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(06/10/03 9:00am)
I have spent the past few years opining about various imperfections of Dartmouth, but today I wish to consider the many ways in which the College succeeds in educating students. Of the many influences that have promoted my personal growth here, it is the development of intellectual curiosity and critical reasoning skills for which I am most thankful.
(05/27/03 9:00am)
I have not graduated, but that has not stopped
(05/12/03 9:00am)
The war in Iraq is effectively over, but the question of whether it was justified still provokes divisions in our society. While most people have made up their own minds by this point, there is no societal consensus. Interestingly, opinions about the war tend to vary along generational lines. Most of the demonstrations in Washington, D.C. opposing the war were led by activists of the Vietnam era, while my generation and the World War II generation held a different view of the good that could come from using force. There was an element of choice in this war against Iraq. As such, questions of trust in George W. Bush were of the utmost importance. I couldn't help but notice that my generation and my grandparents' generation were generally far more trusting of his leadership and honesty than that of my parents and professors. There is a generation gap in the trust of government and in the just use of force. Time will demonstrate which perspective is more accurate, but I feel reasonably confident that our faith in him is justified.
(04/28/03 9:00am)
Journalism has a credibility problem. The nature of the profession is obtaining exclusive information from important people and conveying it to the public. This process often entails bargaining with disreputable yet highly coveted subjects in order to get a scoop. To what degree is it acceptable for a reporter to sacrifice his integrity for access to a story? There seems to be no consensus among journalists on this dilemma. The profession's reputation suffers with the general public as a result, as viewers and readers remain skeptical about the concessions a journalist may have made to secure an interview with a powerful subject.
(04/14/03 9:00am)
As Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed in Baghdad, Iraqis danced in the streets in support of America. For once they were burning effigies of their leader rather than of our president. This is unprecedented. The Arab street, so often portrayed monolithically as a mob of men excitedly burning American and Israeli flags, is far more ideologically diverse than the media allows. Seeing a little boy use his shoe to bash the face of a statue of Saddam Hussein was touching and indicative of the dictator's true popularity. The United States has an incredible opportunity to better the lives of the Iraqi people and change perceptions in the Arab world; it is imperative that we tread carefully but resolutely toward forming an Iraqi government of which they can be proud and that can provide hope for the region.
(03/31/03 10:00am)
As the military campaign against Iraq rolls to its inevitable outcome, it is worth pausing to consider the larger ramifications of an allied victory on our relationship with Saudi Arabia. Our friends, the Saudis, enjoy a privileged position in our foreign policy due to their proximity to Iraq and their large deposits of oil. Following the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime and the development of a democratic Iraqi government, these two Saudi assets will be of lesser strategic value, allowing the United States to assess more accurately the Saudi contribution to American security.
(02/24/03 11:00am)
The Capitol is plagued by Senators who are afraid to articulate their positions on issues, who are slaves to the media spotlight and who disingenuously attempt to create a image as ordinary "men of the people." The citizens of the State of New Hampshire are fortunate to have a junior Senator who suffers from none of these faults: John Sununu. Senator Sununu visited Hanover recently and he was kind enough to join myself and a few other students for dinner before his speech. He seemed very ordinary, although I hesitate to use that adjective since he is anything but conventional in the ego-driven halls of the Senate.
(02/10/03 11:00am)
For an administration often painted by critics as unilateralist, the Bush team seems to have amassed a substantial group of friends in the past week. Tired of French and German illusieons of being spokesmen for all of Europe, the leaders of Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain and fourteen other European nations professed solidarity with the Bush position regarding Iraq and offered to contribute to enforcement of Security Council resolutions. Barring an unexpected fatal accident for Mr. Hussein or his acceptance of exile, it seems clear that a coalition of nations led by the United States will disarm and remove him by force. The only significant question is whether this coalition will operate under the U.N. banner or independently. Standing in the way is the French Security Council veto. Therein lies the weakness of the structure of the Security Council.
(01/27/03 11:00am)
War always means failure." So says Jacques Chirac, President of France. Perhaps he is extrapolating from his nation's recent military history, but as a global truism his statement fails. The fact that his remarks were made in French, not German, is proof of this. I reference his pacifist-type views because they are all too typical of the arguments used by those who oppose war against Iraq. There are many good reasons not to go to war with Iraq but the air of moral superiority that pacifism seems to afford isn't one of them.
(01/13/03 11:00am)
What do Greek organizations provide that residential clusters cannot? In a word: family. Intuitively, it doesn't make much sense why the Greek system continues to exist and thrive. The list of reasons why it should fail is long and superficially compelling. Joining a house often means having to vacuum hallways, mop floors and clean toilets -- tasks which custodians perform in dorms. Membership entails subsidizing the social lives of those who elect not to join but who still enjoy the free events. It can require community service when people might prefer to spend their time on more selfish pursuits. The administration clearly wishes to change, if not eliminate, the system. Yet hundreds of men and women will participate in rush this year, just as they have in years past.
(01/07/03 11:00am)
After spending millions of dollars over recent years to bring the student body closer, the administration finally succeeded without spending a dime. Near the end of this past fall term, it was announced that Dartmouth would cut its swimming and diving teams, saving approximately $200,000 annually. The decision was met with near-unanimous student outrage and a level of unity heretofore unknown to our community. The timing of the decision was very cleverly executed by the administration, coming shortly before The Dartmouth finished publishing for the term, and immediately before the beginning of exam period. These tactics of burying unwelcome news by releasing information strategically at inconvenient times have been employed all too frequently in recent years by the Dartmouth administration.
(11/25/02 11:00am)
There exists a consensus within America that it is wrong and racist to hold members of one race to a lower standard than those of another. Indeed, President Bush made the elimination of the "soft bigotry of low expectations" a cornerstone of his education policy during the most recent presidential election. This is a very positive development in our culture, but sadly it has not been extended to our foreign policy. American foreign policy has tended to condemn human rights abuses of white leaders but has often given a pass on more serious abuses by black or non-Western leaders. This dichotomy is wrong, and also detrimental to our credibility in forging a color-blind foreign policy.
(11/13/02 11:00am)
I could accuse the College of spending money like drunken sailors, but that wouldn't be fair to drunken sailors: they spend their own money. Forgive me for paraphrasing words of a former president, but I think they are appropriate in characterizing the budget shortfall Dartmouth is experiencing.
(10/28/02 11:00am)
Terrorism has been with the world for a long time, and yet it is only recently that Americans have taken an interest in the subject. Because we are relative newcomers to terrorist attacks on our soil, it is important that we evaluate our foreign policies to ascertain whether or not they are discouraging future attacks. Our military actions in Afghanistan and elsewhere have been a good start, but to eliminate this scourge we need to change the way we assess, and support or oppose, independence movements. So long as we continue to support rulers who sponsor terrorism, America will be vulnerable to it. This needs to change.
(10/14/02 9:00am)
Corporate recruiting season is upon us.
(09/30/02 9:00am)
Why do we study topics as distasteful as the Holocaust? It is so similar atrocities will never occur again. Yet when it comes to fascism and communism, the twin murderous ideologies of the 20th century, the latter receives inadequate scrutiny within the academy for the evils it perpetuated.
(09/16/02 9:00am)
To the Dartmouth Class of 2006: you will soon understand what makes this place so special. Sometime between now and Thanksgiving break you will likely discover the Dartmouth spirit. If history is any indication, you may also find that same Dartmouth spirit under attack by persons attempting to change the essence of our College, to make us more similar to our competitor schools. Someone will need to stand up to these paternalistic influences, to preserve the uniqueness of Dartmouth. As the most energetic class on campus, this burden will likely fall to you.
(05/20/02 9:00am)
Midterm elections in 2002 and the presidential election of 2004 loom large for President George W. Bush. While the president has reached out to many new and existing groups for support, there is one group that he has ignored but should invest time and energy in courting -- the homosexual community. It is in President Bush's electoral interest to reach out to homosexuals. More importantly, it is the right thing to do.
(05/08/02 9:00am)
The decision for Dartmouth to become coeducational was a good one for the College. On that point, students, administrators and faculty would agree almost unanimously. Some alumni, particularly those who attended an all-male Dartmouth, disagree, but the overwhelming majority of the Dartmouth community has accepted the new vision of Dartmouth as an improvement over the old order. Indeed, it was this sentiment that led to the decree in the Student Life Initiative a few years ago that "The [residential] system should be substantially coeducational and provide opportunities for greater interaction among all Dartmouth students." Given this general consensus, should the College continue its prohibition on mixed-sex River apartments? Logically, it should not.
(04/24/02 9:00am)
Since hordes of prospective '06s descended upon Hanover this past weekend, it is worth examining how the College was advertised to them in our admissions literature. With many accepted applicants choosing among several institutions, the need for accurate and enticing information about the uniqueness of Dartmouth is paramount. The publications were generally fascinating and accurate, but with respect to student life they painted a portrait that was, at best, misleading.