2008 Woodie Awards
SGA committee hosts rally for anti-defamation
Kathryn Flagg
Issue date: 3/16/06 Section: News
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Fostering dialogue for a handful of students, alumni and administrators, the Middlebury College Student Government Association (SGA) Diversity Committee sponsored a sparsely attended forum for anti-defamation on Tuesday evening in Mead Chapel. The forum sought to discuss racial tensions on campus in light of January's racial altercation, promoting discussion between President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz and concerned students. The event culminated in a rally designed to "deface the defacing."
While sponsored by the SGA Diversity Committee, the bulk of the forum was devoted to dialogue between Liebowitz and those in attendance. In his opening remarks, Liebowitz likened the event to a similar, larger town hall meeting hosted last spring in McCullough Student Center, organized to address unrest following O'Neil Walker's trial. While Liebowitz affirmed the College's policy on intolerance, he quickly noted that January's racial incident cannot be considered an anomaly. "The situation or the incident that inspired this particular gathering or meeting was very unfortunate, but as I said last May, we don't exist in a bubble," he said. "These incidents will happen."
Liebowitz went on to say that, considering the growing diversity of the College, the existence of such altercations can be considered a "good sign." He noted that, when he came to the College in 1984, only five percent of the student body was comprised of international students or students of color - a number that has, today, jumped to 28 percent. He acknowledged the challenge of engaging and integrating this increased diversity, but confirmed the administration's commitment to tackling these tests.
Upon opening up the floor to comments from the smattering of students, Liebowitz answered questions and addressed concerns that have risen in the weeks following January's altercation. At the onset of this question-and-answer session, Alex Yule '08.5 expressed a recurring concern in the wake of the incident, questioning the procedure for reporting sensitive information to the College community.
While sponsored by the SGA Diversity Committee, the bulk of the forum was devoted to dialogue between Liebowitz and those in attendance. In his opening remarks, Liebowitz likened the event to a similar, larger town hall meeting hosted last spring in McCullough Student Center, organized to address unrest following O'Neil Walker's trial. While Liebowitz affirmed the College's policy on intolerance, he quickly noted that January's racial incident cannot be considered an anomaly. "The situation or the incident that inspired this particular gathering or meeting was very unfortunate, but as I said last May, we don't exist in a bubble," he said. "These incidents will happen."
Liebowitz went on to say that, considering the growing diversity of the College, the existence of such altercations can be considered a "good sign." He noted that, when he came to the College in 1984, only five percent of the student body was comprised of international students or students of color - a number that has, today, jumped to 28 percent. He acknowledged the challenge of engaging and integrating this increased diversity, but confirmed the administration's commitment to tackling these tests.
Upon opening up the floor to comments from the smattering of students, Liebowitz answered questions and addressed concerns that have risen in the weeks following January's altercation. At the onset of this question-and-answer session, Alex Yule '08.5 expressed a recurring concern in the wake of the incident, questioning the procedure for reporting sensitive information to the College community.