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June 24, 2026
The Dartmouth
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SA reaffirms teaching initiative

By Jessica Spradling | January 15, 2003

The Student Assembly reaffirmed and expanded the Undergraduate Teaching Initiative and planned a response to the College's new alcohol policy at a busy but brief meeting last night. The Assembly unanimously voted to add a fourth clause to the UTI calling for an extensive campus-wide report examining the current curriculum, and making suggestions on how it could be improved. Student Body Vice-President Julia Hildreth '05 said that the new report would be "a review of what students like about the curriculum," and that she felt the administration was ready to "open it up to students and try to get some curriculum changes." The UTI was a resolution originally passed by the Assembly in the Fall term of 2001 based on study by the Assembly entitled "The Soul of Dartmouth: The Academic Direction of the College" revealed that many Dartmouth students felt that the College was moving too far from its traditional undergraduate focus in favor of becoming a research-driven university. Already in the UTI were the three original resolutions, which include annual undergraduate assessments of each department, non-monetary awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching and innovative teaching grants. Though previous initiative components had been passed individually, Hildreth said the decision to reaffirm the entire initiative had been motivated by a desire to make the UTI a more "permanent and continuous" effort. The Assembly also decided last night that it was, according to Hildreth, "time to respond" to the College's new alcohol policy.

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Profs: Children exposed to 'extremely violent' films

By Jessica Spradling | January 15, 2003

A study conducted recently by Dartmouth scientists found that nearly one-third of young children and teenagers in America have seen movies with "extremely violent" content. Researchers at Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth medical and undergraduate students collaborated to survey 5000 children in the Northern New England area who were enrolled in fifth through eighth grades -- roughly ages 10 to 14. The children were given a list of 50 randomly selected movies chosen from the 600 highest-earning movies released between 1988 and 1999, and asked to select the ones that they had seen. From the body of 600 movies, the researchers determined the films that, in their opinion, had the most violent content. According to the researchers this meant that the movies were R-rated and contained scenes that depicted, among other things, "sadistic rape, sodomy, brutal or ritualistic murders and cannibalism." The study reports that on average, 28 percent of the students surveyed had seen such movies. "Through movies, adolescents are being exposed to brutal and often sexualized violence," the lead author of the paper and Dartmouth Medical School Professor of Pediatrics James Sargent said in a prepared statement. Among fifth grade students, the most popular of these violent movies were "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Scream," which about 40 percent of those surveyed had seen.

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Prof. study probes music, mind

By Melana Yanos | January 14, 2003

Most people appreciate music without stopping to wonder how the musical structure behind melodies is represented in their brains. But Petr Janata, Research Assistant Professor at Dartmouth's Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, has made it his job to know exactly that. Janata's research, published in the Dec.

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Ski patrol: To serve and protect

By Devin Foxall | January 14, 2003

On a windy day last January, Bret Anderson '05 was in a shack at the top of Holt's Ledge with a few other members of the Dartmouth Ski Patrol when a call came over the radio.

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Phi Delt alumni return for rush

By Melana Yanos | January 14, 2003

After three years of derecognition, the Phi Delta Alpha fraternity, commonly known as Phi Delt, has opened for rush this term and is seeking new members to get their organization off to a fresh start. Over 50 Phi Delt alums, whose years range from '82 to '02, have returned to campus to host rush events this week. Roughly 15 to 20 bids will be handed out to selected students interested in joining the organization. Phi Delt Corporate President George Faux '84 described the type of student they are looking for as well-rounded, having multiple interests and having an active presence on campus. "We want very strong, high-quality individuals because they're the ones who are going to shoulder a lot of this process of proving to the IFC [Inter-Fraternity Council] in particular that they can take this place back to the table." Faux described previous members of Phi Delt as having formed a "very diverse group", also noting that the fraternity has not been strongly affiliated with a sports team. Tom Callaghan '84 commented that in spite of the diverse interests and levels of scholarship among members, Phi Delt was a place for all of them to come together. Callaghan drew a connection between this desired sense of community among Phi Delt members and the sense of community pursued by Dartmouth, saying that "the house experience is just a microcosm of the overall Dartmouth experience." Faux and Callaghan both emphasized fellowship as the central focus and vision of the organization, and expressed hopes that the vision serves as a factor of continuity for Phi Delt. "We want to insure that it's the fellowship, the camaraderie and the loyalty to each other that is the center point of this place," Faux said. In addition to the hope for continuity, Callaghan pointed out the unique aspect of the opportunity to reopen an empty house. "As sophomores, they're coming into an entity with a long history and a big support network, but where they'll be running the show -- there are no upperclassmen," Callaghan said.

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Robinson concerned by Iraqi rights violations

By Elise Dunphe | January 14, 2003

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson's work toward the infusion of ethics and human rights into the globalization movement did not end in September with her term as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. On the contrary, she's recently become involved in the Ethical Globalization Initiative, which is striving to increase government accountability for human rights standards, especially in African nations, through, among other things, support for universal primary education and increased research for HIV/AIDS. Robinson strongly believes that human rights are integral to a positive globalization movement. "The human rights framework adds value to how we view globalization," she said, remarking that globalization is inevitable in our modern world, and that it is "beating the waves" to take a Luddite stance against the movement. Robinson acknowledged that trade is essential to the development of nations, but that the way in which it is often practiced is not optimal for an ethical globalization, saying that other values should be incorporated. "It's important to recognize that the dominant influence on globalization is twofold," she said, citing market forces that create wealth for those already in power, and the privatization of what were previously government-based programs in many countries, such as education, health and prison systems. "At a certain point that is going to create difficulties in maintaining standards," Robinson said, referring to the factor of profitability reducing services in privately-operated institutions.

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Kerry takes on Bush policies

By Megh Duwadi | January 13, 2003

Presidential contender and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry railed against the Bush administration's foreign policy and stressed the importance of grassroots activism to a crammed and enthusiastic Rockefeller Center crowd Friday evening. A leader in the fight for the 2004 Democratic nomination, Kerry appeared at ease relaying the points of his campaign through lengthy personal and historical anecdotes.

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Pavilion popularity triples in the past year

By Kay Fukunaga | January 10, 2003

Dartmouth Dining Service Director Tucker Rossiter does not deny that he prefers Food Court's Philly cheesesteak to the vegetarian fare that is among the specialties served at the Pavilion, Dartmouth's Kosher, Halal and Sakahara dining facility.

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Chaboyer study: dark energy drives universe

By Samantha Lane | January 10, 2003

Just when it looked like cosmologists had a firm grasp on the fundamental laws of the universe, it turns out that they know far less about its workings than previously thought. Confirming earlier findings that the universe has the ability to expand indefinitely, Physics and Astronomy Professor Brian Chaboyer recently found that the universe is composed of a mysterious form of negative pressure energy -- dubbed "dark energy" -- that scientists have never been able to directly observe. Because dark energy is too dificult to view in a laboratory, scientists can only infer its presence based on how it has influenced the expansion of the universe. Chaboyer and his collaborator Lawrence Krauss, a physics and astronomy professor at Case Western Reserve University, published their findings in the Jan.

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Swimmers react with joy and tears

By Matt Lewis | January 10, 2003

In the aftermath of the yesterday's announcement that Dartmouth swimming and diving will remain a varsity sport for the next 10 years, both students and administrators seem to be relieved that the episode has come to a mutually satisfying close. Alumni, students and administrators praised each other for the manner in which all sides carried themselves during the search for an alternative to trimming the swimming and diving programs from the College's diminishing budget. At first, the men's and women's swimming and diving teams were caught off guard when Athletic Director Josie Harper and Dean of the College James Larimore boarded their team bus to personally break the news to them just before they were to leave campus for a meet. "I think we were all kind of in shock," Alexis Ettinger '05 said.

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Panhell, IFC kick off winter rush

By Colin Barry | January 10, 2003

Get out your nice clothes and etiquette guides, sophomores -- formal rush for both sororities and fraternities is upon you. The sorority rush process starts tonight with the first of four rounds of events designed to encourage interaction between sisters and rushees.

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N.H. law doubles fine for fake ID possession

By Zachary Goldstein | January 10, 2003

Alcohol was on the minds of both College administrators and New Hampshire legislators last year, as both the College and the state released significant revisions to their current alcohol regulations to start the new year. Beginning Jan.

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