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The events surrounding Dartmouth in this past year have invalidated the belief that all publicity is good publicity. With mentions in several prominent news sources about issues of discrimination, assault, and lack of adequate resources as well as online advertisements touting our sexual assault culture, it’s difficult not to ignore the bad press that we’ve been getting. But I’m wondering why no one is discussing how easily digital posts can be exploited and over-emphasized to the point where they might overshadow reality.

A recent post, which made the front page of the Cosmopolitan Magazine website, highlights the multi-level complexity of this publicity. An examination of this article reveals there’s a social aspect to it — active movements of student-driven initiatives to change the way we view and address these issues on campus; a general sentiment of frustration and disgust that students feel towards sexual assault; its perpetuation within the Dartmouth culture, which has been deemed by some to be inherent to a school in which the Greek culture is so dominant. There’s a structural aspect to it — which includes the role (or lack thereof) of administrative figures; issues of legality; and infrastructure intricacies. And there’s a digital aspect to it — namely the Bored@Baker forum.

Bored@Baker, for those who have never been on the site, is not particularly interesting. It is, as the name suggests, an online forum for students who are bored and are looking to pass time or procrastinate, often by instigating controversial commentary to stir conversation. People are rude, people are outrageous, people are completely inappropriate — but that’s the Internet. I have a B@B account, which I’ve used one time since I joined the site, only to see if it had actually blown up after the student protest this time last year. In the 2 minutes that I spent looking at the home page, I immediately thought of other online communication platforms that I’ve perused, including strings of comments on NPR articles and YouTube videos. In all of these locations, I’ve encountered personalities that are sometimes referred to as “trolls,” who attempt to steer conversations in more (mostly negatively) interesting routes, extracting intense emotions from other posters and thereby inciting very emotionally charged discussions. I am often amazed by the creatively noxious and damaging comments that appear in these forums, but through increased exposure to so many cases, I am less surprised and fazed by them. B@B is no different. It becomes more threatening when the threats are personal and violent, but these comments should not be representative of the forum, of the student body, or of our campus as a whole. Sometimes, they’re not even representative of the poster’s real motive; the students who pen these types of comments may perhaps be unable to find anything more productive to do with their time (which I find quite inconceivable, since Dartmouth keeps me pretty busy) and thus resort to solutions as condemnable as posting acerbic comments on B @ B.

I don’t mean to discount the personal experiences of those who have been brave enough to bring more visibility to these traumatic events, especially since sexual assault could and does happen anywhere and amongst people of varying demographics, and we all need to be more aware of its prevalence in order to better prevent it or at least identify and respond to it. However, I am asking that, in spite of the content that may garner somewhat of a bad reputation for Dartmouth, readers keep in mind that spaces of dialogue on the Internet inherently lend themselves to these types of provocative personalities, especially spaces where users feel protected by the mask of anonymity. Anonymity lends itself to a degree of uncertainty about both the identity and the intentions of the poster – are their statements credible? Can they be taken seriously, or should they just be passed off as a diffusion of unsettling ideas/thoughts/feelings? Sometimes they are, but sometimes they are just emotions talking without point or meaning.

I also ask that readers remember that there is a reason why students chose Dartmouth in the first place. I am a short, Asian, affiliated, female sophomore who takes precautions for myself and for my friends and expects that this will reduce my risk of confronting uncomfortable and distressing situations. I don’t believe awareness of these environments and being happy at a school that acknowledges their presence need to be mutually exclusive. I consistently notice new loveable aspects about this school, things that I wish I could explain to all students who are considering applying or have been accepted and are considering matriculating. As there are both strengths to be applauded and areas for further improvement at this school, I believe there needs to be space on the Internet to recognize these two sides of the coin. Not all publicity will necessarily be good publicity, but there should be a balance when the subject merits it, and I believe my institution deserves some appreciation.

Thankfully, a friend of mine, whose video of himself dancing across China made it to The Huffington Post, ABC News, and Beijing TV, thought so too. Jake Gaba and his friends compiled a video set to the tune of “Happy” by Pharrell (in which I make a brief appearance), filled with clips of community members dancing across a variety of campus scenes. This video, boasting almost 45,000 views as of May 8th, provides a transparent view of the multifaceted nature of Dartmouth culture and needs to gain just as much exposure as other press that Dartmouth receives. Seeing the diversity of students and talents reminds me of the positive experiences and interactions I have had and leaves me feeling a lot happier about my time here – I hope it leaves you happier, too.

Tiantian is a member of the Dartmouth class of 2016 and an intern at the Center for Digital Strategies.