Undercover Pledges?
Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone sparked a campus uproar when he announced in February that his department would conduct undercover sting operations to combat underage drinking. In a meeting with Greek leaders Giaccone explained that his idea of using informants posing as minors was a reaction to an increase in the number of students arrested for unlawful possession of alcohol. (The number was 63 in 2007, 126 in 2009.) The chief took everyone by surprise with his announcement, including town officials. The ensuing pushback from College administrators and students—The D said the move demonstrated a “startling and troubling lack of perspective” on the part of the police—led to a suspension of the new policy within a week. Hanover selectboard chair Brian Walsh ’65, Th’66, then charged students with forming “meaningful measures to reduce alcohol abuse.” College President Jim Kim has since formed the Student and Presidential Committee for
Alcohol Harm Reduction to examine on-campus alcohol consumption and Dartmouth’s related policies. One subcommittee is charged with working with town officials to assess police policies. “The issue of harm reduction is our primary goal,” said Sylvia Spears, acting dean of the College, noting that she sought a “collaborative effort” between Dartmouth and Hanover.

Skiway Lawsuit Settled
In February the College agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement in a suit that sought damages in the 2004 death of Christina Porter ’06. Porter’s parents had filed two $20 million negligence and wrongful death claims following a skiing accident that resulted in the student’s death; she had been taking a lesson to fulfill a phys ed requirement. “The lawsuit was resolved on amicable terms,” says a College attorney.

A New Place to Stay Downtown
Starting next fall the number of hotel rooms available in Hanover will nearly double when a new boutique hotel opens for business. Owned and operated by the Maine Course Hospitality Group, Six South Street will feature valet parking, a small restaurant—and 70 rooms. “This little hotel will blend nicely with the existing architecture,” says COO Sean Riley.

Students Step Up
College relief efforts for victims of the January earthquake in Haiti featured more than $200,000 coming from students. And the Dartmouth community donated more than just money. President Jim Kim’s ties to the nonprofit Partners in Health led to 25 Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center personnel flying to the country on eight flights made possible by donations from alumni and parents. “Dartmouth was uniquely positioned to respond quickly to this terrible tragedy,” said Kim. Students—led by Maura Cass ’10, Alexandra Schindler ’10 and Frances Vernon ’10—pulled an all-nighter to brainstorm relief roles for students and came up with Students at Dartmouth for Haiti Relief (SDHR), a network of committees that tackled various efforts. One result was the Compas benefit concert at Spaulding Auditorium in late January. More than 200 student performers danced and sang in the talent showcase. The theater department reunited some members of the 2008 performance of Hair with the dance troupe Sheba for the grand finale.

Bucking the Trend
With online social networking allowing instant documentation of students’ college days, print
yearbooks are fading like an old Polaroid. This
year the University of Virginia joined Purdue,
Mississippi State and others in scrapping their book. Minneapolis-based Jostens, publisher of
Dartmouth’s Aegis and one of the nation’s largest yearbook publishers, estimates 1,000 colleges still publish yearbooks, down from around 2,400 15 years ago. The Aegis, however, isn’t going away soon. According to current president Elena Mustatea ’11, roughly 1,000 seniors purchase the $80 book annually, and this year should be no different. “It’s the strength of our community,” she says. “Students have a much stronger connection to Dartmouth than a larger university.” The quality of the Aegis—the Printing Industries of America named the 2008 edition the best yearbook in the nation—also contributes to its popularity. So will the Aegis still be around in 10 years? “Definitely,” says Mustatea.

Go Figure!
Led by captains Natalie Falsgraf ’10 and Rory Grant ’11, the figure skating team earned its 10th appearance at the U.S. Intercollegiate National Championships. “I am hoping we all skate our best at Nationals this year and have fun while doing something we all love,” says coach Jacki Smith. In 2009 the team finished third; prior to that the team won five consecutive national championships. The final competition takes place in Delaware April 17-18.

Votin' Time
Huffington Post readers recently had an oportunity to decide on the nation's "weirdest" school mascot. Dartmouth's Keggy faced some stiff competition. The three-fingered wonder keg finished behind the Blue blob (Xavier), the Tree (Stanford), Sammy the Banana Slug (UC Santa Cruz), Scrotie (Rhode Island School of Design) and, most embarrassingly, Artie the Fighting Artichocke (Scottsdale Community College).

Pilobolus 
Returns
The story is legend: Four decades ago a Dartmouth dance class spawned Pilobolus, the only internationally acclaimed dance company named after a fungus. This June the troupe premieres on campus a new work commissioned by the College. The dance, Hapless Hooligan in “Still Moving,” is a tribute to Happy Hooligan, one of America’s great forgotten comic strip characters. “This new piece, which is Pilobolus’ first collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning comics artist Art Spiegelman (Maus), was inspired by the newspaper comic strips of the early 20th century immigration boom,” says artistic director Michael Tracy ’73. He describes the new dance as “a fond,
surreal reverie on the cultural explosion of the
period and a bittersweet recollection of the impending economic crash.”

It Could Be Worse…
The rate of unemployment, lately hovering around 10 percent, can determine a new college graduate’s fate. Although this year’s seniors face a dire employment landscape, they can take some comfort in the knowledge they aren’t the first to do so. Below, the worst June rates of unemployment from the past 61 years.

1983  10.1

1982    9.6

2009    9.5

1975    8.8

1992    7.8

1976    7.6

1980    7.6

1981    7.5

1985    7.4

1958    7.3