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(03/21/18 10:39pm)
Fifty-three percent. According to a study done in 2013 by College Factual, this is the percentage of our student body that identifies as female, and the percentage that constantly has to worry how their college hookups with a man may change their entire life trajectory. The current presidential administration is threatening to significantly roll back the Affordable Care Act (ACA), particularly attacking the birth control mandate that makes no-cost contraceptives readily accessible. Due to this, 53 percent of our community will continue to be anxious about their rights to their own bodies until Middlebury College demonstrates its support, stating that healthcare system changes will not affect student access to contraception.
According to Planned Parenthood’s website, nine out of 10 women will be on some form of birth control throughout their lives; before the ACA’s birth control provision, one in three women struggled to afford birth control. As Planned Parenthood reports, the ACA rollbacks have been a huge loss for Planned Parenthood’s movement. If the courts decide in favor of the Trump administration, these changes will allow companies, universities and other institutions to choose whether or not they will cover contraceptive methods or Plan B as a part of the insurance they offer based on moral or religious beliefs. Therefore, if you receive health care coverage from Middlebury College, the college would be able to decide whether or not your birth control method will be covered by their plan.
In response to the Trump administration’s attacks on the birth control mandate, Planned Parenthood’s national movement, which is fighting to protect women’s access to contraceptives and ensure that they retain agency over their own bodies, has seen a huge influx of over one million new supporters. Planned Parenthood’s #Fight4BirthControl campaign is working to educate people on why these rollbacks matter, who they effect and what we can do to take action and fight back. According to an article on the Planned Parenthood website, young women, especially women of color and the LGBTQ+ community, will be the most affected by these rollbacks as, before the ACA provisions, these were the groups already disproportionately vulnerable to lack of access to birth control.
Campus campaigns are popping up around the nation in the hope that their colleges or universities will make a statement ensuring no-cost access to contraceptive methods. Princeton University’s website explains their #Fight4BirthControl petition day in which they collected 300 signatures to urge the administration to continue their commitment to their students’ care, regardless of federal government policy changes. Feminist Action at Middlebury (FAM), a student organization on campus that acts as a Planned Parenthood Generation Action Branch, is committed to continuing this fight here at Middlebury College by tabling in the library entranceway the week after spring break with these petitions.
The long-term goal of FAM is to get Middlebury’s administration to release a statement that demonstrates to our student body their commitment to our reproductive health and our ability to make decisions about our reproductive future. Birth control should not be controversial. It is a human right, and it should be protected.
If you are interested in the #Fight4BirthControl campaign that we will soon be launching on campus or have other feminist issues you are passionate about, please attend a FAM meeting on Tuesday nights in the Chellis House from 8:00-9:00 p.m.
(02/22/18 2:20am)
Between the stress of heavy workloads and the social and societal pressures that students face every day, unwinding and taking time to oneself seems an elusive task. Fortunately, counseling graduate interns Sarah Farrell and David Rapp are attempting to combat this struggle through a weekly “Subtle Body” workshop. The “experiential workshop” itself does not have a fixed agenda or set of expectations— Farrell and Rapp simply hope to create a space for students to discover a different way to relax and unwind.
Farrell and Rapp explained that they decided to use a specific form of “sound therapy” as a way to generate such a meditative space. During the workshop’s first session, Farrell and Rapp knelt behind three quartz crystal bowls that sat in the center of the room, and invited everyone to take a position that was comfortable for them, whether that was lying down, sitting up or standing. The leaders began “playing” the crystal bowls, and the room slowly filled with a sound that grew from a small ringing to a loud, almost overwhelming bath of noise. The reverberating song made thought almost impossible to formulate.
Rapp explained that he thinks the tension created in between various notes generates a landscape where the tensions builds and then is resolved when the notes stop competing with one another to be heard. The perfect fifth has been used in sound healing as it is considered a mechanism to promote relaxation with the way the two notes resonate with one another. The F and G notes are close to each other on the scale, which sometimes causes a palpable vibrato-type tension in the air.
Following the period of sound therapy, Rapp brought out a pack of what he referred to as “energy medicine cards.” He read aloud from the backs of each of the cards, on which a poem or reflection was written for students to connect with as they chose. Rapp said that he decided to use this type of card because they could be interpreted in the way that was most useful to the listener.
Moving forward with the workshop, Rapp and Farrell are developing this relaxation space based on the student response they receive. Farrell emphasized that she was happy to set the stage and facilitate while students explored what they thought would be most helpful to them and others.
“We were very excited that there is an interest, and we are very open to bringing the bowls and helping create the ambiance,” said Farrell.
Rapp and Farrell received many comments after the workshop, and in particular they were happy to hear one student say that they felt connected to people they had never met before.
Rapp said that this one piece of feedback made it all worth it because he believes this is the purpose of the Subtle Body workshop, to connect everyone to themselves and to connect everyone to one another. Building that kind of community can help alleviate stress, promote good health and provide a space for people that they feel safe and comfortable in letting go of the stressors that may plague them throughout the day, according to Rapp.
The next Subtle Body workshop is on Tuesday, February 20 from 5:00-6:00 pm in the Mitchell Green Room in McCullough.
(02/15/18 1:57am)
Although public speaking is terrifying to many, it is also a skill cultivated and strengthened during our four years at Middlebury. To begin to break down barriers and fears of public speaking, the Oratory Now team organized the Spencer Prize competition, a speech competition for first-year students and sophomore Febs.
Professor John Spencer, who gave 35 years of his life to Middlebury, was a strong advocate for the importance of public speaking and encouraged students, faculty, presidents and alumni to embrace its impact and value. Jeff Vallone ’97.5, a former advisee of Professor Spencer’s, recalls fondly Professor Spencer’s teaching in his first-year seminar. He spoke about the creative way that Spencer drilled his students and how it helped them grow throughout the semester.
According to Benjamin Powers, an Oratory Now associate, the Oratory Now team believes that this award helps build layers of community across campus by providing a venue for thoughtful speaking and listening. Powers explains that various groups of people worked together to ensure the success of this competition: the Oratory Now team sent out special invitations to faculty members to nominate first-years with great potential, and every Commons was invited to host a “Commons Championship,” which gave nominated students a platform to speak to a smaller group of their peers, friends, faculty and staff. Furthermore, each of the student nominees were offered one-on-one oratory coaching to aid in the preparation of the speeches that they would be giving at the Commons event. Posters, social media campaigns and a website were all created in order to publicize the event.
In January there were five Commons competitions, in which lounges were adopted into cozy fireside amphitheaters with music, soft lighting and a make-your-own-hot-chocolate bar. Each of the 46 competing students prepared a three-minute talk in response to the prompt, “Connect something you learned in a Middlebury class to something you care about. Can you get your Commons to care too?” Treasure Brooks ’21, the Cook Commons winner, said that participating in the Oratory Now competition was a great experience.
“I was so engaged by the eloquence and passion of the other speakers that I quickly lost interest in the competitive aspect and was just grateful to speak alongside such talented writers and orators”she said.
Edgar Holmes ’20.5, the Ross Commons winner, found thee experience challenging but enjoyable. “I thought that the expectation was high but the pressure was low, creating the perfect environment for students to share their experiences and ideas” he said.
The other three Commons winners, Katie Marshall, Jeremy Navarro and Amanda Werner, will all be joining Brooks and Edgar Holmes in the Grand Championship following February recess. This championship concludes with six-minute presentations from each Commons winner, with an additional two-minute “Lightning Q&A” from the judges in the hall.
“Although I am slightly nervous, I am honored and excited to be representing Wonnacott Commons,” Amanda Werner said. While nerves are definitely present in all the competitors, a strong sense of gratitude and comradery is shared between them.
“I feel very supported by the fantastic Oratory Now team of producers and coaches and am incredibly proud of my fellow Commons champs!”Werner said.
Additionally, Brooks explains that she is filled with a lot of satisfaction for what she’s already accomplished, excitement for what’s to come, and most of all a lot of gratitude for Oratory Now presenting her with this opportunity.
The nominees performed in front of a total of 350 audience members, including a panel of three faculty judges who evaluated the speeches based on how compelling, persuasive and engaging they were. Within each Commons, a champion, two runners-up and a People’s Choice speaker were recognized, although only the commons champion will go on to compete in the Grand Championship. The judges at the Grand Championship will award the first annual Spencer Prize in Oratory to one of the five Commons champions based on their expanded speech and eloquence in receiving questions and giving adequate answers to the panel of special guest judges.
The Grand Championship will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Robinson Hall at the Mahaney Center for the Arts.