Tackling wealth inequality requires the buy-in of people coming from all different socioeconomic backgrounds, not just those who suffer from it. By the same token, collective buy-in requires discussion. So what does this mean for Middlebury?
In his 2024 book “Poverty, By America,” Sociologist Matthew Desmond argues for the importance of strategic economic integration: “Engaging with one another in integrated communities allows us to recognize our blind spots, de-siloing our lives and causing families well above the poverty line to become bothered by problems that affect those below it… Integration means we all have skin in the game. It not only disrupts poverty; on a spiritual level, over time, it can foster empathy and solidarity.”
Although Middlebury’s student body is wealthier than most other U.S. colleges, institutions like ours are uniquely positioned to engage with wealth disparities. Students from a variety of economic backgrounds eat at the same dining halls, sit in the same classes and share friend groups. We have the beginnings of the economically “integrated community” that Desmond mentions. Yet, we are missing the engagement. It is all too easy for wealthy students to participate in the occasional class conversation on wealth inequality, and then walk out of class and drop the issue. We lose a lot when those discussions end.
Discussions of personal wealth are uncomfortable. They require examining how family history, inherited wealth and dysfunctional and exploitative systems shape our access to opportunities. Exploring these topics can feel vulnerable. It can feel safer to avoid conversations about personal wealth altogether. It’s hard to acknowledge our economic advantages or disadvantages compared to others.
Engaging in these vulnerable conversations is a burden for everyone, but especially for working-class students. Although discussions alone will not erase these strains, they create opportunities to more evenly distribute the burden of wealth disparity. This dialogue can help Middlebury College “recognize our blind spots… [causing] families well above the poverty line to become bothered by problems that affect those below it.” Each of us brings a wealth of personal connection to this work.
What do we lose when we don’t have those discussions? Students navigate workplaces, classrooms and friendships unprepared to tackle central issues. There are times when we are obligated to broach the subject of wealth on campus: when a petition fights to prevent a more accessible Feb graduation, when rising tuition costs require students to increase their work hours, or when faculty and staff walk out over benefit cuts. Without a framework for conversations about class issues already in action, institutional and interpersonal conversations on these topics fall short, burdening the least economically privileged and silently favoring the voices of our most economically privileged. Ignorance does real harm.
Many students at Middlebury will go on to hold positions of affluence and societal influence. They will become politicians, business owners, teachers and, for many, members of the upper class. A study of post-college outcomes found that 55% of Middlebury graduates joined the top 20% of earners in the U.S. This suggests alumni have the potential to bring critical class consciousness to influential fields post-grad. Realizing this potential depends on our ability to critically engage in these difficult conversations now, during this formative time of our lives.
So how might these conversations begin, and what comes next?
First, figure out what socioeconomic class you fall into. Are you working class? Are you upper class? This requires talking to your parents about your financial situation and using existing economic data.
Second, jump into a lifelong project of honest money conversations. Lead with curiosity. You might start by reflecting on your family’s jobs, how money was discussed at home, and how that affects your school life. Avoid using words like “well-off” or “comfortable” as euphemisms or as a way to downplay wealth.
Third, take action. If your family has investments, ask critical questions about their investment portfolio. Do these investments align with your political and moral values? How can you move beyond just charitable donations to fight economically oppressive systems? What resources beyond money can you mobilize? The organization Resource Generation has methods you can use to work towards a more equitable society using personal wealth.
Additionally, support policies proven to reduce poverty. For example, the 2021 Child Tax Credit expansions cut child poverty in half, only to see it rise again after the expansion ended. Passing these policies requires buy-in from the affluent, and if many of our graduates will be in that group, then conversations now matter all the more.
Lastly, participate in organized groups on campus. We have been organizing educational and discussion-focused events on this topic in partnership with the Climate Action Program. If you want to get involved in future on-campus events on these topics, reach out to the authors of this op-ed.
Editor's Note: Gus Morrill ’27 is an Arts & Culture Editor.
Gus Morrill '27 (he/him) is an Arts & Culture Editor.
He is a Comparative Literature Major with a focus in Spanish and Arabic. Outside of The Campus he is also involved with Matriculate, the Blackbird Literary Arts Journal, Club Jiu-Jitsu, and Middlebury Discount Comedy. In his free time you can find him knitting, listening to music, or watching his favorite soccer teams lose.
