In the finely crafted art of distributing information via flyers, there are three keys to success, much like with real estate or electrical outlets. In no particular order, these are location, location, location. This mantra is the core of The Stall Street Journal, whose single-page publications are strategically poised at eye level in restrooms across campus.
Like a shadow in the night, new issues appear periodically throughout the term with large, bright headlines concerning on-campus health issues. While almost every student has likely encountered the Journal, an air of mystery surrounds it. Who writes it? Where does it come from? Why has no one ever seen them being hung up? And, perhaps most urgently, who created the brilliant name?
The answers to these questions, as luck would have it, are not as highly-guarded as I initially anticipated. On the contrary, alcohol and drug education program coordinator Caitlin Barthelmes was eager to discuss the Journal and its origins. The publication, it turns out, is not exclusive to Dartmouth, but part of a growing national campaign to promote pertinent health information for college-aged students.
“It’s a well-accepted campaign that’s seen a lot of success across the country,” Barthelmes said. “When a new staff member brought the idea from another university, our office was really excited to participate in it as well.”
The office Barthelmes referred to is the office of student health promotion and wellness, whose mission to promote discussion of healthy behaviors. This includes the production and distribution of the Journal.
Office members often meet to brainstorm what information should be covered, taking into account seasonal changes or relevant events on campus. The most recent issue, for example, featured information on flu prevention and treatment. An upcoming issue will coincide with campus-wide V-week to produce relevant information about the week’s topics.
Once the topic has been decided and the Journal produced, issues are placed throughout campus restrooms. There are generally three issues per term, with each displayed for two to three weeks at a time.
Recently, much of the publication was handed over to student interns so that students could collaborate with faculty and learn about health promotion and marketing, Barthelmes said.
Ke Deng ’17, an office intern, uses graphic design to make the publication more visually interesting and eye-catching.
“When I get the information, it’s often just very factual,” she said. “My job involves putting it all together, deciding what fonts to use and finding pictures. It’s hard to make something memorable if it’s just dry.”
Although the office faculty must approve each issue before publication, student interns receive a significant degree of freedom within the creation of the Journal. After the topic is determined, students create the publication and meet periodically with Barthelmes to edit and finalize their decisions. An upcoming issue, Deng revealed, will have a winter theme.
Regan Roberts ’16 said the partnership between students and College employees makes the Journal accessible and interesting. Past experience with bathroom publications gave her an idea for improving the Journal’s visibility.
Last year, Roberts was included in an issue of Lav Notes, a restroom publication run by Baker-Berry Library, as part of a series highlighting student projects displayed in Rauner Library. The strategy of spotlighting individual students, she said, could be used in the Journal as well.
“Sometimes people would meet me and their first reaction was to mention seeing my name on Lav Notes,” she said. “It was sort of embarrassing, but I also just think it’s fun for people to see their friends’ names being put up in bathroom stalls.”
Other students also gave suggestions for future issues of the Journal. Heidi Illanes Meyers ’14 jokingly suggested that the office should introduce interactive content.
“They should include surveys and just leave a pencil in the stall,” she said. “That way people can participate with it while they’re in the bathroom.”
On a more serious note, one student said that she saw potential in the marketing of the Journal. In her Jan. 22 opinion piece, “Showing Support,” Vivien Rendleman expressed concern about the visibility of eating disorders on campus, referring to Dartmouth as a “Petri dish” for dangerous habits.
“The unfortunate reality is that many students do not know how to discuss these issues, and attempts to help friends or loved ones are often counterproductive,” she wrote, adding that campus climate often pushes discussion of these issues out of public discourse and into hushed conversations.
In a follow-up interview, Rendleman said that the Journal could be a useful tool for tackling more serious and taboo issues on campus.
“The Stall Street Journal has an advantage that most publications on campus don’t,” she said. “Whereas other publications have to convince readers to pick up an issue, the Stall Street Journal’s location makes it so that students literally can’t ignore it.”
Barthelmes said students can contact office manager Carissa Dowd with any concerns or ideas for future issues.
“This collaboration between students and the College is the key to making The Stall Street Journal a success,” Barthelmes said. “We’re constantly looking for feedback and anything students think will help keep the information fresh and relevant to the campus.”
