This past week, I drove with a couple of friends to True’s Ledges, a brook and swimming hole located in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, approximately eight miles from Dartmouth’s campus. When showing a picture of the scene to some of my friends, who will also soon enter their third year on campus, practically all of them had no idea where I was. That reaction struck me and served as a reminder of how little of the surrounding area Dartmouth students are exposed to. Access like this to what isn’t just a summer perk — the same roads lead to ski hills, sugarhouses and authentic diners during winter months, the time when short days and below-freezing temperatures make campus feel most confining.
The “Dartmouth bubble” isn’t just a metaphor. Most students rarely leave it and never actually see what’s nearby in the outside world.
In August 2025, Dartmouth Transportation Services banned first- and second-year students — beginning with the class of 2029 — from parking cars at College-owned spaces such as A-lot, a policy that is “strictly enforced,” except in cases of “rare circumstances.” This policy is actively harmful to students and should be reversed.
In practice, the policy falls short of its original intentions. It can easily be circumvented: Underclassmen can simply enlist their upperclassmen friends to purchase parking spots for them or turn to other campus locations — such as fraternity parking lots — to obtain a spot. Furthermore, expanded transit options through the Campus Connector don’t fill the gap, as they primarily transport students around campus rather than off campus. AdvanceTransit, the Upper Valley transit system, has limited routes, only travels within the Upper Valley, does not operate on Sundays and often takes long periods of time to reach specific destinations, making it difficult for Dartmouth students to accommodate in their schedules.
Dartmouth Transportation Services has cited “sustainability goals” and “campus construction and walkability” as key priorities that the policy hopes to address. However, the emissions benefit is likely no more than marginal, as the policy only applies to first- and second-year students, excluding upperclassmen, graduate students, faculty, and staff. This is exacerbated by the fact that circumventions of the policy (i.e. upperclassman friend purchases of permits, parking spots not directly under the purview of the College) mean that it will likely have little to no effect on the total number of cars on campus, as mentioned earlier. As for walkability, locating underclassmen to peripheral lots outside of or on the outskirts of Dartmouth’s campus, such as A-Lot, allows for the same pedestrian-friendly benefits amidst widespread construction without cutting off students’ access to the region that surrounds Dartmouth.
Furthermore, this policy is actively restrictive to students’ experiences in the Upper Valley. The Dartmouth bubble is real. The median household income of Hanover is $111,958, compared to just $43,353 for the state of New Hampshire. As of 2017, the median family income of a Dartmouth student was $200,400. Many students who arrive on campus are already insulated from the economic reality of the surrounding region. It is immensely valuable for students to be able to leave campus and gain exposure to a variety of people from a broader range of socioeconomic backgrounds — whether that’s the employees at a local apple orchard, the regulars at a farmers’ market or families at a concert.
There are so many incredible things to explore in the Upper Valley, ranging from hiking trails to delicious vintage restaurants to beautiful watering holes or brooks leading into the Connecticut River. While Dartmouth Outing Club trips encourage exploration, students are very busy and should therefore be able to have the flexibility to engage in off-campus excursions on their own time.
It is very easy to feel trapped in Hanover, given the town’s small size and general isolation from the broader world. While this environment is fantastic for fostering community and creating a unique sense of campus culture and tradition, it can also breed feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially in the cold winter months and toward the end of every term. Cars offer students an escape from that isolation, a way to leave when Hanover feels small and come back with a fresh perspective.
There also exists the practical argument that many students drive to and from campus to transport their belongings. In fact, 36% of the Class of 2029 is from the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. Naturally, many of the students who have cars tend to come from these areas. It’s simply easier for them to take their cars to and from campus. Preventing students from bringing their personal vehicles thus makes moving in and out significantly more difficult for students than before this policy took effect.
An argument often made in favor of extending parking bans is that restricted vehicle access forces Dartmouth students to stay on campus for longer periods of time, thereby strengthening community and fostering friendships, some of the primary benefits of Dartmouth’s isolation in the first place. However, there are still many things that draw students to campus and will encourage them to spend time in Hanover, including courses, office hours, extracurricular activities and Greek organizations. This is especially true late at night, when practically nothing is open in the surrounding towns, so students are forced to find entertainment on-campus.
In addition, it is very possible for community to be built through off-campus excursions. Through trips to the Greek Independence Day parade in Boston and New Skete Monastery in upstate New York, I have grown much closer to other students in the organizations that I am part of and have formed great memories that will last a lifetime. Many of these excursions necessitate cars, as Dartmouth Coach routes are limited to Boston and New York City. Restricted access to nearby cities leads Dartmouth students to miss out on quintessential New England charm, from covered bridges to winding roads surrounded by falling leaves to farm stands, during all four seasons of the year.
Hanover’s isolation is a big part of precisely what makes Dartmouth home: a sense of unmatched community and camaraderie that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Yet, that same isolation is exactly why students need the option to leave, if only for an afternoon. Dartmouth doesn’t need to force students to stay on campus by taking away their cars. Rather, it needs to trust that students who leave will come back, often with a stronger sense of purpose and love for the place they’ve chosen to call home for four years.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
