Emerson has always been a chapter that liked to take risks so emailing the chapter network to spotlight different Her Campus Chapters at other schools was no different. One of the schools that we have decided we wanted to introduce to you is the chapter at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. The Dartmouth chapter is about 30 (and growing!) members currently and they were founded at the end of the summer of 2018. When we asked what they were all about, their CCs explained that they “want your voice. [They] want to know how you express yourself. [They] want you to write how you feel or about how your week went. [They] want everything that makes you YOU no matter how many GIFs or adverbs it takes for you to say it. Stay true, stay you, and [they have] your back if school gets you down and you want to write something outside of properly formatted reports for a little bit.”
Speaking of their CCs, the chapter is run by Sophia Whittemore, a senior film and digital arts major, and Aishu Sritharan, a senior Biology and Psychology major. The pair are accompanied by their social media director, Paula Kutschera who is a Film modified with Economics major graduating in 2020.
The team wanted to highlight some of their most loved articles. In terms of features, the chapter selected “Start of Dartmouth Pride––Different Strides One Pride,” an article written by CC Sophia Wittemore and Paula Kutschera’s, “100 Thoughts I Had While Watching The New Game Of Thrones Episode (Season 8, Episode 2).” Additionally, the chapter wanted to highlight some of the profiles that they have written over the past year. They decided to highlight three articles: “How The Green Stole Relationships — Dating While Brown” by Fatima Kuyateh, “Coming out of the Shell: A Journey of Overcoming Low Self-Esteem” by CC Aishu Sritharan, and “The Paradox of Inadequacy at an Ivy League College” by Katheryn Caplinger. For more fun and thought provoking pieces, you can check out the chapter’s Her Campus Page!
Articles are not the only thing that HC Dartmouth has on their plates, they are also running events as often as possible. In the early stages of their chapter, they ran an event in conversation with a professor about why people feel the need to write. They determined that with social media, they needed a place to express themselves that didn’t need to be public or private, but just for the sole purpose of being read. They talked about how HC Dartmouth was an extension of that need to write and express emotions on a platform without the judgement of others bashing you at every turn. They also talked about how the club presented a space where you can write while getting to know other people and feel less alone.
The CCs love working with the chapter, that much is evident by the passion that they communicated for HC Dartmouth, a passion I can only hope to match with my own chapter here at Emerson. Their favorite part of working for HC Dartmouth though is seeing all of the content that people submit to them. They love to break the mold of formality with their pieces, since it feels like the only things they are allowed to write all term are formal essays and reports. Her Campus presents a unique opportunity to step outside the formal landscape of Dartmouth, and embrace a creativity that feels lacking in their day to day work. The CCs explained what they love to see by stating to “send in the story that your teacher said was ‘too much’ to send into creative writing class. You don’t have to follow the rules or apologize if you want to write about someone who inspired you, about how tough your first year going here was, about any topic that feels right and honest to who you are. We want to hear your voice, not a professional watered-down version because you feel you have to. Write because you want to.” They are so thankful to have launched this chapter, and, after a year, are looking back at just how terrified they were in starting it. Through trial and error, the chapter found its way and discovered what worked best for them, and now, they can’t imagine having that same kind of terror that set in when they realized just how much work it was to launch a chapter.
Moving forward into their second year, the chapter is focused on recruiting. Their original writing staff is making their way toward graduation quickly, and they need new writers to come and share their voices with the community to keep the enthusiasm and love for the chapter alive. The CCs want everyone to “Send us your GIFs, your thoughts on what’s going on in the world or on campus, and just show us, most importantly, what you want to. Lots of people who join say they’re happiest because they haven’t written for fun in a long time. Or that their writing was considered not formal enough for class. Send us that. The stuff that gets rejected, but that you want the world to see. Send it in!” If you are looking to get in contact with the chapter to join, you can email them (hc.dartmouth@hercampus.com) or DM them on any of their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). They love when people get involved and interact with them on their social media, so feel free to tweet at them whenever you’d like. Really, they want to hear your voice, or really, anything you care to share as they explained: “Our hearts break when we send an email back and people feel like they’re pressured to write, so they don’t follow through with it. Honestly, you can draw your article and upload it as a series of images. Write a short poem if that feels honest to you. SEND US YOUR GIFS.”
In addition to knowing about the HC Dartmouth chapter, the team also wants to make sure you know about the Dartmouth Bears. Mmmhhmm, you heard me, bears. I’m told they are cute little baby bears, but they enjoy wandering around the campus. They may be a little lonely (or, more realistically, a little hungry), but it is probably best not to approach them if you ask me. Also, they wanted everyone to know that they are “called HXCampus Dartmouth at the campus level because, though we love our parents at Her Campus Media, we want members of all gender identities to feel validated when joining. So, the prefix: HX for anyone,” which I think is really important, and I am so happy to see that HC Dartmouth is working to make their chapter much more inclusive on their campus. I hope to be able to mirror this initiative in the future as well, since it is extremely important to make everyone feel as welcome as they would be if they joined, whether it is here at Emerson, or up in NH with HC Dartmouth.
Finally, as a writer, I never want to take away another person’s voice or personality, of which the HC Dartmouth chapter has a ton of, and I didn’t think that my paraphrasing of this next question’s answer would bring the chapter’s passion and energy to the forefront, as it is meant to. So I have decided not to paraphrase this bit, since I believe that HC Dartmouth has a fire in them that can’t be explained by anyone other than them. The question that remains is: “If you had to describe your chapter in 3 words, what words would you pick and why?” To which, the CCs responded: “1.) GIFs (yes, really). We love GIFs. Ask any of us, and we’ll stare off dramatically into the distance explaining the pure poetry of how a well-placed GIF can bring your article to the next level. 2.) Creative. We got actors. Singers. People who could do SFX for movies because their makeup skills are that good. Change-makers and advocates. People who go out there, think outside the box, and then draw a circle just because they can. Be weird. Be different. We love it. 3.) Ready. You never know what the term will bring. (Bears in trees? Rogue puppies? Han Solo?) But we are ready for anything, and we’re here to lend an ear if you need it. Need a break from writing, no problem, our correspondents got you fam. Bring us your stories any way you can, but only when you feel like you’re in a good place for it! And always be ready for the schedule to change, because you just don’t know what surprises life has in store for you.”
Bonus Questions:
TS: What Hogwarts house does your chapter most identify with?
CCs: RaveSlytherPuffinDor (Writer’s note: This is the first one of these articles where Slytherin has been represented and I RESPECT that, from a fellow Slytherin)
TS: If your chapter could be described with one animal, what would that animal be and why?
CCs: A RaveSlytherPuffinDor. We’re out there. Doing our thing. You might think we don’t exist on this campus, but we will send you a slew of emails and GIFs to prove you wrong.
TS: Is your chapter team Edward or Team Jacob? Or for daring, Team Kristen Stewart as a person?
CCs: Edward x Jacob forever. We all know Kristen Stewart is already an immortal. Right there with Keanu Reeves.
TS: Is your chapter more cat people or dog people?
CCs: Puppies. But we love cats too.
TS: Does your chapter identify more with beaches or lakes?
CCs: BEACHES GIVE US SUN.
TS: What time of year (semester, trimester, quarter) has the best classes to add to your schedules?
CCs: We run on a quarter system, so we are biased. All the quarters. Dimes are fine too.
*All photos provided by HC Dartmouth*