Off and Running

When a group of students sprints through a final exam—naked—Dartmouth test-takers and professors are often unfazed. Though the origins of this quirky tradition are unknown, streaking during larger classes’ exams has become common. Most streakers view their actions as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then there are the dedicated few, such as Sandi Caalim ’13, who have streaked more exams than they have taken. Caalim has streaked more than 50 exams. She’s even done one of her own, using the bathroom as a dressing (and undressing) room, then finishing the test. For the neuroscience major from Hawaii, streaking is not just about the adrenaline rush. “It gets people to come back to earth and think, ‘This is just an exam, we’ll be okay,’” she says. Caalim enjoys streaking more when she convinces friends who have never done it to join her. “It makes me happy to make them realize that they can love their bodies and have fun with it,” she says. For those interested in streaking an exam with Caalim, she keeps an e-mail list that she uses to coordinate her busy exam period schedule.

Up and Away Students hit the wall In late February for a competition at the Jonathan Belden Daniels Climbing Gym in Maxwell dormitory.