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The Dartmouth
December 24, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth
Opinion
Opinion

Yona: Power and Powerlessness

By Leehi Yona | February 2, 2016

Our voices matter. The gravity of this realization shouldn’t be lost on us: we are powerful as young people. We can shape this world into whatever vision we carry for it.

Opinion

Albrecht: No Laughing Matter

By Emily Albrecht | February 1, 2016

It comes as no surprise to anyone that students at Dartmouth drink a lot of alcohol. Most students at most colleges imbibe regularly, an aphorism that has held true from “Animal House” (1978) to “Neighbors” (2014) — in fact, I like to think of collegiate inebriation in the terms of my second-favorite Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 1:9. “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun.” Whether it is beer, boxed wine or the now-Dartmouth-banned hard alcohol, booze plays a large role in both the public and private lives of American college students.

Opinion

Why I'm Endorsing Kasich

By Rob Portman | January 31, 2016

I have known John Kasich for 25 years. He’s my friend, my governor and was my colleague in Congress for a decade. However, my decision to back John Kasich is rooted in much more than those connections or Buckeye State pride. I am endorsing John Kasich because I believe he is the person our country needs to bring Americans together and deliver on a common sense, conservative approach to change.

Opinion

A Step Forward for Dartmouth

By Jon Kull | January 31, 2016

On Jan. 27, the Board of Trustees voted to establish a School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth. Their vote marks the final step in the approval process of an idea that faculty members have been suggesting for many years and demonstrates Dartmouth’s commitment to research and the important role it plays in the education of all of its students. The mission of the school is to foster postgraduate academic programs of the highest quality, catalyze intellectual discovery and prepare a diverse community of scholars for global leadership. We should all celebrate this important milestone.

Opinion

Szuhaj: The Integrity Trap

By Ben Szuhaj | January 28, 2016

The American political system is in disarray. The seemingly enormous divide between Democrats and Republicans widens daily, and with the 2016 presidential race in full-swing, it isn’t hard to see the fissures forming within parties as well. Long gone are the days of bi-partisanship, the cross-party teamwork of the early 60s and early 80s. Today, we languish in the grip of a political gridlock, a stagnation dotted periodically with brief moments of hope. We say, “If only we elect him, then things will really happen. He’ll do things. He’s not a politician.” What does it say about the state of American politics that the claim to fame of the current Republican front-runner is that he is not a politician?

Opinion

Verbum Ultimum: A Call for Clarity

By The Dartmouth Editorial Board | January 28, 2016

From the summer of 2016 onward, Dartmouth will be offering classes at some new times. One of these new periods, 6A’s, will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays while the other, 6B’s, will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. In addition, class times have been shifted to leave 15 minute intervals, compared to the current 10 minute windows, between classes. The reaction to these changes has been strangely quiet beyond Yik Yak. We aren’t behavioral psychologists (even though one of us is taking “Social Psychology” this term), but we think we may be able to attribute this lack of a student response to the fact that Dartmouth hasn’t actually clearly informed us of the change. The new schedule was released as a PDF on the “Calendars” page on the Office of the Registrar’s website on Nov. 2 according to the timestamp on the website’s source code. We have not yet received an official announcement, campus-wide email or real notice of any kind. Although we could discuss the potential merits and faults of this new schedule, we find a more important issue at stake here: the lack of communication between the College and its students.

Opinion

Hsu: An Oft Ignored Issue

By Caroline Hsu | January 27, 2016

In the hit televison show “Glee” (2009), character Marley Rose suffers from bulimia. Emma Nelson, a character in the show “Degrassi: the Next Generation” (2001), is diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Eating disorders, once a taboo subject, have recently received ample attention in the media. Rather than attempting to hide it, people suffering from eating disorders are now encouraged to seek treatment and help.

Opinion

Ghavri: A Fit of Fury

By Anmol Ghavri | January 27, 2016

On Tuesday night, during a rally in Iowa, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump announced that he would not be attending tonight’s Fox News debate. He invoked his contentious relationship with Fox News and Fox anchor Megyn Kelly, who he has called a “lightweight,” untalented, and unprofessional. He lashed out at Fox News for unfair treatment, his primary reason for skipping the debate. Trump’s bypassing of the debate is unprecedented, as he currently leads the large Republican field. Facing Trump’s allegations head on, Fox has actively defended Kelly.

Opinion

Beechert: Time for a Change

By Michael Beechert | January 26, 2016

Matthew Goldstein ’18, in an excellent article published on Jan. 19, bemoaned the lack of high-quality journalism on this campus. The author correctly identified the twin culprits as The Dartmouth Review and The Dartmouth, the former of which he indicted for being overly reactionary and the latter for shoddy reporting standards. Both of these criticisms have merit — the Review does seem to gain no small amount of pleasure from antagonizing people, and this publication oftentimes leaves much to be desired with regard to the accuracy and depth of its journalism. Unlike Goldstein, I don’t believe that either one of these publications should necessarily strive towards ideological neutrality, and I am cynical about the ability of any campus newspaper to significantly change the world around it. However, there are a handful of simple steps that could be taken to improve the quality of reporting at Dartmouth, and in doing so focus more attention on the problems that actually exist on this campus.

Opinion

Golini: Anti-Social Media

By Samuel Golini | January 26, 2016

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Over break, I moved out of my childhood home. I sat in my attic surrounded by boxes, flipping through an old photo album. I was consumed as my mind relocated to the ’90s (the best decade ever), a simpler time when the key to capturing a great photo was to have everyone in the shot shout “CHEEEESE!” in unison. Click. There. Everyone’s pearly whites are showing, and if they aren’t you won’t find out until the film is developed. The color is raw and unfiltered. There is no retouching. Just a moment in history that was happening when someone pulled out their camera and “click” — the moment captured in its essence, we move on and return to these memories at a later time.

Opinion

Peters: Sanders' Money Problem

By William Peters | January 25, 2016

The fiery rhetoric of Bernie Sanders has set ablaze the hearts of young voters across the country. The Vermont senator’s strategy of late has been to target the current campaign finance system, a product of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which affirms the rights of non-profits to spend on candidates’ behalf. Sanders points to current campaign finance structures as the cause of the majority of our nation’s ills. Sanders argues that if elected officials were not so focused on fundraising, they would be far better legislators. He wants to revolutionize our political system, eliminating the ability of big banks, Wall Street and Super PACs to “buy” candidates and elections. While this may be the best vision for our country, realistically, it is unlikely to happen anytime soon, even if Sanders were to be elected.

Opinion

Fishbein: An Unhealthy Obsession

By Dan Fishbein | January 25, 2016

If you had seen me this past Sunday afternoon, you might have thought that I was in need of serious medical attention. I sweated profusely, my hands shook and my heartbeat reached levels it hadn’t attained even during my earlier gym. My New England Patriots — whose star quarterback Tom Brady has been the subject of my idolization for the entirety of my conscious memory — were trailing their rivals the Denver Bronocs, led by Brady’s rival Peyton Manning, 20–12 with just about six minutes to go in the AFC Championship. As the Patriots’ season ultimately slipped away and we failed to go to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, I felt devastated.

Opinion

Sharma: Reining in the Networking

By Hansa Sharma | January 24, 2016

My friends often joke that I spend more time socializing in the KAF line than I do actually getting my order. KAF London Fogs are just as addictive as good company, and unfortunately, my friends have a point. With so much to get done, I’ve had to set clear start and end times for socializing. In these first few weeks of winter term, I’ve become increasingly dependent on my phone calendar. In these first few weeks of winter term, I’ve become increasingly dependent on my phone calendar. Previously, it was just a tool to keep track of midterms and vacation days. Now, it’s also littered with lunch and coffee dates. As Dartmouth students, we often feel pressure to balance working hard with playing hard.

Opinion

Chun: Hot Chocolate and Low Expectations

By Steven Chun | January 24, 2016

Winter is the season of doing nothing. Squirrels, hedgehogs, bears and even a kind of lemur recognize this and go into long periods of hibernation. In his article “In Case of Blizzard, Do Nothing,” David Dudley writes, “A snowstorm rewards indolence and punishes the go-getters, which is only one of the many reasons it’s the best natural disaster there is.” Winter term can feel like a 10-week blizzard, but with an intense lineup of classes and extracurriculars to accompany it. And, due to some great evolutionary tragedy, we do not hibernate. In fact, despite the pitfalls of the season, Dartmouth students seem to believe they can beat nature. I, too, thought I could outlast the season. It was a terrible idea.

Opinion

Chin: An Invisible Color Line

By Clara Chin | January 21, 2016

Most people, I find, are happy just to have a day off. The six most common paid holidays among businesses in the United States are New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day and Christmas Day. Not on the list, however is the government holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is acknowledged by some non-federal businesses and private schools, including Dartmouth. The College offered several King related events this week, including a speech by Rev. Leah Daughtry ’84 and a student panel on studying abroad. Despite the many events and opportunities, they weren’t very well publicized, my residence hall’s attempts to attend an event as a floor were unsuccessful, and some students still had to attend labs. While it is good that the College as a whole acknowledges Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the lack of follow-through demonstrates apathy about the holiday both on campus and in the U.S. in general.

Opinion

Albrecht: Diversity in Action

By Emily Albrecht | January 18, 2016

Eight years have passed since Abigail Fisher introduced her case against the University of Texas at Austin’s admission policies, and yet, we are all still waiting to hear the latest verdict from the Supreme Court regarding affirmative action. Though UT Austin’s policies have previously been found to be consistent with the guidelines set out in Grutter v. Bollinger — essentially, that race-conscious admissions policies are legal — the Fisher case still has supporters of race-based affirmative action biting their nails.

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