot, it has its short-comings. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of Dartmouth students have not seen a moose nearby. I think it is fair to say that while the "Big Green's" presence is constantly felt, the moose seems to make more of a cameo in Hanover. For this reason, the search for a Dartmouth mascot must go on.
What is a more lock and key fit than the Dartmouth Bingers? At first glance and sound, a binger might convey something less than ideal, but consider a few examples. If one were a fly on the wall, a mouse in the stacks, or simply a person spending time in Baker/Berry, Collis, Novack or other popular studying areas, a cyclical pattern from term to term would become obvious. The pattern would reveal that Wednesday nights the study areas are mostly empty while Sundays they are packed. Furthermore, the libraries are particularly busy near the fourth, eighth and certainly the last week of the term. Why is this? Instead of consistently and steadily working throughout the term to stay on top of reading assignments or long term projects and papers, the typical Dartmouth student waits until the 11th hour to tackle the assignments. During mid-terms and finals, "all-nighters" become bragging rights and consumption of caffeinated products exponentially increases.
In other areas, Dartmouth again goes to the extremes. Peruse through the salad bars or ice cream topping cart and you are presented with not four or five choices, but at least 12 options. Why have vanilla ice cream and Oreos when you could have fro-yo or ice cream topped with M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, peanuts, chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles, marshmallows, Butterfinger pieces, Heath Bar, cherries, cake cones, sugar cones, hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch and/or peanut butter sauce? When students attend the volunteer fair each term they are presented not with four or five options but 20 or 30 great opportunities. If one was considering playing a sport he or she has the option of over thirty varsity athletic teams, twenty-two club sports, and several intramural, DOC and P.E. options from which to choose. It seems that in no aspects of student life does moderation exist.
Dare I mention the "Dartmouth social life"? Despite the stunning statistic, courtesy of a Social Life Survey in the Spring of 2001, that "89 percent of Dartmouth students don't think alcohol is very important to their social life at Dartmouth" the term 'binging' also applies to drinking habits on campus. Again, moderation fades from practice as students seem to commit themselves to not drinking at all or drinking to the point of intoxication. This is not always the case, but fraternity and sorority basements (as opposed to the thriving bar and club scene in Hanover) are not commonly havens of sobriety. The art of pong provides a great example of this: who plays pong with the intent of staying sober?
If Dartmouth students are notorious for behaving in excess in a few harmful but many beneficial ways, why is this? Do students come to Dartmouth themselves aware of this atmosphere or is it bred on campus? The academic calendar, in the form of the controversial D-plan, is the culprit. The 10-week terms at Dartmouth are jam-packed with all the aforementioned academic, athletic and extracurricular commitments. I can picture it perfectly: After checking in at the registration tables, the Dartmouth Bingers line up across the Green waiting anxiously for the gun-shot to officially start the 10-week race more commonly called a term. Once the gun sounds, there is no looking back until week 10 and the necessary three day post-exam siestas are complete.
