Seniors select gift for '09 Class to fund Woodstove Lounge renovation

Author: Cloe Shasha

On Nov. 15, the College threw the seniors a Two Hundred Days Party. While a total of 550 students socialized and sipped cocktails, the senior class gift was announced: a donation towards the renovation of Woodstove Lounge in the Proctor Dining Hall.

The event was a fundraiser organized by the senior class committee, and 127 people donated gifts at the party. Co-chairs of the Senior Class Committee Siddharth Baveja '09 and Eva Nixon '09 are still in the process of raising funds for this senior class gift.

"The class decided to give a gift to the College that would alleviate some of the College's costs during these difficult economic times," said Baveja. "After the renovation is complete, the Woodstove Lounge is going to be functional as a student space that will be part of the dining hall during the day and a performance or gathering space during the evenings."

Some students, however, thought that the senior class gift survey was written in a way that was biased towards selecting the Woodstove Lounge option.

"All the other options on the survey had more vague descriptions without a detailed explanation," said Adam Volwiler '09. "The Old Stone Mill gift was what I voted for."

Elisabeth McMorris '09 felt that some of the other options on the survey may have been more worthwhile selections because the College already plans on renovating the Woodstove Lounge.

"I really like Proctor, but I think that we could have helped the College more by donating towards a different goal," McMorris said.

But the majority of seniors voted for the Woodstove Lounge, and the fundraising continues towards this gift. Much like in previous years, every member of the senior class (graduating in May 2009 or February 2010) who makes a donation, regardless of its size, will be matched with a $100 contribution from an anonymous donor. With this in mind, the senior class committee set a 96 percent participation goal for current seniors.

"The senior class gift is a time-honored tradition at Middlebury, and it is meant to foster a bond between the outgoing class and the College, whereby seniors try to leave a mark at the institution they cherish," Baveja said.