As I sit in the Fourth Floor of Berry Library attempting to create something coherent, I'm having a problem I often seem to have: what issue to tackle? If I choose something broad (world affairs, national issues), aren't the same topics being debated in more prestigious forums and newspapers throughout the country? What type of authority do I have to offer a solution, since my expertise is minimal at best? Fortunately for all of you, that isn't the purpose of this column. The purpose is my personal questioning of the role of this beloved newspaper.
The heart of The Dartmouth is its coverage of Dartmouth-related issues. After all, there is no real reason to have a campus daily newspaper that doesn't cover the campus itself. There are often complaints about the quality of The Dartmouth, and the specific topics about which articles are written. However, this complaint goes back to the general idea of a daily college newspaper. There clearly is not enough on campus to fill The Dartmouth with hard-hitting news stories about events going on both around the campus itself and in the Upper Valley. Unlike other times in Dartmouth's history, there is very little controversy that requires everyday coverage. One can certainly not fault The Dartmouth for the lack of news occurring around campus.
I am not here to propose that we no longer have a daily newspaper, since then neither I nor the other ten people in the Hop before 10As would have anything to read. My idea is to suggest that perhaps we not treat The Dartmouth as we would any other newspaper. Its purpose is to keep us informed about the events and changes occurring around campus, to give us something entertaining to read when we're having a slow day. I personally feel like I've missed something in my day if I don't get to read The D (the twice-weekly publication schedule in the summer is really screwing me up). The police blotter is an essential part of my week, as I'm sure it is for many of you.
If there were serious journalistic stories to report, I am sure the devoted reporters of The Dartmouth would be out there covering them. Instead, we're left with multi-part series about former Dartmouth baseball players beginning their professional careers (I think they're running out of options), articles about new fraternity puppies, and columns about "Nobody Befriends Anymore" (a claim I would completely dispute). There is a certain comfort to all of this, as if when the pressures of corporate recruiting, off-term planning, and the undeniable questions about post-college plans come around, The Dartmouth is there to put us back in our little bubble and remind us of just how peaceful it is up here in Hanover.
I must admit, I personally have no interest in having The Dartmouth cover important world and national issues. If I wanted to hear about the situation in the Middle East or the impact of Bush's stem cell veto, I would head toward one of many national newspapers whose reporters cover this topic full-time (an exception must be added here for any article focusing on a Dartmouth spin to a world or national issue). As a columnist, I need to concede my guilt on this topic. I have occasionally resorted to writing about my perspective on national or world issues, though in all honesty, it was due more to a lack of ideas on my part than any desire to write about these issues. Plus, I am sure that none of you woke up this morning and said, "I wonder what Dave Glovsky thinks about Bush's stem-cell veto. If only The Dartmouth would tell me." In all likelihood, the purpose of picking up The D this morning was 30 minutes of entertainment while you sit in Novack/The Hop/your 10A/wherever you are that isn't your bed (where you really hope to be).
Today marks the last day I will ever complain about The Dartmouth. In spite of the odds, it's a daily campus newspaper in the Upper Valley at a campus with just over 4,000 undergraduates, a noteworthy achievement given the sheer lack of hard news. Hopefully this kept you entertained for a few minutes. At least it got me over my writer's block.
