Spare Rib!
I have written about Spare Rib before, the intersectional feminist zine at Dartmouth, which I named the best campus community ever. I still firmly believe that it is indeed the best campus community there is for people like me who want to discuss social issues in a welcoming community working to make Dartmouth's campus and the world a better place. I have been getting more and more involved with Spare Rib each term since my freshman spring, so let me tell you more about this journey!
I joined Spare Rib my first-year spring, which was a really turbulent and difficult period of my life. Quickly, Spare Rib became a haven, where I could process everything happening in my life through writing in the company of people who truly cared. When I returned to Spare Rib my sophomore fall, I knew I wanted to take more responsibility for the organization, so I started editing, copy editing, and learning audio editing for the audio magazine. I started attending more socials to get to know the people better. My favorite social is, by far, Sip'n'Flip, during which we view the newest issue of Spare Rib while munching on some delicious food and tasting drinks.
My favorite thing about Spare Rib is that it operates on a horizontal leadership model and uses consensus decision-making, which means all major decisions regarding the organization are made through everyone's involvement. Even if one member blocks a decision with good reason, the decision does not pass. There is still an executive board in Spare Rib because someone has to manage the many operations of the magazine, but there is no hierarchy within the execs, and no applications to join. Leadership is on a volunteer basis, and all executive meetings are always open to non-exec members. I joined the exec board my sophomore winter as a community development lead; My job was to foster connections within and outside of the organization through events and by introducing new systems. I have learned a lot from my co-lead, Maanasi, who is among the handful of people who restarted Spare Rib during the pandemic. It was such an honor and a privilege to work with her!
Now, I returned to Spare Rib for my junior winter as a general manager. I am responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly, but I am still getting the hang of the position.
Stay tuned to learn more about Spare Rib!