Pomp & Circumstance
Stephen Henry Lewis, a Canadian AIDS activist, former politician and broadcaster, served as this year’s Commencement speaker. Lewis, who was the United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from 2001 to 2006, now helps run AIDS-Free World, an advocacy nonprofit. His 2005 book, Race Against Time, examines the international community’s deficiencies in dealing with the disease in Africa. Lewis also received an honorary degree at the June 13 ceremony. “I’m thrilled,” he says. “It’s my first honorary degree from an American higher education institution, and Dartmouth has such a sterling reputation.” Following Lewis’ selection, some students went through the annual ritual of grousing and asking, “Who is this guy?” President Kim countered by telling The D that Lewis is “one of the greatest orators living on the face of the earth.…There’s nobody else I know who has made the world’s troubles their troubles and does something about them as effectively as Stephen Lewis.” Also chosen to receive honorary degrees: U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, photo journalist James Nachtwey ’70, Rwandan health secretary Agnes Binagwaho, CEOs Arthur Irving and Barry McLean ’60, Th’61, and author Jodi Picoult.

Folt Named Provost
President Jim Kim named Carol Folt to the provost position in May, ending her role as acting provost, which she held for seven months. As the College’s chief academic officer, Folt will “play a crucial role in the institution-wide strategic planning process we are now launching,” said Kim. Folt, a professor of biological sciences, has served as dean of the faculty since 2004; she’ll relinquish that job once a replacement is appointed.

Cool Commons
Thayer Dining Hall closes down this summer as workers prepare to turn it into the Class of 1953 Commons, and members of the class gathered in late May to kick off the transformation. The 14-month project to update the building and bring it up to code begins in June, thanks to a $12 million donation from the class of 1953. Featured among the renovations is the addition of a new 250-ton air conditioning unit.

Spring Sports Roundup
The Big Green baseball team won its second consecutive Ivy League title in May with a 2-1 series victory over Columbia. Dartmouth won the rubber game, 11-5, in New York to secure a berth in the NCAAs. “It has been one of the most resilient and tough-minded teams I’ve ever had at Dartmouth,” proclaimed coach Bob Whalen. His squad came back following a 13-2 loss in Game One and gave Dartmouth (26-17) its first back-to-back titles since 1969-70. Six players were named to the all-Ivy team, and catcher Chris O’Dowd ’13 earned Ivy co-Rookie of the Year honors. In other spring sports news, the women’s lacrosse team, at one point ranked nationally in the top 10, finished 11-5, second to Penn in the Ivy League, but failed to win a bid to the NCAA Division I tournament. Also, the sailing team (which was ranked as high as eighth nationally this year) sent five women to compete at the Women’s Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, May 25-28.

Good Sense for Good Samaritans
After delaying the Hanover police’s proposed sting operations in February, the College has recently seen another positive change in local alcohol policy. Prior to April, intoxicated students in need of medical attention were automatically arrested, per state law. Police will still assist emergency personnel in responding to alcohol-related ambulance calls, but now they will also inform students of the educational alcohol diversions program in which offenders must enroll within seven days—and pay $400—to avoid a citation. If a friend needs medical assistance, students are still encouraged to use the Good Samaritan policy to call for help. Student body president Eric Tanner ’11 likes the change. “It will make students feel more comfortable calling in a Good Sam since they know that there won’t be the arrests that go against everything the Good Sam rule stands for,” he says. So far, so good: During Green Key Weekend Good Sam calls were up, and police arrested no students.

New Game in Town
No horse? No problem. Students have taken to playing bike polo on the Green. “It’s one of those things that just kind of happen,” says Max McClorey ’11, who adds that the game is played by people who “like goofing off on bikes.” He calls the action perfect because, “We crash into each other, fall over, break our bikes, run over the ball, pop tires and run people over.” It helps, he adds, to have a “really beat-up bike” dedicated to the sport.

Profs and Paychecks
Dartmouth professors make, on average, less than all of their Ivy peers except those at Brown University. Harvard profs top the list with an average salary of $191,200; in Hanover profs bring in an average of $154,000. The data comes from research conducted by the American Association of University Professors.

TEDx Makes a Splash
Branko Cerny ’13 and a team of 20 volunteers put together an innovative conference on campus in late April. Called TEDx and based on the 25-year-old national TED conferences that draw together leaders in technology, entertainment and design, the one-day event featured 18-minute talks by Dartmouth professors and four shorter talks by students. “We were looking for a diverse spectrum of speakers who all have done some innovative research and are able to present their wisdom in a very digestible, engaging manner,” says Cerny. Nearly 700 attendees came for a lineup that ranged from philosophy professor Larry Crocker’s “Let’s Turn Prisons into Colleges” to language professor John Rassias’ “Teaching Heart to Heart.” “What’s great about American schools like Dartmouth is that you can pursue large projects on your own and they’ll support you,” says Cerny, who is from the Czech Republic.

Sweet Tweets
Twitter.com, which features posts clocking in at 140 characters or less, may be the best way to keep up with the fast pace of campus life. These College tweeters might help keep you in the loop:

CollisCafe: Describes Collis’ imaginative, homemade baked goods for each day.

DartmouthDom: The so-called Dartmouth Dominatrix publishes web comics and videos on sex and life at Dartmouth.

DartmouthSports: Real-time news from the athletics department.

DDSFoco: Features Food Court’s daily specials.

DMouthPainTrain: Updates on the ultimate Frisbee team.

ThayerThrowup: Irreverent commentary on Dartmouth life.