“The College’s Rules Suck,” Says Affiliated Upperclassman With Packed Social Life

As spring term draws to a close, vaccination rates steadily rise, and the country begins to reopen, Dartmouth’s social distancing policies have drawn increasing criticism of their public health merits. Many upperclassmen in particular condemn the unfairness of the rules that have constantly broken with no consequences over the last eight weeks.

“It’s ruining my life,” said Jodie Theroux ’21, who lives off campus with her entire extended friend group and has gone out four nights a week all term. Theroux expressed particular disdain for the “draconian Week 6 Greek life shutdown” that resulted in no houses facing any disciplinary action. “My sorority’s execs cancelled all our tails, and now we have to figure out everything ourselves. Last weekend I only had one, maybe two parties each night.” 

“Admin and SNS are being insane” agreed Connor Chen ’22, “the fact that my frat could get kicked off for a dozen vaccinated people playing casual pong has nothing to do with the science and clearly is a ploy to end Greek life.” Chen, whose frat has thrown 19 parties with over 100 attendees this term with no punishment except occasionally having to be quiet upstairs for 10 minutes while SNS walks through the main floor, continued, “they want to get us in trouble.”

“It just feels like things are never going back to normal,” said Peter Grahamson ’21, who has not followed the college’s social distancing, gathering, or mask rules at any point over the past 14 months. “We had to move Semi to Reemer’s Occom house, and our risk man is seriously considering cancelling Formal.”

–IC