Middbriefs

Author: Lisie Mehlman, Jessie Singleton, Ben Salkowe, and Zamir Ahmed

SGA approves creation of Social Honor Code task force

In a Dec. 4 all-student e-mail, Student Co-Chair of Community Council Annie Williams '07 and Student Government Association President Alex Stanton '07 proposed the "formation of a task force to explore the possible implementation of an honor code that seamlessly integrates both academic and social elements of the Middlebury community."

The e-mail, which asserted that students "have an obligation to preserve the core values that make Middlebury a vibrant community," invited students to apply to serve on the task force and explore the potential benefits of a Social Honor Code. As Stanton points out, "the creation of this Task Force doesn't necessarily mean that we feel a Social Honor Code is necessary or feasible at Middlebury. We think it might be helpful, and want to take a look at some ideas for how it might be implemented."

Both Williams and Stanton expressed their desire to reflect the community's existing values. "It is my hope that a Social Honor Code - in whatever form it may take - would reinforce many of the values that members of this Community already live by, such as honesty and integrity," said Williams.

"At other schools with Social Honor Codes, the document is deeply rooted in the institution's historical culture and so it existence today is natural," said Stanton. "One potential problem with bringing a Social Honor Code here is implementing it organically, in a way that doesn't seem intrusive and artificial. This is something the Task Force will address, and I am optimistic that we can find a way to make it work."


Faculty moves to formalize objection to Rehnquist chair

Faculty members are expected to vote Monday on a motion to "reaffirm the College's commitment to diversity." Professor of Russian Kevin Moss first called for the vote at last month's meeting, in response to the establishment of a professorship bearing the name of the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.

"A number of marginalized groups - lesbians and gay men, people of color, women - feel alienated by the decision to name a chair after a powerful figure who did a lot of real harm to us," said Moss after the November meeting.

At that meeting, some faculty expressed concerns that setting "political" criteria for accepting gifts to the College could create "a slippery slope."

But in an open-letter published in The Middlebury Campus last week, nearly forty professors from fifteen departments joined Moss to support the motion.

"According to [Middlebury's] mission statement, diversity includes 'the integration of historically underrepresented groups into the campus community,'" wrote the faculty members in their letter. "Given the documented pattern of hostility Judge Rehnquist demonstrated toward these same 'historically underrepresented groups' and the negative effects his judicial decisions continue to have on the individual members of these groups […] we believe that the recent naming of an endowed chair for [Rehnquist] undermines the College's ability to promote diversity among its faculty, students and staff."

The letter cited the Chief Justice's rulings in six cases concerning civil liberties and civil rights, including his 1973 dissent against Roe v. Wade and final dissent in 2003 against extending personal privacy rights to gays and lesbians in Lawrence v. Texas.

The vote on Moss's motion is expected to take place at Monday's faculty meeting, at 3 p.m. in McCardell Bicentennial Hall.


SGA promotes week-long celebration of diversity

The Student Government Association (SGA) kicked off its first-ever Diversity Week on Monday, Dec. 4. The event, which runs through Dec. 9, is aimed at encouraging students to think about how diversity affects them and the broader College community.

In previous years, the SGA Diversity Committee, which organized the celebration, held single-day talks about diversity instead of longer events.

"This year, we wanted to make a concerted effort to address diversity in a larger scope and scale across our community and therefore wanted to involve academic, cultural and even athletic teams to participate in this week," said Vani Sathisan '07, co-chair of the committee.

The events of the week-long celebration commenced on Dec. 5 with the lecture "Race and Ethnicity in National Media" by Visiting Assitant Professor of American Civilization Kelly Cole. A panel discussion followed a screening of the movie "Crash" on Dec. 6. The events will conclude on Dec. 8 with a Cultural Exhibition and Coffee Hour in The Gamut Room and a Diversity Celebration Dinner in Coltrane Lounge but the spirit of the celebration is hoped to carry on through Saturday.

"For me, I hope that the Diversity Week opens a campus wide dialogue about issues that we still find ourselves hesitant to engage," said SGA President Alex Stanton. "The goal of the week isn't to pursue any specific agenda, it's simply to open a line of discussion."