Seven weeks in, students and town officials reflect on College reopening plan

Eight weeks into fall term, College and town officials have largely hailed Dartmouth’s reopening as a success. Students, too, have voiced appreciation for the chance to return to campus — yet some have shared frustration with the College’s and town’s strict enforcement of COVID-19 policies.

Gap-year students reflect on decision to take time off

This year, many Dartmouth students have revised their ideas of what a college experience should look like. As the pandemic continues to upend plans, some students have opted to remain away from campus until the situation improves.

Long distance: Remote international students face unique challenges

Living abroad has made the usual pandemic challenges, from time zone differences to difficulties receiving material shipments for class, even more difficult for many international students.

Verbum Ultimum: Joe Biden for President

Joe Biden is the only acceptable option on Nov. 3.

Affinity houses and LLCs maintain community virtually

With the transition to a remote format, LLCs and affinity houses have faced challenges organizing events. However, many of them have adapted their programming to build virtual connections. 

Editors' Note

Normally this special issue coincides with Homecoming, the first of Dartmouth’s three termly “big weekends.” But as we all already know, nothing about this fall is normal. Absent the usual hammering, sawing and bonfire wood-arranging fervor, this year’s Homecoming has been marked by a different kind of deconstruction. 

Mobley: Happy Halloween, Dartmouth

Citing privacy, College maintains decision to withhold number of students sent home

As rumors continue to circulate surrounding students who have been sent home for violating the College’s COVID-19 policies, multiple members of the College’s administration have cited privacy concerns as the rationale behind Dartmouth’s refusal to release the number of students impacted. Many on campus have criticized the College for a lack of transparency.

Dartmouth Dining eliminates DBA rollover

As of this fall, no part of students’ leftover DBA will roll over between terms. In previous years, any remaining balance up to $100 could transfer to the following term, provided that the student would be on campus. Dartmouth Dining director Jon Plodzik said that the decision to discontinue DBA rollover was made largely to allow for greater certainty in budgeting. 

Twenty sports teams sign letter in support of reinstatement for cut teams

On Oct. 13, 20 Dartmouth sports teams issued an open letter addressed to College President Phil Hanlon and athletics director Harry Sheehy calling for the reinstatement of the five varsity teams eliminated in July. 

Alumni launch ‘Vote Saver’ program to save spots in polling lines

Jono Klein ’19 and Bharath Katragadda ’19 have joined forces to start a voting initiative, Vote Saver, aimed at helping elderly voters and essential workers avoid long wait times at the polls. On Election Day, volunteers will save spots in line for senior citizens, veterans and essential workers who may have limited time. 

What’s a ’23 To Do? Making Decisions About Winter Term

I remember finishing my work shift in late July and pulling out my phone to see 235 unread messages. I braced myself for what I already knew: term assignments had come out. Everything I had speculated about sophomore year would change once I opened my email from the Registrar. Disbelief struck when I read that I had been approved for only one term, summer.  

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow: Students React to Classmates Being Sent Home

As we approach Halloween here at Dartmouth, there’s a heightened level of fear across the student body. This fear, however, is not caused by your typical horror film or haunted house. Rather, it is the result of a steady stream of unknowns, distrust and paranoia surrounding one of the most concerning trends of fall term: students being forced to leave campus for the remainder of the academic year due to COVID-19 policy violations. 

From the Other Side (of the Globe)

For international ’24s, dealing with time zone differences, worrying about getting to know people over a screen and struggling to make club meetings were certainly unexpected occurrences this fall. I, for one, never pictured myself dealing with a 13-hour time difference and attending office hours at four in the morning while taking classes in Seoul, South Korea.

Stuck Inside: Winter During a Pandemic

You don’t have to be at Dartmouth long to hear about how dismal winter term can be. However, after growing up in Maine and coming off an amazing first term, I did not believe I would succumb to the winter slump myself when I was on campus last year. But as my boots filled with snow as I trekked across the Green, I began to understand what upperclassmen meant when they criticized winters at Dartmouth.

Missing the Little Things … Like Little KAF

King Arthur Flour’s Baker-Berry Library location — known to students as little KAF — has been closed for five months, and I’ve yet to successfully recreate their maple latte or spinach quiche. It might have something to do with my culinary skills, but maybe it just doesn’t taste the same without the delayed gratification of a 30-minute wait in line and the weight of an impending assignment on my shoulders. 

Marriage Story: Dartmouth Edition

Ask any Dartmouth student about their most pressing concerns and you’re unlikely to hear that they’re stressing about finding their soulmate. The terms go by quickly and it’s hard enough to keep up with the whirlwind of club meetings, lunch dates and assignments. Though the object of marriage is not on the radar for most, there’s a certain phenomenon of Dartmouth students marrying other Dartmouth students. Although there aren’t statistics to back up the rumors, ask any student on campus about it and they’re likely to know what you’re talking about. 

Editors' Note

They call October “spooky season,” and this year, it’s not hard to see why. Dartmouth students are nearing the end of our third term since COVID-19 began. Finals are approaching, and exams and essays are always spooky. Next week, Americans will head to the polls to determine the trajectory of our nation, and many students can only hope their absentee ballots get counted. Spooky. And of course, Halloween is right around the corner, but can any costume be spookier than the masks we’ve been wearing for months?