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(05/13/21 9:56am)
MiddKids have long been known for swinging their Nalgene bottles, sporting Patagonia and engaging with the outdoors — all characteristic of what is considered “crunchy.” And while this outdoors- and environment-centric culture permeates campus life, many also find it to be exclusive and inaccessible.
“At Middlebury, there’s a lot of people who are really interested in outdoor recreation and the environment, which is labeled as crunchy on this campus and seems like a large body. Febs often are characterized as crunchy,” Kamryn You Mak ’23.5 said.
After taking the past semester off, You Mak described her experience participating in Feb “crunchy” culture.
“It’s eye-opening seeing how tight-knit this [Feb] community is, where going on a hike is a typical ‘Feb’ activity,” You Mak said. Many students say that there is a stereotype that Febs are more “crunchy,” given that some choose to spend their Feb-mester traveling, working or participating in programs related to exploring the outdoors.
For others, crunchy culture takes on additional cultural and political significance.
“I think typically activities and traits associated with crunch culture are eating alternative diets, hiking and other outdoor activities, a dedication to reducing one’s waste, and wearing brands that claim to be environmentally conscious like Patagonia,” said Elijah Willig ’21.
Jackson Hawkins ’21.5 agreed.
“To me, crunchy culture is rooted in a shared love of the outdoors, but has sort of expanded to more superficial things like the sort of music you listen to or the clothes you wear,” Hawkins said.
According to Hannah Gellert ’22, crunchy culture at Middlebury has different segments.
“There's a vein of it that’s truly engaging with the outdoors and recreating in the outdoors. And then there's a vein that's more performative,” Gellert said, noting that performative crunchy culture involves only wearing typical crunchy brands, like Patagonia or North Face. She said that a third segment of crunchy culture involves environmental activism and sustainable living practices.
Crunchy culture has manifested in tangible ways on campus, from the existence of clubs such as Middlebury Mountain Club to the food options people prefer at the dining hall.
“I have felt more self conscious about what I eat since coming to Middlebury. Upon arriving and interacting with people, I actually learned about the concept of ethical consumption,” Willig said. I never thought there would be environmental benefits to being vegetarian or vegan. I just assumed people either wanted to lose weight or just love animals too much to eat them.”
Willig also noted that there are differences between the ways that certain groups of people on campus eat.
“[I noticed] little things in diet between groups, [like] most white people at Midd don’t touch soda ever,” Willig said.
There are a variety of on-campus groups — with the potential to influence the perception and inclusivity of crunchy culture — that attract students with an appreciation for the outdoors, such as Brooker, the outdoor interest house, or the Middlebury Mountain Club (MMC).
Founded in 1931, MMC is one of Middlebury’s oldest student organizations and offers a variety of outdoor activities year-round, including hiking, boating and climbing trips throughout Vermont and beyond. MMC offers these activities to Middlebury students free of cost.
Historically, their trips have been immensely popular, promoting engagement with and appreciation for the outdoors among the student body. Additionally, MMC hosts social events, provides educational programming and workshops, and runs the first-year outdoor orientation programs.
Current President of MMC Molly Arndt ’23, who hails from Colorado and spent time outdoors growing up, said that she didn’t embrace her “crunchy” side until she came to Middlebury and became involved with the Mountain Club.
“The idea of going out on trips to explore Vermont, an incredible place, has allowed me to get more involved with things like canoeing and climbing,” she said.
Although many students spoke highly of their memories of enjoying these spaces, inclusivity within outdoor spaces was a critical concern for Arndt, who described MMC’s policy of ensuring that all students can participate in the club’s activities regardless of barriers of cost and access to gear. However, Arndt noted the lingering challenges of expanding accessibility.
“This still doesn’t take away the fact that it is an intimidating space to get into,” Ardnt said.
Willig said that conversations about inclusivity and the outdoors should not occur in a vacuum.
“Once, I overheard a hiking group in the Adirondack house talking about how to diversify their group and have more people of color feel comfortable doing outdoor activities — all of which is great,” Willig said. “The meeting was 100% white though. There was no outreach to connect with any cultural organization. No person from the AFC sitting at the meeting. Just white people reflecting on the whiteness of their group”.
In efforts to make outdoor spaces more accessible to all students, MMC has created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer position, currently held by You Mak. Since the creation of this position, MCC has led several trips that cater specifically to BIPOC students. Although current initiatives have a limited scope with Covid-19 restrictions, the club plans to increase awareness and availability of activities particularly for students underrepresented in outdoor recreation spaces.
You Mak has also spearheaded the creation of Midd FIRE (Fostering Inclusive Recreation Experiences), a student organization aimed at creating a safe, supportive community of and for BIPOC outdoor recreationists.
“It’s a wider issue of people not represented or being able to access the outdoors...Being able to get more people outside is my main goal,” she said.
You Mak also noted the importance of making outdoor recreation equitable at a college like Middlebury, which is known both for its predominantly white and wealthy population and its close ties to the environment.
You Mak’s primary goal is to increase the visibility of a BIPOC outdoor affinity group within largely white-dominated outdoor organizations and spaces through the increased representation and availability of trips to students of color.
Brooker, the outdoor interest house and another hub for crunchy culture on campus, is also grappling with questions related to the outdoors and exclusivity.
“Within Brooker, we’ve realized that this sort of monolithic “crunchy culture” is really quite exclusive and can make people feel distinctly unwelcome, so we’re trying to change that, but it’s hard. When Brooker is seen as a space where “crunchy” people are, that helps set the vibe for what that looks like on campus,” Hawkins said.
Hannah Gellert ’22 shared that Brooker has made some efforts to become more inclusive this year after informally meeting with the SGA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, including holding more open houses and changing the working on their application. However, she admits that there is more to be done to combat the whiteness of outdoor spaces and “crunchy culture.”
“[Brooker being a majority-white space] is a good example of the overlapping of Midd being a historically white space and the outdoors being a white space. And then, you see that representative who the house has inside of it. Part of that is that you don't want to tokenize people and be like, you’re a person of color, so we're going to automatically take you into the house. Because that's also not productive.”
To challenge and subvert stereotypes associated with “crunchy culture,” You Mak encourages students to reflect on “what [we] grew up thinking, what mainstream environmental culture teaches people and [how to look] critically at spaces at Middlebury and see what can be improved.”
(04/08/21 10:00am)
State health officials have ramped up efforts to prioritize the vaccination of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities, which are disproportionately affected by Covid-19. In addition to higher rates of infection and hospitalization from Covid-19, BIPOC vaccine rates are lagging behind Gov. Scott’s intended rates, leading officials to pursue new strategies.
Prioritizing BIPOC Vermonters
All BIPOC Vermonters over the age of 16 became eligible to register for vaccination on April 1, regardless of pre-existing eligibility. Previously, only BIPOC individuals eligible by age, occupation or health condition could schedule appointments for themselves and members of their household.
BIPOC individuals were prioritized because of disproportionate hospitalization rates and underperforming vaccination rates, according to State Health Commissioner Mark Levine.
BIPOC Vermonters account for 8% of all Covid-19 cases in the state, despite composing only 6.8% of the state population, according to the VT Dept. of Health.
In addition, the health department’s vaccine dashboard (as of April 6) shows that people of color are not being vaccinated at a proportional rate to white Vermonters — 26.3% of BIPOC Vermonters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as compared to 49.1% of white Vermonters.
Still — as more Vermonters become eligible — these rates are still an improvement from March 20, when 12.7% of the Black population statewide have received one dose compared to 29.9% of White residents. [
Gov. Phil Scott also stated on March 30 that college students are not eligible to make appointments unless they intend to remain in Vermont for the summer. The news came as a surprise to BIPOC students, since many had already made appointments or received a first dose. And many white students who had BIPOC housemates also made appointments in the weeks leading up to the announcement.
The college released an update on April 1 advising all students with existing appointments or a first dose to keep their appointments. They also noted that Vermont students identifying as BIPOC — and their housemates — were eligible for the vaccine, and could obtain a special code from Miguel Fernández or Naomi Neff to schedule an appointment.
In addition to placing BIPOC Vermonters ahead in the eligibility sequence, Vermont health officials are also hoping to improve the accessibility of the Covid-19 vaccines through translation services, community outreach and targeted clinics for BIPOC communities across the state.
Currently, BIPOC Vermonters can make an appointment at a community vaccination site, a pharmacy or a BIPOC-community focused clinic.
Discontent in the Community
Despite Vermont’s efforts, many community leaders have criticized its initial vaccination strategy, which identified priority groups by age instead of occupation.
Vermont’s decision to not put essential workers in an early category excluded many Vermonters of color who are at risk of getting the virus, Anne Sosin said in a VTDigger article. Sosin is the program director for the Center for Global Health Equity at Dartmouth College.
However, the state defended its decision to vaccinate by age, citing that the majority of Covid-19 related deaths have affected patients over 65, informing an age-based system.
The Brattleboro area BIPOC Health Justice Committee also wrote to the vaccine advisory panel to raise concerns about the racial disparity in vaccine rates. The committee suggested prioritizing particularly vulnerable groups with a disproportionate number of people of color, such as migrant workers, food-insecure Vermonters and essential workers, as well as teachers given the high infection rate of coronavirus among children of color.
The committee’s letter sparked debate about how Vermont should recognize equity issues, according to state Sen. Kesha Ram; however, the panel advised the state to administer the vaccine equally to people of color within each age group rather than putting a demographic in a higher category altogether.
Steffen Gillom, president of the Windham County NAACP, told VTDigger that there needs to be a greater effort by the Vermont Department of Health to ensure equity in access to information for limited English proficiency residents on their website and in public communications.
“The state should consider if it’s presenting public health information through the lens of Whiteness,” he said. “For anyone participating, ask yourself, ‘Am I framing it through the view of white people? Am I talking to Black and Brown Vermonters?’”
Health care officials reported that members of communities of color, particularly Black communities, are reluctant to get the vaccine given the centuries-long history of discrimination and mistreatment against them within the medical community.
President of the Rutland area NAACP Mia Schultz told VTDigger that “longstanding ‘issues of trust’” have contributed to vaccine hesitancy among people of color. Schultz’s 93-year-old grandmother has said she’s not sure about getting the vaccine. “That comes from a real place,” Schultz said. “This has to be approached with cultural humility.”
(10/25/20 2:50pm)
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Middlebury’s indoor spaces may look different this year, but Vermont’s outdoors doesn’t. Long-awaited fall foliage and visits to apple orchards, pumpkin patches and hiking trails — adapted to comply with Covid-19 guidelines — have provided students with much-needed respite during the autumn months.
Additionally, there are many fun and Covid-friendly upcoming activities organized by student groups for Middlebury students to participate in on campus and enjoy fall and Halloween. Although many events can’t take place in the same way and waiting in line to enter a pumpkin field may be a new normal, there are still many safe, guideline-friendly ways to enjoy the fall. The Campus has created a guide to these events happening in and around Middlebury’s campus, so students can safely enjoy their fall.
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(09/24/20 9:58am)
Many professors have chosen to teach remotely this semester, as the limited operations of local Vermont schools have increased their parenting responsibilities at home. The college offered professors full discretion in their course modality, allowing them to teach online, in-person or in some combination of the two.
“Middlebury College faculty are so fortunate to have the ability to choose their modality of teaching without proving or doing anything. That helps out a lot of folks, whether they have health problems or caregiving responsibilities,” Professor of Political Science Sarah Stroup said. “I think that’s the big daily challenge that the college has met with great flexibility, and I appreciate that.”
This freedom to choose course modality led Professor David Miranda-Hardy in the Film and Media Culture department to decide to hold all of his classes remotely for the fall semester. He is currently balancing teaching his first-year seminar, Autobiographical Filmmaking, and other courses while having his nine, six, and two-year-old daughters at home.
Miranda-Hardy partnered with two other professors to tutor their children together in a pod. Being able to teach his college courses online allowed Miranda-Hardy to cater to his children’s educational needs while following the materials that the children’s school provides.
Although this choice was ultimately what worked best for his family, Miranda-Hardy recognized the challenges of working in a living space, such as the widely experienced “Zoom fatigue.”
“One of the most disconcerting aspects of our reality is the total blurring of the barrier between work and personal time. There is a Slack commercial that shows people working from the toilet, from a swimming pool, while juggling kids, cooking or brushing their teeth,” Miranda-Hardy said. “It is supposed to be happy and ‘productive,’ I imagine. After all, they use it to sell a productivity software — but it does feel very dystopian. That trend precedes Covid-19, but it has intensified in our new realities.”
Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics and parent of four who is teaching remotely this semester, shared the sentiment that the line between work and personal life is blurred.
“Internet bandwidth and quiet moments are unfortunately scarce resources at our house these days. I feel like I’m always ‘on’ as a parent, and that can make it tough to be fully present in meetings or to focus and concentrate deeply on a complicated problem in my teaching or scholarship,” Myers said.
However, Myers also noted that remote learning has sometimes enhanced her feelings of productivity and connection with her children.
“I can pop into the kitchen and get some bread dough going and check on a kid’s math problem, and then return to work while the bread rises and the kid works,” Myers said. “Those moments are pretty nice. And I rather enjoy lunch breaks with my whole family. It’s definitely been a huge change, but it’s not all bad.”
Myers has two children currently participating in hybrid learning, one who is learning in person, and one who is at home taking a gap year before starting at Middlebury College next year. She spoke of the connections made with her students through this truly unique experience.
“My students have been wonderful. I’ve always been fairly willing to share about the complexities of work-life balance. I hope I don’t cross the line into oversharing, but in general, I think that part of my job as a professor is to model what it is to live a full, rich life of intellectual inquiry and caring for others, including kids,” Myers said.
Myers has found her students to be very understanding when, for instance, one of her children wanders into the background during a meeting. Some students have even commented that they enjoy seeing family life going on off-campus, she said.
Meanwhile, Stroup teaches a blended first-year seminar and a mix of in-person and online upper-level courses while caring for her two children, both of whom are back in school for two days a week and attending an outdoor classroom learning camp twice a week.
Last semester, Stroup was on sabbatical and planned to take a month-long research trip to Berlin and Amsterdam in May. When the pandemic hit, Stroup’s schedule was cleared, allowing her more time to support her family while her husband finished teaching his semester at Champlain College and fulfilling his responsibilities as School Board Chair at Addison Northwest. She also had more time to support her children in their transition to online learning during the uncertain weeks of March.
“We have to be grateful for our privileges and use them the best way we can,” Miranda-Hardy said. “The pride I get working at Middlebury is that we try to train our students in critical thinking and adapting to the challenges of the world, so this is a learning experience that goes beyond the content of our individual courses.”