Thursday, October 5, 2006

History of Trustee Election Rules

A cynic might be tempted to conclude that in the eyes of the election rule-makers at Dartmouth, what counts as “fair” is more a reflection of whether the proposed rule changes will operate to the detriment of petition candidates

On the Evils of Banality

It’s been quite a task keeping up with the letters, e-mails, blog posts, and articles about this Constitution business. I for one do not pretend to master all the intricacies and minutiae of the document, but I do have one thing to add: this is all so incredibly dull that I can hardly keep my noggin perpendicular to the ground.

Furstenberg Out, Football In

Some of Furstenberg’s accomplishments as Dean make fine fodder for Dartmouth PR and are praise-worthy in their own right. However, Furstenberg will best be remembered for a letter he composed in December of 2000. The letter constituted a gross betrayal of Dartmouth on his part and of the very duties that were included under his job description.

Steinbeck’s Midsummer Night’s Dream

It’s good stuff, really, and Director Anne Bogart seems to get it ‘on,’ if only through a dark sepia glass. But the dramatic contrast between the dusty-depression and the fairy-dust of the dream carried no real currency in the play, calling its depression era affectations into question. Moreover, the intense physicality and, at times, slap-stick buffoonery of Bogart’s production too often kicks at and bruises the beauty, and the comedy, or in short, the rhetorical intentions of the Bard.

From Hegel to Hagel; An Interview With Francis Fukuyama

“You never really understand how dysfunctional government is until you’ve actually been in it.”

Convocation ‘06: Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid

Before the speeches began, one couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming maleness and paleness of the trustees, administrators, and speakers on the stage. How terribly ironic for an institution so vocally committed to “diversity.” It served to illustrate that so-called “diversity” is less a tangible quality, than a word that Baby Boomers use for the sake of emotional masturbation.

“I Am Not a White Male Conservative”

The “Experiences” presentation ultimately revealed a glaring hole in the diversity initiative that College administrators cling to so dearly, coddling it like a favorite childhood blanket. Diversity discussions that focus on highlighting how some individuals are more unique than others, or how some people had moments when they felt ostracized, are counterproductive.

FUELing Irresponsibility

While orgiastic Dionysian festivities aren’t as popular as they used to be, the men and women at the Freshmen Dance Party at Collis’s Fuel would have awed even the most flamboyant ancient Greeks with their erotic grinding and intoxicated revelry two weeks ago.

The Last Word

“I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than by the faculty of Harvard University.”
—William F. Buckley, Jr.

Barrett’s Mixology

He tucked the front of my polo into my trousers so as to expose my belt buckle, extended my collar upwards and with a nod, sent the surprisingly fruity mixture down my gullet. Grinning approvingly, my cousin proclaimed, “You have just been introduced to ‘The Fop.’”