Now in its eighth year of operation, North Park graduate apartments are a popular first-year housing option for Dartmouth graduate students. With current residents and alumni from every graduate program in the Arts & Sciences, the number of students with fond memories attached to the “green and red apartment buildings” grows every year.
Over the years, many North Park traditions have emerged. In the fall, residents enjoy the annual Wine and Cheese Mixer, and the Homecoming Tailgate Party, while all graduate student look forward to the Block Party held each spring. Each year, more and more graduate students mix and mingle at these events, and when the unpredictable weather of Hanover takes a turn for the worst, the laundry room at 14 North Park provides a place for students to gather during rain and snow storms.
This spring, small teams of graduate students competed against one another in the “Amazing North Park Race,” a new event loosely based around the popular TV show The Amazing Race. In the event, teams traveled around Dartmouth’s campus, and completed a series of challenges. The well-attended event is sure to turn into a new North Park tradition
The North Park community is led by the North Park Graduate Advisor, a student employee who serves on the Executive Board of the Graduate Student Council. The position was created when North Park opened to first-year graduate students eight years ago. The North Park G.A. handles transitional issues for new residents, and works to build a sense of community by hosting a series of social events and student activities.
For the past two years, Michael Hopkins has served as the North Park Graduate Advisor. A PhD student in the PBS program set to graduate this summer, Michael will pass the “North Park torch” on to Regina Salvat in August. Regina is a first-year PhD student at the Thayer School of Engineering, where she is also an Innovation Fellow.
“I am excited and honored to become the new North Park Graduate Advisor,” says Salvat. “I’ve seen first-hand the extraordinary job that Michael Hopkins has done in the position, and I look forward to following in his footsteps while also creating my own unique traditions and events.”
When asked about her time at North Park, Pinar Gurel, a Molecular and Cellular Biology student and former resident said, “The location is great, the housing itself is excellent, and the interactions with colleagues are priceless. My best memories to date come from my time at North Park.”
For the first time this past fall, incoming North Park residents attended an orientation upon arriving on campus. Held in Filene auditorium, the orientation covered a range of topics, including Dartmouth’s Zero Sort recycling policy, proper use of the communal vacuum cleaners, and tips and tricks to help residents successfully survive their first year of graduate school. The orientation was well received, and may become another North Park tradition.
by Michael Hopkins
Edited by Wesley Whitaker and Erin O’Flaherty
photograph by Wesley Whitaker
