I joined the sports section for all the wrong reasons. During orientation, I figured that I needed to sign up for a campus activity because all of my 'shmob friends were doing it. Even though I had been an athlete in high school, varsity sports felt like far too much of a time commitment. I still retained my passion for watching sports, however, and it made sense to me that my campus activity would provide me a means of doing it.
Enter The Dartmouth. I never really minded writing, and it didn't sound all that hard, so I applied to be a sports writer. I also applied to be a photographer, but after submitting some sloppy action shots, I didn't even hear back from the editor. Luckily, I received an offer to join the sports section, a turning point that would become one of the defining aspects of my Dartmouth experience, though I hardly knew it at the time.
The section became one of my first true communities at Dartmouth, a place I could call my own. The D, more than any other campus organization, brings together people from across campus and forces them to interact. Our weekly meetings were always a good time as we recounted stories from the weekend, and larger social events solidified relationships with members of other sections of the paper. Even though we never laced up cleats or ran suicides, we truly were a team.
Following freshman year, during which I made some of my best friends at Dartmouth, I became the sports editor and later executive editor (overseeing the photography section, 'sup 2010 Directorate). Serving in these positions challenged me in just about every way a person can be challenged: interpersonally, professionally and even emotionally. Those long nights spent at the offices of The D shaped me more than anything else I've experienced at this school, even if, at times, as Charles Dickens wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
For those who still have more time at Dartmouth, you become increasingly reflective as a senior. "What did I do right? What did I do wrong? What did I learn here?" When asking myself these questions, my thoughts immediately turn to my time spent in Robinson Hall. Working for The D is easily the most constructive thing I did in my time at Dartmouth. For better or for worse, depending on whom you ask around campus, every day we made a real, tangible creation, something we could call our own.
As an increasingly active member of my fraternity, I can say that I have also made some incredible bonds and have learned much about myself as a result of joining a house, but if I could use this column to impart one piece of wisdom on younger classes, it would be that Greek affiliation is not the same thing as playing a sport, joining a club or working for a campus organization. As much as the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and Greek Leadership Council attempt to broaden the reach of individual houses, at the end of the day, Greek houses are social clubs that should supplement, rather than define, one's Dartmouth experience.
Looking back on my own experience, would I have done anything differently? I can safely say no. Working for The D has taught me more lessons than I can count, and it has provided me with some of the best friends I have on campus. As I walk out the door, all I can say is that I encourage students to seek out similar environments that allow them to constructively use their talents to contribute to this campus. Ultimately, it's not the administration, the professors, or even the social climate that determines whether or not you had a worthwhile four years here. It's you, so make the best of it.
