The Week in Review

Friday, July 22, 2005

Willis-Starbuck '07 Murdered During Off-Term

The Dartmouth campus was rocked early on Sunday, June 17, by the news that one of its own, Meleia Willis-Starbuck '07, had been gunned down earlier that morning by an unknown assailant, while working in her hometown of Berkeley, California, on a Tucker Foundation Partners in Community Service grant. While most of her classmates were on campus for sophomore summer, the Sociology and African and African-American Studies double-major had taken the term off to work at the Berkeley Women's Daytime Drop-In Center, providing assistance to low-income women and children.

At 1:45 a.m. that fateful Sunday, Willis-Starbuck and her friends, standing outside an apartment building in the student area of Berkeley, were involved in a short confrontation with an unidentified group of men. The argument ended, but moments later, a car drove up and a man strode out of the car and fired an unspecified number of shots into the assembled group; however, it is believed that the shooting occurring immediately after the argument was a coincidence. No one else was hit, but Willis-Starbuck was fatally injured, and pronounced dead by Berkeley firefighters at approximately 2:00 a.m. As of this writing, there have been no arrests.

While on campus, Willis-Starbuck had been involved in the College Greens and the Afro-American Society, among other organizations. A candlelight vigil was held Monday night in her memory; approximately two hundred people attended. Additionally, a memorial fund is being established.

We at The Dartmouth Review offer our sincerest condolences and prayers to Meleia's family and friends

Fraternity Basements Sparsely Populated

The advent of sophomore summer has brought fraternity basements that are practically devoid of revelers. The basements' relative emptiness has been widely attributed to the fact that nobody rages anymore.

Senior Over-Achievers Win Scholarships

Several members of the class of 2005 have won Fulbright Scholarships for teaching and research, allowing them to pursue their interests around the world. Rebecca Heller won a Research Fulbright to study AIDS prevention efforts in Malawi [see TDR 6/2/05], Daniel Knecht won a Research Fulbright to study public health in Israel, Brandon Morris won a Research Fulbright to study public health in Uruguay, Victoria Lee won a Teaching Fulbright to teach English to high school students in Indonesia, and Elisabeth Page won a Research Fulbright to study Arabic in Jordan.

Several Dartmouth seniors had previously won Fulbright awards to study in Germany: Ariel Stern-Markowitz will research the economic effects of German reunification, Christopher McMullen-Laird will study Mozart at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar, Alexia Huffman will research the re-education of German World War Two POWs, and and Krista Sande-Kerback will teach English to high school students in Hamburg and research the effects of Turkish immigration.

Peter Noteboom '05 previously won a Marshall Scholarship for advanced study at Oxford in economics.

Gold Coast Contretemps

With the luxurious halls of the East Wheelock shuttered for the summer, the mischievous vagabonds who repeatedly preyed on the innocent denizens of that cluster over the past year [see TDR 6/2/05, 5/9/05, 3/11/05] have shifted their activity to the Gold Coast dormitories.

Community Director Brian Reed was forced to plead electronically with the cluster in a message sent out last week, detailing the repeated destruction of shower curtains in the cluster's men's bathrooms. Reed further noted that if anyone has a problem with the curtains, they should contact him for a more peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Feminist 'Humor Maven' Barreca '79 Opens Summer Term

"Feminist humor maven" Gina Barreca '79, author of Babes in Boyland [see TDR 5/13/05], returned to Hanover to deliver the inaugural Sophomore Summer Opening Address on June 24. Barreca's address, entitled, "Surviving Hanover," often seemed more of a standup comedy routine than a speech. Touting the value of humor and laughter, Barreca delivered a string of anecdotes regarding the peculiarities of being a female in a male-dominated environment. Getting contraception from a place called Dick's House? "It is a small college, but there are those who love it" as the unofficial motto of an all-male school? Har har har.

Nevertheless, Barreca, despite her self-proclaimed dislike of the outdoors, encouraged the class to have fun with their summer term, by making full use of the opportunities available to them. Despite a turnout of only one-fifth of the class of 2007 (no doubt the others were out actually making use of the aforementioned opportunities), the event was viewed by administrators as a success, and will almost surely be held again next year.

Hanover Inn: Dine At Your Own Risk

On July 7, the Hanover Inn scored a dismal 63 points out of 100 possible on its health inspection. The Inn hosts several restaraunts—the Daniel Webster Room, the Terrace, Zin's Wine Bistro, and a catering service—none of which, apparently, is fit to serve food. Health inspectors cited five critical violations, including refridgeraters which failed to refridgerate and insects throughout the kitchen. Furthermore, the Inn failed to sanatize its culinary equiptment. Students, however, are unfazed; after all, the Hanover Inn is by far the finest College-owned dining establishemnt.

Croquet League Update

Despite the limited number of competitors on campus, play has continued in the Dartmouth Croquet League this summer. In a warm-up match on July 3, Kale Bongers '07 defeated League new-comer Michael J. Ellis '06, easily brushing aside Ellis's challenge with expert play. Bongers was content to rest on his laurels, though, as he did not appear for the following day's rematch. Croquet League President Daniel Linsalata '07, clad garishly as is his custom, jumped out to an early lead over Ellis and C.M.A. Kluender '04. Ellis made a strong rally in the match's final wickets, but it was too little too late as Linsalata emerged victorious.

"I was pleased with my play today," said Linsalata after the match. "I had been afraid that my many hours spent playing p�tanque while in Paris last term would have left me rusty, but if Ellis keeps making idiotic mistakes like he did today, I'll have no trouble holding on to my title." A potent combination of late-afternoon sun and fatigue brought on by the match precluded any further play that day.

A brief note to FO&M � the grass of the Baker Library lawn is in serious need of upkeep. Not only is the grass unevenly cut, but it has also died out in a number of spots, rendering croquet play quite hazardous.

College Funds Vibrator Party

This Monday, the Tindle Lounge of Thayer Dining Hall played host to Michelle Brennan of the "Grand Opening" sex toy shop in Boston. Sponsored by the Sexual Abuse Peer Advisors (SAPA) program, Brennan spoke about "Pleasure and Sex Toys."

The proprietor of Grand Opening, "Professor of Seduction" Kim Airs, states on their website that she opened the store because "whenever I visited an adult store in those days, I usually found myself to be the only female customer, and [I] started to realize the need for a sex-positive store that women and men would feel comfortable in. The store is also launching a new product, the "Audi-Oh," a vibrator that plugs in an iPod and "pulses to the beat of your favorite sexy music."

Illegals Brawl, Border Patrol Arrests Six

The Manchester Union-Leader reports that six illegal aliens were arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Hanover this week. The six, who ranged from fourteen to thirty years old, had been hired by Maurice Fortin of Holyoke, Mass. to hang drywall at a Dartmouth College construction site. Hanover Police detained the illegal aliens after College Safety and Security officers alerted them to a "fracas" in A-Lot off of East Wheelock Street.

The Week in Review

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