NOTES FROM THE DESK

Author: Jake A. Kuipers

The red and blue shag carpet in the hallways, the gray burlap curtains, the faint smell of vomit and marijuana - this was not the most glorious room on campus, but it was my first-year dorm room, my first experience living at Middlebury College. Yet, what disappointed me my first year at Middlebury, and the years that followed, was not my dorm room, but the way Middlebury College had not effectively accommodated me and those students who resided outside the greater New England area. As I enter what could be my last year at Middlebury, I cannot help but feel frustrated by the way Middlebury (Old Chapel and the Student Government Association included) has not tried to accommodate those who cannot simply load up their car with bags and boxes and head to school.

Those students who cannot drive must fly into Burlington Airport with whatever they can carry. Students must then get a taxi for the $25 - $65 trip down to Middlebury. Rather, the College administration or SGA could simply arrange their own shuttle service for a small fee. Many colleges like Middlebury, such as Swarthmore, Williams, and Bowdoin all have their own shuttle service free of charge to students during high traffic times between the College and the airport. Why can't our college do the same?

After spending hundreds of dollars on taxi services to and from the airport each year, Middlebury College students are forced to find storage for their belongings accumulated during the school year. The College claims that they provide reasonable storage for students in the Fletcher Barn for an inexpensive fee. However, students cannot even store their bike or other large items that most students acquire. Students are forced to find very expensive (by a college student's standards) storage facilities around the Middlebury area. Of course, as most people who live outside of New England do not have a car on campus, the burden put on students by the College is increased. Many colleges, including some of the colleges listed above provide free on-campus storage in dorms and college facilities. Why can't our college do the same?

Even before the school year starts, students can only start to move in on the Saturday prior to the beginning of classes. All students living east of the Mississippi can attest that the earliest they can arrive in Burlington, not even Middlebury, if they leave their houses on Saturday is 6 or 7 p.m. that evening. This barely gives students the chance to get down to Middlebury, put some clean sheets on their bed and hustle over to the annual First Chance Dance. Then they only have one day to get all of their stuff out of an inconvenient and expensive storage facility with their imaginary car and unpack before school begins the next day. Most colleges across the country allow students to move in multiple days before the start of school. Why can't our college do the same?

Looking over the ways the College does not accommodate for the majority of students on campus, I see that these problems can easily be fixed - with money. So maybe I have this all wrong. Maybe the College just doesn't accommodate students who do not live in the top percent of society.