Dartmouth College student groups
This article contains detailed information on a number of student groups at Dartmouth College. For more information on athletic teams, please see Dartmouth College athletic teams.
A cappella singing groups
The Dartmouth Aires
Dartmouth College's oldest a cappella singing group, the Aires were originally formed as the Injunaires in 1946 as an offshoot of the college Glee Club; the Dartmouth Aires broke with the Glee Club in the late 1970s. The Aires won the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for Best All-Male Collegiate Album for both their 2003 and 2005 album releases, as well as selection for Varsity Vocals' Best Of Collegiate A Cappella compilation CD in 2003, 2005 and 2008, and selection for the Voices Only compilation CD in 2005, 2006 and 2008. In 2011, they competed in season 3 of The Sing Off, a national reality show, finishing as first runner-up.Dartmouth Dodecaphonics
The Dartmouth Dodecaphonics is Dartmouth's oldest gender-inclusive a cappella group. The group was created in 1984 by twelve founding members; hence, "dodeca". They sing mainly contemporary pop music. The Dodec discography includes tHooked on Dodecaphonics and DDX, and the EP, Love, Dodecs,.The Dartmouth Brovertones
The Dartmouth Brovertones are Dartmouth's second oldest all-male a cappella group, founded in 1993. The group was originally named Final Cut, and was traditionally known for singing popular songs from the 80's and 90's. The Brovertones have since expanded their repertoire to include modern hits. The group has four albums, including Bro Ties released in 2018.The Dartmouth Cords
The Dartmouth Cords are an all-male singing group founded in 1996 which usually consists of around twenty members. They are known for wearing corduroy to every performance. Their CD Elements of Style, released in 2002, has won awards from the nation collegiate a cappella organizations CASA and Varsity Vocals. They have had a song featured in the Best of Collegiate A Cappella compilation album. Their other recordings include Against the Grain, Accordingly, No Size Fits All, and Tailor Made.Dartmouth Bartenders
The Dartmouth Bartenders are an all-male a cappella group focusing on mixing diverse styles of music into self-made mash-ups. They were founded by a group of seven members in 2010 and were originally known as Dartmouth Taal, which was a South Asian Fusion a cappella group. The group was founded with the goal of blending popular American music with Bollywood tunes.Dartmouth Decibelles
The Dartmouth Decibelles are the oldest all-female a cappella group at Dartmouth College. They were created with twelve founding members as the Dartmouth Distractions in 1976 and later changed their name to Woodswind before finally settling on the Dartmouth Decibelles a few years later. The group began as an offshoot of the Dartmouth Glee Club. Although they are no longer affiliated, many of the group's members are prominently featured as part of the Glee Club. The group typically has between 16 ad 20 members at a time. In 2007, the Decibelles' cover of Everytime We Touch by Cascada was featured on Voices Only, a college a cappella compilation CD. They have produced seven albums: Conversing, Belley, Iridescence, Vintage, Platinum, Distraction, and Saved by the Belles.Dartmouth Rockapellas
The Dartmouth Rockapellas, often called "The Rocks", were founded on February 7, 1989, with a musical and political purpose: to spread social awareness by performing "freedom songs". Members have included actresses Aisha Tyler and Mindy Kaling. The Rockapellas has typically consisted of around 16 members. They have competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ICCA tournament, and have been featured on Varsity Vocals' Best Of Collegiate Acappella CD. The Rockapellas' recordings include "Live Free" 2011, "Testimony" 2009, BARE 2003, Velvet Rocks 1999, Think On These Things 1996, Off the Track 1994, and Definitions 1992.Dartmouth Subtleties
The Dartmouth Subtleties is a historically female a cappella group on campus that was founded in 1998. They emphasize musical innovation through arrangements and creative performances. Extensive choreography, new sounds, colorful costumes, and uproarious skits have all become part of the Subtleties' style. Membership is usually between eleven and sixteen members.The Dartmouth Sings
The Dartmouth Sings is one of Dartmouth's gender-inclusive a cappella groups. "Dartmouth's only formerly fictional a cappella group" owes its original name to the comedic acuity of Stephen Colbert, who allegedly went to Dartmouth and participated in an a cappella group of the same name. In December 2016, the Sing Dynasty performed at the 75th Pearl Harbor Commemoration Events at Pearl Harbor and performed for the Obamas at the White House Annual Holiday Party. The group's first album, Ask Me About My Flannel, was released in 2013, with a second, "Convocation," released in 2018. The group has collaborated with and hosted several other a cappella groups from various colleges across the nation. The Sings are made up of 21 students.X.ado
X.ado is a co-ed Christian a cappella group. X.ado's name is derived from ancient Greek. The "X" is the Greek letter chi, the first letter in the word Christos, which means "Christ." The letter by itself was used by early Christians as a symbol for Christ. The "ado" means "to sing to or sing for." Together, they describe X.ado's reason for existence: to sing for Christ. X.ado was founded in 1992 and had seven members, male and female, and lasted for about a year before gradually fading away. The group was reestablished in 1995.Dartmouth Dermatones
In the fall of 1993, the Dermatones debuted in Gross Anatomy with "Only You," dedicated to their classmates and faculty. Since then, the group has grown to fifteen to 25 members.Drama and performance
Casual Thursday
Casual Thursday is an improv comedy troupe that performs at Dartmouth. Casual Thursday usually focuses on shortform games in their shows, although the group also performs sketch shows at least twice a year. The group was founded in 2001, by members of the Class of 2004. Casual Thursday regularly visits other colleges and travels to other states, often participating in professional improv comedy workshops.Dartmouth Laboratory Theatre
The Laboratory Theatre performed in Robinson Hall and attracted much student involvement starting in the 1910s.The Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals
The Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals is a highly competitive student-run Shakespeare company that focuses on communal casting, directing, production and acting among its members. Founded in the fall of 2008, the Rude Mechanicals produce one Shakespeare play per term in minimalist fashion using the First Folio, no set, and costumes mostly garnered from members' closets. The Rude Mechanicals' productions have included such favorites as Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Cymbeline, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. In 2010, the Council on Student Organizations presented the Rude Mechanicals with the award for "Best New Student Organization." The Rude Mechanicals audition for new members at the end of the fall term and occasionally at the end of the winter term.Dog Day Players
The Dog Day Players, founded in 1993, is Dartmouth's oldest improv comedy group. Dog Day received formal recognition from the college in 1995. Dog Day is a successor to "Said and Done", which was founded in the 1980s but which had its final performance at some point before 1991.The group, which usually numbers between 10 and 12, regularly performs on campus, participates in comedy festivals and workshops, and visits other collegiate improv groups. Prominent Dog Days alums include Mindy Kaling '01, Chris Miller '97 and Phil Lord '97 and Erika Rivinoja '98. Dog Day's shows tend to be in longform style.The Harlequins
The Harlequins is the only student-run musical production organization at Dartmouth College. It was founded in 1995 and produces musicals. Its first production was Godspell, a musical about the new testament written by Stephen Schwartz, performed in Dartmouth Hall in 1995. Other productions have included Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim, Taxi-Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar, Love, Sex and Everything in Between, A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken, That's Entertainment, The Last Five Years, Pippin, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and the first summer show A Summer Revue produced in 2004. The revue consisted of 18 musical numbers from musicals as diverse as Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns, Cy Coleman's City of Angels, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, and Jason Robert Brown's Songs For a New World., the group consists of over 300 student singers, instrumentalists, production staff-members and officers, and hopes to put on additional shows at Dartmouth each term in the coming year.Sit-Down Tragedy (stand-up comedy group)
Founded in the fall of 2007 by Jack-O-Lantern editor-in-chief Fred Meyer, the Dartmouth Stand-Up Comedy Group received college recognition on February 13, 2008, after having existed unofficially for a few months beforehand, holding open mics at restaurants around campus. In the winter of 2009, after electing a new president, the group re-christened itself "Sit-Down Tragedy," and has continued to grow in popularity. Unlike an improv group, Sit-Down Tragedy holds weekly meetings to workshop and plan material before it ends up getting performed on stage. Aside from performing comedy themselves, the group regularly invites professional comedians to come perform along with them. Past performers including Dartmouth Alumna Aisha Tyler, and popular gay comedian Vidur Kapur. Many performers end up coming from the nearby Boston area, like Dan Boulger, Zach Sherwin, Dana Jay Bein and Mehran Khaghani.Soul Scribes
The Dartmouth Soul Scribes, founded in 2004, is the only group at Dartmouth dedicated exclusively to performance poetry. It has enjoyed much popularity and success since its inception. The Scribes have made multiple appearances at the national College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational and were the 2012 champions of the Wade Lewis Poetry Slam Invitational. The group has opened for a number of world-renowned slam poets including Roger Bonair-Agard, Derrick C. Brown, Andrea Gibson, Sarah Kay (poet), Phil Kaye, Taylor Mali, Anis Mojgani, Shihan, and Buddy Wakefield. Membership in the Soul Scribes is open; there are no auditions. On campus, the group hosts writing and performance workshops, open mics, and competitive slams. They perform at a variety of venues and events across campus and frequently collaborate with other student organizationsFraternities and sororities
Dartmouth College is host to many fraternities and sororities and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In 2005, the school stated that 1,785 students were members of a fraternity, sorority, or coeducational Greek house, about 60 percent of the eligible student body. Dartmouth College was among the first institutions of higher education to desegregate fraternity houses in the 1950s, and was involved in the movement to create coeducational Greek houses in the 1970s. In the early 2000s, campus-wide debate focused on whether the Greek system at Dartmouth would become "substantially coeducational", but most houses retain single-sex membership policies. Currently, Dartmouth College extends official recognition to fifteen all-male fraternities, eight all-female sororities, and three coeducational Greek houses.Governance
Dartmouth Student Government (DSG)
Dartmouth Student Government is the official elected Student Government for all Dartmouth undergraduate students that represents student concerns to the administration and outside community groups, whether that’s around mental health, dining and food insecurity, elections, or infrastructure and housing. Any issue affecting the quality of undergraduate life or education falls within the jurisdiction of DSG. To this end, DSG lends a voice to student concerns and opinions; plays an active role in shaping College policy; protects student rights and freedoms; promotes and finances undergraduate activities; fosters school unity and pride; and serves as a forum for the discussion and advancement of ideas. Each year, twenty-four student Senators are elected to serve across the four undergraduate class years, in addition to the Student Body President and Vice President.Musical organizations
Dartmouth Brass Society
Founded in 2001, the Dartmouth Brass Society is a student-run organization with a membership of over twenty brass instrumentalists. It has several component groups, including brass quintets and trombone quartets. Certain groups receive professional coaching in conjunction with the Music Department's for-credit chamber music program.The DBS has played original compositions by Dartmouth students and often collaborates with the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra. Its performances feature a variety of works, ranging from baroque to contemporary music.
Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra
Founded as an offshoot of the Music Department's conducting class, the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra was founded by Katherine Domingo '96 and has become famous as the school's only student-run orchestra. A student conductor and president choose the music and set the venues for each concert, which consist of a wide variety of music.The Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra holds three concerts per term - in the fall, the DCO usually takes on a more traditional repertoire, while in the spring, the Chamber Orchestra prides itself on performing composition from Dartmouth student composers. In the winter, the group takes a more liberal approach, playing whatever the conductor chooses. Past selections have included Benjamin Britten's "Young Persons' Guide to the Orchestra," Star Wars, video game music, and classic waltzes.
Though the group receives no official funding from the school, the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra maintains its presence on campus through help from various grants from the Music Department and the Committee on Student Organizations.
Dartmouth College Glee Club
A group of more than 40 distinguished choral singers performing classical works, the club's ever-increasing repertory spans five centuries, including many of the masterworks of choral-orchestral literature, fully staged opera, operettas and musicals, a cappella works and the cherished songs of Dartmouth College.Dartmouth College Marching Band
The DCMB is the oldest marching band in the Ivy League; it was formed during the 1890s as "The Dartmouth Band". The DCMB's instrumentation is chiefly traditional, but also features a keg section and kazoos. During the fall, the band performs at all home football games, as well as a few away games. The DCMB also has a winter band that performs at hockey, basketball, and other events. The band continues to play traditional fight songs that have been played at Dartmouth football games for nearly a century.Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra
The Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra is the resident orchestra of the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College. Conducted by Anthony Princiotti, the DSO performs standard works from the symphonic repertoire. The 2009–2010 season included Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, Beethoven Symphony No. 5, and Brahms Symphony No. 3. The DSO's performance of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto was performed with Philip Back '10. The 2013–2014 season includes Schumann Piano Concerto, Brahms Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Copland's Appalachian Spring, and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. The season features student soloists from the Class of 2014. In the spring of 2015, the DSO performed Mahler's Sixth Symphony.The orchestra traveled to Europe in December 2008. In December 2014, the orchestra toured in eastern Europe, performing in Budapest, Belgrade and Sarajevo. The DSO performs in the Hopkins Center's Spaulding Auditorium during the fall, winter and spring terms.
Dartmouth Wind Symphony
Consisting mostly of non-music majors, the Dartmouth Wind Symphony performs three official concerts a year, one each academic term, at the college's performing arts center. The current director is Matthew Marsit.The DWS also plays joint concerts each winter term with another college or university's wind ensemble. Past exchanges have taken place with Yale, MIT, McGill, and the New England Conservatory. On these exchanges, the DWS plays one half of the concert while the visiting school plays the other. The DWS also visits the other school and plays half the concert there.
The DWS has hosted many special guests for its concerts, including the New York Philharmonic's Phil Smith, and the long-running star of Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, Ted Keegan. These guests usually play a few selections with the Wind Symphony as well as solo pieces on their own.
Other musical organizations
Other musical organizations at Darmouth include the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble, Dartmouth Brass Society, Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra, Dartmouth Chamber Singers, Dartmouth College Marching Band, Dartmouth College Glee Club, Dartmouth Gospel Choir, Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra, Dartmouth Wind Symphony, Handel Society of Dartmouth College, and World Music Percussion Ensemble. In addition to official school music groups, there exists a number of student bands on campus. As of 2019, the three most active and well-known are Shark, Moon Unit, and Read Receipts.Political groups
Campus political groups regularly host events for presidential candidates and other well-known politicians in conjunction with Dartmouth's Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy. Groups occasionally collaborate in organizing dinner discussions, debates, and events with a bipartisan scope. The New Hampshire primary, which occurs every four years, does much to boost participation in these groups, but the politically aware student body augments this considerably.Dartmouth College Democrats
With most Dartmouth students identifying as more liberal, the College Democrats has the largest membership of the three partisan political groups on campus. In addition to working on state and national political campaigns, the group hosts speakers and occasionally lobbies lawmakers when legislation relating to college students is up for debate. In April 2006, the group founded the College Democrats of New Hampshire, a state federation made up of College Democrats organizations at colleges throughout New Hampshire.Dartmouth College Libertarians
The College Libertarians are a group of Dartmouth students committed to the cause of liberty who host events and invite speakers to campus to discuss libertarian issues. The organization participates in DPU debates and encourages students on campus to critically examine the present nature of the two-party system, which it views as a false dichotomy toward political discourse.Dartmouth College Republicans
One of the primary outlets for politically conservative and libertarian students on campus is the College Republicans. The organization hosts visiting lecturers, conducts awareness campaigns, and mobilizes students to vote and work on the campaigns of local candidates. Every four years during the New Hampshire Primary, this group organizes forums for presidential candidates and volunteers to work on state and national campaigns. The New Hampshire Federation of College Republicans was founded by the Dartmouth College Republicans. The Dartmouth Republicans were defunct as of Spring 203, when the Dartmouth Conservatives formed after a leadership dispute on the executive board.Dartmouth Political Union
The Dartmouth Political Union was founded by William M. Reicher '22 and Vlado Vojdanovski '22 in the Dartmouth Fall term of 2018. Since then, the club has grown to have over three hundred members.The DPU is a “nonpartisan student-run organization dedicated to providing a forum for respectful political discourse on campus” by “promoting facts, seeking nuance, and challenging preconceptions.” The DPU “works to bridge partisan divides and foster respect for the freedom of speech among the Dartmouth student community”.
The DPU has aimed to host engaging speakers, who have included co-founder of the Black Panther Party Bobby Seale, former CIA Director John Deutch, Pulitzer-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, and linguist and political Activist Noam Chomsky. The DPU has also had success in organizing student-led debates and viewing parties for important events. DPU event attendance is among the highest of any club at Dartmouth College.
Rockefeller Center
The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences sponsors numerous dinner discussion groups with strong followings including PoliTALK, Daniel Webster Legal Society, Women in Leadership, Agora, First Year Forum, and Vox Masters.Publications
Dartmouth features many magazines funded by its Council on Student Organizations as well as at least two independently funded newspapers, The Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Review. For more information on college publications, see Dartmouth College publications. Dartmouth's "Collegiate Journal of Art History" is the first such academic art history journal in the country.Miscellaneous organizations
Dartmouth Billiards Student Organization
The Dartmouth Billiards Student Organization was founded in 2022.Dartmouth Broadcasting
Dartmouth Broadcasting is a self-supported student organization that operates two radio stations, WFRD-FM and WDCR-AM. WFRD is one of the few fully commercial college radio stations in the United States.Dartmouth Consulting Group
The Dartmouth Consulting Group is a student-run consulting organization that provides a wide range of services for businesses in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont.Collis Governing Board
Collis Governing Board was created in 1980 at the inception of the Collis Center to give students a voice in the management of their student union. Today, it is actively involved in student programming and capital movements to the Collis building. The board's jurisdiction includes Collis, Thayer's Hovey Lounge, and Robinson Hall. In 2006, the group also took over programming for Lone Pine Tavern, a student dining and recreational facility. In 2009, the Collis Governing Board supervised Lone Pine Tavern's transformation into One Wheelock, a coffee bar, study lounge, and social space with frequent musical and theatrical performances.Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services
Dartmouth EMS is a student run Basic Life Support unit licensed by the State of New Hampshire. D-EMS provides emergency medical services to Dartmouth College, and are available for standby coverage throughout the Upper Valley. Dartmouth EMS is dedicated to the safety of Dartmouth community members and visitors. Additionally, the group strives to provide as many educational opportunities as possible. D-EMS provides training in first aid and CPR, as well as sponsor EMT classes.Dartmouth Film Society
The Dartmouth Film Society is one of the country's oldest student-run film societies. Established in 1949 by Maurice Rapf, class of '35, and Blair Watson class of '21, the DFS is still thriving today as the hub of film culture at Dartmouth College and in the Upper Valley. The DFS organizes annual tributes to worthy film artists, such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Meryl Streep, Buck Henry, Werner Herzog, Sean Penn, and Sidney Lumet.Dartmouth Forensic Union
The Dartmouth Forensic Union is the policy debate team of Dartmouth College. The DFU has had at least one first round qualifier to the National Debate Tournament for 25 years running, and has won the NDT eight times.Dartmouth Mixed Reality
The Dartmouth Mixed Reality, founded in 2018, is made up of students passionate about Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality. The DXR club is considered as one of the leading research-oriented student clubs in AR/VR/XR technology.Dartmouth Outing Club
The Dartmouth Outing Club is the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the United States, founded in 1909 to stimulate interest in winter sports. The DOC includes many subgroups, including The Big Green Bus and Dartmouth Ski Patrol.Dartmouth Sexual Assault Peer Advocates
The Sexual Assault Peer Advocate program at Dartmouth College began in the 1980s as an effort to promote awareness about sexual abuse on the Dartmouth campus. SAPAs go through an extensive 40 hours of training. SAPAs help victims contact counselors and other medical advisors, as well as provide information about legal aspects of the process, including reporting to the Hanover, New Hampshire police and to Safety and Security, Dartmouth's security force.Dartmouth Society of Investment and Economics
The Dartmouth Society of Investment and Economics was founded in the fall of 2005 and is the primary economics and finance related student organization on campus.Dartmouth Union of Bogglers
The Dartmouth Union of Bogglers is a college-recognized club founded in 2020 to promote and organize games of Boggle for members of the Dartmouth community.Friday Night Rock
Friday Night Rock is an active student group that brings independent bands and musicians to Dartmouth several times every term for concerts and provides an important alternative social space for students. Concerts are held in Sarner Underground.Gender Sexuality XYZ
Gender Sexuality XYZ is made up of students interested in bringing together the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Allied communities of Dartmouth College. The Gay Straight Alliance, formed in the spring of 1999, was renamed Gender Sexuality XYZ in the fall of 2007.Green Key Society
Established in 1921, the Green Key Society is an honorary service organization at Dartmouth College. Green Key helps to run such traditional Dartmouth events as First-Year Orientation, the Bonfire, Homecoming Sweep, Commencement, and Green Key Weekend.Native Americans at Dartmouth
The Native Americans at Dartmouth organization is a student-run organization that has represented over 150 tribes. NAD partakes in the Inter-Community Council which is dedicated to uniting all the minority organizations on the campus of Dartmouth College.Senior societies
Student literary or fraternal societies of Dartmouth College date back to 1783. Starting in the late nineteenth century, students began creating societies for each of the four class years. Only the senior societies survive from those early class societies, and new ones have been added in recent years. Almost all keep their membership secret until commencement, when members of most senior societies may be identified by their carved canes. Most societies have gained official recognition by the College as organizations. However, some of the newer societies continue to operate underground. Approximately 31% of the senior class members are affiliated with a recognized senior society today.| Society | Charter date and range | Membership | College-recognized | |
| Abaris | 1996 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Andromeda | 2013 | Senior Women | Yes | |
| Atlas | 2013 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Casque and Gauntlet | 1886 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Chimera | 1914 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Clio | 1999 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Cobra | 1978 | Senior Women | Yes | |
| Dragon | 1898 | Senior Men | Yes | |
| Fire and Skoal | 1975 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Griffin | 1995 | Seniors | Yes | |
| The Order of the Sirens | 2007 | Senior Women | Yes | |
| Olympus | 2014 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Osiris | 2016 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Palaeopitus | 1899 | Seniors | Yes | |
| Phoenix | 1984 | Senior Women | Yes | |
| Phrygian | 2005 | Senior Men | No | |
| Pyxis | 2014 | Senior Women | Yes | |
| Sphinx | 1885 | Senior Men | Yes | |
| Tyger | 1892 | Senior Men | Yes |