Outgoing 2001 Class Council President Jon Potter "is the kind of guy who will always come through for you," Summer Assembly President Jorge Miranda '01 said.
Miranda, Potter's roommate, said that Potter has an "informal leadership style that creates a tight circle of people" which has been an important asset on the 2001 Council.
Potter said he ran for president last year not because of any longstanding political ambition, but because it was something that he did not do in high school.
Potter said he used his position as '01 Class Council President to help "bring an inclusive social environment to campus." He first got involved in the Council as the 2001 Bonfire Chair. After lighting the fire on Dartmouth Night, he felt "it was definitely a good call to do the 101" circles around the flame.
Elected as the 2001 Class President during Spring 1998, Potter worked to "have his nose in everything." Although Potter said he knew there was a danger of "burn out" from being involved in every project, he believed that the principles of "leading by example" and "focusing on the big picture" were critical to a successful tenure.
During his time as president, he was instrumental in the Summer Carnival, in addition to helping to run "Snow-pocalypse," a Winter term event that offered outdoor activities at Occom Pond.
Potter's "01-a-versities," extra-curricular classes taught by sophomores for sophomores were not completely successful by his own admission, but he said he still believes that those who participated found it productive, "particularly the bar tending one."
On balance, Potter thinks "that the people who actually care about my role ... have been generally pleased with my presidency."
Potter said he thinks the importance of being "someone to count on" and having a willingness "to do the grunt work" are key ingredients to effective leadership. Likewise, encouraging new ideas and high energy balanced against a distaste for "redundant administrative things" is also important. Potter said he would plan for a meeting up to two hours before it would actually take place.
This two hours of preparation meant he knew exactly what he wanted to get accomplished during the actually meetings, Potter said.
The Virginia native said he chose Dartmouth after weighing the options of the nine other colleges he applied to during his high school senior year. While Brown seemed to offered an alterative pace of student life that appealed to Potter, he decided that the Big Green was the best scholastic investment. Potter told The Dartmouth, "I have never looked back" regarding his college choice.
Potter said he feels that "there is just something about the feel of the campus ... the closeness of it" and that the "balance between academics and outside activities" is very important to Dartmouth's character of excellence. A double major in economics and mathematics, Potter may complete a chemistry minor as well.
Potter's interests in economics may come from his father, who studied the subject as an undergraduate at Michigan State University. Later his father picked up graduate qualifications at Cornell and American Universities. While his father now practices employment law in Washington, his mother works as a mediator in Virginia.
Potter's sister is currently a high school senior. Potter said that she may possibly join him at the College, but for the moment, he's "still working on her to come here."
As for the future of other things on campus, Potter is more direct. While he is not a member of a fraternity, he said he believes "while there may be things to improve about the Greek system, the focus should be on the larger social environment."
He said his unaffiliated status has "not been a problem" during his first two years at the College. In fact, Potter's father was apparently surprised at how little involvement the Greek system has on the College compared to his own days at MSU.
Potter has been a Big Brother and worked on Operation Insolation, both through the Tucker Foundation. Additionally, he volunteered in the Radiology Department at the Veteran's Hospital in White River Junction.
In his first two years at the College, Potter also found time to play on the rugby team.
Stewart Krohn, assistant rugby coach, said that "just like his reputation on campus, Potter is a big man on the field. Don't let Potter fool you with his gentlemanly veneer, he plays with the instinctual quickness of a panther, and possesses the aggression of a moose in heat. All in all, he is a thinking man's lemur."
This summer Potter is living with four friends at the River Ranch in Norwich, Vt. Potter said all of their friendships developed from their intense extracurricular leadership experiences.
Potter said enjoys re-watching "The Big Lebowsky" and "The Usual Suspects" or re-reading "The Invisible Man" or "Ender's Game" during his free time. "Jon Potter is a great cook," one of his friends also added anonymously.
As for advice to the future leaders at Dartmouth, Potter emphasized trying not to "get bogged down in details" and said that delegation is important.
He hopes that there will be an increased cooperation between freshman and sophomore classes in the future, and an enlargement of school wide events, such as in the case of the Super Bowl Party and the Festival D'Art-mouth.
Potter, the winner of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity "1997-1998 Balanced Man Award" which recognizes academic, leadership and community service accomplishment, said he'd like to be remembered at the College as "a good man."
