Monday, October 1, 2001

TDR Interview: Jeffrey Hart

Gatsby did not want material wealth; he wanted money to transform reality and go back five years to when he first met Daisy. His goal was not material. I think the student who goes into investment banking and makes a lot of money wants to live in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Jeffrey Hart: Outside the Ivory Tower

One spring night in 1992, two men faced off against each other amid a sea of wealthy benefactors in Lincoln Center. One of those men was President James Freedman, giving out the award for outstanding teaching at Dartmouth. The other man was Professor Jeffrey Hart, accepting this award. The two men could not be more ideologically opposed, yet the ceremony was another victory for the controversial and conservative Hart over the college establishment led by Freedman.

Dentzer Elected Chairman of Trustees

Since June 10, Susan Dentzer has served Dartmouth College as Chairman of the College's Board of Trustees. Dentzer, a magna cum laude graduate of the Class of '77, was elected by the Board to succeed William H. King, Jr., who served one five year term as Chairman and two as a Trustee.

Everything I Never Wanted to Know About Sex

It has been easy to be inundated by the variety of orientation activities presented to us, regardless of relevance or entertainment value. In spite of this, Dartmouth in some cases completely obliterated the barrier of discretion and invited guest speakers—ostensibly to educate us—instead flinging a barrage of crude, grotesque, immature, and unnecessary remarks onto the ears of shocked Dartmouth freshmen.

Pacifism: Part of the Problem

While a clear majority of Americans favor some kind of retaliatory action against Afghanistan and the Al Qaeda terrorist group harbored within the country, there are some who, regardless of the imminence of danger or the number of American lives lost, declare their pacifistic preference for peace at any price.

Housing Scramble: Bring on the Double-Wides

An unusually large entering freshman class overextended the College's housing options and left administrators scrambling for student housing options. 1150 students planned to matriculate in the class of 2005. A typical entering class contains around 1075 students.

Smiling: The Classical Canon on Campus

On September 22, the Dartmouth Bookstore hosted a book signing for Professor Emeritus Jeffery P. Hart. He signed copies of his newest book, Smiling through the Cultural Catastrophe: Toward the Revival of Higher Education.

Experience Need Not Apply

All but one of the College's technical maintenance employees are white males—a fact so lamented by official Dartmouth that the hire of Claire Walton, Dartmouth's only female locksmith, received front-page billing in the Daily Dartmouth last August.

It Is Time to Declare War

September 19, 2001: fifty years of increasing American appeasement in the Mideast have led to fifty years of increasing contempt in the Muslim world for the U.S. The climax was the thousands of deaths on September 11, 2001—the blackest day in our history, so far.

In Texas, It's Always Boar Season

Hanging up the receiver, my afternoon was changed. Knowing that I was headed for an all-night hunt I debated a nap, but when a hunting trip is imminent there is nothing to do except go about your business, otherwise anticipation will get the best of you.

Six Men of Dartmouth Mourned

Four Dartmouth alumni, including Cisneros, were lost in the north tower in the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald. The bond-trading firm had offices on floors 101 and 103 to 105, just above where American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building.

File Sharing Sops Network; Relief on the Way

Upon returning to campus in early September, the University of New Hampshire student body resumed use of the campus's computer network, and shortly thereafter caused great delays in service due to massive congestion.

Why Western Thought Still Matters: Stella Baer Reviews 'Shining Through the Cultural Catastrophe'

Just what is lost when the Western canon is no longer taught? Professor of English emeritus Jeffrey Hart uses his new book to remind us of what used to be the core of every liberal arts education, before the muliculturism movement, before classes where every evil known to mankind is inevitably blamed upon a villain who is 'white, male, Western, racist, imperialist, sexist or homophobic — or, with luck, all of them together.'

Rock Is Dead; Long Live Rock: Stefan Beck Reviews 'Hot Water Music' and 'Cursive'

The Gainesville, Florida band is unlikely to believe that metallic clanking will ever be a substitute for a truly passionate, pulse-pounding rock number. For anybody else confused on this point, the band's latest release, A Flight and a Crash (Epitaph), will provide some clarification.

Kosher-Halal Dining: More than Matzoh

Sometime in the next few months, Thayer's Westside Buffet will be replaced with a new kosher-halal dining hall. The closure of Westside and the postponement of construction on the new eatery have contributed to the already-long lines at Food Court and the Hop.

Letters to the Editor

There are some who think that the administration was fearful as to the outcome of that meeting, this being indicated by a revision of the schedule at the last minute. The question has been raised as to whether this had a bearing on the cancellation which would allow the Association meeting to be rescheduled at a time when not so many alumni would be in attendance and the outcome be more easily controlled.