The Undergraduate Chair

THERE IS something about the opening days of college that doesn't change from year to year. The strangeness that everyone feels during the first few days, when the business of getting "organized" is going on, has a peculiar quality that even after four years does not fail to be felt. It isn't long, however, before the rooms are settled, and the pile of dirty clothes is growing in the corner. Even as a senior this strangeness, though familiar now, is still felt. But there are two new elements that come to a senior during this brief period. In the first place the busy and irregular hours are taken more calmly, and for this reason are not so likely to bring the cold that seems to curse nearly everyone; and then too the sudden realization that one's college career is nearly over comes with new clarity. At least this is true in our case. Junior year is close to the end too, but somehow it does not have the impact that the new status of senior carries.

This reminds us that a comparison of this fall's opening days with those of three years ago shows that there have been some changes in that time. The "hazing" of freshmen late at night in the dormitories by amused upperclassmen seems nearly to have disappeared. And for the same nonapparent reasons, we feel, the inter-dormitory raids have also passed nearly out of usage. This development, along with the fact that, after strictly censoring Delta Alpha, Palaeopitus finally decided to discontinue the annual parade, suggests a dropping of the well-known collegiate persecution of freshmen. If things go on as they have so far, next year the only attention paid to the freshmen, either by others or by themselves, will be the football rush and the Nugget rush. A good idea, yes?

"The Dartmouth" during the first few days of college was naturally full of many announcements and reports regarding either past actions or proposals for the coming year. One of the early announcements, to the effect that the College had named a committee to study the procedure of the campus publications, is, to our mind, important. Since this announcement was made we have heard some comments on the proposal. All agree that there is room for improvement. Perhaps a control which would prevent repetition of the poor taste displayed in the June issue of the Pictorial would be salutary. Could the publications be run on a no-salary-for-officers basis? It is a problem that requires the cooperation of all those involved, and if this is given, some measure of success must result. The College is supervising the publication of the 1941 Green Book this year for the first time, functioning under a plan similar to that employed in the publication of the Aegis last year. This, perhaps, will help in determining whether official direction is advisable for all publications. One thing that may be, but must not be, overlooked in the discussion is that the arrangement which will in the long run bring the best results is the one that should be chosen.

Rushing rules, a successful year at Dick's house, a surplus in the D. C. A. C. budgetall material things of this nature were brought to the College's attention. But there were other, more important things that, though not given much publicity, were, nevertheless in the minds of many. The new major regulations, the success of the new Social Science courses, the "revitalization" of the fraternities, the part Thayer Hall is to play in Dartmouth's new social life_there were some of' the things thought about and discussed, and they will continue to be considered during the year.

But right now the football team, with the major games coming along, is the center of athletic interest. The realization that there is only one more home gameCornell— makes us wonder whether the Dartmouth Sword Club made enough money out of the football game food concession to get the coach they are after. It has added a "refined" note to the peanut vendor's profession to have the men working for such a cause.

A BUSY SATURDAY NIGHT

Speaking of raising funds, the conference of the New England State Tax Officials, the DKE "Homecoming" party, and pledge night in the fraternities came at the same time. Hanover was busy that Saturday night. As for the fraternities, they pledged two more men, in toto, than last year, and were not a bit disconcerted a few days later when this appeared in the editorial column of The Dartmouth: '"ln 1846the trustees voted that after 1849 no elections should be made to any society otherthan Phi Beta Kappa, the Social Friends, theUnited Fraternity, and the Theological Society except by the permission of the faculty.(Richardson's "History of DartmouthCollege," Vol. 2, p. 496.) As far as is knownthis rule has never been repealed."

Also through the columns of The Dartmouth came a vigorous ruling against the football betting pools that have flourished in Hanover in past seasons. The action first of College authorities and then of town officials resulted in an efficient elimination of this practice.

We were talking the other day with a graduate who spoke of the time when it was possible for a man to know every other man in college. Not only possible, but feasible. Then a brief note appeared in The Dartmouth which stated that this year there are 2359 undergraduate and 73 graduate students in Hanover. Perhaps it is still possible for someone to know everyone in college, but in any case it occurred to us that a great change in the atmosphere of the campus has resulted from this growth. It has led, among other things, to a concentration of friendships. By this we mean that the impossibility of knowing everyone has made students tend to "define themselves" by becoming allied with some definite group, even within their own class. There is what might be called an inner pressure on each individual thus to narrow his own acquaintances All this is by way of leading up to the statement that whereas we felt last year that we found our best friends, and most helpful companions within our fraternity, we feel this year that, without that fraternity some of the satisfactions gained from the friends made in college would be lost, lost to the multitude of "acquaintances" that is a result of the size of the undergraduate body. It was gratifying therefore, to learn that the administration is pleased, though not yet satisfied, with the progress made by the fraternities in their efforts toward selfimprovement.

It may be asked whether we think that the non-fraternity men, swamped by the number of their classmates, have no hope of making lasting friends. Naturally we hold no such opinion. We merely wish to go on record as believing that fraternities are helpful almost to the extent of being necessary in this "allying" process we speak of; and we offer this particularly to those graduates who feel, remembering their own days here, that fraternities are not, for this reason, necessary.

And so the year is well under way. We like it. Bird hunting is good around Hanover; the football team (how much we hear about it) is going to be fun to watch, with its colorful and "dark horse" qualities; Hanover's new business block makes Main Street more attractive; Thayer Hall is proving more than successful; snow is coming—but why look ahead when so soon we shall wish it all back

DARTMOUTH ROWERS ARE NOW A FAMILIAR SIGHT ON THE CONNECTICUT