Clubs

Regional club and affiliated group officers meet in Hanover annually to reconnect with Dartmouth and to learn from one another by sharing ideas, concerns and experiences of managing clubs.

Challenges club and group officers often discuss are 1) promoting meaningful events of interest to the local alumni base, 2) providing outreach to alumni and students and 3) providing varied opportunities and events with limited resources. One solution is joint events. Clubs and affiliated groups can leverage each others ideas, talents and contacts and pool resources for event planning and promotion.

A recent event, planned jointly by Dartmouth Alumni Association of N.Y.C./Dartmouth Club of N.Y.C. and Westchester and the Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Alumni/ae Association (DGALA), demonstrates the potential of these joint ventures.

On June 28 the N.Y.C. club and DGALA presented their first jointly sponsored event, a panel discussion titled "Wearers of the Green: We Are Gay Athletes." The event was widely publicized through both the DAANYC/Dartmouth club and DGALA listservs and Web sites as well as through the N.Y.C. clubs newsletter, The Green Gazette. Ninety alumni, students, family and friends (including members of the other Ivy League lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender associations) registered for this successful event.

Led by Pam Misener, Dartmouth assistant dean for student life and advisor to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, the panel consisted of four openly gay student-athletes: Andrew Goldstein '05 (lacrosse),TimAndreadis '07 (track) Jamal Brown 'OB (track) and Allie Owens '06 (water polo and diving), who discussed sexual orientation and athletics at Dartmouth.

Many alumni saw the May 2005 ESPN feature on Andrew, the Ail-American lacrosse goalie and 2006 GLAAD award winner, whose struggle coming out to his teammates was chronicled in a 15-minute ESPN segment last spring. This past spring Dartmouth made news again when Tim was profiled in The Boston Globe after being elected the first openly gay Dartmouth student body president—as a write-in candidate.

Those who attended the event were greeted with an honest and frank discussion about what life is like for out scholar-athletes: whether they are perceived differently in team sports vs. individual sports; whether the experience of female athletes differs from that of male athletes; and whether coaches and teammates treat athletes differently after they have come out.

Members of older classes who themselves were either closeted as undergrads or who were the victims of prejudice for being out when they were students were very heartened to hear how the campus has changed for LGBT students and how, for the most part, these students feel supported both in their daily lives and as Dartmouth athletes. The panelists were quick to point out that it is only because of the experiences and efforts of LGBT alumni who preceded them as students that they are able to participate in such a discussion and feel comfortable participating in athletics without hiding who they really are.

The success of the event can be attributed to the close collaboration between the N.Y.C. club and DGALA, having a topical subject of national importance presented in a "green" context and the dialogue created between students and alumni.

For information about club and affiliated group events in your area contact your local club or affiliated group. They can be found on the Web from the alumni relations clubs page: http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/clubs/.

This column was written by Beth Krakower '93, chair of the planning and promotion committee of the DAANYC/Dartmouth club, with Nick Chamousis '73, on the DGALA board of directors and DGAlAliaison to the DAANYC executive committee.

If you have suggestions for Club Notes, please contact me.

19 Debbi Lane, Epping, NH03042; (603) 734-2804; patricia.j.laughlin.91@alum, dartmouth.org