Dartblog

“Wartime service disabused me of three notions that I picked up in college:

First, formal education is important, but in many situations is of far less value than common sense and interpersonal skills.

Second, there is evil in the world.

And three, diplomacy doesn’t always work, particularly when dealing with evil.”

There’s a little hard-earned wisdom for you on a Saturday morning. And its presence in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine is further proof that the publication is a serious literary and journalistic enterprise — one that just happens to be an alumni bi-monthly.

The current issue focuses on the wartime experiences of 48 Dartmouth veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The articles and interviews are praiseworthy both for highlighting the intelligence and perceptiveness of the College’s current generation of wartime veterans, and for the polished manner in which they are presented.

One a larger scale, critics of on-campus ROTC should read the issue with care; afterwards, they might want to reconsider their position — if it is anything more than a knee-jerk flashback to the 1960’s. In each interview and memoir, Dartmouth’s soldiers show themselves to be fine products of a liberal arts education.

Addendum: Of the 34 veterans who were interviewed in the Call of Duty section of the veterans story — where biographical information was included — nine played men’s rugby at the College. This percentage is far greater than an order of magnitude over the team’s representation in the student body.

Addendum: The DAM has won numerous awards over the years. The most recent one came from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in the Circulations of 30,000 to 74,999 category. Here is the award citation:

Gold Award: Dartmouth College (N.H.) - Dartmouth Alumni Magazine

There was no disagreement regarding Dartmouth. Solid winner all around. The magazine is easy to navigate, the content intriguing and well-written (a feature about an alumnus who accidently started a massive forest fire in Minnesota and then lied about it was gripping), and the smart design varied, but consistent. Judges gave a standing ovation. One said, I thought it was exceptional. Another: I’d subscribe. (Grand gold, anyone?)