2008 Woodie Awards
op-ed: A decision from the top down
Max Nardini
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Opinions
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The administration recently announced that, effective spring semester 2009, Winter Carnival will be shortened to a two-day event. Then, later in the spring, there will be no classes on the day of the Student Research Symposium. This change was made without substantial input from the student body and strikes a major blow to one of Middlebury's most established traditions.
The College's Winter Carnival is the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the country. Midd-kids greatly appreciate this three-day celebration, coming in the middle of a long, cold winter. Whether cheering on our first-class ski team at the Bowl or just playing in the snow, Carnival weekend is a time to unwind and have fun.
Certain administrators, however, argue that attendance at Winter Carnival events (most notably, the ski races) has dropped significantly in recent years. Thus, they continue, there is little harm in eliminating the Friday off. In my experience, Winter Carnival spirit abounds right from the start. Still, if the administration has a point, we should be brainstorming how best to reinvigorate Winter Carnival weekend, not truncating it.
There is also talk of moving the ski races from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday to allow students with Friday classes to attend. However, if there has already been a decrease in spectators to Carnival races, doubtless holding them on a Sunday will only exacerbate this problem.
Furthermore, no long weekend means (obviously) no Thursday night dance party. For the past three years, I have been one in waves of spandex-clad students flowing into McCullough to '80s it up with Orange Crush. This event is almost as popular as the Saturday Ball itself. Moving this concert to Friday night would be no panacea. With Carnival weekend so compressed, students may "burn out" on Friday, and be less likely to attend the (always spectacular) Ball on Saturday.
I wish that I had had the opportunity to raise these concerns with the administration. However, despite the fact that I have been in the Student Government for three years, the first I heard of this calendar change was two weeks ago - long after the decision had been made. Indeed, the Calendar Committee, which ultimately recommended the change to President Liebowitz and the Board of Trustees, did not include any student representatives. Furthermore, no one is fooled by the claim that students had ample time to respond to this calendar change, as it was mentioned in the Strategic Plan. When members of the administration want to hear student perspectives on an issue, they hold open forums specifically on that issue. They ask the SGA Senators to e-mail their constituents. They post on their blogs. They do not merely tuck the proposed change into the Strategic Plan, which, at last count, numbered 111 pages.
The College's Winter Carnival is the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the country. Midd-kids greatly appreciate this three-day celebration, coming in the middle of a long, cold winter. Whether cheering on our first-class ski team at the Bowl or just playing in the snow, Carnival weekend is a time to unwind and have fun.
Certain administrators, however, argue that attendance at Winter Carnival events (most notably, the ski races) has dropped significantly in recent years. Thus, they continue, there is little harm in eliminating the Friday off. In my experience, Winter Carnival spirit abounds right from the start. Still, if the administration has a point, we should be brainstorming how best to reinvigorate Winter Carnival weekend, not truncating it.
There is also talk of moving the ski races from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday to allow students with Friday classes to attend. However, if there has already been a decrease in spectators to Carnival races, doubtless holding them on a Sunday will only exacerbate this problem.
Furthermore, no long weekend means (obviously) no Thursday night dance party. For the past three years, I have been one in waves of spandex-clad students flowing into McCullough to '80s it up with Orange Crush. This event is almost as popular as the Saturday Ball itself. Moving this concert to Friday night would be no panacea. With Carnival weekend so compressed, students may "burn out" on Friday, and be less likely to attend the (always spectacular) Ball on Saturday.
I wish that I had had the opportunity to raise these concerns with the administration. However, despite the fact that I have been in the Student Government for three years, the first I heard of this calendar change was two weeks ago - long after the decision had been made. Indeed, the Calendar Committee, which ultimately recommended the change to President Liebowitz and the Board of Trustees, did not include any student representatives. Furthermore, no one is fooled by the claim that students had ample time to respond to this calendar change, as it was mentioned in the Strategic Plan. When members of the administration want to hear student perspectives on an issue, they hold open forums specifically on that issue. They ask the SGA Senators to e-mail their constituents. They post on their blogs. They do not merely tuck the proposed change into the Strategic Plan, which, at last count, numbered 111 pages.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Jason Siegel
posted 11/04/07 @ 10:56 AM EST
To be fair, it's not like this had never been reported. In a January 12, 2006 editorial, the Campus mentioned this as a distinct possibility. While it is true that this wasn't highlighted in anyway, I do not recall any strenuous objections to it (I was a member of the editorial board at the time). (Continued…)
molley
posted 11/04/07 @ 5:08 PM EST
Should we rely on The Campus for official updates then?
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