This article is featured in the 2026 Commencement special issue.
To the Class of 2026,
There’s no shortage of funny business at Dartmouth. In honor of Rachel Dratch ’88 delivering your commencement address, our theme for this special issue is a play on Saturday Night Live — the late-night sketch comedy show where Dratch was a cast member for seven years. Whether you spent your last four years living for Saturday nights, whispering with friends on 3FB or hacky-sacking around the Green, you can always find (mis)adventure and a good laugh in Hanover.
Still, you are no strangers to the stress this place can cause you. Deadlines and the D-Plan can catch up to you faster than an athlete on their scooter. With all that anxiety, you’ve found outlets for levity: Greek houses, pong tables, comedy groups, sports teams and near and dear clubs.
Dratch isn’t the only thing that makes this Commencement special; fifty years ago, the first coeducational class graduated from Dartmouth. In this issue, the writers of The Dartmouth today take a look at the history of women at the College and their journey to integrate into campus. How did they find a chance to laugh in a place that wasn’t yet ready for them?
We ask that you consider the institution you’ve inherited and the work that previous classes have done to shape the campus we cherish today.
As things get serious in your adult lives, remember the advice four ’29s gave you on your graduation day. Keep taking Woccoms, even if that means a Sunday stroll along the West Side Highway. Have catch up meals with your friends at Foco, even if fookies become corporate slop bowls at Sweetgreen and Cava. Send that flitz, even if it costs you your office reputation.
The memories and traditions that mean so much to you do not have to stay here. “Give a rouse for the College on the Hill,” wherever that may be after Commencement.
Live from Hanover,
Alex, Becca, Eliza and Max
Alex Klee ’29 is a reporter from Woodbridge, Conn. He plans to major in economics and minor in math. He enjoys live music, skating and climbing.
Max Hubbard '29 is a reporter from Boston, Mass., and is majoring in government and minoring in French. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, running and watching movies.
Eliza Dorton '29 is a reporter from Washington, D.C. and is studying English and public policy. Outside the classroom, she enjoys reading and going on walks.
