Pushing through the back doors of Collis towards Robo and Thayer, a wispy gust greets me. As I descend the steps, my eyes adjust to the darkness of the cold winter evening and the orange glow from the flake filled night sky. To my right, vans are being loaded with packs and cross-country skis as an excited group heads out into the mountains for a magical weekend. Familiar faces shuffle in and out of Thayer and join in the gathering of acquaintances reveling in the quiet of the newly fallen snow. With my feet crunching over a blanket of white towards Mass Row, I recall one of my main reasons for choosing Dartmouth College.
Now obliterate the scene I have just described. It no longer exists. There are not three separate buildings, each joined by a short, friendly walk. Instead I find myself in enclosed tunnels, broken social spaces, and long halls in a conglomerate monolithic building. Centerbrook Architecture has labeled this the solution to social life at OUR College. I can't observe the time of day by where the sun is in the sky. I can't appreciate the seasons by the color of the leaves on the surrounding maples. I can't watch the sunset on a warm evening from the outdoor tables by Robo. I am at a different school.
Last week Centerbrook Architecture unveiled their working plans for completely restructuring the social and recreational parts of campus, radically changing Dartmouth "as we know it."
The proposed plan is not all bad. We need versatile dining areas; an expanded Collis Caf and a Lone Pine Tavern with a real stage, new recital halls, study spaces, a pub, and marketplace dining would improve the quality of life. Centralizing student organizations makes them more visible and accessible. But what about an expansive bowling alley, a beauty salon, a satellite of the Dartmouth Co-op, and a giant, 'state of the art,' untested, 360-degree movie theatre called a Cinedrome? Perhaps this is the cutting edge, but what about five years down the road when the technology is out of date and students are without intimate spaces with character in this huge, out-of-scale building?
The plans also call for a giant recreation center to be built upon Dartmouth Athletics' most sacred land: the historic Red Rolfe Field. Robert 'Red' Rolfe, class of 1931, went on to be a star Yankee third basemen. After collecting four World Series Titles with the Yankees, Rolfe then returned to Dartmouth to serve a distinguished career as Athletic Director. Baseball was the first sport to be played at Dartmouth, and we were one of the very first college baseball teams in the world. In the 1880s, games were played on the Green and then later moved to perhaps THE finest, not to mention oldest, college baseball diamond on the East Coast: Red Rolfe Field. This field holds a very strong sentimental value to all Dartmouth baseball players past and present. The proposed replacement baseball diamond will be placed on Sachem field, where the Rugby team is forced to play. Ever been there? Me neither; it's an eight minute car ride.
So HOW will this effect Dartmouth? Bye-bye baseball program. My best friend from high school, a top soccer recruit, chose Harvard over Dartmouth. The reason: our soccer field was too far away from the center of campus. Of course, there is much to be gained from a new athletic and recreational facility. An Olympic sized pool is included in the plans, as are more weight rooms, much needed locker rooms, and a large climbing wall. The Dartmouth community could gain a lot, but the plans need to be modified to minimize losses.
The plans also relocate The Dartmouth Outing Club to this new gym. Take yourself back to the day you arrived at Dartmouth and H-Crew had you dancing the Salty Dog in front of Robo before you could refuse. You joined in a Dartmouth tradition just as thousands of students did before. Would your first moments at Dartmouth be as unique down by the gym? No longer would you become immediately connected to the heart of campus. We are bound to the memories of our DOC Freshman Trip starting at the center of campus. If Centerbrook has its way, this will be a thing of the past.
Moving the Outing Club will be a crushing blow to an organization that many say defines this small college in the North Woods. No longer will students, faculty, and alumni walking by Robo see the orange sign luring them to rent skis, skates, rollerblades and canoes from Outdoor Programs only a few feet away. Suddenly Dartmouth will not have the visible humdrum of activity of people going "out" to take advantage of the incredible opportunities right outside our doors. You will now have to walk all the way to the Leverone Field House to take part in DOC activities. If the Outing Club is not a visible presence on daily campus life then Freshman trips will be only a memory and the opportunities the DOC provides will drift away from the constant foot traffic in between Collis, Robo, and Thayer.
We are fortunate to have Centerbrook Architecture and the Trustees looking to invigorate the life here on campus. But in our haste to spend money and be "up to date" with other schools and facilities, let's not disregard what we have and what makes Dartmouth Dartmouth.
The setting sun casts long shadows along the Green. People are studying, sunbathing, and playing Frisbee. I think back to my campus tour in the spring of my senior year when I was trying to decide between Dartmouth College and all the rest. I hear continuous waves of laughter radiate from the Collis porch as the Dog Day Players entertain a packed crowd. I see Earth Day supporters displaying a pile of trash that they have gathered from one day's worth of Collis trash cans. I'm struck by the feeling of vibrancy and excitement that grips this community. This will be my college. This will be my home.
I understand now that Dartmouth students are doers. We create our own fun. Some may label it being stuck in the middle of nowhere. I call it the best four years of my life.
