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(04/23/13 5:23pm)
On Monday, April 22nd, students and faculty gathered in the McCullough Social Space. Student organization, It Happens Here, organized a reading of Middlebury student monologues detailing personal experiences with sexual violence. Of the twenty-three submissions, seventeen were read anonymously and five by actual sexual assault victims. The motto for the evening, "Let's talk about what we don't talk about," encouraged all to recognize that such violence happens on campus. The event coupled well with IHH's Map Project, which was on display in the Davis Family Library during the month of February. Over 100 cases of sexual assault in 60 locations across the college campus were identified.
How did students react to the monologues?
Jen Krakower '14 - Perspective.
Liza Herzog '14 - I found it powerful, it made me question my feeling of complete safety and comfort on this campus. It inspired reflections on the society and culture in which we live. what influences lead to distorted views on what constitutes/signals unwanted sexual encounters and why someone feels entitled to disrespect those wishes. Money? Societal power? Gender? Familial example and environment? Media? Intrinsic lack of self control?
Alyssa DiMaio '15 - Eye-opening.
Marris Hurwitz '13 - I thought tonight made it seem much more real that sexual assault happens on campus when you hear the words Winter Ball, Atwater, Tavern, and have your own memories and associations with each place.
Lauren Greer '13 - Tonight really made me conscious about the nature and density/or lack thereof of conversations among the Middlebury College community. Whether that be in a dorm room, social house, at a party, an athletic event, dining hall, but most especially in the bedroom or any place sex and sexuality exists. It really makes you question, how much do people listen when you talk, or when someone says "No"? I am amazed by the resilience of those individuals who spoke, and also to those that didn't. That was what strength looks like.
Sarah Ugalde '14 - Eye-opening. Hard to face the fact that people I know and are close to could be going through something that I have no idea about.
Ellie O'Brien '14 - Brave.
Hannah Deoul '14 - I was really struck by the mentions of Atwater or the Dungeon...as in how these events may have happened right in front of my eyes. I overall am more cognizant of what is qualified as sexual harassment.
Margaret Souther '13 - These stories show great courage. It was an eye-opening experience and I'm so glad I went.
Luke Elder '13 — I thought it was eye-opening to hear about Middlebury students' personal experiences with sexual assault. The event prompted my friends and I to start an on-going discussion about sexual assault on campus: what it is, how it is defined, and how to potentially avoid it. While the power of some of the stories resonated with many of us for a while after the event ended, other stories made us curious about what sexual assault really is: Is it just how the college defines it? Is there a definitive line that distinguishes assault from other types of interaction? Overall I thought the event was a great starting point for talking about sexual violence on campus, but I just hope the conversation continues.
Jay Saper '12.5 — The courage of survivors is astounding. They have illuminated the imperative of centering feminism now. It is time for our community to take meaningful action against this violence by dismantling the seeds of rape culture sown here.
Molly Shane '13.5 — I left feeling hopeful that "It Happens Here" could open the door for conversations about the ways in which we are ALL victims of a culture that promotes nonconsensual, damaging sexual interactions. This is not solely a "woman's issue," and I would love to see an event similar to "It Happens Here" in which we hear the voices of perpetrators (intentionally so, or not), bystanders, and victims, as we work together towards a more respectful sex culture.
(04/17/13 10:32pm)
In 38 days, the senior class graduates. To say the least, it is bittersweet. As I now apply for jobs, I am often asked why I chose to attend Middlebury. My response is the same each time: the students. While academically driven, they do more than spend time in the library. We are passionate about athletics, the arts and the environment, to name a few. I am proud to call myself a Midd Kid, and as such, I must address two points of contention — the printers and the treadmills. I have become a senior in waiting, waiting to print and waiting to run.
At the semester’s start, each student quickly finds his/her “go-to study spot.” I frequent the library and have bonded much with the seven others in my thesis carrel pod. The eight of us unanimously agree that I constantly complain about one thing: Papercut. I have stopped counting the number of times I am cued in Position 325 and no longer calculate how long it takes to simply “render my job.” Another 50 percent of the time, the Internet is too slow to even upload my document. Suffice to say, I am at my Papercut breaking point.
The system did not exist my freshman year, so yes, cheers to that. This, though, does not explain why Papercut has not worked properly for months. I bombard the students at the Help Desk, and they repeatedly assure me “someone” is looking into the issue. What does this mean? Who is this “someone?”
While my relationship with Papercut was severed long ago, and there is little hope of us ever getting back together, I am nonetheless begging, asking and pleading with this “someone.” Please, if for nothing else than the sake of the seniors attempting to print their year-long theses, help me understand why Papercut cues me at over 350 on a weekly basis and why this has been the case for three months now.
I also promise you I am not alone in this battle. Earlier this month, I Instagramed a screenshot of Papercut. I was cued at 296. Progress? The picture received a solid 18 likes, another 18 distraught Papercut users.
Despite my printing dilemmas, fortunately I do not spend all waking hours in the library. As mentioned, this is why I believe Middlebury ranks high in athletics, arts and the like. The statistics speak for themselves. Twenty-seven percent of the student body plays a varsity sport, and I would argue many others are regulars at the gym. Exercise offers students freedom from exams, papers and lab reports. While I applaud the summer renovations, a gym with six working treadmills is problematic, especially at this school.
Our campus is submerged under snow for the better part of the year, and I know firsthand that wind chill and icy roads are not ideal running conditions. Exercising outside, therefore, is not always possible. If I seek to run, the gym is the answer. However, unless you arrive at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning (has anyone, ever?), you wait a minimum of 20 minutes for a treadmill. While you stand, watching six other people run, you of course begin to think about the time you are wasting, time that could be spent working in the library. So much for the momentary academic escape. Our student body is active and our Vermont winter extends for months, so it is crucial we buy additional treadmills now.
I want to run. I want to print. Please fulfill a senior’s last wish.
(03/22/13 1:38pm)
Men's Basketball defeated Ithaca 73-72 last Saturday, March 16, earning the team a spot in the NCAA Elite Eight in Salem, Virginia. The boys play North Central (Illinois) tonight at 8PM in a Quarterfinal match-up. The winner heads to the Final Four Tournament! GOOD LUCK MIDD! Watch the team's "Road to Salem" HERE!
(03/16/13 6:36pm)
On Friday, March 15, guest speaker Eli Wolff from Brown University spoke to a crowd of students and coaches about “the power of sport.” Wolff is the leader of the Sport and Development Project at Brown, where he received his undergraduate degree. He has competed on the Paralympic soccer team twice and while an "incredible" opportunity, he questions the degree to which these games are considered an anticipated event (such as the Olympics) rather than a charity.
Drawing on promotional videos for the Paralympics and other disability-specialized events, such as Roller Ball in Ghana, Wolff urged the audience to see disability through an artistic lens or as an “ingenious way to live.”
The bylaws of the Olympics say everyone has an equal right to compete without discrimination. However, as Wolff points out, he technically cannot wear the Olympic rings - they are reserved solely for the Olympians. Is that equal? To put it in greater perspective he asked why females who participate in the Olympics don’t have a competition of their own, the Femalympics? Why does this divide between the Olympics and Paralympics exist?
(03/15/13 4:12pm)
The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs is hosting the First Annual International Conference (go/waterconference), "The Politics of Freshwater: Access and Identity in a Changing Environment" from Thursday, March 14 through Saturday, March 16.
The Campus Current will be live blogging the conference's first Friday session, "Water Divided," moderated by Robert Greeley, Visiting Instructor in Arabic, with student chair Jaehyuk (Jeff) Lee '13. The first lecture of this three-part session is presented by Pushpa Iyer from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Her presentation is entitled, "The Politics of Muddled Waters in Gujarat, India: Environmental, economic, social, and cultural influences."
12:56PM - Bringing women into water management has been an effective tool in Gujarat.
12:54PM - What needs to change, she says, are attitudes towards water, cultural-social factors, perceptions of scarcity, water management (it must be more localized), and a more holistic approach to tackling access to water is necessary too. "Offering water to your guests is one of the most important customs we have [in India]," she noted.
12:51PM - Other current projects are working to "beautify river banks," including small water parks and garden. This though has displaced more than 40,000 people living on the banks. "They have been moved outside of the main city and their livelihood is gone," Iyer said.
12:50PM - India, and especially Gujarat, is facing a combination of religious nationalist identity versus a development one. She said people think "we have created a discourse of scarcity of water," and as such feel industrialization is necessary. "In reality, the water is still not benefiting the people. Who is benefiting? The industrialists," she commented.
12:45PM - Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, wants to build "A New Gujarat within Gujarat" through development and massive industrialization. One such project, funded by the World Bank, offers hydro-electric power. Iyer though notes the ecological damage of such work and worries about the "rapid industrialization" along the coast.
12:44PM - Iyer visited Gujarat this past January with her students, and visited the old step wells.
12:43PM - The British though felt the step wells were not hygienic and when they arrived in India, started building pipes.
12:41PM - An 11th century step well, Rani ki Vav in Patan, is the most famous one in Gujarat. "The gathering of water was always the woman's job and it hasn't changed," Iyer said, pointing to the well's cultural relevance.
12:39PM - India now has a reliance on "ground water." Gujarat, Iyer said, is known for its step wells, used as a source and for distribution of water. "A culture developed around these step wells," she comments.
12:36PM - Iyer, from Gujarat (NW India, 2.28% of India's water resources), stands. She recounts knowing nothing but "water shortage," while growing up in India. Her family, she said, was fortunate enough to afford private water tanks, an "exorbitant" cost. Her lecture will tie to personal experience.
12:32PM - Lee '13, an Environmental Studies major with a focus on Policy, speaks. This first series, he says, will focus on the human impact on rivers and the ensuing management practices. The first speaker, Iyer, is a "great leader in field research," Lee comments. He traveled with her to Nepal to study peace-building in post-war societies.
12:30PM- President of the College, Ron Liebowitz, addresses the crowd, speaking to the interdisciplinary nature of water.
12:24PM - People continue to file into the Robert A. Jones '59 House Conference Room. The lecture has yet to begin.
(03/13/13 6:35pm)
On Tuesday, March 12, students flooded an Axinn classroom in support of the Delta House. The social house faces possible disbanding due to violations of the Inter-House Council and college regulations. While the Residential Life Committee was set to reach an agreement yesterday, there was no majority vote, so the decision will be postponed until next Monday, March 18 when the council meets again. See Middblog and Middbeat for further information.
Below is a write-up of the Delta House dorm damage thus far.
(03/10/13 11:41pm)
Men's Basketball defeated Cortland State 67-63 this past Saturday, March 9. They will play Ithaca this Saturday, March 16 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Campus Current captured HIGHLIGHTS of the team's second-round win! Congrats!
(03/10/13 6:56pm)
On Saturday, March 9, the CFA's concert hall was filled to maximum capacity for TedxMiddlebury. The independently organized Ted event pulled students, faculty and community members away from the town's chili festivities to listen to thirteen different speakers. The event's theme was "The Road Not Taken." The College selected Ryan Kim '14 as the student speaker. Listen here for the live stream!
(03/06/13 10:27pm)
The Campus Current will liveblog “Beyond Divestment - Money and Finance for Living Economy: The Impact of Investing,” a talk by John Fullerton, CEO and founder of Capital Institute and formerly the managing director at JP Morgan. He plans to discuss impact investing and the future of sustainable finance.
A thought leader in the "new economy" movement, follow Fullerton's blog, The Future of Finance!
Beyond Divestment is a day-long summit exploring economic alternatives in areas such as alternative currency, time banking, impact investing, financial system regulation and reform, and “new economy” coalition building.
At 8PM tonight, join David Brancaccio from NPR's "Marketplace," as he offers ways to "fix the future." The talk is in McCardell Bicentennial Hall 216.
6:23PM - He said he wants endowments generally to invest capital in order to generate returns, including annual returns for scholarships and salaries, but he "challenges pension funds and endowments to make real investments in real enterprises, which is hard work." It is "stewarding" a pool of capital to "find real investment opportunities." This though, he says, is a multi-year project.
6:16PM - It will be a "great" transition, he said, but also a "painful, challenging" one. Fullerton though believes youth is the answer to impact investing. He encourages and welcomes students to get involved with Capital Institute and to email him thoughts, questions, etc.
6:13PM - The Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico is one example of the project's success. Fullerton questions how we can use the desert as an example for the broader economic system. The future proves "we are going to be short on natural and social capital for everyone on the planet," he commented.
6:09PM - He is now working on a project with Allan Savory. It is called Grasslands, LLC. Watch Savory's recent Ted Talk on their work, which seeks to regenerate natural carbon sinks to avoid floods, droughts and starvation, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
6:07pM - Further, he presents photographs of tar sands. "The photos can't do justice to what's happening there," he said. "The beauty of the XL Pipeline protest is that it is intercepting the investment before it is even made."
6:04PM - Impact investing is a way for "young people to engage in the building of a "new economy" with both social and economic purpose." Fullerton presents a case study from Dubai. People can go "indoor skiing" in the city, which is "crazy in a world where we are trying to conserve energy."
6:03PM - He suggests government spending as a starting point. Fullerton said, "How we invest money today will affect the quality and scale of the future."
6:02PM - "Not nearly enough people understand how our money works," he said. We need natural systems that mimic nature. "The one area I am really interested is impact investing," Fullerton continued. He asked how many people in the room were Economic majors (about half), laughing as he wished them "good luck."
5:55PM - The basic problem is that the planet serves the economy, which then serves finance. We must make the reverse true. Finance must serve the economy which then must serve the planet, if we have hopes for a future. Fullerton proposes regenerative capitalism as a solution.
5:53PM - He noted the necessity to sit back and think about the fundamental, systemic tension that now exists between the theory/practice of finance and the reality - this system will not last in the current environmental landscape. "We have an economic system that organizes around this concept called efficiency. Land, labor, and capital are the raw materials," he said.
5:51PM - "We have confused means and end with unjust consequences," Fullerton stated. He lived "deep in this world" of finance, but nonetheless said he was shocked at the "complexity, scale, and violence of the financial business."
5:49PM - So what is the future of finance? "I could talk for days about what's wrong with finance," he said.
5:46PM - He started his "second career" at Capital Institute thanks to curiosity, collaboration, and "ecotone" (ecologies in tension). Fullerton stressed finding our way to sustainability by becoming part of nature.
5:42PM - Students now question where and if they will find a place/job in this new economy. While working at JP Morgan, Fullerton started to feel a "growing discontent with finance." Burnt-out, he left the company. Now 20 years out of the financial world, he said "compound interest," the base of the financial market, won't last. The planet's resources are too finite.
5:38pM - Fullerton said he is "excited about the new energy" on college campuses, like Middlebury, as they begin to discuss divestment and investing.
(03/06/13 4:54pm)
Annika Holmlund '15, a student in Professor Erin Davis' Winter Term Sound and Story: Documentary for the Airwaves, produced her own short radio piece. Interested in the "face" behind the Mead Chapel bells, Holmlund interviewed Middlebury's carillon player, George Matthew Jr., who has been playing the Mead Chapel bells since 1985. He was inititally intrigued by carillon-playing after traveling to the 1939 Worlds Fair in NY. Matthew Jr. then attended Colombia University and frequented Riverside Drive Church, home of the world's largest carillon. Middlebury's bell tower, a 75-step walk up Mead Chapel, holds a 2,300-pound bell (the same weight as the Liberty Bell). In addition to composing original pieces, Matthew Jr. plays an array of other musical numbers, including Bach and Ragtime. He hopes the tunes trigger personal experiences and memories for students and faculty alike. Listen to the whole story HERE!
(03/05/13 3:43am)
Men's Basketball defeated Curry 68-66 on Saturday, March 2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The team now heads to Cortland State for a 3PM, March 9 match-up. Watch highlights from their recent victory! GO MIDD!
(03/05/13 2:22am)
As part of Alumni Appreciate Week, the Senior Committee organized a Kick-Off Dinner in Atwater. Seniors flocked to the candlelit, Asian-themed meal on Monday, March 4. Mark Benz '56 and his son, Eric Benz '88, who both now live in Middlebury, spoke to the group. Mark, a former General Electric engineer, stressed the importance of experiential learning, as he has been actively involved with classes building Henry, the "Methane Tractor." His son, an orthopedic surgeon at Porter Hospital, said "giving back" as an alumni is not solely based on financial contributions. Eric sponsors student internships at the hospital. The conversation fit well with recent discussion of ways to incorporate experiential learning into the Middlebury curriculum.
(03/05/13 2:04am)
Levi West '15 hails from a Dutch background, but he lives in Dordogne, France, located in the southwestern area of the country. The sophomore recently discovered his passion for art and he is working on an exhibit to be displayed at 51 Main this April. His project, a series of ink portraits of the Dordogne farmers, seeks to "capture the identity of these people." Due to increasing tourism, the farmers have been cast aside, viewed as minorities, and West feels his sketches pay tribute to their work. He details a personal struggle of recording the identity of the farmer (he meets with each one for an interview before beginning his piece) and his personal perception. West knows he essentially determines the way the farmer will look. See his full interview with The Current's Sasha Schell!
(03/04/13 1:48am)
Seen a better artist than this? I don't think so! The Current interviews Levi West '15. Check back later this week for the full story.
(03/03/13 10:55pm)
Despite sore lower backs and cramping calves, Middkids doned snowshoes to race up a 1200' vertical, 6.5-mile loop. The Pittsfield, Vt. Ultra Snowshoe Race included a 100-mile option (over a 36-hour period), in addition to options for a Snowshoe Marathon, a Snowshoe Half-Marathon and the single, 10K loop (the "Fun Run"). Several Middlebury students woke up at 5:30AM on Saturday, March 2, drove to the event and opted for either the 6.5-mile or the Half Marathon race. While some indeed ran up and down the course, others casually strolled, chatting to fellow participants. Each received a medal, tee-shirt and winter beanie, as well as some goodies to replenish energy levels. Peak Races, the organizer of the snowshoe extravaganza, prides itself on "breaking all limitations in order to fully experience the human spirit." The company advertises a wide array of races, such as the Death Race. The name speaks to the activities demanded, including barbed wire, wood chopping and deep water diving in a 24-hour period.
(03/01/13 8:39pm)
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology/Anthropology, Kristin Bright, spoke about her current book project. Building upon her doctoral dissertation, which explored traditional medical methods in India, Bright's book investigates the growing strain between the practice of traditional and modern medicine. Is one better or more effective than the other? Bright said the country itself struggles to define a "legitimate" medical method and as such questions remain.
Growing globalization and ensuing pressure to modernize society had nudged traditional medicine, called Unani, to the side. This too is crafting a gender divide, as men are often those with MD's, while women remain in the kitchen crushing, mixing and sifting herbs to create their remedies. Bright's discussion points to larger questions in global health and medical practice, positing how to balance old versus new methodology in our dynamic, interconnected global network.
(02/26/13 12:34am)
Dana Auditorium was alive on Friday, Feb. 22, as Buddy Meets the Strivers performed several poems. The poetry slam group, the Striver's Row, is comprised of Youth Poets from the North East. Members include Joshua Bennett, Alysia Harris and Miles Hodges, who each performed on Friday. Buddy Wakefield, a two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, joined the trio. Barbara Osofu-Somuah '13 and Maya Goldberg-Safir '12.5 organized the event. Listen here for some clips of the show!
Buddy Wakefield
Miles Hodges
(02/26/13 12:18am)
Artemy Troitsky, the first Russian DJ and the country’s foremost rock journalist, spoke to a crowd at the Robert A. Jones ’59 Conference Room on Monday, Feb. 25. He now teaches in the Journalism Department at Moscow State University and remains actively involved in the television and radio world. Troitsky spoke of the grassroots protest movements sprouting throughout Russia, as resistance to President Vladimir Putin grows. Most resistance is being expressed via music, video and art. Troitsky sported his personally designed Pussy Riot t-shirt during the lecture, while he played mutlimedia examples of current protest efforts that convey frustration with Putin and his authoritarian rule. Additionally, Troitsky is spearheading what he coins the country’s “musical protest action.” He has over 360 bands contributing to the anti-Putin“White Album,” available online. Inspired by the Beetles’ 1968 album by the same name, Troitsky said when the US attempted to do the same during Occupy Wallstreet, only 99 bands were featured.
(02/25/13 3:50am)
All students were encouraged and invited to take part in Middlebury's 24-Hour Play Festival. Student directed, written, designed and performed, the cast and crew had 24 hours to create six different shows. Each person involved was asked to bring a costume, a set piece or a prop as "motivation for the writers." Go-time was 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 (writers stayed up ALL night crafting their scripts) with performances at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday evening. Check out Sasha Schell's '15 video of the event!
(02/25/13 3:31am)
On Friday, Feb. 22, Middlebury's own a Capella group, the Mamajamas, collaborated with the Dartmouth Dodecaphonics, the college's oldest co-ed a Capella group. Listen here for some highlights!
Mamajamas - Bills Again
Dodecaphonics - Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Dodecaphonics - Boondocks
Mamajamas - Take Me Home (Solo by Ben Wagner)