A Large Investment

In the 1956 Aegis, the Who's Who of the class, Dan Daniels rates seven lines - more than any other member. And he did not merely join seven lines worth of undergraduate organizations: almost every entry carries with it a title and a job. In conversation, Dan speaks of his four years as "rigorous." He has some thoughts about what might be if he had it to do over. He has some penetrating comments about the College, about change he has noted in his four years. He is in many ways typical of the important undergraduate who has really found himself at Dartmouth but, like other campus leaders, he was well on his way in secondary school.

He went through the public schools in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. (His father, Dartmouth '32, is Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association in nearby Harrisburg.) In high school, he planned to go on with work in the research sciences. He was active in student government, headed a press club made up of representatives of 142 schools in his area, and he was the editor of his school paper.

In Hanover, he went right out with the DOC on the freshman trip, joined WDBS and entered the DCAC competition. His work with the DCAC caught his interest immediately and he has carried that interest through until now, as a senior, he is Executive Manager.

Although he was prepared for a post on The Dartmouth, he decided against carrying on with work in which he had already gained some experience in secondary school. During his freshman year he decided to major in International Relations, a decision, in retrospect, he is happy to have made.

The press of time, his "biggest problem at Dartmouth," also forced other choices on him. He would have liked to be active in the Dartmouth Christian Union and the DOC. And, like some other seniors, he is sorry that he couldn't find more time for skiing.

He speaks of the "time one wishes to invest", and feels that his experience in Hanover, as he planned for both study and extracurricular activities, has made him "less volatile." He mentions that there are more opportunities than ever for a student to engage in extracurricular activities, but points out that he has noticed a "heightened interest in the purely academic" during his four years on the campus.

Another change he has seen is the increased mobility of the undergraduate. The many cars on the campus have made it increasingly easy for the undergraduate to leave Hanover on weekends. This mobility he feels is "basically a good thing" in that most of Hanover's isolation from Monday to Friday is still preserved.

Dan also notes an increased emphasis on informal activity by the undergraduates in such organizations as the DCU, the DOC, wrestling, and rugby. He feels that men are now inclined to go less deeply into extracurricular activities.

The story is reversed in student government, however. Ever since the War, the Undergraduate Council has been assuming more and more responsibility. The work of the UGC has become more important and also more demanding. "More has been asked and more has been given," Dan says. He believes that one reason the UGC has shown a seriousness and responsibility greater than at some other colleges is because the College administration has made it clear that the undergraduates had it within their power to enjoy a large measure of self-government.

During the summer after his sophomore year, he worked in a construction crew on the summit of Mt. Washington. Last summer he was an assistant to Congressman Thomas B. Curtis '32 in Washington, and this summer he is shipping off to the Persian Gulf to earn money toward his expenses in law school. From his record in the classroom (Phi Beta Kappa) and outstanding service with campus organizations, he has been accepted at both Harvard and Yale and is now trying to decide between them.

Dan Daniels has invested four years in Dartmouth at a high rate of return. The profit, we are sure, is mutual: Dan is a better man for it and Dartmouth, as it shares four years with such a young man, is, somehow, a better institution.

Belden H. Daniels '56