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The Dartmouth
April 1, 2026
The Dartmouth
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Sororities witness five-year low in fall pledge numbers

By David Kung | November 4, 1996

In an era when interest in sororities is at a peak, the College's six Panhellenic sororities received their lowest number of Fall-term pledges in five years last month due to the ongoing problem of too few sororities for too many women and rushees' dissatisfaction with the rush system. While more women than ever dropped out of rush or chose not to accept bids and while a new sorority -- Delta Omega Pi -- looms on the horizon, Delta Gamma sorority remains relatively empty. Still women claim there are too few sororities for too many women. Bid acceptances down Of the 266 women who participated in rush this fall, only 176 actually ended up joining a sorority.

News

Clinton emerges as favorite in Dartmouth, Ivy League polls

By Roy Lee | November 4, 1996

With election day approaching, many Dartmouth students are deliberating over candidates before they cast their ballots -- most have decided in favor of Clinton and many said education policy decided their vote, according to a recent poll conducted by The Dartmouth. According to the poll, 64 percent of Dartmouth students supported President Bill Clinton in the presidential election while 28 percent favored Senator Bob Dole and four percent were undecided.

News

Racism conference to bring together students, faculty

By Michelle Rosen | November 1, 1996

Hundreds of students and faculty from 24 northeastern colleges and universities will converge at Dartmouth this weekend to discuss racism at a two-day conference. The annual conference, this year titled "The Challenges of Diversity: From Talkin' the Talk to Walkin' the Walk," is sponsored by the Society Organized Against Racism in New England Higher Education. The organization "was founded 15 years ago to help member institutions fight racism and to provide networks and other resources to do so," said Candace Crawford '98, co-chair of the Interracial Concerns Committee -- Dartmouth's SOAR chapter. Approximately 240 students and 60 administrators will participate in the conference, which starts at noon on Friday and will end on Saturday afternoon.

News

New curriculum is a 'work in progress'

By Michelle Gregg | November 1, 1996

It will be two or three more years before the College can fully assess the new curriculum and in the meantime students and faculty are continuing to adjust to the College's new distributive requirements -- two years after their implementation. With 10 specific distributive requirements, the new curriculum, which began with the Class of 1998, asks students to take a broader range of classes than did the previous requirements. Evaluating the curriculum Dean of the Faculty James Wright said the new curriculum is still a work in progress. "It's still a little early to assess what changes need to be made," Wright said.

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Preferences for fraternities fluctuate from year to year

By Erin Loback | November 1, 1996

While the number of men who rush fraternities each year remains about constant, the numbers at each individual house can fluctuate greatly from year to year. Houses compete against each other to gain large pledge classes, and those who do not fare well face problems filling their houses and with meeting financial burdens because there are so many fraternities to fill. Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deb Reinders said the number of men who join fraternities each fall is somewhere just above 200, while individual pledge classes this year are as large as 31 at Alpha Delta and Chi Heorot fraternities, and as small as zero, as Gamma Delta Chi fraternity has no new member contracts on file with ORL. About 30 students joined the coed Greek houses -- Alpha Theta, Phi Tau and Tabard. Uneven numbers, financial burdens With about 200 men pledging each fall and only 15 houses, it is not possible for all houses to have large pledge classes.

News

Panelists describe advent of coeducation

By Michelle Gregg | October 31, 1996

Former and present administrators spoke about the College's decision to coeducate and the early years of coeducation during a panel discussion yesterday afternoon titled "Women and Men of Dartmouth: How and Why the College Went Coed." The panel, which is one of several events scheduled this term to mark the 25th anniversary of coeducation, included Nels Armstrong '71, the director of Alumni Relations; Marilyn Austin, a former vice-provost and associate dean of the College; Fred Berthold, professor of religion emeritus; Michael McGean '45, secretary of the College emeritus and Holly Sateia, dean of student life. The discussion was moderated by Director of the Women's Resource Center Giavanna Munafo. Campus atmosphere Armstrong, a student at the time the decision to coeducate was made, drew a picture of what campus life was like at that time the coeducation decision. Armstrong said the fact that the College was all-male played a small part in his decision to attend Dartmouth. Once he arrived in 1967, Armstrong said the single-sex campus had a profound effect on how he viewed social life. Armstrong said some students realized hurdles were going to be there for women, while others may not have. "Some of us had our own hurdles to go through," he said.

News

Students must change residency to vote in NH

By David Kung | October 31, 1996

Out-of-state students can register to vote in New Hampshire for the upcoming presidential elections but they will have to change their permanent residency. Manchester Deputy City Clerk Paul Bergeron said "campaigns out there saying you can vote and register at the polls aren't telling the whole ramifications." Bergeron said there was no way for students to register to vote in New Hampshire without changing their residence. "Once you have filed the [registration] card here, you've changed your residence," he said ."You can de-register but there are requirements.

News

Michigan Regents to meet Tues.

By Jake Elberg | October 31, 1996

The Board of Regents of the University of Michigan may choose the its new President in less than a week. College Provost Lee Bollinger was named one of four finalists in the presidential search two weeks ago . The Regents met privately on Tuesday and decided to begin the final stage of deliberations next Tuesday. Michigan Law School Dean Jeffrey Lehman, who was the chairman of the presidential search advisory committee and who moderated the town meetings, said there is no way of knowing how long the deliberations will take. "The meetings could last a day or they could go on for weeks," Lehman said.

News

Campus heads explore space and community

By Erin Loback | October 31, 1996

About 20 students attended an informal panel discussion titled "Issues of Space on Campus" following the coeducation panel yesterday evening in the basement of Mid Fayerweather. Representatives from Amarna undergraduate society, Bones Gate fraternity, Milan, the Panhellenic Council, Phi Tau coed fraternity and the Student Assembly discussed issues of space on campus as well as issues concerning the Greek system and student voice on campus. Danielle Benware '97, an Amarna member, began the discussion by asking what issues concern students about space on campus. Panhell President Jess Russo '97 said, "The number of students hasn't increased, why does [space] seem to be such an issue now?" "There are a million different groups sprouting up all over the place" that are wanting space on campus, Russo said. She said La Alianza Latina and the College's new sorority are applying for space in addition to among other groups. Assembly Vice President of Student Life Meredith Epstein '97 said she thinks one important space issue on campus is that "a lot of social events happen at fraternities" where women might not feel comfortable. "Is there the right amount of social space where everyone can feel comfortable?" Epstein asked. Russo said the Women's Resource Center often shares its space with other groups. "It is good they share their space," Russo said.

News

College decides to keep Ed. Dept.

By James M> Hunnicutt | October 31, 1996

The beleaguered education department will remain a part of the College for at least three more years, as a result of the efforts of new Education Chair Andrew Garrod and Dean of the Social Sciences George Wolford.

News

Feds expose national GRE cheating scandal

By Jess Jacob | October 30, 1996

Most students stare intently at their exam booklets when taking the Graduate Record Exam. But some students who took the test last month in Los Angeles were concentrating on something else -- their pencils. On Saturday, federal agents broke up a cheating ring in which students allegedly paid $6,000 each to have answers to the GRE and other tests coded onto their pencils. The scheme used time-zone differences to defeat the test. Prosecutors allege a team of experts took exams in New York using assumed names, then telephoned the answers to Los Angeles George Kobayshi, of Arcadia, Calif., was arrested Saturday on fraud charges for providing test-takers with answers to the GRE, the Graduate Management Admissions Test and the Test of English as a Foreign Language. To identify the test-takers involved in the scheme, ETS will review confiscated records from Kobayshi's American Test Center and will investigate the center's clients, Kevin Gonzales, spokesman for the Educational Testing Service, the Princeton, N.J.

News

Gould takes time to chat and sign books

By David Kung | October 30, 1996

Following his hour-and-a half-lecture, Harvard Zoology and Geology Professor Stephen J. Gould lounged in his chair and answered questions, told jokes and signed copies of his books. Several dozen students and members of the Upper Valley crowded around the podium last night at the end of the Class of 1930 Fellow's visit to meet the renowned scientist and science writer. Gould spent time fielding questions and talking privately with audience members while signing books with a jovial grin and avoiding the flash of a photographer's camera. "When I'm chatting with people I want to talk to them, not have a flashbulb going off in my face," Gould said. Gould answered questions ranging from his definition of evolutionary progress to the differences between species complexity and specialization. After the crowd of people dispersed, Gould spoke with The Dartmouth. He acknowledged that while the topics discussed last night -- human arrogance regarding evolution and species complexity -- are topics that should be of interest both the public and the scientific community, the theories are not well-known to the public. "It is not a radical theory among professionals ... although they may not take it as far as I do," Gould said.

News

Gould discusses evolutionary bias

By David Kung | October 30, 1996

Renowned scientist and writer Stephen J. Gould last night condemned human arrogance about evolution before a packed audience in Cook Auditorium. A zoology and geology professor at Harvard University, Gould has received numerous honorary degrees as well as literary and academic medals and awards for his books, which number more than 15. Gould spoke about the public's bias toward a linear view of evolution -- one whose changes favor more complex beings.

News

Assembly names new community service chair

By Erik Tanouye | October 30, 1996

The Student Assembly last night named a new community service chair and approved a letter pledging the current Assembly's support for the Committee on Standards reforms recommended by the Assembly last spring. As the new vice president of the community service committee, Nancy Bloomfield '99 will help to define the role of that committee within the Assembly, said Assembly Vice President Chris Swift '98. Assembly President Jon Heavey '97 said Bloomfield will also serve as a liaison between the Tucker Foundation and the Student Assembly. "She's the kind of person that gets people together and gets people doing things," Swift said. The Assembly also passed a resolution sponsored by Case Dorkey '99 and Meredith Epstein '97 to send the COS a letter offering support and assistance in enacting the changes within the COS suggested by the Assembly last spring. The previous Assembly's resolutions called for an information session for prospective COS candidates, sophomore eligibility for COS positions, increased student participation in the COS and the inclusion of freshman voting privileges in electing COS members. The College has already begun to take action on these reforms, according to the letter. The letter states the Assembly wishes "to strongly urge that all its resolutions in regard to COS indeed be acted on in full, and to offer its assistance, wherever it may be needed." In addition, Swift announced that the Membership and Internal Affairs Committee will review and clarify the division of labor among Assembly executives. Swift said the new attendance policy requires the Membership and Internal Affairs Committee to notify members who have two absences, which they did.

News

Ledyard Canoe clubhouse is home, meeting place and hangout

By Lillie Ng | October 29, 1996

At the end of Tuck Drive is a wooden staircase that winds down the hill to the Ledyard Canoe clubhouse -- a place juniors Jamie Shandro and John Magyar call home. The clubhouse was built in the 1930s and an annex was later added to store canoes, kayaks and equipment. Each term, students are able to live in the remote home.

News

Freedman reports on state of College

By Jake Elberg | October 29, 1996

In his annual address to the faculty yesterday, College President James Freedman reported on the successful completion of the Will to Excel capital campaign and the state of Dartmouth's student admissions. "I can't remember a happier time reporting on the state of the College," Freedman said.

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