The other day, while waiting in line for my ham, egg and cheese sandwich in Collis, I overheard some upperclassmen discussing an Opinion column in The Dartmouth. "This is why they shouldn't let freshmen write for The D," one concluded. I received a particularly scathing piece of hate mail earlier this term from an alumnus who explained the system to me: "The only reason freshmen write columns for The D is so that the whole campus can get a laugh." Others, I have heard, check the class of the writer before they even bother reading the article.
For the most part, I agree with the prevalent belief that freshmen should not write Opinion columns for The Dartmouth. (Oh how the irony abounds!) As a freshman columnist, I have learned that my opinions on campus issues carry little weight when compared to those of upperclassmen, and rightfully so. I have been on campus for a little over two months, and I'd be naive to think I could possibly understand the complex social and academic issues Dartmouth faces, let alone posit a relevant and insightful opinion on them.
From my experience both writing for and reading the Opinion page, it appears that there are three types of freshman Opinion columns. I am admittedly both a culprit and a victim of these columns, and therefore consider myself qualified to discuss this topic.
The first is what I will call the 'Feel-Good Dartmouth Fairy Tale.' This type of column normally discusses a freshman's magical firsts on campus: the first time she heard Barack Obama speak, the first time he realized Dartmouth was his home or how college is different from his high school. The column never really discusses any meaningful aspect of college life besides a tingling, gushy anecdote about how wonderful campus life is. Had Dr. Seuss written for The D while he was here, most of his columns would have fallen into this category.
The second freshman archetype is the 'Embittered Diatribe.' Columns from this class typically focus on the cliche: DDS, politicians' propensity to lie, the gender inequalities of Dartmouth's Greek system and problems with the way upperclassmen socialize. These articles are written with the best intentions, but their arguments are hackneyed and therefore have little opportunity to promote any real discussion on campus.
Lastly, every once in a while a freshman columnist offers a spectacular and unique take on a campus or political issue. In this category I would place Yang Wei Neo '12's "Restricted Access" (Oct. 29), and Emily Johnson '12's "Peer Rec?" (Oct. 27). These thought-provoking columns each pointedly addressed a social problem facing our community and suggested effective solutions.
"Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while," you might retort. Perhaps these columns are like the scene in "Old School" where party boy Will Ferrell debates and defeats the "Ragin' Cajun" James Carville on the topic of the role of government in funding biotechnology.
But I would disagree. When a freshman columnist succeeds, it is because he or she hasn't been jaded by years in the Dartmouth community. Freshmen bring a unique, outside perspective to campus issues. And that's exactly why The D publishes freshman writers -- for those diamond-in-the-rough columns that no upperclassman could have written.
I am the first to admit that a large portion of freshman columns do not belong in The D. Perhaps they belong in some other lesser publications like The Dartmouth Independent or the Concord Monitor. Nevertheless, I fear the Dartmouth community has become too dismissive of freshmen writers. Because every so often, that blind squirrel is going to find a nut. And when he does, you don't want to miss it.
