Letter to the Editor: Prioritize Community, Stop Automating
Re: Courtyard Cafe temporarily closed for installation of self-order kiosks
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Re: Courtyard Cafe temporarily closed for installation of self-order kiosks
Dear American universities,
The climate crisis has arrived. From wildfires incinerating neighborhoods in Los Angeles, to Hurricane Helene’s devastation of the Southeast, to floods displacing Vermonters near Dartmouth’s campus, extreme weather events are harming communities across the country.
In the wake of the landmark 2023 Supreme Court Case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University, which declared the explicit use of race in college admissions unconstitutional, elite colleges like Dartmouth have sought to show that they base their admissions decisions on diversity of experience, rather than identity checkboxes. Perhaps no admitted student group better offers this desired experiential diversity than student veterans.
The Washington Post’s opinion section has long been a hub of diverse thought, featuring voices ranging from staunch conservatives like George Will to progressive columnists like Katrina Vanden Heuvel. It has provided a platform for foreign policy hawks and anti-interventionists alike, for free-market champions and economic populists, for establishment figures and radical critics of power. Last week, Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos pulled off one of the most grotesque threats to American media in recent history.
As of June of 2023, race-based affirmative action is no longer permissible, and even when it was practiced, it failed to achieve its goals. When former Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell authored his 1978 opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke — which determined whether affirmative action violated the Equal Protections Clause of the 14th Amendment — he justified race-based admissions as a means to achieve diversity that fosters a “robust exchange of ideas.” The deference that universities were granted when selecting their incoming classes was thus carefully predicated on achieving the educational benefits that flow from “viewpoint diversity,” a point that is almost entirely overlooked in the modern discourse surrounding this issue.
In my sophomore year at Dartmouth, I auditioned for the Dog Day Players — a highly competitive campus improv group. At least 100 people showed up to the initial audition. We were packed into a lecture hall, way over capacity. We filled every seat, poured out onto the staircase and lined the walls. It was loud and boisterous. People puffed their chests, deepened their voices and exuded extroverted confidence. I knew I had to make a strong impression. Despite having no prior experience, I managed to make the room roar with laughter and was selected, among a few others, for a second round.
On Feb. 19, Dartmouth Divest for Palestine — a coalition of Dartmouth students, faculty, staff and alumni — submitted a formal proposal for Dartmouth’s divestment from “companies complicit in Israel’s violations of international law.” DD4P delivered its filing to the College’s Board of Trustees, College President Sian Leah Beilock and the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility — the administrative body tasked with reviewing investment-related proxy resolutions relating to important social issues. Endorsed by over 25 organizations across campus, the 55-page proposal meticulously lays out a myriad of specific human rights and international law violations — most notably genocide, apartheid and the ongoing illegal occupation and Israeli settlement of Palestinian land — that must trigger Dartmouth’s responsibility to take action. Namely, the proposal recommends prohibiting any investment in corporations complicit to these violations.
How many of you have walked home at 2 a.m. in freezing weather? Missed the last bus to Summit on Juniper and found yourself without a place to sleep? Woken up with the flu or some other mystery illness and needed a ride to Dick’s House — yet opting, without a car, to trek 15 minutes through the snow with tissues and cough drops falling from your pockets?
In recent years, our campus has been infected by what I have dubbed the “Wall Street Plague.” Each year, it seems like more and more students fall to the prospect of a career in finance — putting aside dreams of saving the world for the promise of late-night spreadsheets and lucrative pay days. This shift is backed up by the data: According to a 2006 survey of graduating seniors, 26% of Dartmouth’s graduating class was planning to pursue a career in the financial services sector. Nearly two decades later, in 2023, the percentage of graduating students working in finance during their first fall after graduation had risen to 33%, according to the Center for Professional Development.
Last quarter, a stump on the corner of the Green at the intersection of Main Street and West Wheelock Street became a bit of a campus sensation after a student fixed a Lorax plushie to it. Above the stuffed toy, a sign read the iconic words: “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.” The stunt was a fun example of our student body’s humor, but it may also have been trying to tell us something more. If the Lorax could speak for the Dartmouth trees, what would he say? His message might be pretty concerning.
It’s no secret that college students have a problem with sleep. Whenever I tell my friends I am going to bed at midnight, they are surprised and claim that it is “early.” Several of my peers have reported hearing neighbors’ conversations from their hallways late into the night, including on weeknights. Leaving the library late at night, I pass numerous students still studying, typing away at their computers with their eyes barely open. Whenever I ask other Dartmouth students “How are you?”, the two most common answers I receive are “good” and “tired.” This isn’t just reflected in my personal experience — it’s borne out in the facts. According to the National Institutes of Health, over 70% of college students admit to getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep per day. Sixty percent describe themselves as “dragging, tired or sleepy” at least three days of the week. This is understandable, seeing as college consists of a substantial amount of daily work, paired with large swaths of free time. The result is that students have considerable discretion over what they choose to spend their time on — and many often use it unwisely.
America’s middle class, the heart and soul of the nation, is hurting. There are a litany of statistics that illustrate as much. The top 10% of earners in the United States own more than two-thirds of the nation’s total wealth, while the bottom 50% own about 2.5% of it. Nearly half of Americans say they’re living paycheck to paycheck. In general, Americans have really soured on the economy. The only thing as upsetting as these statistics is the utterly pathetic unresponsiveness of American politicians and elites, who are supposed to help solve this problem.
This article is featured in the 2025 Winter Carnival Special Issue.
This article is featured in the 2025 Winter Carnival Special Issue.
This article is featured in the 2025 Winter Carnival Special Issue.
Two weeks ago, I sat in my German class, GERM 65.02, “German Humor,” discussing the movie “To Be or Not To Be.” Released in 1942, the movie aimed to satirize the Third Reich and its invasion of Poland.
Online shopping is easy, rapid and effortless. It lives in our phones, shopping carts and, ultimately, through our packages at Hinman. As we continue to spend more time online, we have begun to neglect how and where we live. After years of digitalization, Dartmouth students are slowly losing their connection to Hanover and its small business community. Local business leaders have told me, as many students can attest, that the character of Hanover’s Main Street has become increasingly corporate and bland. Meaningful experiences between Dartmouth and the Hanover community are gradually fading. To revitalize the Town, we as Dartmouth students need to reconsider our consumption habits and rebuild a connection with Hanover.
On Jan. 19, the Dartmouth Student Government Senate considered and voted against the nomination of Roger Friedlander ’27 for the position of deputy project manager. According to West House senator Reece Sharp ’28 in past reporting by The Dartmouth, the vote failed because senators were “confused” by the process. More specifically, two people had volunteered for the position — Friedlander and Hanna Bilgin ’28 — but student body president Chukwuka Odigbo ’25 only called a vote for Friedlander. Notably, Odigbo holds the sole power to nominate candidates for appointed positions in DSG. The Senate voted down the nomination, which was the end of the story — or at least the one open to the public.
This past fall, the College significantly elevated its entertainment industry profile, hosting a series of campus events tailor-made for students, like myself, interested in making careers in Hollywood. In just 10 weeks, students were able to attend a guest lecture featuring Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns, listen to Malcolm McDowell discuss his starring role in “A Clockwork Orange” and, through the Dartmouth Film Society’s 75th anniversary celebrations, network with alumni in entertainment.