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The Dartmouth
December 17, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth
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Leaf peepers save up to see New England for first time

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Though it sometimes seems like the center of the world for Dartmouth students, Hanover is only a coffee break stop on autumn foliage tours of New England. "Leaf Peepers" roll in on chartered buses and disembark for 15 to 30 minutes to mill around downtown and admire the campus. Foliage tours are a safe and easy way to visit New England, especially for those who do not travel often. Leaf peepers are generally between 50 to 70 years old and come to see New England during the foliage season, which runs from around September 25 through Columbus Day. Tours last for five to seven days, covering the main historical and natural attractions in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and sometimes Massachusetts.



News

Board weighs town, College interests: Nine out of 11 Planning Board members have ties to Dartmouth

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Due to the recent surge in College construction, some members of the town are raising concerns that so many members of the Hanover Planning Board which approves such plans are directly connected to Dartmouth. Of the 11 board members, nine have connections to the College -- four are employed by either the College or its affiliated organizations, such as the Dartmouth Medical School, two members are married to employees of the College, one is a former employee and two are Dartmouth alumni. These connections have some members of the town worried that the board may be biased in favor of approving College related construction. By the numbers "Just by the sheer numbers, it would imply the game of cards is being stacked or weighted in favor of a decision towards Dartmouth," Hanover resident Frederick Crory said. Crory has had a long-time dispute with the College concerning the construction of the new Rugby clubhouse. A Zoning Board decision declaring that facility educational and therefore exempt from numerous town ordinances, as well as other Planning Board votes -- such as the unanimous approval of the Berry Library plans in a matter of hours -- has sparked much debate about the makeup of town boards. "All of a sudden its a very sensitive issue and there's an outcry," Crory said.


News

Krusi takes over as dean for '99s

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From the Class of 1999 to elementary school, Carolynne Krusi is involved with every level of education. The new dean of the Class of 1999 filled the position recently vacated by Kate Burke, who replaced Dan Nelson as dean of upper-class students when he became acting dean of the College. Former Dean of the College Lee Pelton resigned last year to take over as president of Willamette University. Krusi said her new job "entails opportunities to help students think through the ways in which their Dartmouth lives will feed into their later lives." She works with students to schedule the courses they want to take and helps students address academic and personal problems by identifying resources for dealing with them, she said. "I really enjoy working with students, especially Dartmouth students.


News

Russian official warns of biological weapons

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Biological weapons present a current international threat because they are easier to develop and use than nuclear weapons, a former high official in the Soviet biological weapons program warned last night. In the inaugural speech of a series titled "Russia and the West," Dr. Kenneth Alibek explained the dangers of biological weapons in a post-Cold War era to approximately 70 people in the Hinman Forum of the Rockefeller Center. Unlike nuclear weapons which mainly involve political issues and are not considered weapons of real war, Alibek said biological weapons are thought of as "doomsday weapons" because they have the ability to wipe out an entire population. In his speech, Alibek quoted a popular Russian expression: "If you want to destroy something, make it big." Consequently, Russian scientists have been working for years to develop new technology in an effort to combat its enemy, the United States, he said. Alibek said the world now faces the threat of biological terrorism in the form of viral and bacterial epidemics and said he believes Ebola will be an especially preferred virus to spread since it currently has no cure. Besides the high mortality rate, he said the advantages of biological weapons include the ability of agents to escape from a country completely undetected after administering the toxin and the inability of countries to protect themselves from these weapons. Alibek said it is also comparatively easy to start and spread epidemics.




News

Clubhouse plan meets continued opposition

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The New Hampshire Supreme Court is now deciding the fate of the appeal that Hanover resident Frederick Crory filed against the Grafton County Superior Court's decision regarding future construction of the Dartmouth Rugby Clubhouse. Crory filed the appeal with the Supreme Court on July 21, 1998.


News

Kalb mourns govt.-press relations

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Marvin Kalb, Professor of Press and Public Policy at Harvard University, gave a lecture on the current problems facing journalists to a full Hinman Forum yesterday evening. "There has been a loss of trust and respect on the part of the press for the institution of government," Kalb said, citing Vietnam and Watergate as triggering events. During Vietnam, Kalb explained, a credibility gap developed because of the difference between what the government told reporters and what they were seeing in the field.



News

Brian Sleet '00 does it all, from concerts to class council

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Brian Sleet '00 probably had to rush off to attend to last minute details for the Run DMC concert he helped organize or to DJ a show on the radio, but his relaxed manner concealed it well. A Programming Board co-chair, assistant programming director of WDCR, Drug Abuse Peer Advisor, Green Key member and '00 Class Council member, Sleet could be the poster boy for getting involved at Dartmouth. "If I figure I can make a difference, I'll be there" Sleet said. Although Sleet, a sociology major, came to Dartmouth expressly "to be in the middle of nowhere" so he could concentrate on academics, it is obvious those are not his only concern. Sleet said being a DAPA is one of his most important activities, although he also enjoys his work at the radio station. But Sleet did not come to the College intending to be so involved.



News

DartFolders offers 10 Mb of server space for students

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Every computer user on campus can now store up to 10 Megabytes of files outside their computer using DartFolders, a network-based file storage system. The system allows all students and faculty members to store 10 Mb of information on three computers located in Kiewit Computational Center. Although the idea for DartFolders was mentioned in a technical service meeting a few years ago, Computing Services began developing the program after it recommended that incoming members of the Class of 2002 buy iMacs. Computing Services spokesman Bill Brawley said his department developed the server to provide users with ways to back up files since iMacs do not have a floppy disc drive. Jim Matthews, chief programmer in technical services department of Computing Services, and primary developer of the system said, "We have been thinking about ways to provide disaster protection to users on campus.






News

National Coming Out Week begins today

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Today marks the beginning of this year's National Coming Out Week at the College, a week of speeches, entertainment and activities to educate and unite the campus. Sarah Burgamy '00, Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance co-chair, said this week's activities will be more entertaining and are designed to attract more people than last year's NCOW. Everyone is welcome to these events, which are designed to "get the whole community together and educate everyone involved," Burgamy said. Margaret Smith, coordinator of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Programming, said the week's events are for everyone and are a "celebration of accepting who you are." The week will begin with a brown bag lunch discussion titled "Being Out at Dartmouth" today at noon in Shabazz hall. Other events include a Welcoming Reception on Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 for new and old students, a reading by Michael Lowenthal '90 from his recently published novel Thursday at 4 in Sanborn House, a speech by actress, comedienne and oral historian Judith Sloan Friday at 7 in Brace Commons, a fashion show and dance for Saturday night in the Collis Commonground at 10, an Interfaith Service at Rollins Chapel Sunday morning at 10 and films shown throughout the week by the Dartmouth Film Society. "The different events are each targeted to address certain things," Smith said. Smith said, "The Welcoming Reception is an awesome event for new students on campus and returning students to meet faculty," while the Interfaith Service is designed to emphasize the spirituality of NCOW. Burgamy said she is most proud of the events that are designed to bring the whole campus together and said she is excited about fun events like the fashion show. Smith said the fashion show is open to everyone who would like to design or model clothing, and is a "celebratory, fun event." Students who are interested should contact Peter Jacobsen '00, DRA co-chair and coordinator of the event. Comedienne Judith Sloan, who has had positive reviews in The Village Voice, The London Times and on National Public Radio, will speak about media stereotypes and homophobia, Smith said. The National Coming Out Week committee, made up of faculty, staff, students and administrators, has worked hard to plan these events Smith said. Burgamy said a "slew of sponsors" have also helped out.



News

Endowment drops by $100 million

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The College's endowment has dropped nearly $100 million in the last three months -- mainly due to drops in a bullish and volatile stock market. The drop of approximately 6.5 percent from its last publicly released size of $1.52 billion on June 30 would have been enough to fund the Berry Library and the Moore Psychology Hall projects combined. The endowment is money the College invests for the purpose of earning interest, and these generated revenues finance expenditures without cutting into the endowment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Wall Street's best known indicator, has performed even worse than the College's endowment however, declining by approximately 12.4 percent since the end of June. Despite the large decrease in funds, Director of Investments Jonathon King said the College has little to be concerned about. "We are a long-term investor.


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