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(05/01/13 11:15pm)
Three and a half weeks. With less than a month left of my college career, I have yet to solidify a real plan for after May 26. Right now, I’m set to live the post-grad dream on my couch with my newly printed diploma in Columbus, Ohio. Having always had a plan of action, I am growing increasingly concerned about the next few months.
While I obviously have some career goals for the next few years, I am frustrated by the game I must play to snag that first job. Over the course of the semester, a common theme has emerged that seems to me to be the key to finding a “real” job — passion.
Over numerous phone conversations with Middlebury alumni and potential employers, I have yet to figure out the right way to answer the “passion” question. And it’s not like I don’t know it’s coming. Inevitably, a lull in the conversation turns the focus to me. The person on the other end then asks a question like “so what do you really want to do” or “tell me something you’re passionate about.”
We all know the job search is a huge front. It’s all about emphasizing your strengths and successes while minimizing your weaknesses. We practice and prepare so that when it comes time for the important interview we present the best possible version of ourselves, not the true version. With that said, what’s my incentive to tell the truth with this particular question?
I wish I could tell the truth, but I know that it is not very satisfying answer. The truth is I don’t know.
In a recent online article published by CNN Money, Alexa Hamill, a recruiter at PriceWaterhouseCooper, notes the importance of passion in a new graduate when looking for a job. “We’re really looking for people who are well-rounded, and who have a passion that they have stuck with and developed that is outside of ‘book learning.’”
And my personal experiences definitely reiterate this importance. In my most recent phone interview, I was told that I need to “take some time to think about what you’re most passionate about.” Needless to say, the interview didn’t go well.
This passion stuff is all fine and good, but my question is how do I go about cultivating this all-important employee personality trait? My thought is that I need some real work experience to discover what it is I truly want to do. But this isn’t what anyone wants to hear. The passion is supposed to come first.
My real frustration is this: after years of hard work at a prestigious liberal arts school, the ultimate factor in my employment comes down to something that I cannot really control or work towards. Believe me, I wish I could set my mind to it and find my passion in the same way that one could learn a new skill, but employers’ definition of passion is something that is spontaneous, something that cannot be learned.
Does this make me a less desirable candidate? Maybe. I’m sure passion comes across as very convincing in an interview, but as I mentioned before, that’s not exactly a great indicator of who a person really is or will be everyday on the job. I refuse to accept that I am less qualified or able just because a strong emotion doesn’t emit from me when I’m interviewing for an entry-level position. After all, it’s all about what we’re working towards, right?
Four years ago, I decided upon Middlebury because I loved the idea of the liberal arts education. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in the future; so being a well-rounded person seemed to be the best way to figure that out. Today, I still don’t know exactly want it is I want to do, but I do know that just like my peers, I am interested and engaged in many different topics and areas of study.
Ultimately, I think having the ability to see the larger picture makes us better prepared for the job force. So what’s better: a narrow and focused field of vision or a widescreen view? I think the latter.
(02/13/13 10:31pm)
Over the years, the Internet has become a source of alternative methods of education, making information readily available. InstaEDU, an online tutoring service launched publicly in May of last year, makes virtual education even more accessible by adding a human element.
Launched by three Stanford University graduates, the service aims to connect students of all ages to “provide an online tutoring platform where students in need can instantly connect with available tutors from top universities.” Their goal is “to make sure that every student has access to personal academic support whenever they need it,” in hopes that help is available more quickly to students struggling in any subject.
There are currently 1,500 tutors that work for InstaEDU, many of whom are Middlebury students, with over 400 tutors online at any time. Alison Johnston, one of the founders of the program, believes that having a tutoring service online makes the education process easier and more practical for students of all ages
“InstaEDU offers a wider variety of tutors to you,” said Johnston. “It could be pretty hard to find someone to help you with advanced chemical engineering, but online you are not limited by location.”
The program is designed to work for all levels of students — from elementary to college levels — by matching students at their moment of need. A user signs on to search for tutors in a variety of subjects and then connects to chat through Facebook or Gchat. If a tutor is online and receives a notification that a student is in need of help, they either ignore the message or click the link if they are available.
Since the launch of the program, Johnston says that they have learned more about the online tutoring process, and they have developed the website to make the program fit the demands of its users.
“[We have learned] that people want continued relationships, and that our functionality is core feature,” said Johnston. “Everyone has last-minute needs, so we changed to have our tutors connect with people personally.”
In addition to providing tutors knowledgeable in a vast array of subjects, Johnston believes that the format of InstaEDU meshes well with tutors living the college lifestyle. Because the tutors have hectic and varied schedules, the online functionality allows them to work when they are available, rather than at a specific time. Johnston also mentioned that college students often make the best tutors, as they are enthusiastic and usually in need of money.
“With home tutoring, it’s expensive and there are often scheduling problems,” said Johnston. “A lot of students don’t need a strict tutoring schedule, but everyone has moments where they run into trouble. Our tutors can help at 11 p.m. when they run into issues with a problem set.”
InstaEDU currently employs Nate Beatty ’13.5. Beatty has always been interested in tutoring, but could never commit the time required for traditional tutoring.
“InstaEDU gives me an opportunity to help others learn and understand physics and math on my own time,” said Beatty. “It fits perfectly with my passion for the subject, my desire to teach and help others find that passion, and my crazy Middlebury schedule.”
Beatty believes InstaEDU to be a good initiative but also understands that online education has its downfalls when compared to face-to-face interactions.
“Honestly, I don’t think anything will ever replace face-to-face tutoring,” said Beatty. “Questions are easier to ask and explanations more easily given when both the tutor and the student have access to models, a pencil and paper or a chalkboard. But if it’s the night before an exam, turning to help from a real person online could be a better option than soldiering through pages of a textbook for hours.”
Beatty is one of many Middlebury and NESCAC students that InstaEDU employs. Johnston says that the program is always recruiting tutors from top colleges and universities, and that they are currently looking to expand both by number of users and tutors.
(01/23/13 7:05pm)
Winter term provides students with numerous opportunities to take courses that go beyond the normal classroom experience. While many instructors become more creative with their teaching methods, one class this winter term has been given $100,000 to aid in the learning process.
Philanthropy, Ethics and Practice, an interdisciplinary course taught by Assistant Professor of Political Science Sarah Stroup and Assistant Professor of Philosophy Steven Viner, is a course aimed at discussing what philanthropy means and understanding the social purposes of charities, among other topics.
Last spring, the College was presented with the opportunity for the course from a Texas-based, anonymous foundation that seeks to support more coursework and campus involvement on philanthropic giving. The foundation was willing to give the class $100,000 or $50,000, depending on the number of students in the class.
Stroup and Viner were able to secure 21 students for the class — the requirement for the larger grant. Stroup says the College was approached by the foundation and that obtaining the grant was a much easier process than usual.
“This was really money falling out of the sky,” said Stroup. “We are really aware of how little work we had to do to create this opportunity.”
Despite the fact that students are working with a large sum of money, Viner and Stroup want to keep the project driven by students, as students will decide which charity or charities the money will go.
“We are trying to involve the students as much as possible in the decision-making procedures about where the money will go and how much money will go to an organization,” said Viner. “The students will decide the method, procedure and allocation as much as possible.”
So far, the class has had guest speakers from two charity evaluators, including givingwhatwecan.org and givewell.org. By way of speakers, lectures and readings, the students have been learning how best to evaluate charities. Charities will be evaluated based on administrative costs, the cause, how they deliver to recipients and other important factors.
The foundation awarded the grant to a number of other colleges and universities across the country including Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Michigan and Virginia. While these institutions teach the course over the length of the semester, as of yet, the College is only offering the course over winter term. The brevity of winter term poses another challenge unique to the College’s version of the course.
“At all of those other universities or colleges, the course is being taught over the course of the semester,” said Stroup. “So they have a lot of time to get in touch with the charities. We don’t have the luxury of time during J-Term. So just as money fell in our laps, it will more or less fall into [a charity’s] lap.”
To work efficiently, the class has been divided into multiple research groups. During the final week of winter term, each group will give a final presentation on a charity. The class will then decide where to allocate the $100,000, whether it is to one or divided among all the charities.
Viner believes that having real money to work with brings another important component of learning to the classroom.
“There is both a sense of responsibility in being able to have the money and thinking about who they can help,” said Viner. “The tangible, experiential component I think has brought some enthusiasm to the academic investigation.”
Luke Martinez ’14 says that through all of the class’s research, they will be able to donate to a cause that they believe can do the most with the money.
“This is a fantastic opportunity from a very generous donor, a terrific experience and a chance for the class to explore the non-profit sector,” said Martinez.
As of now, there are no plans for the class to be offered again during winter term or the regular semester. At the end of winter term, the class will be evaluated, and it is possible that the grant may be renewed, therefore giving other students the opportunity to take the course in the future.
(10/24/12 8:47pm)
Celebrities like Madonna may have helped popularize the general understandings of Kabbalah, but on Monday Oct. 22, a reading and lecture in the Abernethy Room in Axinn Center at Starr Library brought the long history of Jewish mysticism to light.
Sponsored by the program in Jewish studies, the department of religion and the department of English and American literatures, poet and translator Peter Cole spoke on and read from his new book The Poetry of Kabbalah.
A seasoned writer, in 2007 he received the MacArthur Fellowship award, or “Genius Grant,” given for exceptional merit for continued and enhanced creative work in addition to authoring four other books.
Cole is no stranger to the College. His first visit was in 2000, and he has since been a visiting winter term professor.
Curt and Else Silberman Professor of Jewish Studies Robert Schrine believes that Cole’s work is critical in introducing mystical materials to the English-speaking world.
“Aside from being a major contemporary poet, [Cole] has opened up the world of Hebrew poetry of late antiquity and the Middle Ages for the English-speaking world,” said Schrine. “For what it’s worth, I would say that his work gives the lie to the old adage — attributed to Frost — that poetry is what is lost in translation. In Cole’s hands, poetry is also gained in translation. I regard his work as a great gift to us professors of Jewish studies because I can engage students in the discussion of these liturgical and philosophical poems.”
The lecture focused primarily on the history of mystical poetry in the Jewish tradition.
Formed from Jewish thought in the 12th through the 13th century, the practice of Kabbalah focuses on what lies beyond the scripture, revealing a veil that aims to explain the relationship between the mysterious and the universe.
Cole explained that over the years, the practice has gained its fair share of skeptics, and oftentimes he is included, adding “[There is] a skeptic in me. I’m a poet, not a mystic.”
The lecture focused on the strong power of language in the Kabbalah tradition. Much of Cole’s professional work is translating the original poetry of Jewish mystics and combining their works into poetry anthologies.
In addition to his scholarly work, Cole is a poet himself, composing verse on similar topics.
Cole spoke of the importance of language in the tradition, calling Kabbalahists “language obsessed.” This feature of the tradition emphasizes the importance of his work in translation. Reading from what is believed to be the oldest texts from Palestine, Israel and Babylonia, many of the translated poems describe the desires and rituals of spiritual seekers to rise to heaven.
Many of the audience members were unfamiliar with Kabbalah, despite being educated in Jewish studies. Adina Marx-Arpadi ’13.5 went to a Jewish day school but did not have a background in this aspect of the Jewish tradition.
“[The lecture] revealed a whole new world of Judaism that I didn’t know much about,” said Marx-Arpadi. “I came because I was interested in how [mysticism] manifests contemporarily.”
Others came for their general interest in religion. Blake Harper ’15, a religion major, came to hear a new perspective on a topic he had previously studied.
“I don’t focus on Jewish studies, so it was really great to have that dimension,” said Harper. “But I do focus on studies in mysticism, so to hear about the Jewish tradition of that was really captivating. I think that there are some really exciting and clear differences you can see between these various mystical strands.”
(10/10/12 10:28pm)
As a small liberal arts college, Middlebury proves that bigger is not necessarily better —at least when it comes to environmental responsibility. In recent years, the College has paved the way for some of the most advanced and environmentally friendly energy systems among colleges and universities in the country.
In 2004, the College set the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2016. In 2009, the biomass plant, located beside McCullough Social Space, became operational in order to aid the efforts in achieving this goal. Although the plant cost the College $12 million, it has cut fuel oil use in half, reducing consumption from two million gallons per year to one million gallons. Additionally, the biomass plant has helped to reduce the College’s carbon footprint by 40 percent. The current footprint is measured at 18,000 metric tons of carbon.
The steam production process requires 20,000 tons of woodchips annually. These woodchips come from mill residue and bole tree chips, and all are sourced within a 75-mile radius of the College.
Since its early years as a research operation, the biomass project has grown to become even more efficient than the manufacturer first believed possible. Presently, other schools, including University of South Carolina and Eastern Illinois University, are looking to the the College’s system as a model for their campus energy systems. Director of Sustainability Integration Jack Byrne believes the success of biomass at the College can be attributed to the community’s dedication to the project over the years.
“[The College is] doing a good job of figuring out how to make it work really well,” said Byrne. “I think as a result, we have had a lot of people who are considering systems come to us to find out how we do it. We’re a valuable resource for advocating this system.”
The biomass plant creates energy for the entire college by converting woodchips into steam and energy. Twenty thousand tons of woodchips are used annually to heat dorms and create 20 percent of electricity on campus. The steam then condenses back into water and is transported back to the plant to be turned into steam again. An underground piping system facilitates the transport of steam throughout campus.
While other schools like Colgate University and Bennington College utilize heat energy from the wood burning process, the College’s system uses a gasification process where chips are converted into gas, leaving only mineral ash, which produces more efficient and cleaner energy.
The biomass plant started as an idea discussed by the Environmental Council in accordance with a 2004 winter term class focusing on carbon reduction. Ultimately, the Council and other supplementary groups set a goal to reduce the 1990-level emissions by 10 percent by 2012. After putting together a report including potential results, costs and savings, they recommended the biomass plant as a way to achieve this goal.
Before the construction of the biomass plant, the College used two million gallons of fuel oil (propane number six) per year to produce the required amount of energy. Known as a “dirty” fuel, number six comes from the bottom of the barrel, and produces and releaes more carbon dioxide emissions than most other fuel sources.
Despite these efforts, the amount of woodchips that the biomass plant requires is larger than one may think. Each student uses 39 pounds of woodchips and one gallon of number six fuel oil per day, much more than one might expect.
To reduce the number down to zero before the 2016 deadline, the College is looks to an unlikely source: manure.
Recently, the College signed a contract with a developer who is planning to build a manure digester on a dairy farm. Manure is considered to be carbon neutral because it originated from grass.
This developer would deliver biomethane for 10 years in order to supplement the gas provided by the biomass plant. If enacted, the use of biomethane would reduce carbon emissions by 13,000 metric tons, leaving just five tons remaining.
The College is also considering other options, including renewable diesel oil and better management of the large amounts of agriculture land.
College-related travel and waste still remain obstacles to achieving carbon neutrality. Administrators remain unsure of how to account for the use of college-owned vehicles and transportation to sponsored conferences, which are not currently factored into the overall carbon footprint. Additionally, while 65 percent of our waste is recycled, the rest goes to a landfill in the northeastern part of Vermont.
To reduce the amount of waste and energy produced, the Environmental Council is developing an energy literacy campaign to educate students on how much each activity affects our environment. Supplemental to the campaign is an energy pledge which will be unveiled at the end of October. Council members hope other planned events like campus sustainability day on Oct. 24 will encourage environmental awareness by providing all local foods in the dining hall, among other initiatives.
“Through our efforts we are teaching and reminding the student body how to effectibely reduce their carbon emissions,” said council member Piper Rosales Underbrink ’15.
Avery McNiff ’12 currently works alongside Director of Sustainability Integration Jack Byrne as the student sustainability, communications and outreach coordinator. Her job entails communicating Middlebury’s sustainability efforts to students. McNiff believes that educating the community to become involved is an integral part in making carbon neutrality a possibility by 2016.
“The best part of this job is working with students who really care about reaching our goal of carbon neutrality and who are passionate about working on issues regarding the environment on and off campus,” said McNiff. “Students have amazing ideas and visions and have been a huge force behind the carbon neutrality goal and sustainability efforts in general.”
Byrne also understands the importance of student involvement and hopes that by increasing student awareness, cutting the carbon footprint will become an easier task.
“We’re putting the emphasis this year on getting more student involvement around energy use,” said Byrne. “What we are hoping is that we will have a majority of students really understanding how to use energy in their dorm rooms, cars and using best practices.”
While carbon neutrality by 2016 is a lofty goal, Byrne believes the goal shows the College’s dedication to environmental responsibility and that our community can set an example to others.
“This all emanates from our concern [which emerged] years and years ago that climate change was a serious issue,” he said. “We have one of the most ambitious plans of any college or university in the country. Carbon neutrality by 2016 is pretty bold. The resolutions [the trustees] passed demonstrate that we want to do it in a real, substantive way on our own.”
Olivia Noble ’13, an environmental studies major with a focus on policy, said that the plant is a positive addition to the campus’ eco-frendly infrastructure, but that more still needs to be done in order to achieve carbon neutrality.
“Since the building of that plant, few major projects have made their way through the woodwork that would notably reduce the carbon footprint of this campus,” said Noble. “Partially this is because a lot of that support from the students faded away, partially because of the recession. Now that the deadline is creeping up on us, the College is piquing its interest again, so maybe we’ll see more action on this front, but I am pessimistic in thinking that we will make the deadline in a meaningful way.”
(09/19/12 11:30pm)
Two hundred and twenty first-year students packed their packs, checked their gear and loaded into vans on Friday, Sept. 14 to embark on a series of outdoor, student-led adventures lasting the entirety of the first weekend of the fall semester.
An extension of first-year orientation, Outdoor Introduction for New Kids (OINK) is a Middlebury Mountain Club program designed to introduce first-years to college life from an outdoor perspective.
The tradition of outdoor orientation programs at Middlebury, OINK included, facilitates the orientation process through exposure to the natural surroundings in Vermont.
Students participated in a range of three-day trips – from backpacking to rock-climbing – in small groups led by upperclassman volunteers.
2012 OINK co-coordinator and Middlebury Mountain Club Member Maya VonWodtke '13.5 believes that OINK helps introduce new students to some of the amazing features surrounding campus.
"One of the components that's so exciting for me is sharing our amazing backyard with incoming first years," said VonWodtke. "I feel like Middlebury is so special in part because its nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks, and so many people don't discover that until they put a little more time into it. And to start that off your first weekend to me is the coolest."
This year, OINK had 29 available trips for first-years. The program saw a 50 percent participation increase from last year with 220 students attending, while last year only 140 students attended 20 trips.
Over 280 students applied for the available spots on this year's OINK trips. Students were chosen in a random draw and then were placed into specific trips based on their applications.
Aiding the program's growth was the inclusion of new and inspired trips, such as contemplation practices, capoeira and an organic farming trip, which were inspired by students outside of the Mountain Club. Multiple students approached the OINK coordinators to make these programs happen.
"There's been a lot of creativity and a lot of students wanting to share a new experience with incoming freshmen," said VonWodtke.
VonWodtke hopes that the inclusion of the new trips will inspire students to join the clubs associated with their OINK trip and will encourage more clubs to do the same in the future.
Despite the success of the 2012 OINK trip, the program has come a long way from its inception.
Originally titled Middlebury Outdoor Orientation, or MOO, the highly popular program suffered problems of extended waitlists. MiddView emerged in 2008 with $150,000 worth of funding from the College, but was quickly canceled after the economic crash in the same year.
OINK was developed in 2009 as a response to the cancelled MiddView. That year, the program recieved no funding from the College and was solely run by Mountain Club guides. Due to the lack of funding and short training period, the 2009 program was very small.
This year, the Student Government Association (SGA) was able to provide $20,000 of funding towards OINK. Students paid a fee of $125 to participate. Additionally, financial aid was available for qualifying students subtracting $100 dollars from the original fee.
This year marks the last year of OINK. Next year, outdoor orientation will transition back to MiddView, which will be mandatory – and more importantly – free for all incoming first-years.
Director of Outdoor Programs and Club Sports Derek Doucet is impressed with the growth of outdoor orientation programs and the student leaders who organize the event each year.
"OINK has grown in size each year the MMC has run it, which is an exciting trajectory to see with the return of MiddView on the horizon," wrote Doucet in an email. "The MMC has done an outstanding job keeping the tradition of orientation trips at Middlebury alive since the recession."
Doucet is anxious about next year's changes, but believes the transition will run smoothly.
"It will be the largest trips program we've ever run, and we'll need over a hundred student leaders to step up. It simply can't happen without student energy and commitment.
"The prospect of the trips program intentionally and thoughtfully embedded within our overall orientation offering is incredibly exciting to me," continued Doucet. "We have a tremendous opportunity to introduce the 2014 first year class to the Middlebury community in all senses of the word."
In spite of the growth of this year's OINK orientation and the optimistic future for next year's program, OINK coordinators still encountered a problem with students dropping out days before the Friday trip.
Co-coordinator and recent graduate Janet Gehrmann '12 believes that many students feel the pressure to drop OINK due to their class work load and weekend social events that may prompt them to feel as though they are missing out. Leaders attempted to curb this problem by making a personal connection with their "OINK"ers. She believes the leaders are really what make the program happen each year.
"They're the level of connection, they're the people that get the program off the ground," said Gehrmann.
Nevertheless, the first-years remain the most important aspect of any outdoor orientation trip. Co-coordinator Tess Sneeringer '14.5 stresses that OINK provides a truly irreplaceable Middlebury experience that first-years can look back on over their four years at the College.
"It's an orientation trip. Its not just about your outdoor experience; its about your Middlebury experience," said Sneeringer.