The Art of Celebrating
The Hood Museum marked its 40th anniversary with a community party featuring the Rockapellas, a sidewalk chalk art garden, and creation of mosaics for a big “4-0.”
Free Speech
Dartmouth ranked 35th out of 257 schools—vaulting up 189 places from a year earlier—in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE’s) 2026 college free speech rankings but ranked in the bottom 50 for students’ comfort in expressing ideas.
Bonfire canceled
The College canceled the Homecoming Weekend bonfire in October due to a state ban on outdoor fires. The College staged a light and laser show instead.
Future Career Success
Dartmouth ranked ninth in LinkedIn’s “Top Colleges 2025: The 50 best colleges for long-term career success in the U.S.” and fifth in Niche’s ranking of the country’s colleges and universities.
Antisemitic Vandalism
Two swastikas were reportedly drawn outside dorm rooms in late September, prompting President Beilock to denounce the “heinous acts” and increase patrols. Police later concluded the second drawing was not a swastika.
DIMEX
A new three-year pilot program, the Dartmouth Initiative for Middle East Exchange, aims to increase research and professional partnerships between the College and institutions in the Middle East and North Africa. Prof Jonathan Smolin directs the program.
Animal Rights
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sharply criticized Dartmouth for failing to reduce the use of animals in lab research and refine procedures to minimize suffering. Its inventory obtained from federal reports lists 3,930 mice, 360 rats, 19,000 fish, 12 dogs, 18 rabbits, 16 pigs, and 262 other animals.
Up At Bat
Following the retirement of longtime baseball coach Bob Whalen, pitching coach Blake McFadden stepped in to lead the team in the upcoming season.
Student Housing
With donations from the class of 1989 and Shonda Rhimes ’91, the College is building two five-story dorms at 37-43 West Wheelock to house juniors and seniors in four-bedroom, apartment-style units.
Dink and Smash
Moves are afoot to expand pickleball facilities. The College recently added two new courts, and may pioneer collegiate competitive pickleball if it creates a club team.
Seriously?
The College and Hanover police scheduled an active shooter drill with a fictional threat that “Jihad is imminent.” The Islamophobic script prompted the College’s Muslim chaplain, Abdul Rahman Latif, to contact Safety & Security, which scrapped the storyline with profuse apologies.
A Laughter Marathon
Improv comedy group Dog Day Players, which just celebrated its 30th year, performed a 12-hour improv session on Baker Lawn this summer. President Maisie Pike ’26 hopes to present a 24-hour session sometime before next June.
