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The Dartmouth
July 17, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth
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decisions, decisions
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Editors' Note

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Decisions we make in quarantine are very different from the ones we make in normal life. A question like, “What will I wear to class today?” has simplified to “Which old pajama T-shirt will I put on?” And deciding whether to wear jeans or sweatpants has become a no-brainer. On the other hand, quarantine has also made some of the most menial deliberations seem more important. Suddenly, the choice between eating cornflakes and Cap’n Crunch for breakfast has become a 20-minute debate, ending with you deciding to dish out both. 


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On "Knowing Everyone"

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Sometimes, it’s a question: “How do you know so many people?” Other times, it’s an exclamation: “You know everyone!” Whatever the exact wording is, it’s something I’ve heard again and again. I’ll be with a friend, perhaps passing through the library or getting food, and I’ll bump into some people I know. I’ll say “hi,” and afterward, the friend I’m with will inevitably make some kind of comment.



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The Weight of this Time: Creating in Isolation

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There is a small portrait of William Shakespeare stuck to my computer, mustachioed and smiling under the sunglasses drawn onto his face. “Today is the day,” I tell Shakespeare every morning when I sit down at my desk. “Today is the day I make you proud!” 



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Mask On, Mask Off: Fashion in a COVID World

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What do pearls, fake Gucci, Baby Yoda, Billie Eilish and Donald Trump all have in common? They’re all plastered across face masks, which — as more states mandate their usage — we can only assume are here to stay.


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Max’s Declassified Quarantine Survival Guide

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As I sprint down the untamed grassy hill, I take a nervous look at the road below — people are looking for me, and I don’t know where they are. I’m more anxious than ever, but I know my friends have my back. The sun is blaring, and I’m utterly exhausted. The intensity builds, and all the anxiety, nervousness and exhaustion comes closing in on me. Then suddenly, right when I reach the tipping point, all that weight disappears, and I get the best news I’ve gotten in a while: “Warzone Victory.”


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Editors' Note

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Well, here we are: week six of spring term, and week eight or so of social distancing. The curve of coronavirus cases may be flattening, but most of us are still exactly where we were a month ago — at home, alone. And by now, isolation feels almost natural. Amid talk of what the post-pandemic world will look like, it seems we’ve already arrived at a “new normal,” even if we hope this normal won’t last for much longer.


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On Being Busy

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Remember when we all thought that with online classes, we were going to have so much free time to watch Netflix, go hiking and maintain a consistent sleep schedule? Good times.


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Students and Professors Reflect on Plans to Re-open the Economy

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Most Dartmouth students deserted campus in mid-March, to the tune of provost Joseph Helble’s “Important Campus Updates.” It seems that almost as suddenly, pleas to re-open the economy have cropped up across the United States. With the nation in the throes of both a public health crisis and an economic and social disaster, Dartmouth students and professors are grappling with the question of recovery — and how to get the timing right.



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Dartmouth Dreams of COVID: The Science Behind Vivid Quarantine Dreams

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Right now, society is buzzing with talk of crazy dreams. Tales of “quarantine dreams” are all over Twitter, and “i dream of covid,” a blog that compiles submissions of strangers’ dreams, is gaining media attention. People all over the world are reporting more vivid and frequent dreams and nightmares, and Dartmouth students are no different. 


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Vox Clamantis: Remote Radio Connects Students in Isolation

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The everyday comforts of Dartmouth are few and far between these days. Writing is harder outside of Sanborn, a trip to the backyard doesn’t have the same zest as a DOC hike and no matter how much flour you use, your scones never taste quite like they do at KAF. However, no matter how far away from Hanover you feel, you can still hear the voices of home on Dartmouth College Radio.


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Home for the Holidays: Celebrating Ramadan in Quarantine

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Each year, the month of Ramadan provides Muslims with a celebration of faith, community and family. During this year’s Ramadan — which began on April 23 and will run through May 23 — the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many Muslims to search for new ways to spend the holy month.


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Editors' Note

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We can all admit that time has been passing by weirdly in quarantine. Your afternoon can feel like it’s going slower than the last five minutes of your 10A, but then suddenly it’s Friday and another week has passed.


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On Reframing Spring

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This term, I’m finally taking the legendary course that is ENGS 12, “Design Thinking.” Okay, maybe legendary is a strong word — but I’ve never heard so many people describe a course as “life-changing” before, and when I was reflecting on how I wanted to spend my last term as an undergrad, I figured it was my last chance to find out what all the buzz was about. That said, nearly every time I tell people that I’m taking ENGS 12, they follow up by asking if I’m taking it for the distrib. It seems to them almost unfathomable that a senior in his last term would take a class not for any requirement, but simply to learn and acquire new life skills.


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TTLG: Bumps Along the Way

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Driving up to Hanover at the start of my freshman year, my imagination kicked into overdrive: I’d find my best friends, take amazing classes with life-changing professors, throw myself into the social scene and continue my passion for skating by joining Dartmouth’s figure skating club. Unfortunately, none of that came to fruition — at least not immediately.


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Editors' Note

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Let’s face it: Zoom calls are awkward. In those seconds between when you join the meeting and your lecture begins, what are you supposed to do? Prepare your pen and notepad? Sip your morning coffee? Ask how the professor’s day is going, even though you know every day is the same in quarantine? Or perhaps you resort to a small talk staple and describe the weather where you are.


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Q&A with environmental studies professor Andrew Friedland

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These days, it can feel like the coronavirus pandemic is the only topic in the news. It’s understandable, given the massive human toll and global scale of the crisis. However, I, for one, have started scouring the internet for any hint of good news. And I’ve found a source of hope in reports that as humanity lives in quarantine, the health of the environment is improving: There is more and more news now of clearer waters, better air quality and a decrease in pollution. 


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On Silver Linings

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I have to start this piece by admitting something: I’m a little relieved commencement won’t be happening this June.