Last week's column by Luke Decker, "Missed Opportunity" (Aug. 2) was in itself a missed opportunity to expand on the specific ways that Dartmouth could encourage professional development and constructive resume-building. Like its peer institutions, Dartmouth has its share of self-motivated students three of them were awarded Thiel Fellowships in 2013. I can personally think of others who are currently submitting their science manuscripts to respectable journals, writing op-eds on a national platform, seeking publishing contracts through literary agents and tinkering with their startups through College-specific resources like the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network.
These students know what their goals are and how they can achieve them. They don't need the College to hold their hands; instead, they zero in on how they can take advantage of the vast resources that Dartmouth offers. They seek out the advice of professors and contact alumni who have made similar accomplishments, and because of the College's relative isolation, these students could theoretically dedicate themselves to both their projects and studies with minimal distractions. At Dartmouth, students have the time, the attention of their professors and a small but strong alumni network for support.
Given these characteristics, Dartmouth could become a hub of personal and career growth. But for those who have yet to find their interests, perhaps one of the greatest impediments to innovation is the current state of the Greek system. If you spend a significant amount of time in a basement, how are you going to write that book manuscript that's been sitting inside your head, plan and run all of those time consuming experiments, build a proof-of-concept for your product or create an irresistible pitch to those potential investors and still have enough time to ace your courses?
The answer for most of us is that we can't. There are only so many hours in the day, and the rigid, path-dependent, tradition-centered conformity of the present Greek system seems antithetical to the act of innovation itself. We can, however, utilize the positive aspects of the Greek system to foster an environment allowing students to build businesses and projects that are quite awesome in scope. While our Greek system has had its share of problems, there is no denying the pros namely, the camaraderie, the individual talents and drive of their members and even access to the deep pockets of skilled and established alumni donators. Dartmouth can capitalize on these pros by instilling innovation within the Greek houses themselves.
Already, Greek houses have collectively set up successful charity events, like last year's CHaD fundraiser organized by Philanthropic All American Rush. But let's move beyond Novack bake sales. Consider a Greek-wide competition for start-ups and ventures, in which houses would be judged on the innovation of their project and its financial and social impact outside of Dartmouth. Houses could pair up with existing organizations on campus, such as the Dickey Center of International Understanding, the William Jewett Tucker Foundation, the Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, which would allow students to develop professional skills and boost their resumes. Setting up a venture specific to a house could enable the project to continue past the graduation of the core group of founding students, a problem all too common in current campus organizations.
Alternatively, students could gather and form an olio of support groups for professional development, similar to what Mitosis has done for Dartmouth's entrepreneurial scene. For instance, an organization of hopeful authors could encourage each other through the brutal marketplace of book publishers and agencies and provide constructive criticism of each other's manuscript queries and proposals. A group for student researchers could provide a platform on campus to give presentations of their research project and organize trips to national undergraduate research conferences.
Dartmouth is swimming with people who have skyscraping ambitions students who could open their peers' minds to not only what they are capable of, but to what is possible. If we can create an atmosphere of positive peer pressure for innovation during our academic terms, then the Dartmouth experience would no longer be ensconced within our little bubble. We would effectively be pulling the world straight to us.
