Not the best, just the most available.

"Oh", he said. He scrawled a quick note, and slid the sheet back into the folder. He put the f***ing sheet back into the folder. Right f***ing in front of me!

If there is one thing corporate recruiting has taught me, besides the value of adjectives like "a-side" and "b-side," it's that a lot of the firms in Dartmouth's corporate recruiting program, once the veneer of plush business cards and professional sounding corporate names are removed, are extremely JV. Far too "b-side" for the average Dartmouth man and definitely for the Ivy League. Let's take an example that happened to "a friend of mine."

After being accepted for a first-round interview via DartBoard, the Career Services's online corporate recruiting program, "my friend" was invited to the customary pre-interview meeting held at the Hanover Inn the night before the interviews. The firm, which describes its employee base as either "35" or "100" depending on how honest they feel like counting auxiliary staff of their parent corporation that only technically share the same offices and have no connection to their company, sent three representatives and conducted their meeting as a quasi-informal cocktail party.

"When will you host second-rounds?" one student asked.
"We'll have them on Friday, the day after your interview tomorrow." one said. The students all looked at each other.
"We weren't told about that and a lot of us have second rounds out of town that we have already made travel plans to attend. When will your alternative day be?" Career Services requires that employers have at least two options for second round interviews to ease the burden on students.
"Hmmm. We could fly you down to D.C. but I think we'll only consider special arrangements on a case-by-case basis." More looks.

The next day rolls around and "my friend" has one of the first interview slots. He finishes the case perfectly and with a chunk of time to spare. After the usual post-case Q&A, the interviewer pulls out a second-round interview form. On it are five questions.

"So to reach you tonight, your cell number on the resume is best?" the interviewer asks, to a nod, and writes a note after question 1.

"When will you be free tomorrow?" He asks next.
"I actually am leaving campus today, right after this interview and won't be back until Saturday."
"Oh", he said. He scrawled a quick note, and slid the sheet back into the folder.

"Ugh, don't you want to know my work status?" "my friend" asked, reading the unanswered 'question number 5' off the sheet?

"Mmmm... alright, are you authorized to work in the U.S.?"
"Yes I am."
"Great" he said, sliding the paper back in the folder without recording the answer.

"My friend" thanked him for his time and left. At 4:30 he got a voice mail beginning with "unfortunately...", the subtext of which was "we don't take the best, just the most available." The B-side of B-side.

One Wheelock and McLaughlinization

One Wheelock, née Lone Pine Tavern, is opening for business on the 12th and I'm rather excited to see how it will turn out. Particularly, I'm curious what kind of food offerings it will have that Lone Pine was not able to produce with reasonable cost efficiency. Just muffins and coffee? Reducing costs was the whole reason behind closing Lone Pine, after all. I also heard a rumour that the person who donated the funds for One Wheelock's operations did so on the condition that the new establishment not retain the Lone Pine name.

Taking a peek in the window, I was extremely disappointed to see everything that gave Lone Pine charm (the wood panels, banners, yearbooks) had all been McLauighlinized into the Dartmouth-dorm-standard white walls. Hopefully this is just the result of temporary refurbishing and some character will quickly return to this place billed as a comfortable hangout for the Collis crowd.

As a more general aside, the McLaughlinization of campus spaces -- e.g. the uniform design seen in Faye/McLane, New Hamp, Hitchcock, and the entire McLaughlin Cluster -- while producing nicer living arrangements than the East Wheelock era, is standardizing dorms to the point that there is little left, save location, which stand them apart. Intricate handrails, fireplaces, and dark-woods give dorms their own unique charm that make them fell more cozy. More like home. Even if the Mclaughlin design offers the best design, it might be good to alter it a bit in future refurbishments to prevent a laboratory feel to them all. I think I should, at the very least, be able to tell which dorm I'm in by looking at its interior.

Jim Kim: Cost-Cutter

Joe Asch at DartBlog has some interesting data analysis on the rise of Dartmouth's HR costs over the last decade.

The Sun God, Keggy, Swine, and... Football?

It's been an eventful week for the Big Green. More swine flu, of course, but also some pretty intriguing sideshows- Keggy fighting the Sun God on the Green yesterday courtesy of the Jack-o-Lantern, for one- the most dumbfoundingly amazing of which being we won a football game.

Seriously- I'm not kidding. The Dartmouth football team took on Cornell on Saturday and, in a suspenseful double overtime game, beat them by three, 20-17. Back when I saw the Homecoming game against Columbia, I realized that we weren't actually the worst team in the Ivy League. Now I'm starting to think that we're actually good- or at least not last.

And the '13s are representing. Greg Patton not only scored a touchdown but also broke the rushing record. Woo-hoo! And Garrett Waggoner and Garrett Wymore, both '13s, were two of the top three tacklers for the Dartmouth defense.

Long story short, even counting in the swine, it's been a decent weekend. And in case you're wondering who won the Keggy-Johnathan duel, well, it was S&S's timely interference that saved the day. Kenny Baclawski seemed for a few moments to have bitten the dust courtesy of Johnathan's lightsaber, but it turned out he was just joking around. Fancy that.

Perhaps the Sun God and Keggy should jump on a fan bus for Providence for the next football game. They can distract the Brownies while the 'shmen score some more for the Big Green. The footballers don't actually need the help, it seems, but it would be amusing to see the confused looks on the non-Dartmouth faces... Go Big Green!

The Public Option Just Might Happen

A healthcare reform bill made it out of the House last week. And things are looking up in the Senate, where a Daily beast article reports that Joe Lieberman will not join Republicans in filibustering a bill with a public option...

To read the rest of this post, go here.

REVIEW: A Serious Man

I came into this movie approximately two minutes late and while I had no freaking idea what was going on -- unlike the rest of the movie, the first scene is set in the distant past somewhere in Eastern Europe -- I was immediately struck with one unmistakable fact: this is definitely a Coen Brothers movie. A Serious Man is a what-happens-when-the-world-shits-all-over-you kind of story with absolutely no plot, no drive, no sense, and no ending. Perhaps this movie is meant to be a reflection on the Coen brothers' experiences as Jewish pot-smoking boys in suburbia, but aside from any such esoteric explanation, there is simply no meaning to be got from this film. It's almost as if the Coen brothers ran out of money half-way through and, left with nothing more than a series of unrelated scenes, tacked on a contrived ending and called it a day, hoping their names would carry them at the box office. For those expecting something like No Country for Old Man, it is a a disappointment. For those expecting something like Fargo, it is a disaster. That said, there are quite a number of scenes to find enjoyable, but this is a movie, not a cabaret.

See it
Rent it
Skip it

Budget Message from President Kim

--- Forwarded Message from "President Jim Yong Kim" ---

>From: "President Jim Yong Kim"
>Date: Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:05:05 EST
>Subject: Budget Message from President Kim
>To: All:;

Dear Members of the Community,

The Board of Trustees just finished meeting to discuss strategic priorities, the scope of the financial challenges the College faces and our approach for investing in Dartmouth's future. I wanted to provide you with an update on these issues and the principles that will guide us as we move forward.

Dartmouth is a world-class institution with an unparalleled educational formula. During my four months at the College, I have heard many wonderful ideas from you on how we can enrich the Dartmouth experience even further. As we head toward Dartmouth's 250th Anniversary in 2019, we must continue to be bold and ambitious in our vision for the College.

At the same time, we face an immediate and pressing financial challenge. Like other institutions, we are not immune from the impact of the severe and prolonged economic downturn. For the fiscal year that ended in June 2009, the College had an operating budget deficit of $34 million caused primarily by financial losses on investments. Financial projections show that this annual budget gap could widen to more than $50 million in fiscal 2011 and by an additional $50 million in fiscal 2012 as growth of expenses continues to outpace revenues.

To achieve our current and future aspirations, and maintain our commitment to excellence, we need to take immediate action to address this structural deficit. The sooner and more effectively we act, the sooner we will be back on a sound footing and in a position to invest strategically in Dartmouth's future.

During the past five years, spending and investment decisions helped the College achieve critical priorities: enhancing financial aid to attract the best students; hiring more faculty in key areas; and starting construction on critical new facilities. The change in the worldwide economic outlook, however, has led us to alter our assumptions. We can no longer sustain our current level of endowment spending.

The Trustees have asked us to plan on an endowment distribution rate that is more sustainable in the current environment and closer to the College's historic rate of 5 to 5.5 percent, down from 6.3 percent in fiscal 2009. The lower endowment distribution rate will take effect in fiscal 2011.

To close the budget gap, we must look to reduce our expenses thoughtfully and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our administrative operations. I regret that this process will unavoidably result in a smaller workforce at Dartmouth. We will pursue every possible alternative and treat any affected employees with respect and dignity.

Our goal will be not just to cut costs, but to improve the way we operate the College in pursuit of its mission. We will protect the "Dartmouth Experience" and make necessary investments to continue to enhance it, and we will preserve the College's commitment to leadership in higher education.

We must continue to offer superb teaching and scholarship by world-class faculty, while achieving leadership positions in new and emerging fields that make the most of Dartmouth's unique strengths. We will also aim to increase philanthropic giving and strategically pursue initiatives that provide new sources of revenue.

While we look to reduce expenditures, the Board has also asked that we work on plans for new strategic investments that will ensure Dartmouth continues to advance its mission and maintains an educational experience that is the best in the world.

We are going to approach this process with a five-year time horizon, and we will be submitting a detailed fiscal 2011 budget plan as well as a five-year investment plan to the Trustees, in stages, for approval next spring.

I have asked Carol Folt and Steven Kadish to partner with me in leading the budget process. Carol, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, is also acting Provost. Steve is Senior Vice President and Strategic Advisor. The Committee on Priorities of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, the institution-wide Budget Steering Committee, and the Student Budget Advisory Committee, will be fully engaged in the process as well.

Throughout the process, we will seek input from across the College community, and we will be meeting with and reviewing all departments and divisions. Regular updates will also be posted to Dartmouth's budget website, at http://budget.dartmouth.edu/, where we invite you to submit questions and suggestions.

This undertaking will not be easy. It will involve difficult choices. I am confident that together we can overcome the financial challenges we face. With a sense of common purpose, guided by passion and practicality, I know that we will make the right decisions not only to sustain but to advance Dartmouth and its enduring mission.

Sincerely,
Jim Yong Kim
President
Dartmouth College

Please visit the Dartmouth News website to view the press release on the Board's November meeting:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2009/11/07.html

Overheard

Two girls talking in a stairwell.

Girl 1: Yeah, I think I'd be really great in business-- you know, management or running a hedge fund or something.

Girl 2: Yeah I think you have the skills for that. I'd probably do better in finance. What classes do you think we should take for that?

Girl 1: Well first we should take Econ 01. I hear it teaches you everything you need for business and finance.

Anyone want to take a wild stab at what year they are?

When Home Becomes a Battlefield

When soldiers are no longer safe in their home country, something is terribly wrong.

Just today, twelve soldiers were killed while at Fort Hood, in Texas; killed by a fellow member of the army, Nidal Malik Hasan. All the soldiers involved were going to be deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

How unfortunate is it that those twelve soldiers were killed while at home; where they were supposed to be 'safe'?
How terrible is it that the apparent cause of the shooting was stress about being deployed?

President Obama said:
"These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk, and at times give, their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil."

Perhaps more emphasis is needed on the well-being of soldiers here at home. Let's hope that from now on soldiers can feel safe at home-- like they should be.

For more information, check out:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html

Is Lieberman Just Bitter?

The fact that Joe Lieberman is set to block the public option has many liberals irate. In this post, I also took him to task, and questioned the logic behind his move. But I’m not sure there’s an ulterior motive here...

To read the rest of this post, go here.

McDonnell (R) Wins in VA, Christie (R) in NJ

We'll be keeping you updated on the election with up-to-the-minute posts here at The Little Green Blog. Stay tuned throughout the evening...

SUMMARY

Not the night most polls were predicting. While Virginia held true to our expectations, with the Republican Bob McDonnell winning the race for governor, the loss of incumbent Governor Jon Corzine (D) in New Jersey by 5 points to Christopher Christie (R) was relatively surprising. More shocking, though, was the victory of Bill Owens (D) in the New York 23, who faced an uphill fight against the Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman, who recently enjoyed the endorsement of national Republicans like Sarah Palin, Fred Thomson and Dick Armey.

Marriage equality took a hit in Maine, with Proposition 1 passing by roughly 6 points. In New York, Michael Bloomberg (I) won reelection, though in a closer race than most expected. And the Democrats won in the Boston and Detroit mayoral races, and picked up the California 10. Ultimately a mixed-bag of results, though arguably a composite that favors the Republicans.

NEW YORK 23rd

With Dede Scozzafava (R), who recently dropped out of the race, picking up about 5 percent of the vote, Bill Owens (D) pulls out a victory in this highly publicized race. Owens saw strong numbers early in the evening, even in the Jefferson County battleground, and held onto his lead all night.

UPDATE: NBC calls the race for Bill Owens (D).

93 percent of precincts reporting:

• (D) Bill Owens .......... 49 percent
• (C) Doug Hoffman .......... 45 percent
• (R) Dede Scozzafava .......... 5 percent

NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL

UPDATE: At 10:10 PM, NBC calls New Jersey for Chris Christie (R).

99 percent of precincts reporting:

• (D) Jon Corzine .......... 44 percent
• (R) Chris Christie .......... 49 percent
• (I) Chris Daggett .......... 5 percent

VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL

UPDATE: At 7:55, NBC calls the race for Republican Bob McDonnell.

By what was predicted to be a wide margin, McDonnell is declared the winner of Virginia's Gubernatorial race.

99 percent of precincts reporting:

• (D) Creigh Deeds .......... 41 percent
• (R) Bob McDonnell .......... 59 percent

NEW YORK MAYORAL

UPDATE: At 10:50 PM, NBC re-calls the NYC Mayoral race for Bloomberg (I).

• (I) Michael Bloomberg .......... 51 percent
• (D) Bill Thompson .......... 46 percent

OTHERS

In Maine, Proposition 1 passes, overturning a previously promulgated law legalizing same-sex marriage (53 percent to 47 percent).

In the California 10, Democrat John Garamendi defeats Republican David Harmer with 53 percent to 42 percent of the vote.

(As of 3:00 AM Eastern Standard.)

Super Tuesday 2009: Predictions

A year ago, Americans ended the longest Presidential campaign in our history; and in just a few hours, some go back to the polls in what many pundits call the first real electoral test of President Obama’s term. A few highlights and predictions…

NEW YORK 23rd

This must be the most sensationalized race of the 2009 cycle. As we’ve all heard, the Republican Dede Scozzafava recently dropped out of the race seeing poor polling numbers after several national Republicans (Sarah Palin, Fred Thompson and Dick Armey amongst them) endorsed the Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman. Since, she has endorsed and recorded robo-calls for the Democrat Bill Owens. As the moderate Scozzafava hemorrhaged support, both Hoffman and Owens benefitted. Ultimately, though, this is a Republican district and Hoffman seems poised to take the seat. The spoiler: if Republicans accidentally or in protest vote for Scozzafava, whose name will still appear on the ballot.

Hoffman (C) by 7.

NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL

In what is probably the most exciting race of the year, Democratic incumbent Governor Jon Corzine is practically tied with Republican Christopher Christie, with the Independent candidate Chris Daggett lucky to be in double digits. If you look at the polling trends, though, Christie is falling as Corzine rises. Daggett also seems poised to be a conservative spoiler, drawing supporters from Christie in a close race. Corzine is my favorite for this one. The spoiler: if Daggett supporters see the Corzine-Christie race as too close to support an independent candidate.

Corzine (D) by 2.

VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL

Virginia will maintain an historical trend this year. In the past eight gubernatorial elections, since 1977, the party of the President has lost the keys to the Governor’s mansion, and it will do so again. The question isn’t who will win, but by how large of a margin the Republican Robert McDonnell will decimate Democrat Creigh Deeds. The spoiler: If Virginia counts votes like Afghanistan.

McDonnell (R) by 13.

NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL

Bloomberg (I, Incumbent) by 15.

SO…

The Democrats also look likely to pick up some other City Halls, as well as the California 10. Maine’s Proposition 1 to overturn a law legalizing same-sex marriage is really too close to call; undecideds seem to be breaking ‘yes’ but the ‘no’ supporters are arguably ahead. I’ll go shot-in-the-dark and say ‘No’ wins.

Does this mean anything for President Obama or the Democrats in 2010? Probably not. Unless the results overwhelmingly list conservative, which they probably won’t, these elections won’t mean much for either party. The only major shift might come from New York 23, where we’ve watched concrete evidence presented of centrists being pushed out of the Republican Party. Will it be a trend? We’ll see…

(Images courtesy of the AP)

Special Election in New York Reevaluated

The Republican nominee has now withdrawn, and in a twist, has decided to back the Democratic nominee. I’m not sure who will win on election day. But I have reevaluated the opinion I expressed in an earlier post about this race...

To read the rest of this post, go here.

Obama's Basketball Game

Obama is in hot water for something other than healthcare. And he is in trouble with someone other than conservatives for once. Some feminists are upset that a recent White House basketball game included no women...

To read the rest of this post, go here.

Review: As You Like It

On Halloween I attended a performance of Shakespeare's "As You Like It," courtesy of the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals, a Shakespeare company comprised of Dartmouth students. I went because it was Shakespeare; I stayed because it was among the best productions I've ever seen.

Willa Johann '10 was stellar as Rosalind, the witty and intelligent heroine of the Shakespearean comedy. She handled the task of disguising herself as Ganymede very well. It is difficult to act Shakespeare and more difficult still to act a Shakespearean female character acting like a Shakespearean male character- but was more than up to the challenge. She fully inhabited the character of Rosalind; even the more-than-complicated love quadrangles and disguises did not seem to present a problem for her. Bravo!

Performing opposite Willa as Orlando was a plucky and likeable young man who has a distinct affinity for comedy. He garnished his presentation of Orlando with humorous gestures and blushes reminiscent of '90s teenage romantic comedies (...or maybe that's just because he resembles John Cusack). He worked in his interpretation of the part amazingly well and still managed to honor Shakespeare with his performance.

Another beautiful Shakespearean player also graced the stage with her presence as Celia, cousin to Rosalind. Her pointed remarks and asides were beautifully mastered and much appreciated by the audience. The smaller characters also performed very nicely in a few parts, most notably that of Adam, servant to Orlando. The creaking joints were a nice touch.

And who could forget Touchstone? The actor did a remarkable job of emulating the classic and humorously not-very-classy yet ever wise fool. His growls and scowls were ever-convincing; his grins and laughs, contagious as they were meant to be.

Too, the dual roles, that of the Duke and that of his banished brother, the ex-Duke, were performed admirably. The contrast between the two brothers was made beautifully evident by the fact that they were performed by the same actor, and an eminent actor at that.

Characters with fewer appearances still made their time on stage very worthwhile: the actors who played Pheobe, Silvius, the shepherd, and Orlando's older brother all acted their parts fully and with true intention.

The scenery was minimal and mostly made up of one chalk drawing on the blackboard of Dartmouth Hall 105; a few boxes served as rocks and tables. It was not an extensive set by any means; but the characters inhabited the stage so well that it was easy to imagine the Forest of Arden or the Duke's grand home.

Overall, the performance was a great success, the actors well-versed, the humor well-expressed: in short, I would wholeheartedly recommend attending the Rude Mechanicals' next production.

Too Much Sleep Just Might Be Bad

A recent study shows that too much sleep is a bad thing.Try breaking the news to the average Dartmouth student.....

For more information, check out this link.

Random News of the Week- 112 year old man marries 17 year old girl

A picture of the happy couple is on the right and a link to the story is here

What an incredibly bizarre marriage. 

Lieberman Logic

Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) won’t support a public option under any circumstances. He said “It's going to cost the taxpayers and people that have health insurance now, and if it doesn't, it's going to add terribly to our national debt.”

To read the rest of this post, go here.

The Brewing Republican Civil War

In an upstate New York congressional district, the GOP is in civil war...

To read the rest of this post, go here.

Valuable skills for Thayer students

Trust me, it will come in handy after you get your B.S. in Engineering.