In the much-touted inaugural opening address of sophomore summer, Gina Barreca '79 captivated an audience of about 200 students, who greeted her with smiles, laughter and applause.
Both humorous and satirical throughout, Barreca pointed out the difficulties of budding feminism at a very male college, noting that when she arrived on campus in September 1975, Dartmouth was "not exactly a bastion of diversity."
A noted feminist, Barreca pointed out that she was speaking on the topic not because it was her expertise, but because the admission of women to Dartmouth was the reason for the creation of sophomore summer, mocking the Board of Trustees for its gradual introduction of females into a previously all-male campus.
According to Tucker Foundation Dean Stuart Lord, who organized the event, Barreca was chosen as an individual who would speak to students through common Dartmouth experiences.
"We could have gone with a national speaker or an alum," Lord said. "After talking with students, we tried to have someone who had a Dartmouth experience, an alum who could speak to students' experiences."
The new opening address is an attempt to bring together the social and academic facets of sophomore summer and a chance for a rare Class of 2007 event, Lord said.
"This was not a calculated plan," College President James Wright said of the event, "[but] it is consistent with ideas of Dartmouth as a community."
According to Dean of the College James Larimore, the idea for a summer convocation arose from a survey that polled current Dartmouth juniors about their Summer term experiences.
"Dartmouth places a high value on the out-of-the-classroom experience of students," Larimore said. "One of the things that stood out was an observation that students expected the summer term to provide more opportunities for all-class get-togethers. The convocation and barbecue were planned to bring students from the [2007] class together for a shared experience and, hopefully, to encourage students to use this summer to broaden their social networks."
Such off-term convocations have been tried before to little success, and while only about a fifth of on-campus sophomores turned out for the event, many students in the audience confirmed that the choice of speaker was outstanding, presumedly setting the stage for higher turnout in years to come.
"The part that stands out most in my memory is when [Barreca] started talking, and everybody in the audience was so relieved and happy that this speech would be funny and enjoyable," Amanda Rosenblum '07 said. "She was like a stand-up comic."
Although deemed a "feminist humor maven" by Ms. Magazine and known for her humorous feminist books, males in the audience did not feel alienated, Robert Manning '07 said.
"Barreca's speech was probably a little more directed towards the females in the audience," he said, "but that is not to say that it was either unfair towards males or lacking in value for male audience members."
While many members of the audience were unsure what to take away from such a comical speech, some audience members speculate that it was to help set a tone for the rest of the summer.
"The theme seemed to be 'don't expect the summer to be more than it can be, but have fun with it," Manning said. "The light-hearted atmosphere... seemed to create just the right note to resonate with that message."
Larimore said he hopes that students took away more from the speech than just a few laughs.
"In many ways, the purpose of a liberal education is to figure out how to 'make life' rather than just figure out how to make a living," he said. "Barreca's speech provided an insight to her life before, during and after Dartmouth that I hope students found to be provocative and helpful."
Larimore delivered the welcoming remarks, revealing past student perspectives on the term and highlighting outdoor programs available through the Dartmouth Outing Club.
Provost Barry Scherr delivered a light-hearted speech filled with anecdotes about his time as a graduate student and the lessons he learned. Advising students to "take stock" at this midway point in their college careers, he pointed out the unique opportunity of being on an almost exclusively sophomore campus.
Wright was unable to attend the convocation due to scheduling conflicts.
When asked whether summer convocation would be organized next year, Larimore said, "I hope so. Ultimately, that will be up to students since [they] were the reason for the event."
"We're planning for next year already," Lord said.
