Dartmouth students come to campus from all over the world: from places with beaches, mountains, forests or lakes. For four years, we share the same views at Dartmouth. We share the smooth waters of the river, the warm light of Sanborn Library and the soft grass on the Green. We also share the staggeringly long lines at KAF, the musty Stacks cubicles and the squeaky tables in Novack at one in the morning. We share the good and the bad.
No one loves Dartmouth all the time — even the people who seem happiest here on the surface. We all have different experiences here, built partly from our previous experiences before arriving on campus but mostly composed of what we’ve done with our time since arriving in Hanover. We’ve built different worlds for ourselves with different horizons. And with so many different experiences, it seems not just stupid, but selfish not to take the opportunity to learn from each other. It is selfish not to acknowledge what it means to love Dartmouth and what it means to hate it and why both feelings are valid in their own right.
This week, the Mirror asks you to broaden your horizons. For our part, we bring to you stories about LGBTQIA+ students searching for acceptance, an art exhibit that humanizes the migrant experience, one of the first women at Dartmouth’s experiences with misogyny and more. For your part, we ask that you make an effort to continue searching for more stories and experiences that differ from your own. You have only so much time with the Dartmouth students around you: Learn from them while you can.
