They have been called freshies, Pea Greeners, shmen a current phrase that cannot be uttered without sneering.

Even the PC phrase, "first-year students," seems somehow pejorative. But then the freshman's very purpose in life is to provide a naive foil for the wisdom, maturity, and savoir faire

Still, there is something to be said for that stage in life when the world is fresh, and we are fresh, and the learning curve is sheer and soaring. It is a time when we learn to initiate, and are initiated. Freshmen learn many skills, among which is the ability to be freshmen. There will be other times in life when we feel frightened, on the fringe of our peers, and agonizingly eager to try and to learn.

We should smile benevolently on those green Dartmouth souls. For more than once, we are all freshmen.