Dartlog

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE!

2010-11-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

We've moved. Check out our redesigned news site and updated Dartlog at dartreview.com!

'First Things'...First?

2010-11-05T01:55:00.004-04:00

In the November issue of First Things, the monthly compendium of all things religion started by the late Fr. Richard Neuhaus in 1990, the editors surveyed and ranked more than a hundred American universities and colleges by religious life and hospitality to religion on campus. The journal used a combination of publicly available information and “student polling and systematic conversations with students, graduates, faculty, and chaplains” to arrive at the rankings and descriptions contained within the thirty-six-page article. First Things has a small circulation but is held in remarkably high regard by those interested in social conservatism and the interaction between religion and society in the modern West.

So how did our College come across in this month’s exhaustive and objective analysis of the religious condition? Not well. No, one could go so far as to say that the young men and women of First Things think very poorly of us indeed. The editors were kind enough to include a colorful listing of the top 5 “Schools in Decline, Filled With Gloom”, wherein our very own College on the Hill ranks third, sandwiched between the depravity of Gonzaga and the hedonism of Azusa Pacific University. This particular rating is never explained in the article proper, but the authors go to great lengths to assure their readers that a conscientious methodology.

I hesitate to give too much more space to what was obviously only a very cursory glance at Dartmouth’s culture, but like any good Christian publication, First Things has sagely placed their authoritative analysis behind a pay wall. Dartmouth is “an Ivy League university that insists on calling itself a college”. Conservative students and alums are given credit for resisting “the dominance of postmodern academic liberalism”, but the “one student” cited bemoans the libertarian nature of the “conservative faction” here (As an aside, I’m almost positive I’ve met this one anonymous student. Life of the party, I assure you). The final word on the very brief subject: “A religious student will get some peer support in efforts to resist political correctness, but not much in the way of Christian fellowship.”

Now, why this should warrant a ranking of “In Decline, Filled With Gloom”, I couldn’t say. Nor can I speak to the anonymous student’s lack of fulfillment amongst his libertarian peers. But having been to lectures and dinners at Aquinas House with the Catholics, Shabbat dinners with the Chabadniks, and innumerable scenes of fellowship in our College’s fine fraternal organizations, this critic can lay your fears to rest. It may not be as sunny and pious as those colleges that pay for advertisements on the pages of First Things, but we in Hanover have not sunk into despair quite yet.

This Just In: ‘13s Still Worst Class Ever

2010-11-01T11:32:00.001-04:00

At least three ‘14s touched the fire and at least five rushed the field, according to the Daily D this morning. Seems there are some feisty freshmen this year. Good to see the old traditions haven’t failed yet.

Kim Blitzes Campus

2010-10-29T12:30:00.001-04:00

Well, at least it’s not telling us to not touch the fire or rush the field for once.

Dear Students,

The moment you matriculated to this College you became a member of the Dartmouth community. This is a lifelong membership, and you should not underestimate how much you will gain from it in knowledge, experience, and friendship.

Traditions like Homecoming invigorate this sense of community and have helped maintain it year after year (a point that is more than apparent in this recent Dartmouth YouTube video: http://bit.ly/bqJV1P). These traditions, however, are threatened when members of our community, whether they are students or alumni, engage in dangerous and harmful behavior, including binge drinking and sexual assault.

Be safe this weekend. If you choose to drink alcohol, please do so in moderation. Be proactive about seeking help for anyone you think might need it.

Do not hesitate to call Safety and Security at 603-646-4000 for assistance, even if you are not sure it is necessary.

Look out for one another. Together, we can ensure Homecoming is safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Sincerely,

Jim Yong Kim
President

Egyptian High Court Bans Police from Campus

2010-10-25T12:58:00.004-04:00

The Egyptian High Court has recently affirmed its decision that the permanent stationing of police on university campuses is unconstitutional, rejecting a government appeal on the ruling.

While the government may still cite emergency measures to supersede the law, this decision comes as a relief to social rights groups who claim that said police presence was intended to stifle political protest of the rule of Egyptian President President Hosni Mubarak, who has held authoritarian rule of the country for nearly 30 years.

Given that H-Po has no particular penchant for the restriction of political discourse, nonetheless this Egyptian cure would no doubt come as a welcome resolve if assumed by the College. Take the hint, Hanover!

Finally

2010-10-23T01:42:00.001-04:00

Some art that Dartmouth students can truly appreciate!

Affirmative Action and Public Perceptions

2010-10-19T19:55:00.002-04:00

A study by researchers at Clarkson University, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, and the May Group Family Fund found that independent observers will value a company lower if told that the top executives are African-American graduates of a prestigious university than if they are white graduates of the same university. This racial disparity in perceptions goes away when the universities are less prestigious or it is stated that admissions are race-blind.

This tends to support what opponents of affirmative action have been saying for years, that the population at large assumes any minority at a prestigious school using affirmative action did not get their by talent alone; unfair to the minorities who did and have to suffer lower expectations come hiring season, but it seems like the logical result of such a policy. Then again, when did logic ever stop anyone from implementing a good old fashioned social engineering project?

D.R.F.C. Celebrates 60th; Crushes Brown

2010-10-09T14:53:00.004-04:00

The Dartmouth Rugby Football Club held its 60th Anniversary today with alumni and friends of the club flocking to the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse. Along with an Alumni vs. Tuck game, the dedication of the “1959 California Touring Side Scoreboard,” and a D.W.R.C. game against Yale, the D.R.F.C. 1st and 2nd XV both enjoyed victories over Brown, the 1st XV dominating with a 107-5 final score and the 2nd XV winning handily at 22-5.

Young Cons’ Newest Vid

2010-10-09T14:31:00.001-04:00

It’s always fun when the Young Cons, Josh Riddle ‘12 and David Rufful ‘12, release a new song and video; partly because the beat is catchy and the lyrics are amusing, partly because you can read outraged comments on YouTube, yet the Young Cons continue on unfazed. This video is their sixth, Master of My Destiny. Enjoy!

Blitzjack Meets Sexual Assault Commentary

2010-09-29T21:38:00.011-04:00

The following blitz was apparently sent from the PRFORM blitz account to all '14 women during Orientation, before their first weekend out at the frats. Attached was a song titled "Out of Control" written for us Dartmouth students, which we've uploaded.

>From: PRFORM
>Date: 24 Sep 2010 18:23:31 -0400
>Subject: blitzjack
>To: (Recipient list suppressed)

Welcome to Dartmouth, we are glad you are here
Prepare to surrender what you hold most dear
Your money, your time, what is it you ask?
You will find out, once this school we unmask.

What you think of this place is not what it seems
You may see the lines, but not what's in between
They tell you we're great, just fun and games
But some of us are not so friendly and tame.

What they will take, you will never get back
Your world that was white will now become black
Beneath the lies is the worst of crimes
For which recovery will take quite some time.

Out of Control (5:58)

In this author's opinion, the song and poem raise some strong points and very powerful, and it's clear whoever wrote it has felt a lot of pain. The message, however, seems better directed at all of us, and not toward unwitting 14s who hadn't experienced our culture just yet. I hope the good will behind this gesture isn't too drowned out by the delivery or strength of the message, which is undoubtedly shocking to many.

Update 9/30/2010 11:10 AM: This blitz was sent to 13s, under a gmail account named "Expecto Petronus," on September 29th. It may or may not have been sent by the same person; there's no easy way to tell.

Compassion and the "Mosque" Controversy

2010-09-28T15:56:00.002-04:00

In the third grade, I was the only Asian kid in my class at Hoben Elementary. Sometimes, I would have conversations like this:

DJ: “Konichiwa!!!!”

Me: “Hi, DJ.”

DJ: “No speekee English. Ching-ching!!! Tofu!! Ka-Powww!!! What did I just say?”

Me: “You said you didn’t understand English and ‘tofu’.”

Please don’t get me wrong: Elementary school, with its naps and snack times and easy friendships, held some of the happiest years of my life. Conversations like that angered me, but I don’t blame DJ or carry some deep grudge. The reasoning is simple: Most of it wasn’t malicious, and it’s just what kids do when they see unlike-Trust me, it happens all over the world.

But as I got older, I noticed people became less inclined to do those bothersome things. In polite company, people don’t greet me with “Konichiwaaa!!!”, and don’t assume that I know Kung-Fu, which is best, as I’d get butt kicked by anyone who does. This “bothersomeness-avoidance”, or sensitivity, applies to lots of other stuff as well. It’s why people now avoid using the n-word, and why kids across the nation are forced to expand their synonyms for “lame” beyond just “gay”. There’s debate over some of the political correctness behind sensitivity, but the crucial point is that sensitivity is actually just that: Sensitivity to another, and his thoughts and opinions. Its why nowadays, even though Chris Rock told that joke, it’d still be insensitive e to repeat in polite company. It’s not fair, of course. He tells it-Why not you? It seems unfair, discriminatory. Technically, it is unfair, discriminatory. For some, I can understand why it’d be enough to make them angry.

I can also understand, then, why the Muslim world would be so infuriated by this mosque controversy. After all, the key points made by the proponents of building that community center are entirely correct. Our Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. The land has been bought, the permits have been filed, and the technical details sketched out. In sum: Does Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his congregation of by all fair definition moderate Muslims have the right to build Park51? Absolutely. But should they?

William Kristol in the Weekly Standard cites the prominent Muslim broadcaster Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid in saying that a mosque so near Ground Zero would symbolize for terrorists a victory monument of sorts. The Imam himself thought differently and was quoted suggesting denial of construction of the Park51 would fuel rage in the Middle East and only serve to increase the fervor of radicals and terrorists. This seems a valid point. (Albeit understandably a bit sinisterly Catch-22ish to protesters of Park51.)

I say, forget the terrorists, because really this is a conflict between two fundamentally decent groups of Americans. One, which technically has the right to build Park51, and is understandably angry that people would seemingly protest that right, and the other, also understandably angry, because it sees a Muslim place of worship so close to where radical Muslims (but Muslims nonetheless) have murdered 3,000 innocent people as incredibly distasteful. Bothersome, even. Some argue that this discomfort is irrational. Why, if one accepts that the terrorist on 9/11 did not represent Islam, would one be so riled up over a mosque? William Slatten of Slate writes: “Once we recognize the sensitivity argument for what it is—an appeal to feelings we can't morally justify—there's no good reason why the Islamic center shouldn't be built at its planned site, in the neighborhood where its imam already preaches and its members work and congregate.” He misses the point. Sensitivity isn’t about the logicality of using tact; it’s about you caring enough about that person that you’d use it anyways. Let’s get real here: How many unreasonable emotions would still be ameliorated and how many corresponding relationships would still benefit from the tact born of kindness? Expanding upon the Chris Rock example, I don’t think it’s particularly reasonable that in many situations I could get away with telling Asian jokes and friends of other ethnicities, due to some reason or another, can’t. But I still appreciate their sensitivity when they avoid telling those jokes because technically unreasonable or not my feelings may be, their willingness to not exercise some of their freedom shows a certain respect, care, and friendship.

The best solution would not be, per one particularly vitriolic Huffington Post comment, Park51 staying where it is and shoving it to the “hateful bigots”. The most elegant, symbolic solution would simply be one that displays the compassion that belies true sensitivity. It would be one group of Americans saying to another: “I understand why this would be painful, and because I care about you and your opinions, I will move Park51, even though I have every right to remain where I am.” I’ve said to forget the terrorists in these considerations, but imagine. What message would this display of sensitivity and comradeship send to extremists about the nature of our country, and the unity and strength of our culture and people?

The beauty of the choice to relocate Park51 is the freedom that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has in making that choice. It says a lot about our nation that the ball is, as it always was and always should remain, in his court. Those who are against Park51 have already demonstrated the intensity of their feelings and need to give the developers of Park51 the space and freedom to make that decision. After all, one of the noblest sentiments in our democracy is, to paraphrase Voltaire (and echoed by the Eisenhower quote posted on Dartlog): “I hate what you’re doing, but I’ll die defending your right to do so.” Thus, for me, as for most rational folks, the question now isn’t about that right. That’s a moot point. Rather, the question is, what will they do with that right? What would you do? What would be the compassionate, the sensitive thing to do?

Lazio Drops out of NY State Governor's Race

2010-09-27T20:13:00.004-04:00

Rick Lazio has withdrawn his name from the race for Governor of New York State. And so Andrew (don't call him Andy) Cuomo's sole challenger with be Crazy Carl Paladino. Though Cuomo once held a monumental lead, it has been dwindling of late.

Jump to Dartlog's previous coverage of the NYS gubernatorial race here.

Indians Punch Past Pioneers, 21-19

2010-09-26T02:02:00.001-04:00

There’s nothing like a thrilling victory. The Indians got one yesterday when they took down Sacred Heart after trailing at the half 12-7. Dartmouth scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a lead that they held to a nail-biting finish when Sacred Heart missed a field goal wide left with less than a minute left. The Indians are off to their best start on the warpath in thirteen years.

If there’s one thing the Indians are lacking, it sure isn’t a ground game. With the Monster from Massachusetts, Junior tailback Nick Schwieger ‘12, out of action with flu-like symptoms, freshmen running back Dominick Pierre proved an able replacement, dashing for 110 yards and a pair of trips to the promised land. QB Connor Kempe ‘12 threw sixteen completions on thirty attempts, including four completions to senior Tim McManus ‘11 to surpass 2,000 passing yards in his career.

This is Dartmouth’s best start in over a decade and the first time the team has won consecutive victories since many on campus were in middle school. The Indians face off in their Ivy League opener against the 24th ranked Penn Quakers (1-1)in Pennsylvania this upcoming Saturday. This will be the most challenging test the Indians have faced thus far. Penn has an extremely stout defense led by senior defensive back Jon Saelinger who earned National and Ivy Defensive Player of the Week honors in Penn’s victory over Lafayette thanks to three interceptions. Notably the Quakers only allowed eight first downs, 19 yards rushing and 168 yards total offense; in addition, they had four takeaways and held Lafayette to less than a yard per rush on average, an intimidating set of figures but one to be expected from last year’s #1 defense amongst FCS schools (they are currently number one this year as well). The good news is that the Quakers’ offense appears to be anemic, having scored only 29 points overall.

Go get ‘em, Indians. Wah-hoo-wah!

President Kim Alters View on Humanities

2010-09-23T16:49:00.005-04:00

As reported by the Daily D, President Kim's speech at Convocation, held on Tuesday, was a far cry from remarks made previously in an interview with the Washington Post. Rather than disparage the humanities, Kim praised their value, calling for students to learn from his mistakes. “Don’t make my mistake of not engaging in [the humanities] until after you graduate...Embrace the lifelong task of becoming a better thinker,” he said.

President Kim, who aroused suspicions last year as to his commitment to the liberal arts, also spoke of the benefits of the humanities in his Presidential lecture in July, in which he stated, "You can map many of these traits, habits of the mind, on the course work that we are already doing, especially in the humanities and arts — others as well — but especially I think in courses in the humanities."

What remains unclear is whether Kim's statements come from a genuine interest in the humanities or a desire to appease those who remain concerned about his long term goals for the college. Indeed, Kim's introduction of a master of health care delivery science program last year sounded alarms for many and raised doubts about his commitment to the liberal arts.

Read the full text of President Kim's Convocation speech here.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

2010-09-21T18:22:00.001-04:00

Everyone remembers how exceptional support was for Barack Obama in 2008 from college students. Now many are having second thoughts, even if support for the President is still higher amongst the young—and less world wise—than amongst other demographics. College Republicans managed to capture that growing apathy perfectly with this delightful little video.

They probably could’ve saved on production costs if they’d just played this oldie.

Indian Football Opens With a Win

2010-09-18T17:15:00.001-04:00

Now that's more like it.

The Indians overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to storm back with 34 unanswered points in the second half to smash Bucknell 43-20. Junior running back Nick Schwieger rumbled to 216 yards and two touchdowns in the first season opening victory Dartmouth has had since 2005 when the Indians defeated Colgate 26-21 in Hanover.

The Indians are 1-0 and go up against ~~8th ranked University of New Hampshire~~ Sacred Heart next in the home opener. Wah-hoo-wah!

Finally, a Rally for the Rest of Us

2010-09-17T15:13:00.003-04:00

Because the account two weeks ago of Glenn Beck's populist revival received so many comments, I couldn't help but take note of an upcoming event that is sure to gain traction. Even as it seems that our nation's public discourse could not get lower into the mud, a bright light appears on the horizon.

The inimitable duo of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will be keeping it classy on the National Mall on Saturday, October 30 with twin gatherings: Stewart will preside over the Rally to Restore Sanity, while Colbert's stage persona will lead the satirical March to Keep Fear Alive.

From the Wall Street Journal's "Speakeasy" blog:

On his show, Stewart spouted a number of slogans to promote his event, including "Take it down a notch for America." He also promised pre-made signs for attendees to wave around, with signs ranging from "9/11 was an outside job," to "Got Competence?" and "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler."

Watch the videos below, too. Thank goodness for these guys. How did it come to be that two of the most level-headed and mature current-events commentators on TV today are on Comedy Central?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Rally to Restore Sanity

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

March to Keep Fear Alive

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

Fox News

Interesting Perspective on the Ground Zero Mosque Controversy

2010-09-04T17:58:00.010-04:00

In light of the ongoing Ground Zero Mosque controversy, a quote from President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the opening of a Washington D.C. Islamic Center in 1957:
I should like to assure you, my Islamic friends, that under the American Constitution, under American tradition, and in American hearts, this Center, this place of worship, is just as welcome as could be a similar edifice of any other religion. Indeed, America would fight with her whole strength for your right to have here your own church and worship according to your own conscience. This concept is indeed a part of America, and without that concept we would be something else than what we are.

Shameless Self Promotion

2010-09-03T15:56:00.000-04:00

Up on the Voice blog once more.

Thoughts on Glenn Beck and "Restoring Honor"

2010-08-28T15:03:00.004-04:00

Just got back to the house in DC from several hours on the Mall at the Glenn Beck camp revival known as "Restoring Honor." It was a bizarre experience. Quite aside from all else that's been said about it, the one thing that struck me was how amateurish and random the whole production was.

Like Glenn Beck himself, the event was a real hodgepodge of conflicting ideas and images that didn't really mesh naturally together. The main two elements were celebrations of religion and homages to the military. Mixed into this stew was an overlay of praise for MLK Jr. and calls for honoring our iconic national heroes -- Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln et al. Several of the speakers had some real difficulty staying coherent.

The audience's attention often lagged. The crowd showed the most enthusiasm for Palin and Beck, as should probably have been expected. It was an overtly political group -- Tea Party t-shirts, GOP buttons and stickers, various pieces of anti-Obama apparel -- and I think that many of them were looking for some more red meat from the speakers.

Editor emerita Emily Esfahani Smith and I roamed around for quite some time beforehand, taking pictures and talking to attendees. Many came from quite far away -- a ton of Alabamans, lots of Texas flags, lots of people from Missouri, Kansas, even further west. Quite a number of families, lots of vets, and a big share of retirees. People were tame and good-natured. They were also overwhelmingly white.

Beck was a total self-parody. Taking on the mien of an evangelist minister, he whipped himself into a self-righteous frenzy, often seeming like he was on the verge of tears. His rhetoric wonderfully mirrored that other paragon of ego, Barack Obama. Several times, Beck uttered direct paraphrases of "we are the ones we've been waiting for." It was fatuous, but doubtless completely sincere. He suggested throughout the event that God had instructed him and his PR team what they needed to do in order to pull off the "Restoring Honor" rally. He also credited "divine intervention" with supplying $600,000 in needed funding to save the event at the last minute. I'm sure.

The speaker who most managed to add a touch of class to the rally was baseball star Albert Pujols, who distinguished himself with a speech that was mercifully quick and (rare for the day) not exceedingly self-referential. Pujols offered his thanks for the opportunities he's had in his life, and then discussed his philanthropic work for Down's Syndrome children in his home country of the Dominican Republic. He told the crowd that "we should never forget where we come from."

Excepting Pujols, however, it was almost uniformly an exercise in demagoguery and outright silliness. Beck made hallowed national symbols -- the monuments, the Gettysburg Address -- feel like cheap devices for Beckophilia. His pleas for national unity and for lowering the political temperature in America rang hollow. This is the same man who has called President Obama a racist, and who has helped stir the pot of international controversy over what should be a neighborhood issue: Park51, aka the Ground Zero Mosque.

He's hardly the successor to MLK that he fancies himself as. Matter of fact, Beck is little more than a two-bit charlatan with an unfortunately large following. I wish there could have been a very different event today at the site of King's epic "I Have a Dream" speech. Instead, we got the self-infatuated celebration of a very small man.

Take Ivy, Take Two

2010-08-27T01:05:00.002-04:00

Back in this past year's Book Review issue I wrote about the phenomenon of Take Ivy, the Japanese campus style book from the 1960s.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an original from Japan but those who weren't are in for some good news. Brooklyn-based powerHouse Books [their styling, not mine] is re-releasing the book, now with English translations. You can pre-order it here. It might just come in time to take up to school for fall term.

In the meantime, keep yourself occupied with an interview of a Dartmouth '68 who graced the pages of the book twice and is full of Hanover memories.

Schwartzman on NY's Gubernatorial Race

2010-08-20T18:40:00.004-04:00

Dartmouth Review week editor and prolific Dartlog contributor Adam Schwartzman has a post up over on the Village Voice's Running Scared blog about the Republican contenders for New York's governorship and the vitriolic words flying out of upstate challenger Carl Paladino's mouth towards Long Island's very own Rick Lazio.

Paladino has jumped on Lazio's employment at Wall Street mainstay J.P. Morgan and accused him of being "Joe Lobbyist". Wait, is Paladino really claiming that business experience is a bad thing? To be fair, If Lazio is proven to have engaged in corrupt behavior then there's not much to say in his defense. However, if his largest crime is having worked downtown (rather than upstate, where Paladino hails from), then it would seem that Paladino's populist pandering is far off base.

Not that it really matters - it seems as if Andy Cuomo is going to win handily.

I know, I know - the Village Voice is a lefty rag. But do the right thing and head over there.

Administrators Cite Dubious Reasons for Improved Rankings

2010-08-17T10:32:00.007-04:00

The newly released 2011 US News & World Report College and University Ratings bring an improved standing for Dartmouth: while the school maintains it's #1 ranking in "Best Undergraduate Teaching" for the second year in a row, it has jumped to #9 in "National Universities," up from #11 in 2010.

In an interview with the Daily D, Provost Carol Folt cited smaller class sizes as one of several reasons for Dartmouth's increased position. However, just a few short months ago the D offered plenty of coverage on what seemed like the college's likely response to the economic downturn: a permanently increased class size, beginning with the class of 2014. According to Dean of Admissions Maria Laskaris in a December interview with the Daily D, "I think it wouldn’t just be for one year, the decision would be to increase the size of the student body more long-term.”

With the new rankings out, all of this seems swept under the rug and the college is more than happy to extol the virtues of its dedication to a small class size. How is it that we were never informed of the final word regarding this "extensive discussion," as President Kim put it? More likely than not, a decision was made, as seems to be the modus operandi of the school these days, without consulting the student body in a meaningful way.

A call to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students revealed no information on the size of the class of 2014; the office cited a constantly shifting number of newly matriculating students and no available estimates as to their total number. It can only be assumed that if the college has indeed increased class size, they have chosen to keep the final decision incredibly quiet and only the Review is left to cry foul at this unfortunate administrative contradiction.

McChrystal Heads to Yale

2010-08-16T14:25:00.003-04:00

Yale University has recently announced that General Stanley McChrystal, who was recently dismissed by President Obama due to disparaging comments made in a Rolling Stone article, has joined the school's faculty as a the teacher of a graduate-level seminar on leadership.

McChystal, who tendered his resignation on June 23 and subsequently retired from the military, will teach at the newly-formed Jackson Institute of Global Affairs. According to the university, the four-star general's class will be available to both undergrads and graduate students.

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know...

2010-08-14T06:53:00.002-04:00

About Green Eggs & Ham by an alum of our prestigious institution, the legendary Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel.

Stay classy, Keith Halloran

2010-08-13T19:33:00.001-04:00

B@B Back Online

2010-08-09T12:09:00.001-04:00

Goodbye work ethic, hello procrastination.

Oh noes!!

2010-08-05T15:32:00.013-04:00

Bureaucrat-in-chief Carol Folt writes:

We are pleased to announce the selection of Microsoft Online Services as Dartmouth's primary service for email, calendar, and collaboration tools... The new Microsoft service will replace Dartmouth's "BlitzMail" email system. Although once highly innovative and beloved by many, it is more than 20 years old and no longer meets our needs. We know that Google and its various applications have many supporters. Yet, after careful evaluation, we have decided that Microsoft offers the most secure and best integrated service on the market today. We are confident that it is a robust solution that will allow us to provide modern and protected service to our community.

"Careful evaluation": a euphemism for three years of administrative indecision, overfunded "research committees", and a big, big check from Microsoft to edge out student-preferred Gmail. And so at long last dies one of the most annoying, antiquated, and irrationally beloved parts of Dartmouth. Tour guides will no longer have to utter the moronic phrase "Yeah, blitz is so cool, it's like a mix of email and IM! I never call my friends to plan lunch after 10As, I just blitz them!" with false (or even more disturbingly, not false) enthusiasm to incredulous campus visitors. Sororities, including my own, may collectively freak out as a result of Folt's cautioning us that "Microsoft and Google calendar applications do not integrate with each other."

I for one look forward to being able to view emails with HTML, however.

Two Dartmouth Grads on The Today Show

2010-08-05T12:30:00.004-04:00

So it happened yesterday, but Dartmouth graduates Jeff Deck '02 and Benjamin Herson '02 were interviewed on The Today Show. For what, you may ask? These two gentlemen are typo crusaders, men who gallivant about the country searching for typos to correct. They also have a book coming out on August 3rd, The Great Typo Hunt. Its, uh, "theatrical trailer" is posted below.

Man of the Hour: Michael Bloomberg

2010-08-04T14:24:00.002-04:00

If you've had a chance to crack open today's New York Times, you'll see the latest in the controversy regarding plans to build a 13-story mosque just two blocks north of the World Trade Center site.

While the plans have garnered opposition from parties as varied as Sarah Palin, New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, and the Anti-Defamation League, the planned mosque and Islamic community center has recently gained final approval from the city.

With the myriad different views and stances regarding the mosque, it's good to see New York City Mayor (and new buddy of President Kim!) Michael Bloomberg taking a strong position that cuts right to the core of the issue; from the Times:

"'To cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists- and we should not stand for that,' the mayor said.

Grappling with one of the more delicate aspects of the debate, Mr. Bloomberg said that the families of Sept. 11 victims- some of whom have vocally opposed the project- should welcome it.

'The attack was an act of war- and our first responders defended not only our city but also our country and out Constitution,' he said, becoming slightly choked up at one point in his speech, which he delivered on Governors Island. 'We do not honor their lives by denying the very constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights- and the freedoms the terrorists attacked.'"

Say what you will about Mayor Bloomberg, a man who has unquestionably attracted his fair share of controversy, but I applaud the Mayor for sticking to his guns in such a delicate debate, particularly when his stance is one that will undoubtedly detract his support from some of the most Bloomberg-friendly demographics- namely religious Jews and conservative Republicans, both of whom have largely been vocal in their opposition to the mosque.

Surprise

2010-08-03T11:07:00.002-04:00

Tax reduction thus sets off a process that can bring gains for everyone, gains won by marshalling resources that would otherwise stand idle—workers without jobs and farm and factory capacity without markets. Yet many taxpayers seemed prepared to deny the nation the fruits of tax reduction because they question the financial soundness of reducing taxes when the federal budget is already in deficit. Let me make clear why, in today's economy, fiscal prudence and responsibility call for tax reduction even if it temporarily enlarged the federal deficit—why reducing taxes is the best way open to us to increase revenues.

Take a guess at who uttered these words. Would John F. Kennedy even be among your first ten guesses? And yet in his 1963 Economic Report, JFK said the above.

The message: think past party lines and support practical solutions.

Budget Gap Closing

2010-08-02T10:23:00.005-04:00

Say what you want about President Kim, but, unlike his predecessor, he certainly knows how to handle a budget.

This landed in campus Blitz inboxes on Friday.

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing today to describe our progress toward closing the $100 million budget gap projected for fiscal years 2011 and 2012.

Your tremendous work over the past year has allowed Dartmouth to turn a financial corner. We now have a plan that we are confident will eliminate the $54 million budget gap predicted for fiscal year 2011. This has enabled us to provide a 1% increase to the base salaries of all College non-union employees who meet/exceed expectations. A small fund for exceptional performance will also be available at the discretion of the Provost, Vice Presidents, and Deans. We regret not having an announcement on pay increases earlier, but it was critical to understand the year-end savings and revenue trends. While the amount is small, it is intended to acknowledge the importance of growing base pay and to provide some relief for cost of living expenses. Effective October 1, non-union employees will receive a 1% increase in wage/salary rates plus a supplemental payment equivalent to a 1% increase in base rates for July-September.

We have been working closely with representatives of our unionized employees on successor contracts. Theatrical employees at the Hopkins Center for the Arts have approved an agreement. SEIU members will soon vote on an agreement negotiated by their leadership.

All of you have done whatever you could to help throughout the year, and the Strategic Budget Reduction and Investment planning process has benefited from your input (for more information, go to http://budget.dartmouth.edu/). We received more than 1,300 individual suggestions through the website. The Budget Committee was expanded to increase input from faculty. We received valuable feedback from the President's Administrative Forum, Committee on Priorities, Student Budget Advisory Committee, and numerous public forums with President Jim Yong Kim and others.

With President Kim's leadership, the focus has been to advance Dartmouth's educational mission while minimizing job loss. Actions have included spending cuts; operating with a smaller workforce; changes in benefits; and maintaining our commitment to need-blind admissions and meeting the demonstrated financial needs of our students while re-instituting modest loan expectations.

The adage that the sum is greater than its parts is especially relevant here. Cumulative changes in hundreds of areas have helped Dartmouth to meet its budget targets and preserve its outstanding academic programs. We have achieved savings in many areas, such as:

* Over $22 million in capital cost savings, at the Visual Arts Center, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, and other projects.
* A decline in printing costs from $6.7 million in FY09 to $4.1 million in FY10.
* Procurement savings of $2-3 million in FY11.

A number of other indicators also are positive:

* Twenty-six individuals have been rehired. As part of normal hiring and replacement activities, there are over 100 jobs posted on the Dartmouth employment page. We will be filling these open positions, while meeting our financial targets.
* Dartmouth alumni continue their remarkable support with strong results in alumni annual giving for FY10. We will be releasing results next month.
* Our investment and finance teams have worked to enhance our already strong financial position. We anticipate meeting the endowment distribution projections.
In the coming year as we focus on implementing the changes underway, we will continue to depend on you for advice and participation. Current plans will address at least 80% of the total $100 million gap that had been projected through FY12, so additional work to refine projections and identify additional savings and revenues will be needed.

We want to close by thanking you for your extraordinary efforts over the past year.

Best regards,

Carol Folt, Provost and Steve Kadish, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Kim's "Habits of the Mind"

2010-07-31T13:40:00.003-04:00

President Kim really gets it.

From my remote location in Washington, I had the chance to see Kim's Thursday lecture via streaming video, the second in his presidential lecture series. Our friend Joe Asch over at Dartblog contends that Kim's speech was only so much rehashed material -- the standard stump speech. That may be so. In the event, it's a damn good stump speech, and one which probably can't be repeated enough. Kim's unique ability to articulately outline the utility of the liberal education, of what education can and should be, is reason enough to applaud, even if the routine sometimes seems like it's getting old. Undoubtedly, Dickey's repetition of his signature line about making the world's troubles our own troubles occasioned grumbling in some quarters. But that repetition has made it a foundational feature of the Dartmouth identity.

I was particularly struck by this portion of the talk, which addressed the value of the humanities from a scientific perspective:

His background in medicine and his scientific approach is what makes Kim a particularly notable and effective champion for the humanities. It's very predictable for an English or History professor to stand up for his discipline's inherent value. It carries some added oomph when it comes from the other side of the aisle. Moreover, it is an important part of the progression toward a reconciliation of science and the humanities, and a mutual understanding of the necessity of each. If more talks on this theme can help contribute to the unity of the disciplines, then Kim's efforts really are worth something in an academy that is characterized by disciplinary fragmentation.

Now, the notion that a humane education would lead to creative thinking and enhanced capacities for empathy is common sense. But it's common sense that needs to be said again and again. And, frankly, Kim (and more largely, Dartmouth) is fighting a very lonely battle for the liberal arts in the United States and throughout the world. At the end of the clip above, Kim talks about the almost strictly vocational nature of Korean education, even at elite levels. The same could be said about much of the United States, where the most popular undergraduate major nationwide is business administration. It would be a difficult task indeed to measure the empathy-generating effects of coursework on the foundations of marketing.

Of course Dartmouth, happily, is one of the proud few who abstain from dealing in such training at the undergraduate level. But that merely points to what an elite phenomenon the purely liberal arts education still is -- which is truly a shame. The liberal arts belong to all, and would be the rightful focus of all undergraduate college education outside of the natural sciences.

I just returned from a week-long Intercollegiate Studies Institute conference in Annapolis precisely on this topic, and it is remarkable how many of the themes that I heard coming from conservative intellectuals at that conference are echoed in Jim Kim's remarks. Notwithstanding items like the very misguided shut-down of Connecticut River swimming, et cetera, Kim's seemingly deep-felt conviction and thoughtful commentary on the liberal arts should give conservatives a few reasons to cheer.

Filligar's New Album: The Nerve

2010-07-23T13:04:00.003-04:00

Have you heard it?

Begin the Revolution

2010-07-17T05:32:00.002-04:00

Well, that sure didn't take long. Looks like concern that the Administration would delay their decision over what to do about the River turned out to be unfounded. Instead, they rendered it less than 48 hours later.

From Blitz:

Dear Dartmouth Students:

We are writing to update you on this summer's swimming options. As you may already be aware, students and the Administration have been working together to develop and review proposals for the safe use of the waterfront. The Administration has reviewed the recommendations received to date and has concluded that we do not have viable alternatives that can be implemented this summer.

As such, the College will continue to provide free shuttles to Storrs Pond on weekends. We are also working with the student leaders at Ledyard Canoe Club to continue to offer free use of canoes and kayaks through the end of the summer term.

None of us are happy with the current situation. We are committed to working together to find a safe and fun alternative for the summer. We will be working with Student Assembly to form a Task Force to explore longer term options for use of the College controlled areas of the waterfront. It will be very important that the Task Force members represent the breadth of the student community. In addition, College staff and faculty with particular areas of expertise will be asked to assist. While Student Assembly is developing its appointment process, please blitz Campus Life if you are interested in participating, or have ideas that should be considered.

Sincerely,

Sylvia C. Spears, Ph.D.
Acting Dean of the College

April Thompson
Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life

Aaron R. Limonthas '12 Summer Term Student Assembly President
John R. Rutan '12 Class Council President
Satoshi W. Harris-Koizumi '12 Class Council Vice-President

I hope Mr. Blalock is ready to rush his troops to action.

Regarding the River

2010-07-15T23:38:00.005-04:00

So you may remember that the Connecticut River is closed. The Class Council has a solution.

"You're joking."

No, not really.

------------------------------------
Every Saturday and Sunday, noon-5pm,
Meet in the back of Collis to be shuttled to Storrs Pond ---for the remained of the term (last day: Sunday, August 22).
------------------------------------

Shout out to freshman year roomies, this song is dedicated to you toria.

Rebecca--can we please work on CS hw together? asdfhakdjhf

Sam Marshmallow. Give me your landrover.

They may not be joking about Storrs, but that doesn't prevent Storrs from being a joke in and of itself.

Unfortunately, it looks like the protest over the river has been postponed. Over at Dartblog, Joe Asch has the Blitz from Travis Blalock '12 posted. It appears the College has formed a committee on the matter and Blalock has decided to hold off--for now, at least. The instant the College "does not satisfy our demands we will resume our campaign of protest."

One hopes Mr. Blalock is correct in his assessment. If the College decides that a judgment on the matter is to be rendered in, say, December, Mr. Blalock can go right back to protesting. The College hasn't been all that stiff when people start showing up in Parkhurst.

Scientists More or Less Solve Timeless Conundrum

2010-07-14T11:44:00.004-04:00

Researchers in London have recently published findings that claim an answer to the age-old question, "what came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Long story short, it's the chicken.

In a paper entitled "Structural Control of Crystal Nuclei by an Eggshell Protein," the scientists discussed the discovery of ovocledidin-17, a protein found only in chicken ovaries and eggs. This protein, they contend, must be present in the ovaries of the chicken in order for the egg to form.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Sheffield University's Dr. Colin Freeman stated that, "It had long been suspected that the egg came first but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first."

However, in an interview with CNN, the same Dr. Freeman said that the conclusions weren't as clear-cut as one might think. "I would argue that the concept of an eggshell came about way before the chicken, it's dinosaur or even pre-dinosaur thing. That's something to talk to an evolutionary biologist about probably," he said.

Apparently the research was meant to gain insight as to the formation of shells in order to apply the findings to other fields, namely medicine. As it turns out, the results re-sparked interest in the chicken-egg riddle, but failed to come to a satisfying conclusion. It seems that the debate rages on.

Protest Forthcoming at Bloomberg Lecture

2010-07-14T07:49:00.002-04:00

No, it won't be a protest against Bloomberg. Our spies have informed us that there will be a student led protest against the river closure before Mayor Bloomberg's lecture, because that's "where the cameras are."

You heard it here first.

Ivy Grad Publishes 2nd Book

2010-07-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

Travis Rowley's first book, Out of Ivy, revealed how a liberal Ivy, Brown University, turned him into a committed conservative. Providence Journal editor Robert Whitcomb wrote, "Mr. Rowley's description of incidents on Brown's politically correct campus are by turns hilarious, infuriating, and intriguing as he provides one of the sharpest and most detailed inside looks at elite higher education seen in a long time, Tom Wolfe's 'I am Charlotte Simmons' included."

Mr. Rowley's new book released last week does not attack Brown University, but the last 70 years of Rhode Island's left-wing activists, unions, and Democrats who have propelled RI into bankruptcy and achieved the 10th highest total state and local tax burden in the country. When asked what he hopes to accomplish, Mr. Rowley says, "Nothing short of a wholesale power shift will satisfy me... My political experience, coming out of Brown University, has been with the far left. And I think that has put me in a unique position to be able to point out the radical elements that have infiltrated Rhode Island government." Mr. Rowley is currently the chairman of the "oldest political youth organization in the United States" RI Young Republicans.

Bloomberg Takes to Hanover; Boloco for All!

2010-07-11T08:47:00.005-04:00

In the continued spirit of President John Sloan Dickey's "Great Issues" concept, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will take a break from the sweltering heat of the Big Apple on July 16 to speak in Moore Theater at the Hop. Bloomberg, who successfully amended New York City's term limit laws in order to run and serve for a third term in 2008, will discuss his experiences as a politician, businessman, and philanthropist.

In a blitz to both undergrads and graduate students, President Kim explained that the lecture is intended to "provide the entire sophomore class with a shared experience that sparks campus-wide conversation and debate about important issues of the day." The President elaborated that the talk is the first in a Dartmouth Presidential Lecture Series.

Although space is limited, and it is assumed that a seat at the talk is a hot commodity, President Kim is nonetheless sweetening the deal with free Boloco burrito vouchers for those in attendance. Additionally, students at the lecture will be asked for feedback "as part of our strategic planning process...as we examine ways to incorporate a shared intellectual experience into the Dartmouth summer schedule in future years."

What better to spur Dartmouth students into a continuation of intellectual discourse than free Boloco?

Not to be outshone, President Kim will deliver his own lecture on July 29th in which he will discuss "the importance of developing 'habits of the mind' that are key to success in life. "

Bloomberg's lecture will take place at 11:15 a.m. on July 16th, with Kim's at 4 p.m. on the 29th.

Can't Stand the Heat?

2010-07-09T16:38:00.000-04:00

Head to Novack. From Blitz:

Due to the prolonged heat and humidity, the college has identified the air conditioned Novak Cafe as a student "heat relief" and "cooling station."

The cafe has been equipped with 50 cots for sleeping (20 have been set up in Novak room 60). Additional cots can be set up in the main area of Novak as needed. Novak is open and available to students 24 hours a day and will be staffed from 11PM to 8AM each night this weekend by Safety and Security personnel. Students who are in need of a cool place to sleep or who are looking for a comfortable space to study or just cool off should use this space during this heat wave.

"The Talk"

2010-07-09T14:13:00.003-04:00

Occasionally, an organization on campus will descend into self-parody. For the Sexperts, a group that has near Adam West era levels of camp in more or less all that they do, this is difficult to pull off, but they've finally done it.

Paul Joannides, Author of "Guide to Getting it on!" is starting a series of fun sex informational videos on YouTube. Let us know what you think of them!

::::: > Enjoy your weekend!

VIDEO #1: Condoms- Getting the Right Shape, Fit & Feel (11:57)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3MhLqjQKk4&NR=1

VIDEO #2: 5 Things to Learn About Lovemaking from Porn (5:24)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwfYHBHlhBM&feature=digest

Charming. As near as I can tell, I don't think the SexPerts are actually affiliated with this guy so it leaves one to wonder why they'd want folks' opinions on the videos. Just so you're forewarned, those videos are beyond suggestive (you probably didn't need to be told given the cliche use of colons and a greater than sign in the message, but don't say I didn't warn you). Any information you glean from these videos on bacchanalian etiquette can be put to use in that video project designed to terrify freshmen.

Want to Scare '14s?

2010-07-08T18:54:00.003-04:00

If the answer to that question is yes, you can sign up for "The First Time." This Blitz got sent out to the campus a few days ago:

THE FIRST TIME

Share your experience in a video about sex at Dartmouth.

The premise of the project is simple: everyone finishes the same sentence, "The first time I _________________." Responses are short -- 1 to 2 sentences max. The goal of this project is to
present diverse perspectives on sex and hooking up at Dartmouth in a film that will be used to promote open discussion of sex at Dartmouth and when you're ready for your 'first time' (whatever first time that is).

THE FIRST TIME will be filmed in the next two weeks and edited in time for inclusion in the '14s orientation programming

Not necessarily a bad idea. Talking about how, say, everybody has a right to say no is a worthwhile goal as is explaining that not everybody on campus decides to partake in sexual encounters. I'm not sure how balanced the project will be, however, based on some of the quotes listed at the bottom of the Blitz, which range from "cute" (the third response) to "morbid" (the seventh). Observe:

..............................................................................................
..............................................................................................
"The first time I had an orgasm was by myself." - Female '10
..............................................................................................
"The first time I had sex was on a pool table." - Male '11
..............................................................................................
"The first time I kissed someone was spring break of my freshman year at
Dartmouth." - Female '1
..............................................................................................
"The first time I had sex was my freshman fall, I was blacked out and it was
with a stranger." - Female '12
..............................................................................................
"The first time I realized how hard it would be to wait for marriage was
when I got to Dartmouth." - Female '1
..............................................................................................
"The first time I ever had sex wasn't my choice, but since then I've made it
a point to always make sure I'm the one making the choice." - Female '11
..............................................................................................
"The first time I blacked out at Dartmouth I woke up next to a guy I barley
knew; I spent half an hour at CVS trying to decide if I needed Plan B." - Female '11
..............................................................................................
"The first time I had sex was nuts!" - Male '11
..............................................................................................
"The first time I had sex was with someone I loved and who loved me and
there were literally fireworks." - Female '11
..............................................................................................

Throwing this sort of stuff out there runs the risk of romanticizing the hookup culture that pervades Dartmouth, something I've yet to hear anyone actually speak in defense of.

I also had a Blitz forwarded to my inbox that contained a more specific description of what the program will entail.

The First Time Project is a collection of audio and video recordings from members of the Dartmouth community about their "first time." We hope this commonality (we all have a first time, whether it's a first kiss, first sex ever or first sex at Dartmouth) can bring together a diversity of experiences. The mission of the project is to promote open discussion of sex and sexual decision-making at Dartmouth. The edited video will be used as part of the sexual health and education programming on campus and in particular for incoming classes of Dartmouth students – starting with the class of 2014 – during freshman orientation and beyond (ranging from public showings of the video to smaller, facilitated discussions with freshman floors).

If pulled off correctly, this could be an informative and informational presentation. If not, it could end up like the Sexpert presentation on my floor freshman year: an awkward forty-five minute talk which the Sexpert concluded by sticking a dildo on the wall.

B@B Offline

2010-07-08T15:45:00.004-04:00

It appears that Bored at Baker has been taken down, at least for the time being.

If you're unfamiliar with the site, it allows users to post anonymously about more or less any subject they choose without any moderation of their comments. At Dartmouth discussion has ranged from discussion of which a cappella groups are "A-side" to much less savory material. It might help if you think of the site as a sort of virtual bathroom wall.

Jonathan Pappas, the owner of the Boredat sites (as I understand it, there's one for every Ivy, named for the respective library on campus) has shut them down while he figures out a way to correct the situation, issuing an open call for coders. Why, exactly? Well, to quote the page that B@B's address redirects to:

i have temporarilty suspended boredatbutler and other similar boredat sites. recently it has come to my attention that a small group of people have begun using the sites to target and attack specific individuals. the attacks are not on the community as a whole, rather, they are targeted at specific individuals in a repeated, persistent manner. the attackers post personal information (phone numbers, email addresses, etc) and defamatory statements. i do not condone this kind of activity and never have. since i dont have a solution for this problem right now, like i've done in the past, i've decided to take down the sites for the time being.

on another note, it seems that the community has shifted over time to be about homosexuals looking for anonymous hookups. don't get me wrong: i dont have anything against homosexuality. however, its not what i intended the site to be all about.

i will not allow boredat to exist if these conditions are present:

1. specific individuals can be targeted or defamed repeatly without a proactive way to deal with such incidents.
2. a majority of the "center stage dialog" centers around anonymous homosexual activity.

Hard to see if there's anything surprising about this. It's more or less a proven law at this point that internet+anonymity=jerks and that sites like this tend to quickly deteriorate to the lowest common denominator.

Still, I doubt this is the end for B@B. It's been taken offline before and it seems unlikely that it will be gone for long. Until then, the less savory amongst us will just have to content themselves with scratching obscenities into tables in the stacks.

Dartmouth a Good Investment, Says WSJ

2010-07-06T16:50:00.003-04:00

The Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics blog has ranked the top institutions in terms of return on one's investment. We landed in the number five slot, two slots behind Harvard but ahead of the rest of the Ivies. All in all, not a bad showing.

It's interesting that the research was conducted by Payscale, a company that placed us #1 on starting and mid-career median salary not too far back. It should be noted that both rankings are based on self-reporters (albeit it quite a few of them) rather than scientific samples.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T20:10:00.003-04:00

Well, hopefully everyone has had a full plate of barbecue and spent time with friends and family by now. Allow the Review to lighten the mood and entertain you for a few minutes with this patriotic little ditty from the musical 1776.

Remember to be careful with any fireworks you may set off tonight, and God bless America.

Hood Director Brian Kennedy steps down

2010-06-30T10:20:00.014-04:00

So Provost Carol Folt announced in an email this morning. Mr. Kennedy will begin as the director at the Toledo Museum of Art this fall; read more about it here.

During his tenure at Dartmouth, Mr. Kennedy's artistic choices tended to disappoint. Surely the most infamous (and likely most expensive) example would be united nations: the green house, Gu Wenda's strings of hair strewn throughout Baker-Berry Library. While Gu Wenda produced some fine art in the earlier part of his career (that is, before he became famous, and even these better works sometimes seemed derivative of the more talented Xu Bing), his latest work tends toward a seamless dovetail of aesthetic ugliness and intellectual shallowness. In short, Gu creates maximal hype with minimal artistic merit: this is, of course, exactly what he brought to Dartmouth. (A New York Times article about the installation can be found here.) The combination of the elegant Baker Library, already painfully dated Berry Library, and garishly colored strings of human hair hanging throughout could not have been less appealing. Needless to say, I studied in Sanborn.

Other pieces for which we have Mr. Kennedy to thank include Peter Iniq's Inukshuk, a pile of rocks sitting outside McNutt Hall—a fine way to gloss over Dartmouth's troubled historic relationship with Native Americans and make anyone who loves great art, or anyone who can see through higher education's mania for multiculturalism, roll their eyes.

I do, however, appreciate Mr. Kennedy's acquisition of the Hood's sole Jackson Pollock painting. In addition, Mr. Kennedy's exhibitions at the Hood were as a rule coherent and well-done. 2008's "Ruscha and Pop: Icons of the 1960s" was the finest exploration of Pop Art (not that there's that much to explore in that movement, but still) that I have yet seen.

I wish Mr. Kennedy all the best in Toledo. I have an unpleasant feeling that his replacement, which Carol Folt said would be announced "shortly", will be a distinct downgrade. But here's to hoping Ms. Folt will prove me wrong.

Pirates!

2010-06-30T08:33:00.003-04:00

Dartmouth Government professor Bridget Coggins has an excellent piece in the latest issue of Foreign Policy magazine about the perils of modern piracy, replete with some excellent graphs that breakdown pirate methods and objectives. Her conclusion? The world hasn't yet devoted the necessary resources to stopping sea banditry: "With just a handful of vessels matched against a pirate playground larger than the Mediterranean, the plunder goes on."

Students Rally to Save Fun

2010-06-29T17:16:00.004-04:00

On June 23, Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life April Thompson announced the closing of the Connecticut River swim docks, garnering a new coalition of students fighting the seemingly perpetual onslaught against the Dartmouth experience. A Facebook group fittingly named "Save The River Dock" founded by Travis Blalock '12 has already grown to nearly 200 members.

Furthermore, Blalock drafted a letter to Dean Thompson on June 28 requesting that the safety review which led to the closing of the docks be made public. Blalock encourages all concerned parties to take action against the closing of the swim docks.

NYT Highlights Pilobolus at the Hop

2010-06-28T21:40:00.003-04:00

The New York Times gave Dartmouth's own Hopkins Center some much-deserved attention on the front page of Monday's online edition. Alastair Macaulay's write-up of the Pilobolus weekend dance show is a paean not only to Pilobolus (founded by Dartmouth alums), but also to the College itself and to the Hop, "one of the leaders in commissioning modern-dance works." A priceless piece of promotion for the Hop and the College's public affairs office.

Also priceless? Joe Mehling's photo credit in the Times. His ubiquity knows no bounds.

For those who don't closely track the world of modern dance, Pilobolus is perhaps the best-known group in the country. They performed at the 2007 Academy Awards, and the group got its own feature story on 60 Minutes in 2004. Pilobolus has its origins in a 1971 dance class at the College taught by instructor Alison Chase. Here they are on Conan last summer:

USMNT Falls to Ghana 2-1

2010-06-26T18:30:00.004-04:00

Hard fought game by the US, but in extra time we saw more Ghanaians flop on the ground than Dartmouth students will into the Connecticut River this summer. Since I'm not really a huge soccer fan, someone enlighten me: is this the point at which we riot and cause an international incident?

On the Role of Trustees

2010-06-25T23:52:00.002-04:00

Over at the John William Pope Center, William Leonard has a piece on Trustees and financial management that our Board would be wise to read.

McNutt Murders Bear

2010-06-24T23:40:00.001-04:00

I ran into this in McNutt, just outside the Registrar's office on the first floor. This is one of the College's animated polar bears. These things are spread throughout campus, primarily in dorms in the McLaughlin cluster and New Hampshire. Depending on the energy use in the building, the animation will change from the bear sitting serenely on a glacier to him fleeing, Wile E. Coyote style, from a crack in the ice. The worst possible result is displayed below, where the College's energy use is somehow enough to melt what I'm assuming to be the north pole. As you can see from the picture (I apologize for the low quality; I took it with my phone), that makes the bear sad, presumably because he can't shoot Coca-Cola commercials anymore. Awwww.

The humor, however, comes from the note on top of the display which reads, "Please don't worry about the Polar Bear! He and a bunch of new staff members have just moved in. We're getting used to life in McNutt together." I find it funny that the College assumes we care less about the energy use than about that bear. What's next, screens above paper recycling pins showing a squirrel escaping loggers?

Dartblog back?

2010-06-11T12:15:00.002-04:00

Dartblog has begun posting again, featuring the musings of old standby Joe Asch.

Here's hoping he sticks around this time.

The Dartmouth Atlas Shrugged?

2010-06-09T10:28:00.002-04:00

Over at National Review Online, Avik Roy has an excellent piece on the Dartmouth Atlas of Healthcare, which came under fire recently for its methodology (incorrectly in that case, Avik believes, although he does see some issues with other parts of the Atlas's methodology). The College, for its part, was quick to defend the Atlas.

It makes for an interesting article, especially since the Atlas has been used by the Obama administration to argue that much of health care cost is waste.

NYT Quotes Tuck Professor, Refers to "Dartmouth University"

2010-06-04T12:06:00.004-04:00

You just don't like to see this: in an article about the faltering leadership of BP chief executive Tony Hayward, the New York Times quotes distinguished professor Sydney Finkelstein at "Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business:"

"People want to know someone is in charge, that the right person is there, but someone who says the stuff Hayward has said doesn't engender confidence," said Sydney Finkelstein, a professor of strategy and business at Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business. "We understand he is overwhelmed, but that also might suggest he's not the right man for the job."

The quality of writing and editing at the NYT continues to demonstrate why the Old Gray Lady has been obliged to sell herself to Carlos Slim.

Who Reads The Dartmouth Review?

2010-06-01T18:33:00.001-04:00

Karl Rove, for one.

The Young Cons At It Again

2010-06-01T00:08:00.002-04:00

It's always a pleasure when Josh Riddle '12 and David Rufful '12, both Review editors release a new song. Their newest effort remixes Mistman's "Airplane." Enjoy.

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds V and VI Go Belly Up; and What's the Nexus Between Dartmouth and North Carolina?

2010-05-21T23:58:00.010-04:00

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds (MSREF) V and VI, which were the beneficiaries of Dartmouth's conflicted investment policy (Dartmouth Charter Trustee R. Bradford Evans is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley), are apparently tanking - fast.

As indicated in the last post (see below), Dartmouth invested $20 million in MSREF V in March 2005. It also invested an undisclosed amount in MSREF VI in March 2007. The investment committee that manages Dartmouth's endowment investments (Dartmouth has been operating without a Chief Investment Officer since David Russ left Hanover to head Credit Suisse's Investment Strategies group last June) is overseen and directed by the Board of Trustees.

Now those Morgan Stanley funds are hitting the skids: according to a December article in the Wall Street Journal, MSREF V lost quite a bit of money. The California State Teachers' Retirement System had a $137 million investment in MSREF V. By last summer, the value of that investment was $300,000.

WSJ also reported that MSREF V bought eight luxury properties at the top of the market in 2007, taking out a $1 billion mortgage to finance the deal. That mortgage was subsequently carved up into mortgage-backed securities and sold to investors.

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 11, 2010 that SEC investigators are currently looking into bringing criminal charges against Morgan Stanley for misleading investors about collateralized-debt obligations (CDOs) tied to mortgage-backed securities. But Morgan Stanley's real estate division came in for investigation well before that: according to a March 2009 article in the New York Times, Morgan Stanley reported to the SEC that its star real estate investor in China had violated US law by bribing Chinese officials in Shanghai to smooth out a few multimillion dollar investments.

MSREF V wasn't the only Morgan Stanley real estate investment to flop. MSREF VI also lost 61% of its value between 2007 and today. It might lose $5.4 billion on its original $8.8 billion, making it "the worst loss in the history of private real estate equity." That report comes from the Carolina Journal, which documents the decline of North Carolina's state pension fund, also invested heavily in MSREF V and VI.

In an interesting coincidence (?) Carolina Journal reported in October 2009 - in a story headlined "New Questions Surround Ousted Treasury Official and Fund Managers" - that Pamela Joyner '79, a Dartmouth Charter Trustee, acted as the "placement agent" for a 2005 deal that invested $150 million from the North Carolina state pension endowment into a fund run by Apollo Investment Management, founded by Dartmouth Charter Trustee Leon Black '73.

The same article also raised questions about the relationship Joyner and her husband, whose firm Horsley Bridge Partners managed $225 million of the NC state pension, had with a state treasury official who was recently fired. A law professor at Duke, James Cox, commented that "it is certainly something that raises eyebrows and needs explaining."

More on the Troubling Conflicts of the Board of Trustees

2010-05-21T20:15:00.006-04:00

From the Tellus Institution's report (p. 33), more accounts of serious conflicts of interest among the trustees, just in the last 5 years. Listed below are the trustees, their firms, and the funds in which the College invested its endowment money:

P. Andrews McLane, T.A. Associates, T.A. Associates Fund XI - undisclosed sum

R. Bradford Evans, Morgan Stanley, Real Estate Fund VI International TE, L.P. - undisclosed

R. Bradford Evans, Morgan Stanley, Global Best Ideas Fund, L.P. - undisclosed

Russell Carson, Welsh Carson Anderson and Stowe, WCAS L.P. - $20 million

Russell Carson, Welsh Carson Anderson and Stowe, WCAS IV, L.P. - $10 million

Russell Carson, Welsh Carson Anderson and Stowe, WCAS X, L.P. - $15 million

Jonathan Newcomb, Leeds Weld & Co., Leeds Weld IV - $10 million

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Justice, previously obtained by The Dartmouth Review, indicates that Brad Evans' Morgan Stanley received at least $65 million in Dartmouth investments: $20 million for its Real Estate Fund V International in March 2005, and $45 million for its Global Best Ideas Fund in November 2006.

All told, Dartmouth put $110 million of endowment money into funds managed by the trustees.

The report notes very appropriately, "When such a concentration of trustees is involved in managing endowment assets, conflict-of-interest policies of disclosure and recusal from decisions related to one's own firm may provide inadequate assurances of independent oversight."

Yep.

"Egregious" Conflict of Interest

2010-05-21T11:47:00.004-04:00

Dartmouth's investment policies are questionable at best, and now BusinessWeek has picked up on it with a story on elite colleges' role in fomenting the speculation excesses of the Naughty Aughties (the 2000's).

The key quote:

“Dartmouth provides the most egregious example of conflicts,” said Joshua Humphreys, lead author of the report and founding director of the Center for Social Philanthropy at Tellus, on a conference call. He lectures at Harvard. “Can you imagine the investment committee meetings at Dartmouth? Basically half the room has to leave including the chairman of the investment committee.”

Humphreys is referring to the Trustees' practice of investing the College's endowment money in funds that are managed by Board members themselves - not a bad helping hand to those funds! Examples cited by the article included:

$40 million to Leon Black's Apollo Global Mangagement

$10 million to Steve Mandel's Lone Pine Capital

$10 million to William Helman's Greylock Partners

Thursday News Update

2010-05-20T12:16:00.011-04:00

Professor Tse has created one of those visual tricks that will undoubtedly end up in your e-mail inbox at some point down the road. Nifty. (Amusingly, NewScientist lists Dartmouth as being located in New Jersey.)
Professor Pease should be pleased to know his new autobiography of Dr. Seuss got a favorable review from New Statesman columnist Amanda Craig.
The men's crew teams should be congratulated; USRowing's Men's varsity eight poll has ranked Dartmouth #8, leapfrogging them seven slots forward from the #15 slot and the lightweight team has pierced the top five to come in at the #4 spot.

Wednesday News Update

2010-05-18T12:06:00.007-04:00

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics Charlie Wheelan wants his $25 back from United Airlines for losing his baggage. Good luck with that, Professor, but your first mistake was flying on United with their legendary baggage handling skills.
Professor Blanchflower's as busy as ever. His crystal ball predicts that another European bailout package to ward off the Acropolis Apocalypse is "inevitable." In addition, the new governing coalition in Britain will "Snap by the End of the Year."
Tuck recently did a study that found that peer-to-peer networking is a "treasure trove" of leaked health care information.
Ms. Vanessa Seivers '10 will get around to that job she was elected to. Eventually.
There's "gutsy" and then there's "faking your way into Harvard." The last is best illustrated by one Adam Wheeler, who came this close to graduating from that lesser institution of higher education. He faked his SAT, transferred into Harvard claiming to be a transfer with a straight A average from MIT (in actuality having just been dismissed from Bowdoin for academic dishonesty) and was only caught because he applied for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships and a professor noticed some pretty blatant plagiarizing. This guy is the Aleksey Vayner of Cambridge.

Health Care Delivery

2010-05-17T08:36:00.005-04:00

You can't say that it is completely unexpected, given Kim's consistent advocacy on this issue. If any initiative is right up his alley, then it's this one. Altogether, in addition to the policy improvements it will hopefully yield, this new Center for Health Care Delivery Science could make Dartmouth more of a national and global name in education and research. That's a great thing.

Kim's announcement is certainly very exciting, and it suggests that Kim does have a style that is big and bold. He coordinated the announcement with an op-ed in today's Washington Post. He badly wants Dartmouth at the head of the national discourse on health care. In a lot of ways, this flows nicely with an advantage that Dartmouth already has: the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care has been making news throughout the health care debate, and between the Med School's solid reputation and the resources of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, "health care delivery science" is a niche that Dartmouth can rapidly fill.

The College's press release contained a quote from Ed Haldeman that suggested this won't be the first big initiative we see coming out of the Kim administration:

The Trustees and I fully expect that this is the first of a number of initiatives Dartmouth will launch in the coming years. This spring President Kim and Provost Folt are launching a strategic planning process that will identify other initiatives that build upon Dartmouth's many strengths.

I hope so, because as exciting as this new initiative is, and as big an issue as health care delivery is, it's still a niche issue not tailored to an undergraduate institution. Undergrads in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities will appreciate the massive public policy ramifications, but our education won't be defined by Kim's new center.

In addition to the master's degree in health care delivery science that is planned to start enrolling students in July 2011, Kim said in the press release and on the new Center's website that the College is also going to put forward undergraduate offerings in the field. As long as it's a few courses, that sounds great. But there have been rumors floating among faculty members for months now that Kim might be interested in introducing a "Health Care Delivery" major, a move that would seriously compromise the College's core liberal arts mission by focusing undergraduates on a very narrow field of public policy/medicine.

So for now, optimism. As pertains to undergrads, it will be extremely interesting to wait and see what moves the College makes to integrate this new center with undergraduate education.

Pres. Kim, Saving World Again

2010-05-17T07:21:00.001-04:00

I'll say this about President Kim: he doesn't slow down. This landed in Blitz inboxes this morning.

May 17, 2010

Dear Members of the Dartmouth Community,

Today we are announcing the creation of The Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science, supported by a spectacular commitment of $35 million from an anonymous donor. The donor believes that Dartmouth is uniquely positioned to lead the advancement of this critical field. More about this new enterprise is included in the following press release (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2010/05/17.html) and at TDC.dartmouth.edu.

Provost Carol Folt and I expect we will identify other major initiatives that draw upon Dartmouth's unique strengths as the strategic planning process continues.

This is an exciting moment for Dartmouth. This gift recognizes the excellent work of our faculty and the collaborative strength of this academic community. The gift also expresses the will of a generous donor to help us tackle one of the most challenging issues of our time.

Sincerely,
Jim Yong Kim
President, Dartmouth College

Syracuse, Columbia Commies Carry Contempt for Capitalist Commencement Speakers

2010-05-14T11:28:00.002-04:00

Over at NRO, Charlotte Allen has an amusing article on students at Columbia and Syracuse who dislike their commencement speakers. Why? Well, they committed the great crime of being bankers. The students should relax. At least they never have to worry about the specter of Timothy "TurboTax" Geithner in that role.

Swede Students Shut Down Free Speech

2010-05-11T17:31:00.003-04:00

Occasionally, I'm reminded of how thankful I ought to be that I go to Dartmouth where folks of all stripes are level headed enough to hold a discussion or attend a talk without shouting down a speaker or, you know, assaulting them with confectionery like Cornellians do.

The same can't be said for Swedish students of an indeterminate religion at Uppsala University, who shut down a lecture by artist Lars Vilks on, you guessed it, free speech. In the past he drew an unnamed religious figure with the body of a dog. For this, he received death threats, which is a totally reasonable response.

Behold, Vilks's self-pronounced death sentence.

In addition to shouting something akin to "Admiral Ackbar" at him, it appears these students rushed and headbutted Vilks, breaking his glasses. Thankfully, somebody was prescient enough to bring along some security. Video of the incident can be found below:

(h/t BigGovt)

Bizarre Blitzes, Godawful Grammar

2010-05-07T01:27:00.002-04:00

I'm used to getting a cornucopia of unsolicited blitzes from activist organizations of which I was previously unaware, but the combination of gag-inducing imagery and ambiguous grammatical construction made this one special:

From: Standpoints
Date: 07 May 2010 01:25:41 -0400
Subject: May 12th- OSTRACIZED
To: (Recipient list suppressed)

May 12th- OSTRACIZED

9 out of 10 women develop fistula as result of complications in
childbirth

A WALK TO BEAUTIFUL

- Come see the powerful stories of a group of Ethiopian women who continue to

RISE
ABOVE

THE STIGMA OF FISTULA

Where: Brace Commons
When: May 12th 2010 @ 6pm with Prof. Sackeyfio

***** FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE ORIENT*********

Two comments:

9 out of 10 women develop fistula as a result of complications from childbirth, eh? Either there are a few words missing here or it's a veritable miracle that there are any women left walking among us.

There is literally no better way for upper middle class white students to talk about the debilitating illnesses of the Third World than over a steaming plate of Chinese food.

IvyGate Blog Adds Insult to Injury

2010-05-05T00:25:00.002-04:00

It seems that the defamation of former trustee candidate Joe Asch has been revamped with one of the latest posts on IvyGate. Apparently an editor of the blog dug up some of the weeks-old campaign slander from the Daily D and regurgitated it into tonight's piping-hot Ivy League gossip. Too bad the post has garnered nothing but anger from the Dartmouth students and alums who've read it (check the post's responses).

And Now For Something Completely Different

2010-05-04T18:52:00.002-04:00

You may have read Will Aubin's interview with Jonathon Recor MALS '10 in a recent issue of the Review, or read Aubin's brief blog post here about the Love March/Recor's B-day party.

Now you can witness it in all its strange glory on YouTube.

LAX on CBS College Sports

2010-05-01T18:50:00.003-04:00

It appears that the Women's Lacrosse squad's Ivy League Championship game will be broadcast tomorrow on CBS College Sports at 12:30 P.M. and then re-broadcast at 5:30 P.M. Wah-hoo-wah!

Linguistic Nonsense

2010-04-30T22:04:00.043-04:00

The Daily D’s opinion page is hit or miss. Some days I’ll read a well thought out, eloquent piece. The past two days do not fall into that category.

Yesterday I found myself reading the opinion column by Julian Sarkar ’13 titled Press One for Bigot and repressing the urge to close the Firefox window. The whole article is full of nonsense, so it’s hard to know where to start.

Let’s begin with the thrust of Sarkar’s piece: that English only movements are bad and that having laws on the books making English the official language of the United States is somehow bigoted (fun fact: New Hampshire a law making it the official state language, as do Arizona and Alabama). And, according to Sarkar, making English the official language of the United States will somehow trample our First Amendment rights and, “deter Americans from speaking any language other than English for fear of police action.” Esto es estúpido. Folks protesting in the Arizona capital certainly didn’t seem to be afraid of it, though it appears some of the protesters missed the “pretend you’re a patriotic American” memo. Oops.

To prove that such legislation would lead to persecution, Sarkar gives an example of a teacher who struck a student when the child spoke Spanish. Sarkar neglects to mention the teacher was placed on leave for a year, then fired as a result of the incident. The second example involved a high school student in Kansas who was suspended by his principal after being overheard saying “no problema” in the hallway. The school district reinstated him within hours of the incident and apologized to the family. The family promptly sued. I wasn’t able to find any news on what eventually happened to the kid, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the knuckleheaded principal was fired for her incompetence or if the family ended up with a nice wad of cash. If this qualifies as "persecution," then what do we call massacres in Darfur or Bosnian ethnic cleansing?

Sarkar then goes meandering for the next couple of paragraphs, throwing out several red herrings along the way. Alabama comes from a Muskogean word, yes, but so what? People in Alabama should speak Muskogean? Great, but that hasn’t stopped people in Mexico from speaking Spanish in Teotihuacán, a city that gets its name from, according to Wikipedia, an Aztecan language. And, for what it’s worth, the Chickasaw Times, a paper I subscribe to, is published in English. What about the costs of multilingual printing, which Sarkar muses “are hardly significant”? Well, in 2002, the California Department of Motor Vehicles spent $2.2 million providing language services. Providing multilingual services would cost the Immigration and Naturalization Service between $114-150 million annually. Some of the costs come from the federal Voting Rights Act, which required King County, WA to print ballots in Chinese to little effect. That's a lot of dollars sunk into 3,600 ballots for barely any return. I know we’re in an age where the word “billion” or “trillion” roll off our tongues pretty easily, but that’s still quite a lot of money.

Sarkar then proceeds to worry about the potential effects of the newly passed Arizona law, SB1070, fretting that it could lead to—well, that’s never really explained, only that it allows for the investigation of anyone with “reasonable suspicion” of not holding legal residency. In other words, Sarkar is implicitly arguing that the law allows officials to investigate people based on what language they’re speaking.

This isn’t what it the law allows for at all. There is nothing about "English only" in this act. Instead, it does the following:

Prevents the establishment of “sanctuary cities” that refuse to enforce immigration law and allows someone to bring suit against a state official/agency as well as any county, town or other political subdivision that isn’t enforcing federal immigration law to its fullest extent.
Prevents unlawful hiring of illegal aliens for work.
Any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official may result in detainment of an individual if the law enforcement officer has reasonable suspicion that the person in question is an illegal alien. So, let’s say a fellow gets pulled over for a burnt out taillight. He’s acting skittish and evasive and there are twenty-eight people stuck in his van, none of whom speak English. I’d say that passes the test for “reasonable suspicion.”
After discharge from prison, the illegal alien will be handed into federal custody .
A law enforcement officer can arrest a person without a warrant if the officer has probable cause to believe that the person has committed any public offense that makes the person removable from the United States (a recent article by CNN's Jack Cafferty reports that almost 1 in 5 illegal immigrants have a criminal record).
Except where preempted by federal law, officials/agencies of Arizona may not be stopped from sending, receiving or maintain information relating to the immigration status of any individual or exchanging that information with any other federal, state or local government for a multitude of reasons, such as confirming someone’s identity.

While we’re at it, let’s not forget Subsection J of Sec. 2, Title 11, chapter 7, article 8 which reads as follows:

J. THIS SECTION SHALL BE IMPLEMENTED IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH

FEDERAL LAWS REGULATING IMMIGRATION, PROTECTING THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF ALL

PERSONS AND RESPECTING THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF UNITED STATES

CITIZENS.

The rest of the law deals with unpleasantries that have occurred alongside illegal immigration, such as human trafficking and drug smuggling. Basically, it’s a retread of federal law. I don't know how Sarkar missed this, the law is only sixteen pages long. Arizonan’s are doing something that the federal government lacks the cojones to do. Good for them. Stronger enforcement will make it more difficult to commit crimes like cross-border kidnapping.

The plain language of the statue hasn’t stopped some from becoming nearly hysterical, as the editorial shows.

“What members of this movement have largely lost sight of is our American tradition of resisting British imperialism and our pluralistic history predating the nation’s independence”

Since when did we have a “tradition of resisting British imperialism”? We had the revolution, sure, but colonists considered themselves British beforehand. Is Sarkar referring to the bold, anti-imperialist action of tearing down London Bridge and rebuilding it stone by stone in Lake Havasu, Arizona? If so, then Arizona's done more than any other state to resist British imperialism.

“It is written in the historical documents upon which this nation was founded”

Remind me, how many languages were those documents written in again?

“Implementing the proposal of the English-only movement will effectively move our nation a step away from the very unity this movement claims to bring, and could lead to the erosion of our constitutional rights.”

In other words, let’s highlight what makes ourselves different by making communication difficult in order to bring ourselves closer together, because that's worked so well for Canada and Quebec. Clearly, those protesters in Phoenix didn't feel like becoming American citizens. Instead of waving the red, white and blue, they waved the red, white and green. I don’t see how allowing the existence of a large population of criminals (which they are just by basis of crossing the border illegally) who feel no loyalty to the country they’re permanently residing in can result in progress for this nation. What good does balkanization of our culture do? These statements practically rebut themselves.

I still don’t get quite why the anti-Arizona demonstrators feel they have a right to be upset or why people like Sarkar feel the need to get defensive on their behalf. It’s a very good thing for all the protesters that they’re not in Mexico illegally, because Mexico’s immigration enforcement laws look positively draconian compared to U.S. standards. Notice all the Mexican flags that are in the first link, possibly being flown by illegal aliens? Noncitizens of Mexico cannot participate in the political affairs of Mexico much less wave another country's flag. Their country, their rules, I suppose, but it is irritating when Mexican President Felipe Calderon lectures us about how inhumane the United States is.

The last three paragraphs of the editorial, while wrapped in appeals to Americans' sense of fair play, fail to make a convincing case:

“An even closer read of the Arizona bill shows that being proficient in English does not necessarily coincide with a proficiency of the values which our nation holds dear”

Proficiency of values? What’s that even supposed to mean?

“... The nationalistic view that English should be our only language reflects a gravely misguided sense of entitlement bestowed upon those who were born in this nation to English-speaking parents… This continued push for “English-only” demonstrates an ignorance of our true national language that is vital to succeed in this country: American. If our nation has failed the followers of this movement, perhaps it is not in its lack of linguistic homogeneity, but in not passing down to them our values of liberty and tolerance.”

“Tolerance” apparently is letting oneself get bossed around by uninvited guests. If Sarkar ran the country, American citizens would have to put up with aforementioned cross-border kidnappings and drug cartels. Heaven forbid they defend themselves, because that would be racist.

"To say that a person’s very existence is illegal, invalid or outlawed by their status of documentation is hardly American."

Oh, wow. A lack of documentation makes a lot of things illegal in the United States. Driving without a license, taking out a library book, selling alcohol or being a barber, for a few examples. These days the only thing you can do without documentation is vote.

And just when you thought it was over, Raza Rasheed has his article in today’s D, titled “Political Problema.” You don’t even have to read past the first sentence before he implies that the Arizona law is racially motivated, equating the new law and Arizonans with the South under Reconstruction. Rasheed claims the law "allows police officers to single out people of color and force them to prove their immigration status at any time for any reason." As the commenter “Get it Right” posts on the D's website, the law doesn’t allow racial profiling; indeed, the law specifically prohibits it, a fact Rasheed somehow missed.

That’s not all, however. Mr. Rasheed goes on to blather about how Republicans have made reelection extremely difficult for themselves. The only problem is, the law is quite popular amongst Arizonans (the ones residing there legally anyway) and that’s to say nothing of the law’s popularity nationwide. A new Gallup poll, one of three new opinion polls released over the last 48 hours, finds that over 75% of Americans have heard about the law and that 51% favor it while only 39% oppose it.)

He then goes on to flog the GOP, saying that the tent needs to grow, lest the party find itself shrinking. Funny, because every complaint I hear from GOP voters is that the party became too liberal on such issues as fiscal responsibility and, you guessed it, illegal immigration. This was a smart, morally correct move from the Republicans to protect the citizens of Arizona, regardless of their race.

Oh, and look. The law’s already having an effect. Not that it'll matter to some people.

Amusing Line in Today's D

2010-04-30T19:25:00.001-04:00

I stumbled across this line in an article about prospies deciding on college.

For some students, interest in Dartmouth came only after they had submitted their application. Leightling said he decided to apply to the College after examining the application, and chose to attend after he completed further research.

“To be completely honest, Dartmouth wasn’t on my radar at all,” he said. “[I applied because] their supplement looked relatively short, and also because my aunt told me it’s a great school.”

From my experience, that actually describes what happened to a lot of students I know.

Photoshop Friday: Moose on Mass Row

2010-04-30T14:21:00.006-04:00

Dartmouth's more credulous students have been circulating the following picture with great excitement:

One thing about the picture is true, however: it is a beautiful day in Hanover.

HuffPo Ranks New York Among Worst Cities for Grads

2010-04-29T16:54:00.002-04:00

For those '10s who are soon to trade in life at Dartmouth for a spot in New York, the Huffington Post has some bad news: the City's slowed job growth and high cost of living makes it one of the least attractive places for a recent college graduate to land. Of course, this is all superfluous for the newly minted denizens of Wall Street, who will undoubtedly be doing just fine. Nevertheless, HuffPo ranks New York right up there with Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Louis.

The best cities, according to this ranking? Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Austin, Denver, and Minneapolis.

Stimulus Funds Electronic Class Attendance Sensors

2010-04-28T15:53:00.005-04:00

In a remarkable synergy between the infantilization of college life and federal fiscal frivolity, officials at Northern Arizona University (NAU) have announced that they are using federal stimulus funds to install electronic attendance sensors in large lecture classrooms, according to the Chronicle of Higher Ed.

Campus administrators at NAU seem to have mastered the art of tackling the obvious:

Karen Pugliesi, vice provost for academic affairs, says the project will help improve attendance, which is key to higher academic performance.
Research, she says, shows a real link between good attendance and student achievement. She says the system will improve student engagement and participation, putting more students on track to graduate.
"We want every one of our students that enrolls in a class to realize their potential and be successful in the completion of that course," she says. "It's not in the student's interest for them to drop out of a course or to fail a course."

What's up with Arizona's obsession with tracking people?

Penn Football Captain Dead

2010-04-28T02:26:00.002-04:00

Owen Thomas, Penn '11, was found dead in an apparent suicide, according to the AP, Philadelphia Inquirer, and various outlets.

Sad news.

Ridiculous Compensation

2010-04-27T16:42:00.004-04:00

$28 per hour. That's the going rate for trash pick-up at Dartmouth, at least according to a bill that Facilities Operations recently dumped in my inbox for a trash pick-up at Beta, where I'm treasurer.

Now, of course, every one is entitled to the fruits of his labor. But, $28 an hour for trash pickup seems pretty excessive. If you build that into a 40-hour week, you're looking at almost $60,000 per year. Is it thus really any wonder why Dartmouth spends approximately $100,000 per student per year? When trash pick-up costs $28 an hour, it becomes much harder to scrounge together the money for professors and libraries.

By the way, for comparison's sake, the market value of weekly trash pick-up in Arizona is apparently $15 per month, or about $3.25 per pick-up. Beta was assessed $39.50 altogether for a single pick-up ($24.50 for use of the truck for half an hour, and $14 for half an hour's labor). Ridiculous.

Your Parents Were Right

2010-04-27T11:36:00.002-04:00

Remember when you were a kid how you always wanted to watch those violent and/or steamy movies because they were "so cool!" and had good trailers with lots of Hindenburg sized fireballs, but your parents wouldn't let you see them?

Well, according to some new research from our very own Medical School, your parental units' over protectiveness has probably kept you from getting Good Sammed. Apparently, delaying when one begins watching R-rated movies can significantly delay when one begins drinking alcohol. In other words, two pediatricians have found a link between Die Hard and drinking hard.

WSJ Launches Metro Section

2010-04-26T12:11:00.002-04:00

Today marks the beginning of a new era in New York newspapers, or so Rupert Murdoch would have you believe.

After buying the Wall Street Journal three years ago, Murdoch made it his goal to destroy the New York Times. The first real shots in his war were fired today with the debut of the Journal's Greater New York section.

So will the new section be enough to peel away the affluent readers whom Murdoch craves and needs? Only time will tell, but the first iteration is certainly promising. Good features on the art world and other upscale New York issues - rats on the UES, a $28 Million Tribeca penthouse - and on lower brow items like the optimal MetroCard swipe technique.

It is, of course, much too early to deem the move a success or a failure, but it is worth noting that The Times is not taking the threat lightly. A particularly defensive ad ran on local New York television stations, as well.

So, if you're in the Metropolitan area, check it out. It might just be worth it.

Something worth reading in The New York Times' Sunday Opinion Section

2010-04-25T17:52:00.002-04:00

No, that headline is not a joke. If you can look past the drivel from Frank Rich's column and find your way to the back page of the Sunday opinion section you may be pleasantly surprised to encounter something worth your time.

The piece in question is a take on America's greatest literary celebrity, at least according to Mr. Tom Wolfe: Mark Twain.

Save yourself the time of flipping through the paper and go directly to the back page.

New Coach for Dartmouth Basketball

2010-04-21T20:16:00.003-04:00

Today, Paul Cormier was hired as the new coach for Dartmouth Basketball. The past twelve years he's been in the NBA as an assistant coach and an advanced scout. The fourteen years prior to this, he was the head men's basketball coach at Dartmouth College and Fairfield University. He was the most successful Dartmouth basketball coach in the past fifty years and his return is now official. In the words of UCONN Coach Jim Calhoun, "Paul Cormier's hiring is an absolute home run for Dartmouth. He has an incredible basketball IQ and there is no person that would fit better for Dartmouth. The game of college basketball is better today because of his hiring."

BREAKING: SA Results

2010-04-20T02:05:00.000-04:00

Pres: Eric Tanner

Vice Pres: Brandon Aiono

2011 Class Council President: Joseph Coleman

2011 Class Council Vice President: Nadine Moezinia

2013 Class Council President: Georgia Travers

2013 Class Council Vice President: Reilly Bertasi

Committee on Standards:
Nazar Alexander
Laura Kier
William Mergner III
Sara Katherine Paxton
Max Yoeli
Dennis Zeveloff

Green Key Society:
Nazar A. Alexander
Reba P. Gillis
Yueyue Guo
Kamisha K. Hyde
Rebecca M. Lee
Emilyn J. Leiva
Sayak Mukherjee
Hilary T. Nguyen
Michael C. Odokara-Okigbo
Bishnu K. Panigrahi
Monte Reed
Abella K. Rutahindurwa
Deep Shah
Giulia Siccardo
Richard T. Stephenson
Mary E. Tate
Alexander O. Tejeda
Chinedu C. Udeh
Max D. Yoeli
Sebastian S. Prieto La Noire
SA Class Representative - 2011, Jinhee K. Oh
SA Class Representative - 2013, All candidates won

I don't know why this information was delayed so many hours after voting ended...there's no paper trail to double-check, as all voting was completed online by DND authorized voters.

Schadenfreude

2010-04-19T20:35:00.002-04:00

I don't think I've met a single Dartmouth student who won't take a little pleasure in reading that one of the NH state liquor commissioners was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Remember, we have a drinking age of 21 because before then a young man or woman lacks the judgement to handle alcohol in a civilized society.

UPDATE: SA Candidates on Diversity

2010-04-18T23:55:00.005-04:00

A questionnaire posed to Student Assembly candidates from the Inter-Community Council is making the rounds on Blitz. Elections are tomorrow.

UPDATE: Link to full document here.

Some of the highlights:

Can you identify the under-represented communities at Dartmouth? Of those named, what are the issues facing two of these communities?

Elena Falloon: Many of the underrepresented communities are part of the ICC. In no particular order, these include the LGBTQ community, the women and gender studies community, the environmental sustainability community, the Hispanic Community, the Pan Asian Council, the NADs, the African American community, the socioeconomic community, the accessibility community, the international community and the multi-faith community.
...
They [international students] also face issues concerning financial aid that much of the campus doesn’t know about. For example, the financial aid plan of all students includes a portion that you are supposed to pay off through working on your leave term. But in some countries, it is impossible to make that amount because of the difference in value of currency. This is an issue that is largely ignored by the financial aid office even though it is an ongoing concern in the international community.

I have never met a person describing himself as a member of the accessibility or socioeconomic communities, but I imagine they have lively dinner parties. Disabilities did seem to be a common thread amongst all responses. I won't go into the currency argument as justification for favorable treatment toward international students; presumably most international students hail from Zimbabwe.

Brandon Aiono: There are so many underrepresented communities at Dartmouth that it would be hard to compile an exhaustive list, but these communities include: students of color from the Latino community to the black community, the Native American community, students from the Pacific Islands (fun fact: I’m Samoan!), students with disabilities, International students, students who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Curious, unaffiliated students, and so on…

I suspect underrepresented communities make up the majority of students using this system of measurement. Also, the poor Latinos have to be "of color" while the Native Americans get to break out on their own. Smacks of inherent bias.

3. What are acts of intolerance? Do you think SA has a responsibility to officially condemn said acts? What other policies or practices do you think SA can enact reactively and proactively in order to limit acts of intolerance?
Uthman Olagoke...Dartmouth needs to be an environment where everyone respects each other and their difference. So acts of intolerance are detrimental to my mission as SA President and I will not stand for it. I as SA President want to work with Parkhurst in creating a system that punishes and holds accountable organizations that willingly indulge in acts of intolerance.

That sounds fun.

Brandon Aiono: ...I would also like to say that I do not think it is enough for us to simply tolerate each other, we must also value the differences in experience and ideas that we each bring to Dartmouth and, by doing so, enrich our community.

You don't just have to peacefully coexist with all your neighbors, you have to be best friends with them. It gets better from there:

4. Compared to the number of minority students in the overall Dartmouth student body, only a small percent choose to affiliate with the Greek system. What are your thoughts?
Elena Falloon: I think few minority students choose to affiliate with the Greek system because it largely represents an antiquated, white, old boys club. Dartmouth’s student population is the most diverse it has ever been, but our Greek system has yet to adapt. Most houses are homogenous, and Greek organizations are known for celebrating their old traditions, even when they are offensive to other students. Greek organizations also tend to only interact with other Greek organizations in programming or social events. Some minority students might say to themselves, “These houses are not places where I feel invited to enter, so the idea of being a brother/sister is out of the question.”...

Falloon is herself a member of KDE sorority, of course.

The interview is 16 pages, so we'll work on getting a pdf uploaded so that you can peruse the rest. Would that I could imagine responses as funny as some you'll find inside.

Joe's Last Post? We Hope Not.

2010-04-16T21:20:00.003-04:00

It was with no lack of dismay that I read Joe Asch's latest (and, it is said, last) post on Dartblog today:

After much reflection here in the quiet of our New Zealand valley, I have decided that in the future I will be devoting my time and energy to things other than Dartmouth College. To those of you who have spent time reading my posts on Dartblog over the past eight and a half months, thank you so much for your attention. I enjoyed writing my sincere perception of the truth for you.

To Joe, I can only say that those of us at the Review who have enjoyed following his incisive commentary and unparalleled reporting of trends and events at Dartmouth College will urge him to reconsider this pledge, given the results his campus involvement has yielded, not least of which was his prophetic clarion call for fiscal discipline at the College, long before that was a fashionable position to take.

Joe has been nothing but sincere since the beginning of his time as a Dartmouth gadfly, and like all who inhabit that role, he has earned the bitter vitriol of many of his fellow alumni. That vitriol became particularly pronounced during his campaign for the Board of Trustees. Given the sort of invective that was thrown at him - nonsensical, ugly, and deceitful epithets - it's not altogether surprising that he would want some time away from Dartmouth.

But, in view of the valuable role he's played for the last few years, and in view of his wholly unique institutional knowledge of Dartmouth (indeed, what other alumnus or alumna has audited 30+ classes?), we cannot help but hope that Asch will go back on this promise to curtail his involvement at Dartmouth. The College has had the benefit of a passionate watchdog for the past eight years; it would be a shame for Dartmouth to lose that watchdog altogether now.

Noli nothis permittere te terere, Joe.

H-Po Changes Procedure

2010-04-15T19:19:00.004-04:00

This just landed in Blitz inboxes all across campus from Acting Dean of the College Dr. Sylvia Spears, Ph.D

The Hanover Police Department has recently made a procedural change in its response to alcohol emergencies involving underage students in need of immediate medical attention.

Responding Hanover officers will continue to assist the Hanover Fire Department at the scene but will not issue the underage person a citation at that time. If the underage person qualifies according to department guidelines for diversion, the responding officer will leave a Hanover Alcohol Diversion Program brochure with them and follow this up with an email notification reminding them of their obligation to contact the diversion program coordinator within seven (7) days in order to enroll in the program. A future record check at Hanover Police Department would indicate that the person had been referred to diversion in lieu of prosecution. Any person failing to contact the diversion coordinator within the specified time period will be served a summons and referred to court.

I view this as a very positive procedural change that enhances our efforts toward harm reduction. This new change in procedure is not to be taken as a license to engage in the reckless and dangerous use of alcohol. It is imperative that we continue our efforts to reduce excessive consumption of alcohol on campus. The responsibility is now on our community to foster a positive social atmosphere that sets new norms around the safe consumption of alcohol.

The work of the Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee (SPAHRC) is critical in the identification and implementation of best practices for the safe management of alcohol on campus. We will continue to work with Hanover Police and the Town to address common concerns regarding alcohol. Hanover Police have graciously agreed to suspend compliance checks at this time. However, the onus is on our community to show progress in reducing unsafe drinking at Dartmouth.

As I have said on many occasions, my worst fear is that I will have to call the family of a student and tell them that their son or daughter has died as a result of the excess consumption of alcohol. Every student on our campus must play an active role in addressing this urgent call to action.

Taking care of each other is a hallmark tradition of the Dartmouth student community and we are hopeful that this change will only strengthen that tradition.

Looks like you may be able to put down those pitchforks you took up during the time the alcohol stings came out.

UAAlbany's Brown Interviewing for Basketball HC

2010-04-15T11:40:00.001-04:00

According to the Times Union, he's at least gotten permission to talk to us.

Jason Derulo: Programming Board Success

2010-04-14T22:05:00.002-04:00

For those of you who might have missed the stunning success that was the Spring Concert this evening, some of the highlights:

Rather than prove that he has actually produced a song other than the massacre of Imogen Heap that is "Whatcha Say", Jason Derulo chose to demonstrate how truly poor his lip syncing skills are. The mob of 13 girls behind me managed to scream more of his lyrics then he himself did. In addition to this, his dancing skills were put to shame by those of his background dancers, a fact for which he tried to compensate by ripping off his clothes with as much frequency as possible. The only redeeming part of his performance, in fact, was that it finally put an end to the opening act, Telephoned (there is only so much sequin shaking one can take). Coming on the heels of last year's Three 6 Mafia success, it is clear the Programming Board is really hitting it home with their concert lineups.

The Review is Now On Twitter

2010-04-14T18:48:00.003-04:00

I'm pleased to announce the launch of the Dartmouth Review's official Twitter account, located here. It will be automatically updated with posts from here at Dartlog and we'll be using it for additional stuff as well.

Ongoing: One of the Sillier Promotions I've Seen

2010-04-14T13:39:00.002-04:00

Date: 14 Apr 2010 09:56:52 -0400

From: Sexperts

Reply-To: SEXed

Subject: STI SCREENING TODAY NOON-4

Take the easiest test you will take at Dartmouth!
Quick, easy, painless, NO STUDYING and a FREE T-SHIRT!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

April 14th from 12 to 4pm
Collis Commonground
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Get screened (via survey) to see if you're at risk for having contracted an STI
(Specifically HIV, chlamydia).

It's so easy, why not come? It's better to know and stay safe!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

I can only imagine what the shirts say: "I got the clap and all I got was this free t-shirt!"

Olympian Nolan Kasper '14 at Dartmouth

2010-04-13T13:42:00.004-04:00

Yes, Nolan Kasper is a member of the Dartmouth class of 2014 and already on campus taking classes this spring. He's an olympic alpine skier who competed at the Vancouver Winter Games. When asked about opening and closing ceremonies, Kasper said, "it's pretty crazy walking into a building with 70,000 people screaming." Here's Nolan telling TDR his take on starting classes at Dartmouth:

Princeton Admits Inferiority

2010-04-13T10:21:00.002-04:00

In today's Daily Princetonian, contributing columnist Kelsey Zimmerman laments Princeton's backward ways and points to Dartmouth as a shining example of, uh...how to handle college dining?

Okay, if you say so.

Upbeat Note of the Day, Courtesy of TED

2010-04-12T23:07:00.005-04:00

It can't compete with the YoungCons' latest hit (their efforts continue to amaze), but this video from the lecture series TED chronicles the decline of violence across history, making a very convincing case for the steady improvement of human society - always a cheery thing to ponder.

TEDx, an independently organized lecture spinoff at Dartmouth, is being held on Saturday from 12-7 in Moore Theater at the Hop. It should be quite an event.

Visiting the Love March

2010-04-12T22:37:00.005-04:00

After an illuminating interview with the Sun God (MALS student Johnathan James Recor), the masked presence that continues to believe the world (our campus in particular) is a stage for the dramatic reinterpretation of his own life, TDR reporter Brendon Mahoney '12 and I ventured to the much vaunted Love March at 6:30 on the Green, armed with the rather grainy photo capabilities of an iPhone.

We found about 20 people gathered around a table in the middle of the Green. The Sun God was busy mugging for the various cameras and chatting with babes (read: MALS students). About 8 students had been given red Superman capes, one of whom was also wearing his own set of rollerblades. Two S&S officers were standing by, but they seemed unsure as to why.

We got a few comments from the gathered students. One who was outfitted in the complimentary Superman cape and fake Ray Ban sunglasses told us he was "there for love, man. And you can quote me on that". Done and done, you beautiful human being.

The highlight for me was when two young ladies announced that today is the Sun God's birthday (HA! I told you they'd show up to my party, Father!) and encouraged our rather meager crowd to sing to him. Being the prepared Sun God that he is, Recor had his own applause track in the personal PA strapped to his belt, which he played while doing a few congratulatory karate moves.

Anyone who has any particular in this man's quest to combat the "War on Love" can check out my interview in our latest issue, soon to be online and distributed on campus. Johnathan, thank you for your time and energies. If this story has taught me anything it's that even the most biting sarcasm will leave you unscathed and blissfully unaware.

Also check out the relevant source material here & here.

Olympian Andrew Weibrecht on "bringing your best"

2010-04-12T20:14:00.003-04:00

Here is Dartmouth student and olympic alpine skier Andrew Weibrecht '09 who told TDR about the importance of "bringing your best" to the winter games. For many Dartmouth students, spring is a chance to unwind on the green. But for Dartmouth olympians, spring is the only time of the year they are on campus to focus on their studies. The rest of the year is spent training for their moment to ski on the international level.

Sun God Seizes The Green

2010-04-12T15:30:00.003-04:00

We've tolerated his late night lightsaber sessions on the green, we've even dealt with his posters and flyers dominating message boards all over campus. But now, the Sun God has gone too far. On Yom Hashoa, the day of Holocaust remembrance, he has been preparing for his "Love March" by blasting music on the green in seeming disregard of the Hillel's Name Reading Ceremony, which was taking place on the porch of Collis. We can only hope that the 6:30 start of the Love March will not interfere with Hillel's 7:30 Memorial Service and Candle Lighting. Please, Sun God, refrain from marching around to high falutin' Euro synth-pop and allow Hillel an opportunity for commemoration and remembrance.

TDR Talks With Dartmouth Olympians

2010-04-12T09:19:00.003-04:00

The latest issue of the Review, just out today, features an interview with Dartmouth's own undergraduate Olympians: Andrew Weibrecht '09, Laura Spector '10, Tommy Ford '12 and Nolan Kasper '14. Check out the full video here:

Hated, Adored, Never Ignored; Young Cons At It Again

2010-04-11T23:48:00.007-04:00

You all probably remember Josh "Stiltz" Riddle and David "Serious C" Rufful, known to most of America as The Young Cons, a rap duo who profess conservative beliefs. In addition to playing for the basketball team here in Hanover, the two are newly minted Review editors (Associate and Sports, respectively).

They've just released their newest video, "Health Care Nightmare," a rap about the loss of freedom that has come with Obamacare. Yes, the Reagan carboard cutout makes a return appearance as well. In the words of Joe Biden, "This is a big f----- deal!"

"It fits. It feels great."

2010-04-11T19:06:00.002-04:00

Those words, just moments ago from 2010 Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

How great that a true family man and all-around class act was able to prevail in the most hallowed of American sporting events.

Having met Mickelson a number of years ago, I can personally speak to the quality of his character, which stands in direct opposition to that of golf's biggest star.

Bravo that in this case the good guy really did win.

Date:	14 Apr 2010 09:56:52 -0400
From:	Sexperts
Reply-To:	SEXed
Subject:	STI SCREENING TODAY NOON-4