Public Observation

Public Observation

CAMPUS

COLLEGE PARK

An online petition that seeks to “save College Park and Shattuck Observatory” had garnered more than 1,800 signatures and impassioned comments by the end of January. Signatories include professors, alumni, students and astronomers from around the world.

Physics prof Miles Blencowe started the petition after the College last fall announced a “conceptual design process” to build housing in College Park for 750 students. The Bema would be undisturbed, but, seeing nothing in the proposal that guaranteed the future of Shattuck, Blencowe and some of his department peers sent a letter of concern to President Phil Hanlon ’77. Professors in earth sciences and chemistry followed suit as Blencowe launched the petition.

He notes that any development would affect public observing, offices, weather observations, efforts to preserve the observatory (built in 1853) and a seismic monitoring station (New England is one of the most seismically active areas east of the Rockies). “This whole area up here is a laboratory,” says Blencowe. He says opponents to development have been going through a “process of education” about what takes place at or near Shattuck. “We’ve learned a lot ourselves,” he says, “and I hope we are educating administrators so that everyone will realize this is not just some underutilized space.”

Senior lecturer Marlene Heck, an expert on campus architecture and a signer of the petition, says, “It’s worth noting that as the College is reportedly making plans to celebrate its 250th year and its remarkable history, senior administrators are seriously contemplating destroying a much-loved, historic part of the campus.” (Heck’s short history of College Park, Bartlett Tower, the Bema and the Robert Frost statue, written several years ago, is available on the DAM website.)

Several professors met in January with executive VP Rick Mills to discuss their concerns. They received no assurances. Trustees are slated to discuss the potential development at their March meeting. “You’ve heard of the ‘College on the Hill’? This is the hill,” says Blencowe from his office in Shattuck. “Do you want it to be the ‘Dormitory on the Hill’? This proposal would be the dismantling of the historical core of the College.”

VISITING VOICES

America First’ is Deutschland fiber alles translated into American English. It is nothing else.”

-TIMOTHY SNYDER,

YALE HISTORY PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR OF ON TYRANNY AND THE FORTHCOMING THE ROAD TO UNFREEDOM: RUSSIA, EUROPE, AMERICA

CLASS OF 2022

13.5%

Increase in early-decision applicants over last year’s pool. This is the first time the College has received more than 2,000 early-decision applications.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

7

Dartmouth’s rank on the Princeton Review’s list of top colleges whose grads earn the most