Portman '78 to run for open Ohio Senate seat

College receives record number of applications

Tilman Dette / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Correction appended Dartmouth received a record 17,768 applications for the Class of 2013, according to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris, bucking a trend of stagnant or decreasing application numbers among similarly sized, private liberal arts colleges.

Chinese economy at risk, prof. says

Andy Foust / The Dartmouth Staff China has duplicated, rather than replaced the Western economic model as a result of its recent financial transformations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology political scientist Edward Steinfeld said in a Tuesday lecture at the College. In his presentation, "Playing Our Game: China, Economic Transition and the West," Steinfeld dispelled perceived American misconceptions about China and explained that the country's economy will likely experience an economic slowdown similar to the downturn in the United States. Americans view China's economic growth and increased presence on the global stage as both "awesome" and "unsettling," Steinfeld said, citing measurements such as the growing Chinese trade surplus with the United States. China has mirrored the United States in economic development by adopting the Western model of the market economy during the 1990's, he said, but the methods China has used to achieve its rapid growth -- including its manipulation of exchange rates, lack of enforcement of intellectual property rights, state ownership of the economy and mercantilist policies -- have discomforted many Americans. To some American observers, he said, it appears as though "China is eating our lunch in the globalization game." In contrast to these views, the Chinese see their own lunch as "being eaten" by the United States and other external powers, Steinfeld said. While China has trade surpluses with some global powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, it runs trade deficits with other countries, such as Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia, he said. These countries, which supply China with its electronics and energy, do not see China as an economic threat and "win in the trading game with China," he said. The prevalence of foreign-controlled enterprise in China presents a long-term problem for Chinese innovation, he explained. Due to outsourcing, the Chinese economy relies on assembly rather than innovation, he said, as the product definition and branding sides of global companies remain in their home countries. To illustrate the challenges to long-term economic growth, Steinfeld explained that Chinese companies view Apple as "intimidating" because of the corporation's versatility, as it has products ranging from computers to music to telecommunications. "Apple [jumps] from industry to industry in ways that elude many Chinese producers," he said. Close economic connections with other countries makes China even more vulnerable to the economic stresses felt by its peers, Steinfeld added. Following the recent slowdown of economic growth in the United States, for example, China's industrial output and exports dropped, he said. China's December exports were 2.8 percent lower than last year, according to China Daily.

Harper to step down as director of athletics

ZACH INGRETSEN / The Dartmouth Staff Dartmouth Athletic Director Josie Harper will retire at the end of June after 27 years as a member of the athletic staff, she announced Tuesday.

Political orgs. refocus post election

Sarah Irving / The Dartmouth Staff With the conclusion of the 2008 presidential campaigns, the College's political organizations are working to restructure in an attempt to avoid significant decreases in membership.

Lynn '76 tapped for Pentagon post

Courtesy of the United States Department of Defense President-elect Barack Obama tapped former defense lobbyist William Lynn '76 as his pick for deputy secretary of defense on Thursday.

Students react to Middle East crisis

Tilman Dette / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Bilal Mahmood DMS '12 had never participated in a demonstration before he learned about the current conflict between Israel and Hamas and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza. "I'm actually a first-year medical student, and I read about the situation in Gaza," Mahmood said.

Prof. to leave Bank of England committee