Dartlog: 05/19/2002 - 05/26/2002

The Dartmouth Review

Saturday, May 25, 2002

Saturday Agenda

(it's near the end of the term--so there's not much boozing--but the DSO concert at 8 looks promising)

"Concord Sonata" 2 P.M., Faulkner Recital Hall--Giuseppe Scotese performs the piece by Charles Ives.

"Pan Asian Student Awards Dinner" 6:30 P.M., Commonground--The second minority-specific awards ceremony of the year. Do these groups really have no shame?

"Monster's Ball" (film) 7 & 9:30 P.M., Loew Auditorium--The 2001 film with Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry.

"Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra" 8 P.M., Spaulding Auditorium--"Conductor Anthony Princiotti leads the student orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Op. 35, featuring Dartmouth College student Julie Hong, Class of '02, as violin soloist; and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47" ($3 Dartmouth students, $16 gen. admission).

"Dartmouth Dance Ensemble" 8 P.M., Moore Theater--Spring concert, including Ultima Ambulatio to the music of Philip Glass ($3 Dartmouth students, $10 gen. admission).

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 1:25 PM (0 comments)

Friday, May 24, 2002

Friday Agenda

(slim pickings--if you know of anything we should be doing tonight, email us)

"From Locomotives to Nanotechnology" 3:30 P.M., 100 Cummings--History and technology: "an Example of Science and Education Development in Reunified Germany."

"Tracy Piano Competition" 7 P.M., Faulkner Recital Hall

"En el nombre de Dios" 8 P.M., Rollins Chapel--A play about the travails faced by a Jewish family practicing their faith in colonial Mexico during the Inquistion.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 1:21 PM (0 comments)

Thursday, May 23, 2002

Great lead

For those of you off campus who haven't received Dean Nelson's email, there's been a fire at the Alpha Delta fraternity, which has been closed by inspectors. The D's writeup is adequate, but its lead is particularly worth noting (emphasis added):

Fire inspectors closed Alpha Delta fraternity last night as a safety precaution after an early-morning fire broke out in the furnace area of the house basement.

Those prescient fire inspectors! What will technology bring us next?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:46 PM (0 comments)

Thursday Agenda

(a highly subjective listing of what's cool on campus intended for those unable to make such judgments)

"Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World" 4 P.M., 13 Carpenter--Muslim states tend to oppress women; PC-types and academics have been loathe to admit it, but that's changing. Jan Goodwin, author of Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World (at Amazon) speaks on the effect of Islamic extremism on women. As Kirkus describes it, "Goodwin focuses on the vast majority of Muslim women, who--willingly or not--are lowering the veil over their faces and lives." Needless to say, this should be a welcome change from all the Muslim apologists who've been so vocal of late.
Though much of her analysis of economic relations is simple, Goodwin's 1998 piece on Afghan women living under the Taliban's rule is a good read.

"Yom Yom," (film) 7 P.M., Loew Auditorium--Oddly enough, a French comedy about life in Israel. The Hop's write-up is comically useless (e.g., "Moshe must finally confront some realities about himself and his future."), but this may be worth seeing ($5 Dartmouth students, $6 gen. admission).

"Reflections on Current Developments in India" 7:30 P.M., 217 Dartmouth--Urvashi Butalia, author of Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India speaks.

"Eleanor Frost Play Festival" 8 P.M., Warner Theater (Hop)--Three student-written plays are performed. Hillary Miller '02, writer of "Bizarre Kitchen Scenes," probably thought we wouldn't list this because of our personal thoughts about her well-known awfulness in all respects of which we're aware and the tedium that most of her Ekwilist endeavours ensuingly engender in us; she would be right, but for that Liam Kuhn '02--an altogether much more agreeable personage-- has an entry as well ("Absolving Buckner"). Also, "Fool's Gold" by Meghan Fitzgerald '02 ($1.50 Dartmouth students, $3 general admission).

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 10:11 AM (0 comments)

Janos on Dorm Delivery

In an Op-Ed in today's Daily Dartmouth, SA president elect Janos Marton has made a polite, yet convincing argument against banning dorm delivery of publications. Using such phrases as "for Redman to claim that publications violate the trust of fellow students by delivering copies of a magazine or newspaper to their doors shows that he does not understand the nature of debate at Dartmouth," Janos exposes the administration's convoluted thinking. This sort of polite, but pointed criticism has not been seen from the outgoing SA president, Molly Stutzman. Janos has shown that our votes were not totally in vain. Hopefully, this is the first of many such articles critiquing misguided policy.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 9:31 AM (0 comments)

That�ll teach �em

Don�t miss the AP article of the dude at New Orleans airport who whipped out a shotgun and started shooting people when they made fun of his turban.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Rollo at 7:01 AM (0 comments)

Students Grade Dartmouth Departments

In a move to further empower students, the Student Assembly released their "letter grades" for academic departments on Tuesday. The SA report grades departments using three criteria: major-to-faculty ratio (20%), class size (30%), and a student survey (50%). The Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Literature received the highest grade. The Biology department received the lowest grade.
The logic of the results is quite flawed. By considering major-to-faculty ratio (the lowest ratios score the highest), the results penalize the most popular departments. The report admits this, but does nothing to rectify it. Just because the biology department, for instance, has a large number of majors does not mean it is inferior to less sizable and popular departments.
The weight on class size is also somewhat disturbing�again this benefits the smaller departments. An introductory Latin course may have, at most, twenty students while an intro biology course may have over 100 students. This does not mean that the bio course is worse than the Latin course, just that more students are interested in the material.
As for the student survey, it seems to amount to a mere popularity contest. Any student who is dissatisfied with his choice of major will undoubtedly give his department a poor rating. This again benefits the smaller departments. A student who majors in economics is far more likely to be disappointed with his major than a classics major. Students become econ majors so that they can graduate and become I-bankers for a Wall Street firm; classics majors (read Greek and Latin students) wish to read Plato in the original. Obviously, there will be a difference.
The central problem comes with the empirical method of analyzing departments. Why give them letter grades. What does it mean when the AMELL department gets an 'A' and the Bio department gets a 'C?' Not much. A comparative study of all the departments at Dartmouth is useless and, moreover, meaningless.
The SA's Undergraduate Teaching Initiative prompted this study. Unfortunately, it is just a popularity contest and more feel-good politics for the undergrads.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by J. Lawrence at 12:13 AM (0 comments)

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Hanover Ranks Number One College Town

Information company ePodunk last month released its rankings for the top college towns in America. Rankings were divided into four categories: Big Cities, Medium-size Cities, Small Cities, and Towns. Topping each category were Boston, Columbia, SC, Charlottesville, VA, and Hanover, respectively. Princeton, NJ was the runner-up to Hanover.
The rankings were based on fifteen variables: population changes, per-capita income, entertainment offerings, and restaurants, among them.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by J. Lawrence at 8:33 PM (0 comments)

Political Debate

The College Libertarians, Greens, Democrats, and Republicans held their second inter-party debate this afternoon. The topic was "Resolved: National security interests outweigh civil rights infringements due to the domestic war on terror." In reality, nothing was resolved. Attendees were treated to stolid defenses of the status quo by the Democratic and Republican representatives, and heard some rather spirited but fuzzy rhetoric from the Green and Libertarian folks. The audience was attentive, asking a wide range of questions. In the future, more research should be down by all parties involved, and all debaters should not repeat their same tired platform over and over again.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 7:39 PM (0 comments)

Wednesday Agenda

("Metropolitan" is probably your best bet for tonight)

"Guitar Studio Recital" 12:30 P.M., Faulkner Recital Hall--Several student guitarists perform.

"Latino/a Senior and Community Recognition Dinner" 6 P.M., Brace Commons--The first of several year-end race-based award ceremonies. Were I Latino, I'd be embarassed to have anything to do with this.

"Metropolitan" 7 & 10 P.M., Collis Commonground--A dramatic rendering of Whit Stillman's witty screenplay. Worth seing for the repartee alone.

"Mission STS-109" 7 P.M., Leede Arena--The crew of the recent space shuttle mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope presents its experiences. The crew's work was some of the most difficult and complex performed in space of late and has greatly improved the quality of the images beamed down from the satellite's main camera.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:30 PM (0 comments)

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Dartmouth on eBay

Prices as of posting:
"Dartmouth Dry" whiskey sour label: $4.95
Dartmouth pewter bell: $10.50
Wah-hoo-wah Dartmouth-Harvard game postcard: $24.95
Ridiculously overpriced Carnival posters for easy-to-trick alumni: $65
Dartmouth College course catalog, 1822, in Latin, no less: $5

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by James at 11:35 PM (0 comments)

Working Out

At the SA's meeting tonight, the Committee on Student Life will present recommendations to improve students' access to athletic facilities. In summary (full version here), the report calls for the college to:

1. Increase the hours of Kresge Fitness Center and the gym facilities associated with it.
2. Open Tuck's new Whittemore gym to undergraduates.
3. Improve access to Kresge by the side doors situated nearby that are usually (and inexplicably) locked.
4. Reduce court and membership fees for student use of Dartmouth's Boss Tennis Center.

Despite a few choice lines of silliness (e.g., "Tennis has historically been seen as a sport for the wealthy. By charging students for use of the courts, Dartmouth contributes to this stereotype."), the Committee's recommendations are on the mark. Dartmouth's facilities are generally adequate for the use of non-varsity students, but the College manages them in such a way as to complicate that use. The athletic department seems to regard non-varsity use as a chore and promotes it reluctantly, if the money and resources put into it are any indication.

Efforts to improve student access to the Kresge Fitness Center are feasible and would certainly be cost effective considering the number of students served. The opening of Whittemore, however, is unlikely; Tuck students would surely protest, and no one could begrudge them that. If the College actually buys any of its Student Life Initiative rhetoric of three years ago (beyond bulldozing Webster Ave.), the decision to implement the Committee's proposals (excepting Whittemore) should be near automatic.

The ball's in the College's court now; let's see how it returns. (sorry)

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 5:22 PM (0 comments)

Rollo

Rollo, too bad Michael Chema dropped out of the 1st race, I actually met him down here back in January, seemed quite bright. McGovern for Congress! Didn't he, like Sean Mahoney, sell his video store to Blockbuster for millions?
Prediction: Bob Smith wins the general by 1/5 point...just you wait

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by barrett at 2:56 PM (0 comments)

"Art" in the Reserves

I heard over the weekend that there is disturbing performance art in the Reserves. Has anyone seen it? Might be worth checking out, especially as some of you might find the scantily clad performers quite entertaining...

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alexis at 2:54 PM (0 comments)

For Your Enlightenment:

Excellent analysis of the NH Senate and House races from Roll Call.
Also, if anyone understood Abbye Meyer�s op-ed today, please blitz me.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Rollo at 12:49 PM (0 comments)

Sevi Gets It right

The Daily D runs an article today commenting on student awareness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Beyond asking the inane question as to whether "[student] efforts will lead to action or simply more discussion" (unless activists are enlisting in the Israeli army or one of the PA's security forces, the former seems unlikely), the article posits that "Dartmouth students appear to be following a national trend of political activism that might end years of seeming insouciance."

I thought language like that was supposed to stay on the editorial page.

To the point, however, the premise of this article highlights an all-too-common misconception of Dartmouth's social dynamic. "Seeming insouciance" isn't quite right.
(read more...)

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 9:44 AM (0 comments)

Tuesday Agenda

(way more selective than the 'Wazzupdate' ever was)

"Duty & Loyalty" noon - 2 P.M., Thornton lounge--Discussion of philosophy over lunch.

"History, Justice, and Reparations: The Case of Canadians and Japanese-Canadians" 4 P.M., 2 Rockefeller--Judge Maryka Omatsu speaks.

"The Prophet and the Astronomer: A Scientific Journey to the End of Time" 4:30 P.M., Filene Auditorium (Moore)--Prof. Marcelo Gleiser of the physics department speaks on the topic of his new book, identically titled.

"Culture Bowl" 6 - 7 P.M., Loew Auditorium--Faculty, students, and administrators compete in this quiz game put on by the Hood Museum. But is it art?

"The Amistad Affair: The Shaping of American Diplomacy" 6 P.M., South Mass Lounge--Senior Bill Meyer presents his thesis of this title.

"Coalition Building Among Women at Dartmouth" 7 P.M., Casque & Gauntlet--Recruiting for the Women's Resource Center. I knew that turnouts at WRC planning events were thin but didn't realize they were this desperate.

"Senior 'Tails" 8 - 10 P.M., Hanover Inn Terrace (rain location: Top of the Hop)--Cocktails for seniors only. First drink free, cash bar follows.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 9:01 AM (0 comments)

Monday, May 20, 2002

More on WC Requirement

Here is the actual text as adopted by vote of the faculty:

Resolved that the current World Cultures requirement be revised from one course each in European, North American, and Non-Western culture areas to one course in each of three categories to be described in the ORC as follows:

Proposed new text:

a) Western Cultures (W). The cultures of the classical Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman Mediterranean, and of Europe and its settlements. The disciplines of the Arts and Sciences as they are studied at Dartmouth developed in these cultures, as did the institution of the liberal arts college itself. For this reason, Dartmouth students are required to take at least one course with a focus on the cultures of the West.

b) Non-Western Cultures (NW). Non-Western cultures, including those with a history of colonialism. The world in which Dartmouth graduates will function demands an understanding of its non-Western majority. Knowledge of non-Western peoples, cultures, and histories is thus an increasing practical necessity as well as a form of intellectual enrichment. Courses that satisfy this requirement have as their primary focus understanding the diverse cultures of the non-Western world.

c) Culture and Identity (CI). All students are required to take a course studying how cultures shape and express identities. Courses satisfying this requirement examine how identity categories develop in cultures and as a result of interactions between cultures. Forms of identity to be studied may include but are not limited to those defined by race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and ethnicity. Courses in this category may study the relations of culture and identity with reference to cultural productions from any part of the world.

This revised World Culture Requirement shall be implemented on a schedule to be determined by the Committee on Instruction, but is intended to become effective no later than the class of 2008.

In assigning distributive categories to courses currently listed in the ORC, the COI will make the assignment W to courses currently listed as EU and NA unless it receives a request to the contrary. In the absence of a request for reassignment, courses currently listed as NW will retain that designation.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 9:19 PM (0 comments)

Annual Meeting of the Faculty

This afternoon, the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences voted by an overwhelming majority to revise the World Culture Requirement. Under the previous requirements, all Dartmouth students must take a course in each of three cultural category: European, North American and Non-Western. The revised requirements entail combining the European and North American category into one all-encompassing category of Western Cultures. The Non-Western requirement is merely modified, now known as Non-Western Cultures. This despite a motion by Ifi Amadiume proposing that this category be called "Counter-Western Culture." The third revision was to add a requirement for a course in a new category, "Culture and Identity."

One professor questioned whether there were courses which fulfilled the new category. A Women's Studies professor immediately listed several potential courses. However, it is the job of the individual professor to decide in which category his course will fit. The guidelines are intentionally vague in order to facilitate this.

Several professors were adamant in their opposition to the modified categories. One called them "too politicized and too retrograde." Bruce Nelson criticized the proposal as arbitrarily categorizing all culture into two categories.

Other highlights of this meeting included Jamshed Bharucha's first and last Annual Report. He listed several accomplishments, including a mentoring program for minority faculty, the hiring of four grant specialists to coach professors with the daunting task of applying for research grants. He also announced the creation of a research center for Native American Studies.

The gathered faculty also heard from Dean of Admissions, Karl Furstenberg. He reported on his perennial success in gathering the strongest class in Dartmouth's history, with a "very high" yield rate of 53% and almost one third composed of "students of color." He also defended Dartmouth's early decision policy, citing its low rate of 35%, compared with Harvard's 60%.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 6:42 PM (0 comments)

Responding to a post a long way back

I think the Alums who went to this Alumni meeting should comment on it on DartLog if one of them gets a chance.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alison at 1:22 PM (0 comments)

Monday Agenda

(a highly subjective listing of what's happening on campus)

"World Cultures" 3 P.M., Alumni Hall--The faculty votes on adding a new distributive, "Culture and Identity."

"Digital Media" 6 - 9 P.M., Top of the Hop--Opening of the latest student art exhibit, concentrating this time on digital composition.

"The Baroque Players" 7 P.M., Church of Christ (the tall one)--Works by Scarlatti, Telemann, Purcell and Monteverdi.

"Dog Day Players" 9 P.M., Mass. Basement--The student improv group performs.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 1:13 PM (0 comments)

Sunday, May 19, 2002

Sunday Agenda

(if you're up to leaving your room after Green Key)

"Black Hawk Down" 6:45 & 9:45 P.M., Spaulding Auditorium--Ridley Scott's 2001 thriller based on reporting by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Mark Bowden. Read the articles behind the book for free here ($5 Dartmouth students, $6 gen. admission).

"Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra Concert/Recital" 8 P.M., Alumni Hall (in the Hop)--No info available. Anyone know what the program will be? Email us.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 2:36 PM (0 comments)

Avoiding the "Virginia Blues"

The latest from John Kalb is up.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:19 PM (0 comments)