Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2002/05/22/week_in_review.php
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Class Marshals Named
The Senior Executive Committee recently chose the class marshals for this year's Commencement. Eight students were selected: Benjamin Gebre-Medhin, Atteeyah Hollie, William Jaeger, Janice Kim, Erin Naipo, Adam Sepulveda, Molly Stutzman, and Matthew Sullivan. The class marshals lead the graduating class during Commencement, bearing the flag and leading the procession to the Green. According to SEC president Vanessa Green '02, class marshals are chosen for their 'Dartmouth spirit, enthusiasm, commitment to our class and the community, good speaking skills, as well as diversity and range of experiences.'
The 2002 class marshals do represent a wide variety of interests, belonging to a number of student organizations and athletic teams. Student Assembly is well represented with Molly Stutzman and William Jaeger. Stutzman is the outgoing SA president, and Jaeger is the Student Life Committee Chair.
Senior societies and Greek houses also are well represented. Gebre-Medhin, Naipo, and Sepulveda are members of the Paleopitus Senior Society. Gebre-Medhin is also a member of Alpha Delta fraternity, a member of the soccer team, and a Tucker Foundation Civic Intern. Naipo is a sister at Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, a Judiciary Committee Member for the Panhellenic Council, and a member of the volleyball team. Sepulveda is a former President of the Dartmouth Outing Club.
Matthew Sullivan is a member of Alpha Delta and a John Sloan Dickey International Intern. He is captain of the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club and a member of the Navigators, a Christian group on campus.
A Minor Footnote
In the Hillel's blitzmail bulletin, 'News for Jews,' one can peruse the week's upcoming events, see how the Intramural team has recently fared, and enjoy the innocent humor of the 'Daydream of the Week.' In addition, the newsletter provides its readership with weekly superlatives, including Jean-Marie Le Pen as the 'Anti-Semite of the Week.' Le Pen's nomination includes a citation of his statement that Nazi gas chambers used during World War II were 'a minor footnote in history,' and the comment that '[we] here at the Jewsletter hope that, years from now, [Le Pen] will be known as a 'minor footnote in history.'' Immediately following Le Pen in esteem is Pim Fortuyn, the 'Slain Bigot of the Week.' Fortuyn, an openly gay right-wing candidate for Dutch Prime Minister, was assassinated on May 6 when a gunman approached him on the street and fired numerous rounds into his head, neck, and chest. In response to the brutal killing, the writers of the newsletter duly noted, 'He won't be missed.' Perhaps assassination politics aren't so morally objectionable, as long those killed are properly remembered in the annals of history.
Abercrombie Markets Kid Thongs
Abercrombie & Fitch once again has found itself mired in controversy. The maker of controversial T-shirts that were dubbed offensive to Asians, A & F has come under fire for selling thong underwear targeting ten to sixteen year-old girls. The underwear comes with words like 'eye candy' and 'wink wink' on the front. 'It's cute and fun and sweet,' said Hampton Carney, a spokesman for the clothing company.
Many parents, however, are outraged. 'I think of myself as fairly hip, and I think it's just disgusting,' said forty year-old mother, Julie McNamara. Angry parents argue that the underwear incites pedophilia, a charge A & F vehemently denies.
'It's not appropriate for a seven year-old, but it is appropriate for a ten year-old,' Carney said. 'Once you get about ten, you start to care about your underwear, and you start to care about your clothes.' Carney said he could name 100 reasons why a ten year-old would require a thong, including the need to hide panty lines.
Safety & Security: On the Beat
A Week in Review staffer observed a Dartmouth Safety and Security officer rifling through the trunk of a car this Saturday as the car's owners looked on helplessly. The officer searched the car, parked in front of the RipWoodSmith cluster, presumably to look for alcohol. The Alpha Delta lawn party was supposed to be going on at the time; however, rain pushed the party inside and the magnitude of the affair diminished significantly. Students could not bring any outside alcohol to the event.
Three S & S officers monitored the scene from the road behind Alpha Delta. Two of the officers stood by the Emergency blue light and chatted. One smoked a cigar.
The Indian Will Never Die
Bloomington, Illinois high school students recently voted for a new school mascot and chose 'None of the Above' for its mascot. The school previously had an Indian mascot, but the Bloomington school board passed a resolution in August banning mascots that reflect 'any indentifiable groups by age, race, color, gender, religion or national origin.'
Students chose 'None of the Above' by a two-to-one margin. Students voted on six possible mascots: a robot, a falcon, a dragon eye, a silhouetted horseman, a gladiator, and none of the above. 'It wasn't very close,' Principal Barry Reilly said.
One student, junior Julie Laub, protested the mascot removal. On the day of the vote, she wore a shirt with the Indian mascot on the front and the word 'forever' on the back.
Students believe the ban will be reconsidered in the future, but, for now, the memory will remain. 'I think it's crazy—the fact that we have to lose something we've been waiting for since we were little kids to become,' said Andre Brown, a junior and tri-varsity athlete.
Scalped
California may force public schools to drop American Indian mascots. The California legislature recently approved such a bill. A vote on the bill is forthcoming. Public elementary, middle, and high schools and University of California and California State systems would be affected by such a law.
Names like Redskins, Indians, Braves, Chiefs, and any tribal moniker would fall under the legislation. Even Warriors could be affected—if the name coincides with an identifiably Indian mascot. Under the bill, 100 California schools would have to change their names. Los Angeles schools have banned Indian mascots since 1987.
Bill supporters believe such a law will correct a hurtful injustice. 'People don't realize how its hurts us,' said LaVerne Roberts, a Paiute Indian living in San Jose. 'They don't look at us as people. They look at us as savages and that makes us less human.'
Not all American Indians agree with the bill. David Yeagley, an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma believes Indians can use mascots to educate non-Indians and is offended by the bill. 'There are eleven states with Indian names, and endless streets, rivers, towns, and counties that have Indian names,' he said. 'Are they going to remove that, too? Where does this ethnic cleansing end?'
If the bill becomes law, the state will allocate one million dollars to help schools pay for necessary changes.
Got a light?
Teen smoker Jason Scibby, 15, owes $6,000 in fines for underage smoking. Scibby has been a regular smoker since age thirteen. Scibby and his mother believe he is being unfairly targeted by local police. 'You do one little thing, you look suspicious and they search you,' Scibby said. 'I think I have the most smoking tickets in the city.'
Scibby's mother, Gail Condon, believes the police are following Scibby and wants the police to relax. 'He keeps smoking whether anyone likes it or not,' she said.
Scibby will not say where he gets his cigarettes, although he says that he does it with ease. Nor does Scibby plan on quitting. 'I have tried a couple of times, but I cannot seem to do it,' he said. 'No willpower, I guess.'
MIT Students to Protest Speaker
MIT students are planning to hold a series of events to protest the school's Commencement speaker, James D. Wolfensohn, the president of the World Bank. A screening of Life and Debt, a movie that depicts the economic struggles of Jamaicans, highlights the schedule of events. The director of the movie, Stephanie Black, will attend the screening and will be available to discuss her film. She is not accepting an honorarium.
Grammy winner, Yami Bolo, will perform reggae music to conclude the events. Also, a group of twenty students, selected by lottery, will engage Wolfensohn in a closed discussion.