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The Dartmouth
October 10, 2026
The Dartmouth
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News

A college without tenure

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When Florida Gulf Coast University opened its doors in the fall of 1997, it presented faculty applicants with the rare opportunity to shape the growth of a new institution, but also became one of a relatively few colleges nationwide not to offer a tenure system. Instead of granting professors the long-term security of tenure, the university hires faculty members for fixed contracts, typically of three years duration, which are subject to renewal or discontinuation -- based on the recommendations of a supervisory committee -- upon their conclusion. The university, located in Fort Myers in southwestern Florida, has a total of 215 faculty members.




News

SA names diversity affairs chairperson

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The first Student Assembly meeting of the term opened with the appointment of James Joun '03 as chair of the new Diversity Affairs Committee. Issues that the committee intends to address include the creation of programs that will make Dartmouth a more inclusive place and the facilitation of interaction among present ethnic, religious and cultural groups on campus. "There is so much the committee can do to work with other organizations on campus," Student Body President Molly Stutzman '02 said.



News

Experts say tenure creates some gender inequities

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Universities across the country tenure more men than women, with 71 percent of men compared with 52 percent of women holding tenure jobs in 1998-99, according to Department of Education data. Is there a gender bias, or do universities simply employ more males than females who are worthy of tenure? The subject of considerable debate within academe, that question has generated unique responses and explanations nationwide. Director of the Program on Gender, Wor, and Family at American University Joan Williams argues the tenure system is biased against women.



News

Tulloch plea draws muted reaction

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As the Hanover and Chelsea, Vt., communities continue to grapple with last year's vicious murders of Dartmouth professors Half and Susanne Zantop, the unexpected move by alleged killer Robert Tulloch to change his plea has been met with calm rather than shock. Tulloch's decision to abandon his insanity plea this Thursday will expedite a sense of closure to the tragedy, according to students, faculty and community members contacted by The Dartmouth. "I mentioned to a group of campus deans today that [Tulloch's expected plea] is a reminder to look around us to see how our friends and neighbors are doing and to continue to provide support for one another," Dean of the College James Larimore said. Larimore added that his colleagues' reactions were marked by general curiosity.


News

COSO revises selections

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The Council on Student Organizations, responsible for the distribution of funds for many student activities, will soon restructure its member selection process in favor of a procedure proponents say will yield a more representative body. In the past, COSO selected its members through a process in which only current Council members voted to choose new participants.


News

Intruder enters River dorm room

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Hanover Police and the Department of Safety and Security are investigating an incident in which an unidentified individual entered the unlocked dormitory room of a sleeping student and fled after waking her with a touch to the shoulder. The incident, which occurred in the River Cluster's Hinman Hall early Sunday morning, was reported to both the Hanover Police and Safety and Security shortly afterwards, according to College Proctor Bob McEwen. Safety and Security immediately canvassed the surrounding area, though officers were hampered by the absence of any description of the intruder, who left the dormitory room so quickly that the student was unable to provide any information. "We don't even know if the person was male or female," McEwen said.


News

Admittance rate falls to 20 percent

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Acceptance letters to potential members of the Class of 2006 will be sent out tomorrow in a year that saw fewer students admitted despite an overall rise in the total number of applications. The overall acceptance rate declined to 20 percent from 22.8 percent a year ago, when a bumper crop of matriculating '05s overwhelmed the College's residential system. Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenburg said this year's number of admittances, which fell to 2077 from 2220 a year ago, was reduced to alleviate the current housing shortage. Meanwhile, the number of non-white students admitted has risen to the highest levels in the history of the College. Students of color sent more applications than ever before and received 37 percent of acceptance letters, up from 34.5 percent in 2001 and 28 percent just four years ago. The percentage increase in minority applicants was "the biggest among all the Ivies," according to Furstenburg, "and that increase is pretty consistent across the board." Furstenburg attributed the increase in part to stepped up recruiting efforts by the College. "We did more campus visitation programs this year," he said, explaining that minority students who have an opportunity to see the campus first-hand are generally more likely to apply. The considerable increase in the total number of applications occurred despite fears that the events of Sept.


News

Nachtwey '70 captures war, famine on film

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Instead of heading to the Middle East on a new assignment to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, James Nachtwey '70 honored his commitment to his alma mater. A world-renowed war photojournalist and now a Dartmouth Montgomery Fellow, Nachtwey presided over a presentation yesterday of an Academy Award-nominated documentary about his life and work in Cook Auditorium. While the overflow crowd of students and community members may have been expecting a speech, they were not disappointed by the presentation; after answering questions posed by the audience, Nachtwey received a standing ovation. Subjects for Nachtwey's photography include war, famine, poverty and grief.




News

Online scholars don't measure up

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Students enrolled in online courses performed significantly worse than their counterparts in traditional classroom-based courses, according to a Michigan State University study. The results come as no surprise to many Dartmouth professors, who are not yet willing to abandon the classroom. "There is no such thing as an online classroom that has the emotional component that a live classroom has," English Professor Thomas Luxon said.




News

Officials warn Greeks about high-school students

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As Dartmouth social life awakens from winter hibernation, the Department of Safety and Security has warned all Greek house leaders of a possible influx of local high-school students attempting to enter fraternity and sorority parties. According to fraternity and sorority social chairpersons who attended the Risk Managers/Social Chairs meeting last week, Safety and Security acknowledged an increasing presence of high-school students on campus during Winter term. Officer Robert Young "mentioned that Hanover police had been reporting more incidents with high-school students, and they think it could be related to them coming to our events," said Lois Schonberger '03, social chair of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority. Safety and Security Proctor Robert McEwen said he had no knowledge of an increase of high-school students at Greek parties, although Hanover High School students contacted by The Dartmouth said that they attend such functions. Officer Gregory Timmins, who was also present at this meeting, said that Young was simply advising the Greek leaders to be aware of a potentially greater presence of high-school students during Spring term. "We haven't noticed an increase, it's just a warning to the houses to keep an eye out," Timmins said.


News

Williams is Truman Scholar

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A small-town girl from North Dakota and a published mathematician, Heidi Williams '03 was recently named a 2002 Truman Scholar for her work on improving young women's access to math and science education. The $30,000 award, offered to 64 out of 590 undergraduate candidates, will pay for part of Williams' graduate school program in mathematics. The Truman Scholarship is designed for students who want to pursue careers in government and nonprofit, and Williams fits the bill with her interest in education. As part of her current Presidential Scholarship independent-study program, Williams single-handedly organized a Sister-to-Sister Conference, which brought 110 middle school-age girls from eight local schools to the Rockefeller Center on March 8 to discuss educational inequality. "I feel like teaching will always be a big part of what I do.