Student Sits on Green to Improve World

By Seth Goldberg | Tuesday, October 15, 2002

Pat Martha '05 talks to Jared Shoemaker '04 about his protest. Martha says he is sitting on the Green to get people to care about each other.
—Photo Caption: the Daily Dartmouth, October 11, 2002

Some people sit out on the Green trying to get a golden New Hampshire tan. Some lie down and study. Others sit in circles, discussing matters of intellect or politics. Some even stand and play Frisbee. But Patrick Martha '05 sits on the Green for a much more profound reason: he wants to make the world a better place.

Martha first began to attract attention with his constant presence on the Green. He generated a buzz throughout campus when the Daily Dartmouth ran a picture of him (sans article) with the above caption. Martha appears to be assembling a collection of individuals to take action, with the vaguely defined goal of 'making things better.' To Martha, interaction is vital, and he estimates that he has met over 200 people in the past week. Lacking any further information about Martha, confused by his constant vigil, and unsure of his motives, the Review sat down with the sophomore to discuss his unorthodox crusade.

The Dartmouth Review: When did you start sitting on the Green?

Patrick Martha: I started last Sunday. I spent the first night on the Green.

TDR: The entire night?

PM: Yes. And I was woken up by [Safety and Security] a little after seven, and they reminded me that it was against the rules to sleep on the Green, or anywhere else outdoors on campus.

TDR: So you haven't slept on the Green since then?

PM: No. I also realized that I wasn't talking to people while I was lying face down.

TDR: Since then, how much time have you been spending on the Green?

PM: I've been pushing eight hours a day.

TDR: Bad weather...no big deal?

PM: It hasn't been a big deal. I keep layered, and I've actually been wearing the same pair of clothes for the last week. People stop by, even in the rain. They go by three, five, thirty times, and finally they just have to ask themselves, what the hell is going on? It's a great way.

TDR: Can you tell me in one sentence exactly what you are doing out there?

PM: I'm out there to get people to take a step back, realize their potential, then come together, as a singular force, as people, and do something to better themselves and better the world. But start small.

TDR: What results have you seen so far? Have you made people care more about each other? Have you made the world a better place?

PM: I have met about 200 people in the last week, and people are getting excited. At the first couple of gatherings, people will just get to know one another, and we won't jump into anything right away. Then we will move toward the goals.

TDR: Do you have any goals in mind?

PM: I don't have any specific goals in mind. If I did have specific goals, it would be easier for people to say 'Yeah, I'll go along with that,' but it would also be easier for people to say 'I don't want to get involved.'

TDR: How do you compare your way of making the world a better place, sitting on the Green, to someone who actually goes out and works at a soup kitchen, or helps to build a house?

PM: Someone asked me yesterday: 'Hundreds of people come up with organizations, what makes you any different?' And I said, 'You know, where are they?' They wait for people to come to them. I'm making a stand, saying that everyone is responsible, and we all have the potential to do things. n

Student Sits on Green to Improve World

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