Gotta Have Guts

Looking forward to a pledge term with ample time spent in the basement and diminished time spent in the library, hordes of sophomore guys are making the guilty decision and taking "gut" classes this fall to keep their GPAs afloat. For those not familiar with the term, a "gut" is a class that is work-optional, attendance-optional, has a high median grade, is full of non-majors and occasionally fulfills a distributive requirement that would otherwise be difficult to get out of the way. I'm not going to name any specific classes here so that I don't offend any professors, but we all know which classes these are.

Party Lines, Laugh Lines

I remember reading somewhere, in a tribute to Tim Russert, an account given by Tom Brokaw in which he remembered Russert calling him in the middle of the night and asking incredulously: Do you believe they're paying us for this year? "This year" referring, most likely, to 'the year a lot more people decided caring about the election was the cool thing to do -- and hey, also really good comedy.' If only Russert could have seen what that pre-primaries political excitement has turned into. The stream of jokes that this year's election has generated is unprecedented, though not exactly uncalled for.

Daily Debriefing

Last week Wachovia froze approximately $9.3 billion of funds invested by nearly 1,000 colleges and universities held by the short-term education investment fund, Commonfund, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Monday.

College drops in sexual health rankings

Dartmouth's sexual health programs were ranked 68 out of 139 colleges surveyed for Trojan Condoms' third annual Sexual Health Report Card, a significant drop from the College's 25th place ranking in 2007. The survey, conducted by the data analysis company Sperling's BestPlaces, used data from 9,000 student responses solicited through advertisements on Facebook.

New system improves cell service

In an effort to increase cell phone signal strength on campus, Agito Networks will implement a new system at Dartmouth that will allow cell phones to use both cellular and wireless signals, according to David Bucciero, director of Technical Services at the College.

Economy causes seniors to rethink grad school plans

Marissa Knodel '09 had always planned on attending law school right after graduating from the College, but the current economic downturn has convinced her to weigh her employment options as well. "It might be a good idea to have some money for law school that I've earned, instead of going straight into debt," she said. The financial crisis has prompted a number of Dartmouth students, like Knodel, to reconsider when they will pursue postgraduate studies. Karen Whittet, assistant director at Dartmouth's Career Services, predicted that many students who took the Oct.

Survey shows College staff satisfied with jobs

The results of the 2008 Dartmouth College Staff Survey were released Monday, revealing that staff members at the College are generally satisfied with their positions, but would like to be more involved in the Dartmouth community. Overall, employees were pleased with the nature of their work and job security, and were least satisfied with salaries and opportunities for advancement. Just under half of employees said they have trust and confidence in senior leadership, though the majority said they will continue to work at the College for the next year.

The Irony Curtain

In one of my favorite Simpsons episodes, Homer -- after having a fortuitous run-in with an inflatable cow -- joins the music festival "Hullabalooza," where he tours as a sideshow act.

Programming Bored

I come not to praise the Programming Board, but to bury it. But don't worry too much, event-planning oligarchy of Dartmouth.

Phreddie 2008-10-07

Williamson '12 leads Big Green to ninth-place finish at Yale

The Dartmouth men's golf team finished ninth out of 15 teams in the Macdonald Cup this weekend at the Yale Invitational in New Haven, Conn.

I Feel Like... 2008-10-06

The Still North 2008-10-06

Women's Soccer Falls to Tigers,1-0

Big Green women's soccer was unable to find the back of the net during the Big Green's 1-0 loss to Princeton Saturday afternoon in Princeton, N.J. Princeton (6-1-1, 2-0 Ivy) jumped on the board in the 32nd minute with a rocket from Sarah Peteraf from 25 yards out that beat Dartmouth goalkeeper Laurel Peak '09 to the back of the net. The Big Green dropped its second game this season by a score of 1-0 to an Ivy League opponent.

Men's Soccer Ties Princeton in Ivy Opener

In its first Ivy League match of the season, the Big Green men's soccer team drew a 1-1 overtime tie against Princeton in the Tigers' stadium debut in Princeton, N.J. The tie moved the Big Green to 5-2-1 (0-0-1 Ivy), while the Tigers are now 2-6-1 (0-0-1 Ivy). "I think Princeton will be happier with the outcome than we will," head coach Jeff Cook said.

Toe to Toe: Karr Vs. Schmidley (Schmidley)

Last week, Ryan and I took our respective shots at predicting this year's BCS title game-winner. Making such a prediction, particularly in light of the fact that the 2008 college football season was and is now shaping up to be just as, if not more, volatile than last year's season, seemed to be a near impossible task. Between the politics of the polls, the complexity and sometimes surprising results of the oft-maligned BCS, the confounding early season upsets and blowouts and the lack of a dominant head-hancho (or two) at the top of the polls, there's just too much uncertainty to dub one squad the team of destiny with any reasonable degree of certainty.