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(10/29/13 11:00am)
The comment sections for articles in The Dartmouth are a fascinating breeding ground for dialogue. Over the past few weeks, I have monitored these comment pages with considerable interest as the student body weighed in on the opinions of their compatriots, both past and present, sometimes with vitriol, sometimes with support. I find myself perpetually torn between appreciation of differing opinions and anger at the often rude and trivializing aspects of some columns and commentary.
(10/22/13 2:00am)
My best friend, who attends the University of Chicago, is member of Delta Gamma sorority. Their recruitment period was held last week, and for the theme of one party, she was obliged to dress as a pirate or maritime creature. Unsure of the appropriateness of her garment, she felt compelled to ask whether she looked slutty in her pirate costume, only to realize that she would be berated by her sisters for using the word "slut." At this point, it seems that she had run into something of a dilemma: while she recognized that "slut" was a derogatory and highly sexualized term seemingly used extensively for the purpose of objectifying women, she was also unsure of how else to pose the question. When she called to tell me about the incident, she asked me whether we should change the meaning of the word "slut," or to stop using it altogether.
(10/07/13 2:00am)
In order to access their grades, students are required to complete course reviews at the end of each academic term. These reviews are currently reserved for internal use, serving various purposes depending on the department. They are not available for students, who would serve as the main beneficiaries of such information. A current Student Assembly initiative is attempting to remediate this situation and openly publish course reviews.
(09/20/13 2:00am)
Of the many descriptors I have heard applied to Dartmouth, "monopoly" is unique. In the context of my conversation, this was not to say that the College has exclusive control over a particular subject or process (though after further consideration, a case could be made for its validity). Rather, the parallel being drawn was between Dartmouth and a classic board game, one that employs pretend money, plastic houses, dice and chance cards to make winners and losers out of participants.
(09/11/13 2:00am)
When we are children, the world tells us that we are capable of anything. We are urged to be movers and shakers, to change what we find to be unjust and to chase the furthest of our ambitions. As we age, however, the veneer of naivete begins to wear thin, and the encouragement we once received to change the world recedes in favor of reality. Perhaps it is to protect us, perhaps it is to sober us or perhaps it is the simple truth that can no longer be avoided; but, whatever the reason, with age comes a wariness and a weariness.
(08/13/13 2:00am)
In 2012, Dartmouth's freshman retention rate was the fourth highest in the nation, with an impressive 97.8 percent of first-year students returning to campus for a sophomore attempt at the Still North. This number is often considered a reflection of student satisfaction, and as such, it seems that we are amongst the happiest of college students in the United States. The validity of such an assumption, however, has recently been called into question by the protests that occurred this spring, and by widely publicized displays of malcontent amongst the student body.
(08/13/13 2:00am)
A few weeks ago, Dartmouth held its quarterly Red Cross blood drive, attracting many to donate their time and a lifeline to those in need. Such blood drives comes at a particularly salient time for the United States, as the supply of blood available in blood banks across the country is dangerously low. In 2006, Red Cross president Bernadine Healy called the situation "one of the worst shortages that the Red Cross has seen," with the lack of available blood causing elective surgeries in certain Californian hospitals to be canceled. Seven years later, the situation, though less dire, still requires improvement. In June, the Red Cross found a 10 percent decrease in blood donations nationwide, representing a drop of 50,000 donors from May.
(07/30/13 2:00am)
On July 12, The New York Times published an article entitled "Sex on Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too," that has since catalyzed a veritable maelstrom of interest regarding hook-up culture, particularly at Ivy League institutions. The responses to the piece have varied tremendously,from shock to condemnation to rejection of the idea of casual sex or "hooking up" in college. The one response that seems to be underrepresented, however, is that of indifference.
(07/16/13 2:00am)
The range and breadth of interests Dartmouth caters to are often lauded as among the College's greatest aspects. Majors are diverse and modifiable, extracurriculars vary tremendously and clubs are easy to create, which allow for a comprehensive experience in which students can sample a wide palette of options. While this may offer diverse perspectives, the paradox of choice suggests that sometimes less really is more. Having myriad organizations for different interests is one thing, but having a multitude of groups that all seek to address the same problem is quite another. Organization becomes horizontal, and the sheer number of competing agendas sometimes stunts progress. When dealing with certain issues at Dartmouth, it may be time to ask whether pronounced optionality truly provides a benefit for solving key problems.
(07/02/13 2:00am)
On my first day of class, my professor asked, "What does Vox clamantis in deserto' mean?" After establishing the motto's translation, our class was faced with the more difficult problem of determining its implications and expectations. Though we wrestled with our professor's inquiry for quite some time, he never seemed fully satisfied. Since my freshman fall, I have never truly returned to the question with any real dedication. Nearly two years later, however, I feel obligated to reexamine the four words that were deemed important enough to reflect Dartmouth's purpose.
(04/23/13 2:00am)
I have spent this term away from campus on the government foreign study program in Washington, D.C. I needed to get away; I wanted to create space between myself and the institution that had so often frustrated, infuriated and even, on occasion, hurt me. I do not like branding myself as a minority at Dartmouth. I am not encapsulated by any of the boxes my socioeconomic group, gender, ethnicity, orientation, affiliation (or lack thereof) that the world within and without Dartmouth creates for us. I do not purport to present this opinion as the "true voice" of a minority at Dartmouth, nor do I seek to marginalize or dismiss the feelings and experiences of my classmates. What I want is to lend my voice to the real talk that the demonstrations and videos during Dimensions managed to foster.
(02/26/13 4:00am)
Dartmouth's dining facilities comprise some of the most interesting microcosms of community at the College. Other than perhaps our libraries, they are the only truly communal spaces that every Dartmouth student utilizes throughout their time in Hanover. Like the libraries, our dining facilities serve multiple purposes: they provide a space in which to eat but also serve as a study space for the diligent, such as the Class of 1953 Commons on a Sunday morning or Collis on a Thursday evening. Most importantly, however, the Hop, Collis and '53 Commons all provide a social space in which students, faculty and community members have the chance to interact. When we are in one of these environments, we are almost always surrounded by people.
(02/12/13 4:00am)
Last week, a group of Dartmouth administration and faculty members met to discuss distributives and potential modifications to current course requirements. With the onset of other policy changes, such as the College's recent decision to no longer accept AP credits, it appears that Dartmouth is undergoing a process of evolution. Because it is ultimately our education at stake, students should have the opportunity to weigh in on the redesign of the distributive system and perhaps offer alternatives that they feel would best suit their needs to attain a comprehensive and meaningful education.
(01/29/13 4:00am)
As a liberal arts institution, Dartmouth is committed to ensuring that its students achieve not only depth, but also breadth of learning during their tenure at the College. In order to create truly well-rounded individuals, it is not enough to simply take courses within a single area of study instead, it is critical that all students experience a diverse array of courses. From ethics to engineering sciences, mathematics to medieval studies, Dartmouth boasts an astounding variety of classes from which eager students may pick and choose to form the most comprehensive learning program possible.
(11/07/12 4:00am)
Everyone loves a martyr. From Socrates to Joan of Arc, Jesus to John F. Kennedy, the nobility that naturally accompanies such unfailing resolution and sacrifice is immense, and the praise that follows is unparalleled, though not always deserved. From the notion of martyrdom, however, has emerged a few other only tangentially related and mostly self-produced concepts of suffering for a cause. The starving artist, in particular, is an image that has long captured the attention of a public that loves a lost cause.
(11/07/12 4:00am)
Everyone loves a martyr. From Socrates to Joan of Arc, Jesus to John F. Kennedy, the nobility that naturally accompanies such unfailing resolution and sacrifice is immense, and the praise that follows is unparalleled, though not always deserved. From the notion of martyrdom, however, has emerged a few other only tangentially related and mostly self-produced concepts of suffering for a cause. The starving artist, in particular, is an image that has long captured the attention of a public that loves a lost cause.
(10/19/12 2:00am)
Human beings are rational creatures. Dartmouth students are no exception. Driven by logic and motivated by common sense, we seem to be equipped with an inherent cost-benefit analysis mechanism that enables our decision-making process. As such, if the rewards do not exceed the necessary effort, a cause is essentially dead in the water. In politics, such a phenomenon is known as rational abstention, by which voters who know that they will not make a difference in an election choose to remain rationally ignorant, for how could awareness of an unsolvable problem be conducive to anything productive? Ignorance is not only blissful, but sensible, for being the lone voice calling out in the wilderness can end in isolation.
(09/21/12 2:00am)
This past Friday, I was reminded of the strength and venerability of our extensive alumni network when I participated on the "Dartmouth Today Panel" as a member of the Hill Winds Society. Our audience of primarily '37s, '42s and '47s was not particularly interested in reliving the Dartmouth of their day. Rather, they were bursting with questions about the Dartmouth of the 21st century and how the campus and student life are changing. Indeed, we are far from being entrenched in old practices and are rather bounding forward into an increasingly interconnected era.
(05/21/12 2:00am)
It comes as no surprise, then, that we don't know our peers all that well. We shirk our duties of camaraderie and instead allow ourselves to fall into a state of practiced indifference. In doing so, it becomes increasingly easy to mitigate relationships.
(05/07/12 2:00am)
As a 19-year-old, I don't claim to have the skills necessary to fix the world's problems. In all honesty, as I get older, it becomes increasingly difficult even to address my own. Perhaps in the naivete and arrogance of youth lies an insatiable desire to discover solutions like so many others in my generation, I was raised to set lofty goals. Strangely enough, while we are urged as children to take a stand, this encouragement dissipates as the complexities of the issues we want to solve become increasingly visible and harder to address.