Class Note 2017
Issue
November-December 2020
This summer the Dartmouth administration decided to cut five varsity sports: men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, and men’s lightweight crew. The decision deeply hurt hundreds of athletes, past and present.
In this edition of the Class Notes, I am sharing the voices of some of the ’17s who participated in the affected sports. Quotes have been modified for length and clarity.
From Amy Sun, women’s swimming and diving: “My team was my family, my first friends, my shoulders to cry on, and my group hug after we crushed a workout together. It wasn’t like we had much in common, in fact many of us had nothing in common. It was the sport that brought us together, and together we became the best versions of ourselves.
“My relationship with swimming evolved dramatically during my time at Dartmouth. Freshman year I was obsessed with swimming. Senior year I was the opposite of that. But throughout my time at Dartmouth I was immensely grateful that swimming provided me with an anchor while I explored, developed other facets of my identity, and became multidimensional. As someone who has trained intensely since the age of 10 and competed at national and international levels, my sport was all I knew before college. But at Dartmouth, that’s where I learned I am so much more than my sport.”
From Jeff Lang, men’s golf: “In life, you fail. You work as a team. You look for ways to make your mark. You try to develop a strong work ethic and continuously practice to develop expertise in your chosen area, whether it be finance, fashion design, academia, or otherwise. You receive critical feedback at every turn. You build relationships.
“It’s no coincidence that all of these tenets of life are also core to sports. While playing golf at Dartmouth, I failed—a lot. I learned to work with different types of people. I learned about society and the world around me. Be respectful of everyone, check my privilege, tip my waiter or waitress, have goals, ask thoughtful questions. I built relationships —with my coach, team, alums, competitors—that will last a lifetime.
“I would argue sports are one of the greatest teachers in life. Dartmouth touts experiential learning as one of its greatest strengths, but taking measured steps to attack competitive sports, one of the greatest experiential learning tools out there, doesn’t make much sense, does it?”
From Joby Bernstein, men’s swimming and diving: “Dartmouth swimming redefined my definition of character and community. The pain I shared with my teammates in the pool made it easier for us to share our struggles outside the water. The team was my home, my confidant, and my soul. It gave me confidence to lead the team—in my lane or as a captain.
“Beyond the anger and the insult of Dartmouth’s biased and opaque decision to cut swimming, comes the real question of what Dartmouth do I really stand for. To have character and to be a part of a community requires commitment. Dartmouth made a commitment to the current 53 swimmers and divers who chose to attend Dartmouth over competing offers and scholarships. Swimmers never take this commitment lightly; despite the hours in the pool and the gym, we push to exceed expectations and become campus leaders inside and outside of the pool. We found ways to make it work. By breaking agreements and avoiding community discussions, the administration has failed to deliver the community and commitment to students it boasts about. This commitment can’t be broken in a day. We won’t stand to see it happen.”
—Dorian J. Allen, 33 Kensington Terrace, Maplewood, NJ 07040; dorallen@comcast.net
In this edition of the Class Notes, I am sharing the voices of some of the ’17s who participated in the affected sports. Quotes have been modified for length and clarity.
From Amy Sun, women’s swimming and diving: “My team was my family, my first friends, my shoulders to cry on, and my group hug after we crushed a workout together. It wasn’t like we had much in common, in fact many of us had nothing in common. It was the sport that brought us together, and together we became the best versions of ourselves.
“My relationship with swimming evolved dramatically during my time at Dartmouth. Freshman year I was obsessed with swimming. Senior year I was the opposite of that. But throughout my time at Dartmouth I was immensely grateful that swimming provided me with an anchor while I explored, developed other facets of my identity, and became multidimensional. As someone who has trained intensely since the age of 10 and competed at national and international levels, my sport was all I knew before college. But at Dartmouth, that’s where I learned I am so much more than my sport.”
From Jeff Lang, men’s golf: “In life, you fail. You work as a team. You look for ways to make your mark. You try to develop a strong work ethic and continuously practice to develop expertise in your chosen area, whether it be finance, fashion design, academia, or otherwise. You receive critical feedback at every turn. You build relationships.
“It’s no coincidence that all of these tenets of life are also core to sports. While playing golf at Dartmouth, I failed—a lot. I learned to work with different types of people. I learned about society and the world around me. Be respectful of everyone, check my privilege, tip my waiter or waitress, have goals, ask thoughtful questions. I built relationships —with my coach, team, alums, competitors—that will last a lifetime.
“I would argue sports are one of the greatest teachers in life. Dartmouth touts experiential learning as one of its greatest strengths, but taking measured steps to attack competitive sports, one of the greatest experiential learning tools out there, doesn’t make much sense, does it?”
From Joby Bernstein, men’s swimming and diving: “Dartmouth swimming redefined my definition of character and community. The pain I shared with my teammates in the pool made it easier for us to share our struggles outside the water. The team was my home, my confidant, and my soul. It gave me confidence to lead the team—in my lane or as a captain.
“Beyond the anger and the insult of Dartmouth’s biased and opaque decision to cut swimming, comes the real question of what Dartmouth do I really stand for. To have character and to be a part of a community requires commitment. Dartmouth made a commitment to the current 53 swimmers and divers who chose to attend Dartmouth over competing offers and scholarships. Swimmers never take this commitment lightly; despite the hours in the pool and the gym, we push to exceed expectations and become campus leaders inside and outside of the pool. We found ways to make it work. By breaking agreements and avoiding community discussions, the administration has failed to deliver the community and commitment to students it boasts about. This commitment can’t be broken in a day. We won’t stand to see it happen.”
—Dorian J. Allen, 33 Kensington Terrace, Maplewood, NJ 07040; dorallen@comcast.net