A New College Year

IN the Convocation setting in the west wing of Alumni Gymnasium, with the flags of the 81 United Nations hung from the rafters and John Scotford's Anglo-Canadian-American-Dartmouth emblem serving as an eye-catching backdrop, another convocation took place on the morning of September 18, opening the College's 189th academic year. Since there was plenty of room, which is never the case in Webster Hall, the Hanover community was invited to attend this years opening exercises. President Dickey, who had gone off to his Vermont camp to prepare it, delivered the traditional convocation address (the full text will appear next month) and Joseph B. Blake '58, president of the Undergraduate Council, spoke for the student body.

In the audience were the 716 members of the new Class of 1961, who had just gone through orientation week and matriculation. Dartmouth this year has the novel situation of a sophomore class that considerably out numbers the freshman class. Record-breaking i960 entered college 805 strong and now has 758 of its members back as sophomores, which ought to make them favorites to win the rush - another novelty. Early unofficial figures for 1957-58 give 2,812 as the undergraduate enrollment and 237 as the graduate enrollment, for a grand total of 3,049 full-time students, or only 43 less than last year, despite the big drop in freshmen.

Dartmouth students this fall are paying higher tuition of $1170 (up from last year's $980), making possible, as of July 1, the biggest single compensation advance for faculty and staff in the history of the College. Thayer Hall is busy feeding all sophomores as well as freshmen, under the new College requirement, and is trying to accommodate more than the 500 upperclassmen who have contracted for meals. The closing of Mac's Restaurant on Main Street has added to the local pinch on eating facilities.