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The Dartmouth
June 24, 2026
The Dartmouth
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Linguistics to be a permanent program

By Alison Schmauch | March 4, 2002

The Dartmouth faculty recently voted to elevate the linguistics and cognitive science program to permanent status, a sign of the program's success despite its somewhat humble beginnings, according to Provost Barry Scherr and linguistics program chair Lindsay Whaley. Members of Dartmouth's faculty first examined starting a linguistics program in the early 1970s, according to Scherr.

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Brown may arm campus cops

By Charles Gardner | March 4, 2002

Brown University is considering equipping its police force with firearms following a recent surge in campus crimes, though some students are concerned that the guns will create more problems than they solve. The debate over whether to arm the Brown University Police -- who are trained at the same academy as most other Rhode Island police officers -- arose in response to statistics showing a 400 percent increase in on-campus robberies from fall 2000 to fall 2001. "There are a number of students and staff who are not happy with the level of service that they are receiving right now," said Col.

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'02 accused of art facility vandalism

By Tara Kyle | March 4, 2002

Suspicions that the person who vandalized student artwork in Clement Hall and the Hopkins Center was a member of the studio art department were realized last week when Hanover Police arrested Emily Lewis '02 in Watertown, Mass. Lewis will face charges of criminal mischief at an arraignment scheduled for April 23, Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone said.

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Bob Jones U. attempts to recruit minorities

By Sarah Betts | March 1, 2002

Bob Jones University, a Christian school in South Carolina that has received national criticism for its now-abolished ban on interracial dating, has begun to offer a scholarship program for minority students, though the school does not perceive itself as having a race issue. The scholarships range from $2,000 up to $10,000 -- approximately the cost of attendance at BJU -- and are available for minority students who demonstrate financial need. The scholarship fund is controlled by a board independent of the university, described by BJU spokesperson Jonathan Pait as "friends of the school." "They saw a need and wanted to address it," Pait said. The university itself offers only work/study aid programs, and government aid is denied to students because of the school's religious orientation.

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Night owls may live longer: UCSD study

By Kaitlin Bell | March 1, 2002

At 3:45 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, there are still a handful of students in Novack Caf, hunched over laptops and textbooks, alternately typing, flipping through notes and frantically swigging coffee.

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Police make arrest in art vandalism case

By Tara Kyle | March 1, 2002

The search for answers in the vandalism of student artwork in Clement Hall and the Hopkins Center may have come to a close on Wednesday evening, when Hanover Police arrested Emily Lewis '02 in Watertown, Mass. Lewis will face charges of criminal mischief at an arraignment scheduled for April 23, Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone said.

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Students protest Arctic oil drilling

By Katie Martin | March 1, 2002

A 10-foot-tall cardboard oil rig and chains of aluminum-can pipeline were the props for dozens of demonstrators who stopped students crossing the Green yesterday afternoon during a protest of potential oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Yesterday's collaborative effort of campus environmental groups was part of the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Day of Action," one of the initiatives that was agreed upon at last week's "Greening of the Ivies" conference at Dartmouth attended by environmentalists from all eight Ivy League institutions. "Care about caribou," Brent Reidy '05 yelled at passersby.

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Mission rev. gets mixed reaction

By Alison Schmauch | March 1, 2002

Leaders of various student organizations expressed mixed feelings about the College's proposed new mission statement in interviews with The Dartmouth. While most praised the draft mission statement as a step in the right direction, several expressed concerns that Dartmouth has not committed itself firmly enough to fostering diversity.

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Mission statement draft up for review

By Alison Schmauch | February 28, 2002

In response to recommendations made by the Committee on Institutional Diversity and Equity, the College has drafted a proposed new mission statement and has placed it on the Internet to solicit the opinions of members of the Dartmouth community. The revised mission statement is supposed to better reflect the College's commitment to diversity, according to Dean of the College James Larimore. More attention is also given to the role played by Dartmouth's graduate and professional schools and to Dartmouth's obligations toward the natural environment and the community in the revised version. The previous mission statement states that Dartmouth has a commitment to "enriching the Dartmouth educational and social experiences by attracting and retaining gifted and talented students, faculty and staff of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races and economic circumstances." By contrast, the new mission statement describes Dartmouth's commitment to "encouraging the interaction of talented students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds, experiences, races and economic circumstances." The change reflects the idea that Dartmouth is committed not only to recruiting students and faculty of diverse backgrounds, but to promoting interaction among students and faculty once they arrive here, according to President of the College James Wright. Wright noted that the insertion of a new paragraph about the importance of preparing student for a diverse world serves a similar purpose. The new paragraph reads that Dartmouth is committed to the "belief that a Dartmouth education should prepare students for life in a diverse and increasingly complex world.

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Construction leads to freq. library fire alarms

By Karla Kingsley | February 28, 2002

As finals draw near, students are chronically interrupted by false fire alarms in the Berry and Baker libraries due to an unavoidable clash between the dust of construction and overly sensitive alarm systems. Construction in Baker has set off the fire alarm 30 to 40 times, said Corky Scott, business specialist in Baker Library, in what he called a conservative estimate. Rarely has this been the fault of workers."The greatest problem is dust ... the fire detectors can't tell the difference between smoke, dust or even water.

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Professors discuss 'axis of evil'

By Nathaniel Ward | February 28, 2002

The United States will enter into a war with Iraq in the near future, religion Professor Kevin Reinhart predicted yesterday at a panel discussion of "the axis of evil" comment made by President George W.

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SA seeks more open CCAOD proceedings

By Matt Lewis | February 28, 2002

The Student Assembly challenged Dean of the College James Larimore to remove the confidentiality policy binding all members of the College Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs, passing a resolution Tuesday night creating the Student Assembly Committee on Alcohol Policy. Prior to the 30-to-1 approval of that resolution, religion Professor Susan Ackerman expounded upon the Committee on Academic Advising's report that recommends a complete overhaul of the pre-major advising program. The Assembly resolution proposed that the CCAOD and a supplementary advising committee, the Binswanger Working Group, release their minutes, preliminary reports and the final report to the public before any implementation.

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College sets strategic plan

By Megh Duwadi | February 28, 2002

Modernization of academic facilities and increased efforts to promote diversity among the initiatives proposed by College President James Wright in a new comprehensive plan for Dartmouth's future. Wright's "Strategic Vision" -- the most in-depth evaluation published since 1990 -- outlines the future of the College's undergraduate and graduate programs and appraises its current position in the community of higher education. "The document itself reflects a lot of discussions with students and faculty and colleagues over the last two years," Wright said.

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DMS study: tanning increases cancer risk

By Fred Yarger | February 27, 2002

The use of tanning lamps significantly increases the risk of various kinds of cancers, according to a study published this month by researchers from the Dartmouth Medical School. The study has attracted the attention of local tanning bed operators, who claim that they are aware of the risks and use safe tanning methods. The study, authored by DMS epidemiologist Margaret Karagas, found that the use of tanning lamps may more than double the risk of squamous-cell skin cancer and may also increase the risk of basal cell skin cancer by 150 percent. According to Karagas, risk also increases in younger tanners, with those under 20 in the greatest danger. In spite of the study, local tanning bed operators are confident that they are doing everything possible to keep tanning safe for clients. Hanover Hot Tubs owner Eric White said he keeps records of his clients' lamp usage, monitors if they redden or burn and requires the use of goggles during tanning. "We do it our way," White said, "and it's a gradual process." When a client signs up for a tanning appointment, White consults his records or, if the client is new, asks when the tanner last tanned.

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Department by department, grades vary significantly

By Bente Shoen | February 27, 2002

Grade inflation is an obvious trend, but some grades are more inflated than others. Though there are no official policies on grade distribution at Dartmouth, an analysis of departmental grading reveals that grade inflation has not risen all boats equally: there are significant differences between departments. The average median grade in Dartmouth's music department over the last eight terms is a 3.75, whereas that of the biology department is .52 grade points lower -- at 3.23. Make you think twice about which elective to take next term? In Dartmouth of old such inter-departmental disparities did not exist.

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At Harvard, as the grades rise, so do the disagreements

By Tara Kyle | February 27, 2002

While debate over grade inflation has challenged old habits at campuses across the country, nowhere does pressure for reform loom so large as at media magnet Harvard University. The nation's oldest and most famous university also leads the Ivy League in one not entirely desirable category -- last year Harvard handed out honors degrees with nearly twice the frequency of any of its peers. Nearly half of the grades granted at Harvard last year fell into the A and A- categories -- meanwhile, grades in the C range composed only 4.9 percent of the total. These figures represent marked change over grades given in 1985, which Harvard's dean of undergraduate education Susan Pedersen released in a report on grade inflation sent to faculty late last year.

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Unique median-grade policy does not stop inflation

By Charles Gardner | February 27, 2002

Nearly eight years after Dartmouth moved to thwart grade inflation by including median grades on student transcripts, students are receiving more A's than ever before, while some are concerned that the system unfairly penalizes students and promotes competition. Unique in higher education, the policy mandates the inclusion on transcripts of median grades and total enrollment in classes alongside student grades.

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