“Cosmo” Takes On Dartmouth, Bored@Baker

Van Syckle’s article focuses on the impacts of the forum Bored@Baker

Katie Van Syckle ‘05, a self-described hard-hitting investigative field reporter, further exposed Dartmouth scandals of terms past to a national audience in a manner reminiscent of Andrew Lohse. Writing for the renowned Cosmopolitan Magazine (which also boasts recent articles such as “What You Need To Know About Relationships And How They Are Like Cats” and “Celebrities Doing Things!”), Van Syckle explores the darker side of the Dartmouth-exclusive anonymous online forum Bored@Baker.  Her article, “How Cyberbullying Is Making Sexual Assault on College Campuses Even Worse,” contains interviews with Dean Johnson, current and past students who have been personally targeted on Bored@Baker, and the president of a Dartmouth fraternity. Van Syckle pays special attention to one infamous “rape guide” post from last fall, and attempts to tie the Greek system’s influence to this post and other acts of cyberbullying on Bored@Baker.  It should be noted that the “rape guide” author was later revealed as an unaffiliated student in his first term at Dartmouth.