A day at Dartmouth is like a never ending to-do list. Students rush between classes, meetings and meals, sometimes already late for wherever they’re headed next. But between all the hustle and bustle, the smaller moments are what stand out. A door held open. A wave and a smile to someone passing on the green. Someone slowing their pace to walk alongside a friend.
Though these moments are often brief and easy to miss, they routinely occur across campus, students said. Between the chaos of daily routines, academic and social life, students said that small gestures of generosity shape how they experience Dartmouth. From student-organized events to spontaneous gestures to friends or strangers, these everyday interactions help make kindness a central aspect of campus life.
Sometimes around Valentine’s Day, it’s hard to not think of love as purely romantic. But acts of kindness can be platonic, too. I spoke with some members of the Dartmouth community to learn more about how this type of devotion manifests.
Students often find that kindness is driven by a sense of community, created by campus organizations. Kevin He ’29, a member of class council, a representative body of elected students to build class camaraderie, said it is one of the primary drivers of these initiatives.
Historically, class council has helped coordinate a range of events, from the Homecoming laser light show to seasonal initiatives like “Bears and Bouquets,” an event that gave students a chance to make their own stuffed animals and buy bouquets for loved ones, according to He. One of the most successful efforts, “Candy Grams,” offered students a simple way to reach out to one another by sending a surprise note to a friend.
“Initiatives like ‘Candy Grams’ [are] really great by allowing students to communicate with other people in a new medium,” he said. “It isn’t like sending a flitz online. I think it’s really great for the culture of Dartmouth to have this [in-person] exchange.”
For many students, these initiatives stand out not because they are elaborate, but because they encourage students to be more attentive to one another.
Cooper Brody ’29 explained that, for him, this culture of small gestures among friends is what makes such efforts meaningful.
“Making sure that everyone can succeed and get on the same page is really important,” Brody said. “Generally, there’s a really big culture of people caring for one another and making sure everyone’s not super lonely.”
Other students echoed this sentiment, emphasizing how organized initiatives foster awareness of campus workers beyond the student body itself. Sophie Johnson ’29 pointed to “Food Worker Appreciation Week,” which celebrates dining staff with posters in dining halls where students can write appreciative messages.
She said that through these messages students can express “humility for the people that are helping us.”
It’s not just planned initiatives, however, that create a sense of community at Dartmouth. Often, little gestures can make someone’s day. Brody said that acts of generosity at Dartmouth are meaningful, even if they seem insignificant. “Even just saying ‘hi’ and having small conversations just makes you feel like you know somebody every time you step outside of your dorm,” Brody said. “I think that’s really important when it comes to going to a small college.”
That sense of familiarity matters because it changes how campus feels on an ordinary day, making it feel less like a crowd of strangers and more like a community where people notice and care for one another. Johnson described small acts, such as holding doors or simply checking in with friends, as the kinds of habits that shape whether students feel supported or alone.
“I think it’s really good for the health of a community because even when you do small things for each other, it makes you feel less alone,” Johnson said.
Brody also pointed out that kindness often looks like practical care, especially on weekends, like friends walking each other home after a party.
When asked what students can do to make campus more welcoming, Brody’s answer was straightforward: be the person who initiates a connection. He suggested, for example, inviting someone to eat a meal together.
Intentionality — prioritizing people amid academic pressure — is one way campus can feel a little bit kinder. Whether it’s a candy gram, a conversation on the walk back to a dorm or sitting with someone new at lunch, the message was consistent: Kindness is less about grand gestures and more about the everyday choices that make people feel seen.
