Short Answer
By The Dartmouth Opinion Staff
Published on Monday, September 24, 2012
Last week, The Dartmouth Editorial Board praised the College for investing greater resources in the arts and constructing the Black Family Visual Arts Center after focusing so heavily on the sciences and research in the previous few years. Where would you like to see the College focus its resources for new initiatives and infrastructure development in the next few years?
In the business environment brought about by our nation’s still-stagnant economy, there are few things more important than creating job growth. The College already does an excellent job of preparing its students for success in established fields like banking and consulting; however, the dedication of resources toward fostering entrepreneurship would be a refreshingly admirable and more widely beneficial endeavor. —Michael Beechert ’16
As a student on financial aid, I find it a little disheartening to see my tuition bill rise alongside the construction of a new building (two new buildings, if you count the Hanover Inn construction). I am taking Drawing I this term, and while I love the new Black Family Visual Arts Center, a true “commitment to undergraduates” would focus more on lessening the financial burden on students and their families. —Emily Sellers ’15
Now that the administration has devoted a significant amount of resources to both the sciences and the arts, I think they should strive to develop programs that help integrate the two. Dartmouth has made an effort to “bridge the gap,” and a program of this nature would further serve that goal. —Katherine McKay ’16
The College should focus its efforts on creating accessible social alternatives to the Greek System, which is an oppressively dominant force on campus. Although such alternatives are rumored to exist, students uncomfortable with fraternity basements are in reality presented with few recreational options. The College would benefit from the creation of infrastructure designed to unify and entertain the heretofore disparate unaffiliated population. —Rebecca Rothfeld ’14
The College needs to improve its name recognition, especially outside the United States. We Dartmouth undergraduates already benefit from access to world-class faculty and stellar facilities. It is time that the College let the world know. —Jonathan Pedde ’14
With the addition of the VAC, we have room to expand our notoriously small film and media studies department. I hope the College will not stop short and be content with just consolidating the department into one building. Now, with the proper resources, the College has a chance to strengthen the department by hiring additional faculty to augment the number of stimulating courses available to students interested in film. —Eric Chalif ’16
Rather than asking how the College should employ its resources, we should ask how the College can conserve them. Tuition was raised 4.9 percent last year, a hefty amount for families in tough economic times. While there is merit in the creation of new infrastructure, asking parents for thousands more per year and sending that money to build art or other centers which their children may well not use is inappropriate. Rather, the College should look to conserve resources where it can without harming the quality of instruction and attempt to hold down tuition and/or extend financial aid. —Will Alston ’16
Following the completion of the VAC, I would like to see the College devote some of its resources toward improving residential life. Particularly the River and Choates residential clusters have much room to be renovated to fit changing student needs. —Kevin Francfort ’15
I’m so happy that ‘16s who have been here for all of three weeks can give us keen insights on how to improve the school!
By ‘13 on Sep 24 | 11:52 am
Don’t worry. The College has its' priorities all in place. $50 million on the Hanover Inn. Building one sorority after another. Lots more athletic facilities. A new left wing barn at the DOC organic farm. An LGBT affinity house. The Black Arts Center. Who gives a damn about the nasty, creepy, tiny, out of the way, River Cluster and Chaotes College dorms? The College wants to pay twice the going rate for every job done at the College and invent thousands of bureaucratic “jobs” at great wages, benefits, retirement, etc. The College doesn’t care about whether or not you can get into a course that you want. The College doesn’t care about hiring new professors who would teach the courses students want to take. The College wants to run your lives and propagandize you into what to think. “Social Justice” anyone?
By anon on Sep 24 | 2:44 pm
16’s are likely among the best to make an objective assessment since they haven’t been propagandized yet.
By anon on Sep 24 | 4:13 pm
I am getting somewhat tired of people calling for “accessible social alternatives to the Greek System”. Now, I’m not sure what Rebecca had in mind, but the alternatives aren’t really hiding, some of them are even within the Greek System (I’ve always found Alpha Theta and Phi Tau very accessible, and alternative, and not at all oppressive). Let us not forget our two undergraduate societies: Amarna especially is very different from the Greek system – very open, accessible, doesn’t even really have a basement. What, it’s too far? Well, deal with it. Friday Night Rock and Thursday Night Salsa are also really fun accessible social groups/events, albeit in a basement, and PB really tries to throw good events. Unaffiliated people do not necessarily need to have a unified space to hang out (if the only thing you have in common with someone is that you’re both unaffiliated, it’s not much to go on) but can simply explore what’s out there, without being afraid of the B-side stigma that is seemingly associated with some places, and if it’s not exactly what they want, they can work on shaping it into something they really like, with people who want the same thing.
By ‘12 on Sep 24 | 4:16 pm