A frequent, problematic topic discussed at Dartmouth is the desire for a universal unaffiliated space. And when I say unaffiliated, I mean the absence of any discernible power matrix, defined by gender, race, sexual identity or any socially constructed association. As Coed Council President Reyna Ramirez '10 identified ("The Coed Response," Nov. 3), coed spaces don't remove the problems plaguing our social interactions.
We should well consider the current availabilities for universal spaces Fuel, Collis Common Ground, Occom Commons as options for platonic social events. Of course, there is very little actual social programming there that has appeased the critics. I thought that by now there would have been a COSO-sponsored Party Club a group of people acting as campus social chairs, committed to the use of public social spaces for public enjoyment. But apparently, no critics are willing to start one even though they wouldn't have to use their resources.
Perhaps this same subset would consider it Programming Board's role to play social chair, but the effort to create successful PB events can rarely compete with the ease of setting up a bar-like atmosphere without planned diversions. Do the social spaces themselves govern poor behavior, or are we strictly limiting the activities that we are willing to create and enjoy?
I think few students constructively address the problems they see with the social scene. Leonard Lewis '10 (my fellow bro) suggested that we should re-examine the economics of behavior ("Hayek in the Basement," Nov. 3), and I agree. If there is really a large group of students who find the Greek scene problematic, where is their collective market influence? Dartmouth social scene Marxists, it's not like the only means of social production are Greek-owned. I urge you no, I goad you to act. Greek houses should work on our own efforts to introduce innovative social programming; match those efforts externally.
Unfortunately, Dartmouth's location does limit social options, but if people are unsatisfied, they just need something that can legitimately match the mastodon of basement culture. Dartmouth has resources to address the issue, it has funds and it has brilliant students.
Perhaps one of the greatest but most subtle benefits of such collective action would be the creation of a public environment that encourages a healthy resetting of students' mental states. I nostalgically think back to the days of youth, to the resolutions for a sour mood, or simple stress. Where are our bowling alleys? Where is the 24-hour diner? As a close friend pined, where is the recreational pool with foam noodles and waterproof basketball hoops?
And for those who assume I'm being childish or inane or unrealistic: to what extent does a drinking game or drinking itself demonstrate any greater maturity beyond the youthful desire for mindless playtime? Alcohol consumption just seems to retrigger our puerile desire to eat candy. Where is Dartmouth's Discovery Zone?
We'll call it Self-Discovery Zone. Looking to de-stress from finals? Before running to a game of harbor, you'll consider a rumble in the (generously donated) Immelt Ball Pit. Having a tough time with your significant other? The Geithner Trampoline Court should cure that right up. Where is our Paulson Pool, filled with giant foam blocks? Maybe Tommy Shanahan '10 and Matt Applegate '10, after their poignant Jim Yong Kim anthem, can be hired to modernize the DZ theme song for a college audience. Can we distill the social value of as the song introduces "A place where I can really cut loose?"
Dartmouth, I know there is a market for the spirit of my Discovery Zone dream.
We may see a deficiency in the mechanism of acquaintance and interaction at Dartmouth. If this is the origin of our social problems, then we need to encourage the creation of new attractive alternatives.
I guarantee the relationship between men and women on campus could start to improve with sorority-fraternity mixers at the DZ. And they would remember each other's names.
But I feel like I'm already being laughed at, because many students see drinking as the sine qua non of the college experience. We don't know what an alternative social space is. We don't know what else we'd like to do or what else is available to us. And, clueless amidst a lack of optionality, or paralyzed by apathy, or anchored by criticism without corresponding action, many students still feel hopelessly static in nighttime Hanover.
