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(10/30/13 6:05pm)
In light of the current debate surrounding Chance the Rapper’s performance at the College the idea of artistic freedom in conjunction with hip-hop has arisen in a big way. By telling Chance he cannot perform a certain song or say a certain word on our campus, are we not then limiting the very artistic freedom by which we pride ourselves, or is the censorship of Chance necessary in order to create a safe environment for all?
These “banned” songs and lyrics can instantly be streamed on Spotify or listened to on Youtube (you do not even have to log-in to prove you are 18). The material is already out there waiting for the world to listen to it, yet there is not a lot of dialogue in the general online discourse surrounding Chance that addresses his offensive lyrics. More than saying something about Chance, I think that this says something about hip-hop as a musical genre. For some reason hip-hop seems to be the baby brother in the music industry that gets away with everything.
Do not get me wrong; I love hip-hop. From the day I bought my first Eminem album to the time I saw Kanye perform for all of Seattle when I was 14, I have always loved hip-hop. Yet, a lot of the hip-hop I listen to does not necessarily spit rhymes full of respect for women or allow for success to be viewed outside of the realm of bitches and billfolds. Rap’s social message continues to perpetuate the heteronormative culture, with little room for artists or songs that do not fit this ideological mold.
We applaud Jay Z for having a smoking-hot wife and being one-half of the wealthiest couple in music industry, and yet his lyrics still contain violent and derogatory language. If Arcade Fire writes a lyric that says, “Fool me twice that’s my bad I can’t even blame her for that/Enough to make me wanna murder,” (Jay Z, “Holy Grail”) the music blogs would explode with an in-depth analysis of what message they’re trying to get across. However, when written by Jay Z, a lyric like this gets bumped at full volume in cars of twenty-somethings around the country without the blink of an eyelash.
As of late, the rap industry has become little by little more accepting. Frank Ocean became the first out-of-the-closet rapper to win a Grammy. A$AP Rocky appeared on the cover of Complex magazine with his gay fashion-designer friend Jeremy Scott. Yet, some of the greatest rappers to come out of the last decade have not been scolded for their homophobic remarks. Rappers like 50 Cent, Ja Rule, T.I., and Tyler, the Creator have all either written homophobic lyrics or made homophobic comments, and in light of their fame (and swag), have gotten away with it.
So, if Chance the Rapper grew up listening to these rappers that for years got away with snide anti-gay remarks or the occasional misogynistic lyric — and we will assume he did because he is only 20, then he grew up thinking that in rap music this is okay. Hip-hop is a posse culture. Rappers have their ever-changing cast of characters behind them that is their crew. Artists take turns doing verses on each other’s tracks and the respect you need as a rapper to become successful is hard-fought.
So, here lies the problem. Rappers strive to get credit from other rappers to boost their career and often this credit is through offensive, yet catchy lyrics and a crazy flow. While few artists, like Macklemore, have made valiant efforts to subvert the social harm of their predecessors, the truth remains that our standards for social messages and violent language drop significantly when we talk about rap. Yes, rappers should have their artistic freedom, but we, as their listeners, should also hold them more accountable for their words.
(10/24/13 2:36am)
[audio m4a="http://middleburycampus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/What-does-it-mean-to-be-green_-2.m4a"][/audio]
To accompany the annual Green Issue, online editor STEPHANIE ROUSH asked the Campus' staff, "what does it mean to be green?" Listen to their thoughts above.
(10/03/13 1:00am)
How heavily is our style influenced by our surroundings? Jack Supple ’14 went to Berlin, Germany last fall with one self-identity and left with a new, improved and slightly more European one.
Before leaving to go abroad Supple didn’t necessarily consider style among his top priorities, although he was constantly searching to add new, unique items to his repertoire.
“I basically wore sweats and basketball shoes in bright colors,” commented Supple. Supple credits the College for initially pushing him to try out new styles and become more free in his wardrobe choices.
“Before coming to Middlebury I only wore the clothing that my mother and father bought me or that I picked up in college gift shops,” said Supple. Initially in shock in his first weeks abroad, he realized that he had never been exposed to such a vibrant, evolving culture of street style. He’s also from Boston, Mass.
“I got to Berlin and thought why do all these people look 10,000 times more cool than me? I know I have it in me to look as good as them.”
When asked if one article of clothing in particular spawned his new style he responded with an anecdote about his first experience thrift store shopping in Berlin.
“It’s just a bunch of really cool, really old clothes,” said Supple. He described his encounter with one man who owned an upcycling store (a store that takes old clothes and essentially refurbishes them) who sold him a pair of sweatpants made from an old sweater.
“I basically lost my mind when I saw those pants. It’s a great feeling when you realize something was literally made for you,” he laughingly said.
Supple, after hours of contemplating German street style and the European aesthetic decided to put a more conscious effort into his dress.
“Now I like to surprise someone or put something where it doesn’t belong and have it still look really cool,” he said.
In addition, Supple has a new-found penchant for cutting his shirts into different shapes and sizes.
“Just wearing a t-shirt is boring. You can do so much with just a pair of scissors and an old tee,” he said, adding that it is also a good incentive to layer your clothing when your t-shirt is not covering much.
In his Sociology of Gender class Supple learned about Judith Butler’s theory that dress is a performance.
“I think that really applies to me. I enjoy spending time in clothes that I feel good in,” said Supple. He also commented that one of the advantages of having so many cool clothes is that it allows you to try on new identities.
“One of my favorite pieces of clothing was formerly a woman’s blouse and it’s amazing to wear on flowery summer days in the wind.”
The flexibility of Supple’s wardrobe choices demonstrates his wiliness to try on new identities and be constantly involved in the creation of his ever-evolving self-identity.
When asked if he could describe his style in three words Supple struggled to respond. After a couple minutes of thought he finally blurted three words out.
“Adventurous. Disheveled. Dank.”
(04/17/13 4:13pm)
As I sauntered through the seemingly endless aisles of the grocery store today, a Faith Hill song blared from the loudspeaker. In the United States, Faith Hill might seem like a strange choice, but in Brazil it goes unnoticed. I even overheard someone saying “Eu adoro Faith Hill,” [I love Faith Hill]. In Brazil the constant reminders of American culture are inescapable. In fact, I walk by a billboard-size advertisement for an all-inclusive Disneyworld trip every day.
On the university campus I see at least 10 people dressed in clearly labeled Abercrombie or Hollister shirts every day. American brand names are buzzwords in Brazilian small talk. They just sound a little different with a Portuguese accent.
I came to Brazil expecting to watch dramatic daytime Brazilian television with my roommates and hear the sounds of samba in the street. Instead, I’ve watched dubbed Sex and the City with my roommates and heard Rihanna played at almost every club I’ve been to. I ask my classmates what music they listen to and they tell me they love Florence and the Machine or the Black Eyed Peas.
Even though a Brazilian classmate of mine might be wearing a Pink Floyd shirt and talking to me about “Game of Thrones,” the Brazil mindset is almost incomprehensible to an American liberal arts college student. What Brazil, Florianópolis in particular, does best is relax, a laughable word for many Middlebury students. There is no rat race; there is no rush to do anything. Many college students decide to complete one major and then complete another one for four more years.
In Brazil everything closes at two p.m. on Saturdays because Brazilians all go home to have churrasco with their family. For those who don’t know, churrasco is grilled Brazilian meat usually on a stick and always well seasoned. A Brazilian “churrascaria” typically lasts six to eight hours. Proctor isn’t even open for that many consecutive hours.
My initial reaction to everything being closed in Brazil from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning was that the Brazilians are sacrificing great business hours; they would make so much more money if they stayed open for just a few hours more. Yet, I realized that my reaction perfectly explained the difference between the American and Brazilian mindset.
Why would the Brazilian want to work two more hours on a Saturday when they could be eating freshly grilled meat and drinking beer with family and friends? My capitalistic conditioning associates making more money with a better quality of life, but a Brazilian would tell me I’m wrong to think that way. Leisure isn’t a negative concept here.
It took me a month to understand that lying in a hammock watching the sun set on the ocean’s horizon with a beer in hand isn’t a reward for a long week of work, it’s a part of life. Middlebury students work hard all week to “deserve” a couple of Keystones on the weekends. In Brazil what you deserve is the choice between working and relaxing.
Aproveitar is a verb that loosely translates to “take advantage of” in English. I’m constantly being told that I need to “aproveitar” my time in Brazil because life here is better, or, more objectively speaking, slower.
While I was initially put off by the amount of American culture in Brazil, I’ve come to realize that it signifies something completely different here. It reminds me that I’m immersed in a culture with similar taste, but different values.
Brazil has taught me that although we live in an era of cultural globalization, it is not one of a global culture.
Written by Stephanie Roush '14 from FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil
(01/25/13 10:57pm)
Last week the College and the surrounding community mourned the passing of esteemed Professor Emeritus Ana Martínez-Lage who died after battling cancer for many years. Although Martínez-Lage retired last fall to spend more time with her family, her death has deeply affected members of the college community where she was highly respected and deeply loved.
Born in Pamplona, Spain, Martínez-Lage completed her higher education in France and received her Ph.D. in the United States from Penn State University. In 1996 Martínez-Lage joined the College as a member of the Spanish and Portuguese Department.
President Liebowitz described her as “a pioneer in the use of digital courseware materials” and noted that her development of the Spanish immersion program for Middlebury Interactive Languages “may well have a lasting influence on language education far beyond Middlebury.”
Professor of Spanish Patricia Saldarriaga also noted Martínez-Lage’s great contributions to the digitalization of language teaching, but stressed that she leaves a lasting impression beyond the classroom.
“Beyond academics, her greatest legacy to all of us will be her example of courage in adversity, of sheer grit in the face of terrible odds,” said Saldarriaga in an email.
Saldarriaga echoed Liebowitz’s remarks in emphasizing Martínez-Lage’s truly innovative teaching techniques with the use of technology.
“Again, using technology as a launching pad, she has helped prepare some excellent, truly innovative programs that use the latest theories of language acquisition and gives them a practical application through the latest technology,” said Saldarriaga.
Laura Reid ’04.5 worked closely with Martínez-Lage on her senior thesis and post-graduation collaborated with her on the development of her language immersion program. Reid described Martínez-Lage as a linguist without parallel and held deep admiration for her patience with language students.
“Ana was a linguist par excellence, cerebrally and soulfully,” wrote Reid.
“She truly embraced the idea of native-like linguistic capacity on a fundamental level; never judgmental, she accepted a non-native's ability to master her mother tongue as easily as she accepted her fellow native speakers' capacity for linguistic finesse and creativity,” Reid added.
Although Reid praised Martínez-Lage’s academic accomplishments, what she found more impressive was her incredible spirit and positive disposition.
“Enduring, graceful, selfless and strong are some adjectives that immediately come to mind to describe Ana, but the truth is, her character goes far beyond the limits of what language can effectively describe,” said Reid.
The College held a memorial service to commemorate Martínez-Lage’s life last Saturday, Jan.19 in Mead Memorial Chapel. The service’s attendance spoke volumes to the impact she had on both the College and the community.
In the words of Reid, “she was and is a unifying force of elegance.”
(01/17/13 2:45am)
While most students have a distant relationship with the housing department, limited only to the ups and downs of the annual housing lottery, Melissa Childs ’14 has a different perspective. As a ResLife intern this past summer, Childs worked closely with Residential Systems Coordinator Karin Hall-Kolts to make changes to the website as part of an effort to make information about the housing process more easily accessible.
Previously, the housing website only consisted of floor plans. Major updates now include a host of information, from rules for hosting parties to housing options based on student status. Childs explains that all of this information was available before, but now it is streamlined and available in one place.
Childs explained that this change was prompted by Hall-Kolts. She had received a number of complaints from students who did not fully understand how the housing process worked. She believes that an update to the main website will result in less confusion and complaints during the process each year.
Childs understands the frustration with the housing process, but also believes that students should better understand how the procedure works to reduce overall anger.
“Obviously, people like to take out their bad housing situations on [Hall-Kolts],” said Childs. “I think that in general at Middlebury, it’s difficult because all students are required to live on campus, and you can live off campus but there are not really a lot of options. I think that because good housing is so dictated by the lottery, [Hall-Kolts] is constantly trying to make it better for students by making it easier and as fair as possible.”
After working in the office over the summer, Childs believes she now truly understands the difficult undertaking of assigning rooms to students. Even over the summer, the housing department works to run housing for language school students and on-campus workers, a process made harder due to the language pledge.
“For one, I have much more respect for what [Hall-Kolts] does,” said Childs. “I also didn’t realize how different Middlebury’s process is from other colleges. [Because there is limited off-campus housing] it almost puts [Hall-Kolts] in a position of high responsibility for what happens to students and the housing department’s decisions.”
Despite the existing problems that plague the housing process, Childs believes that the way housing is operated at the College functions well and that the housing department works to accommodate every student.
“My advice to people would be to remind them that they are lucky because [we] are guaranteed housing and the options are not bad compared to other colleges,” said Childs. “Maybe its not always what you want but the housing here is pretty good overall.”
Residential Systems Coordinator Karin Hall-Kolts ensures that all 2,430 beds on campus are filled each semester.
As much as possible, the housing system tries to cater to student needs and therefore offers many different options.
“This year we introduced the quiet house […] based on student indications that they wanted this opportunity,” said Hall-Kolts.
For first-years and sophomores the housing process is simple and streamlined. Housing placements are based on commons and done separately from the junior-senior online draw.
“We’re trying to thin out the number of people that participate in the online draw,” said Hall-Kolts.
By offering housing options such as ResLife positions, social houses, interest houses, super blocks and off-campus living, the College tries to house as many students based on extra-curricular interests as possible.
Hall-Kolts tries to fill the ResLife positions as quickly as possible so that she can cross those students off her list and move on to filling the social houses which can be trickier. She explained that the members of a social house have an obligation to fill the beds in their house before looking at other housing options. Once social houses submit final rosters, she moves on to the interest houses.
Interest houses include the language houses as well as the Outdoor Interest house, PALANA, Weybridge, and the Queer Studies house. Once the interest houses fill, Super Block applications can be assessed.
“We don’t want groups of social house members applying for super blocks and then leaving their social houses short of people,” said Hall-Kolts, explaining why the process occurs in such a specific order.
Super Blocks are groups of students awarded housing for one year based on a common interest, life-style or hobby. Hall-Kolts takes into consideration many factors when deciding where to place Super Blocks.
“I would not put a group of students known to be excessively rowdy in a place next to neighbors because that’s just asking for trouble,” she said.
Once Super Blocks are filled, then off-campus applications are considered. Hall-Kolts noted that one caveat to applying to live off-campus is that if a student is a member of a social house that does not yet have all of its beds filled that student won’t be permitted to live off-campus.
“You have an obligation to that house,” said Hall-Kolts.
The online draw is the final part of the housing process, and the one that often causes the most stress for participating students. Hall-Kolts explained that every student gets a number even if they are already committed to another housing option. The students already committed to other housing will never get to see their number, but this way Hall-Kolts always can use their number as a back-up if their other housing falls through.
“Students want to plan everything out and calculate it, but you can’t calculate it,” said Hall-Kolts.
The numbers are assigned randomly and given to students based on their graduation year. The lower the graduation year, the higher the number. Hall-Kolts explained that the housing process can sometimes be a stressful one because not all students will get the housing they want.
“Number one is the only number that I can promise that I can give them whatever they want,” she said.
Most students will not receive their first choice in housing, but despite the frustration that inevitably ensues, the housing system is greeted with relative satisaction from the student body.
“People always say ‘oh you have the worst job’, but to be honest with you I don’t think I do. I hear from very few dissatisfied students,” she said. “You have to tread carefully in the housing world, but I think that most students are content with what they have.”
Additional Reporting by LAUREN DAVIDSON and Design by OLIVIA ALLEN
(12/08/12 9:10pm)
Middlebury College employs several in-residence professionals. Whether it’s a scholar-in-residence or an artist-in-residence, these people function as resources for the students and other faculty. Writer-in-Residence Julia Alvarez, described these professionals as people with their feet in two worlds, one in the professional world and one in the academic world. These professionals offer their expertise in their fields to students and also help put Middlebury on the non-academic map. Francois Clemmons greatly contributes to the College’s programs in the arts. Jeffrey Lunstead, a long-time diplomat in South Asia, brings real experience to the classroom setting. Sue Halpern, a writer in narrative journalism, spearheads the College’s journalism fellowships and offers her real world experience in an ever-important field. These professionals “in-residence” work both on and off campus to help the College offer the resources necessary to be an institution of the highest caliber.
Jeffrey Lunstead:
Jeffrey Lunstead brings a different element to the international and global studies department — years of experience in the Foreign service.
Before coming to the College to teach a winter term course in January of 2008, Lunstead spent 29 years as a dedicated Foreign Service officer, living and working in
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Additionally, Lunstead acted as the ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives from 2003 to 2006.
After many years abroad, Lunstead decided it was time to return to his original career plan and work as an educator.
“I had actually thought I was going to go into teaching, but I didn’t have a job right [when I graduated],” said Lunstead. “I got a job offer from the Foreign Services right at that moment, so I thought I’d try that for a while. And 29 years later, I thought maybe I would go back to my Plan A.”
Lunstead now teaches one course per semester in the international studies and political science departments, and most of his courses deal with his specialty — South Asia. In addition to teaching, Lunstead also advises students who are interested in careers in international relations and others who are working to set up seminars or symposiums. He also works with the Career Service Office, giving talks on international careers to students interested in working overseas or in international affairs in the United States.
Lunstead was originally attracted to the position at Middlebury for his familiarity with the area. His family has vacationed in the Adirondacks for many years. Other than Middlebury’s ideal location, Lunstead was interested in the importance that the College places on global perspectives.
“Middlebury is a funny place,” said Lunstead. “We have this small liberal arts college in rural Vermont with this very strong international emphasis, in terms of international students, students who study languages and students who study abroad.”
To expand upon his experiences, Lunstead connects his classes to the real world using simulations and role-playing exercises. For example, students can play out different scenarios during class by taking on the role of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Through these kinds of hands on learning experiences, Lunstead believes that his experience can bring a new frame of mind to the classroom.
“Both enjoy it because it’s a different perspective on the thing that they’re studying,” said Lunstead.
As a diplomat-in-residence, Lunstead’s position is based on “term appointment,” which means that his length of stay is an agreement between him and the College. Currently, Lunstead is scheduled to remain at Middlebury for another three years. Lunstead wants to continue teaching down the road in hopes of sharing his interests and experience with future students.
“I love interacting with the students here because I find them not only smart, because everyone knows that Middlebury students are smart, but [additionally] students are also extremely engaged and interested in finding out about the world,” said Lunstead. “I love South Asia … and the opportunity to [educate] other people so that they can also be interested is a great opportunity.”
Francois Clemmons:
Francois Clemmons first came to Middlebury in 1980, and observed “the leaves were so beautiful. The weather was so beautiful, and I walked and I thought this is like a magic kingdom. I just love it.”
In the 15 years that Clemmons has been artist-in-residence, he has been given generally free reign to define his position.
“The College really doesn’t tell me what to do,” explained Clemmons. “I make a chronology of what I’ve done throughout the year. And I’ll never forget Robert Shine was the Dean of the Faculty and I had a meeting with him and he said [upon seeing the chronology] ‘if it aint broke, we’re not going to fix it.’”
Clemmons has been prolific with his involvement in the school. Some of his long-standing contributions include teaching a winter term course titled “American Negro Spirituals,” popular among a less-likely musical crowd of first-years and athletes. Another project of his is the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir, which developed out of the American Negro Spirituals course.
“I’ve got this rag-tag group choir,” said Clemmons, “… through [which] I like to encourage people who are not musicians to have a musical experience before they graduate from Middlebury College. Ninety percent of the kids who sing with me don’t read music, they’re introverts … and they come and I encourage them, I nurture them … to try and help them to contact that deep emotional part of themselves that will allow them to sing.”
The flexibility of Clemmons’s position allows him to move among major departments and share his expertise across various fields of study — from the dance department to literature programs.
“[The College has] just been so receptive, I’ve explored parts of my personality that I don’t think I would have done in New York City.”
Clemmons is also responsible for the conception of the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which he delights in, as a lover of Irish music and musicians such as world-renowned Irish-tenor John McCormack.
“I don’t think if I lived in New York they would tolerate an openly-gay black man doing a St. Patrick’s Day celebration,” said Clemmons. “They wouldn’t! … But here in Vermont they let me do it. And I think that’s a huge honor that no one is saying you couldn’t do that because you’re not Irish and you’re black. …They understand that I’m doing it because I love Irish music.”
One of Clemmons favorite undertakings has been singing the national anthem at basketball games.
“I am so patriotic and a lot of the boys are in my class,” said Clemmons. “I have a legacy that goes back 10 to 12 years of [supporting] basketball players.”
However, after years of dedication to the school and community, Clemmons has made the decision to retire at they end of the academic year — to slow down, finish his autobiography (already at an unedited 700+ pages) and of course, continue enjoying a life of music.
“The College has been very generous to me all the years that I’ve been here,” said Clemmons. “I hope to continue when I retire to be a part of the College.”
Sue Halpern:
Sue Halpern came to Middlebury seeking a balance between her career as a writer and her life as an academic.
Halpern is a published writer who focuses on “narratives of all forms.” Her most recent book, Can’t Remember What I Forgot, came out in 2012. The book chronicles Halpern’s exploration of the world of modern memory science and neurology.
At the College, Halpern is a member of the department of English and American literatures.
“I was an academic in an earlier life. I realized that I wanted to focus on writing and not so much on being an academic. Then for a while I didn’t do any teaching and I wasn’t affiliated with any academic institution,” she said.
Since coming to Middlebury, Halpern has been very active in promoting narrative journalism at the College. In 2003, Halpern helped to create Meet the Press, a program which invites journalists to give lectures at the College.
“[Meet the Press] brings journalists into our midst and lets us have a go at them to help us understand what they’re doing in the world,” Halpern said.
Halpern also helped create the Middlebury Fellowships in Narrative Journalism in 2008 along with Matt Jennings, editor of Middlebury Magazine. This program produces the “How did you get here?” audio slideshow series, which recounts students’ pre-Middlebury histories.
Halpern mentioned that she enjoys collaborating with students on this and other projects.
She said that she thinks Middlebury students are “very adventurous both intellectually and academically. They’re really willing to try new stuff; they want to be entrepreneurial and be out in the world. I find that really refreshing.”
Halpern frequently engages with students, providing students interested in narrative journalism and storytelling in general with an outlet for their interest.
“Right now I’m working with a group of students on ... producing podcasts for a project that I’m working on for the New York Review of Books,” she said. “We read books together and talk about them and do background work on them and then we interview the authors. We then do digital editing and make audio slideshows.”
Halpern also mentors students participating in independent study projects.
Halpern’s husband is Bill McKibben, an environmental author and activist who also works as a scholar-in-residence. Halpern said that while she and her husband both enjoy working at Middlebury, the divergent nature of their work doesn’t allow for many opportunities to collaborate academically.
Overall, Halpern said that her experience working at the College has been immensely positive.
“It’s a great place to be for all sorts of reasons,” Halpern said.
“The facilities are unparalleled, [and] the faculty is really welcoming. People here are doing interesting work, and they’re working collaboratively as well,” she said.
“Then you’ve got this incredible student energy as well, which I think is just remarkable.”
Julia Alvarez:
Julia Alvarez first set her eyes on the green mountain state when she came here in the summer of 1969 to attend the Breadloaf Writer’s Conference after winning a poetry prize at Connecticut College for Women.
“I came up to Breadloaf and fell in love with the place,” said Alvarez. After attending the conference Alzarez decided that she had to transfer to the College.
“I walked into the admissions office and I said I have to come here,” she said.
Her enthusiasm threw the admissions officer at the time for a loop. He tried to tell her there was a whole process to which she had to apply to transfer.
After hearing this, Alvarez responded, “I’ll just move to town and work until I can get in.”
With her persistent attitude, Alvarez received a call a week later and enrolled in the College. Alvarez explained that she loved every minute of her time at the College, but that the teachers were really what made the difference in her undergraduate education.
“Excellent teachers really nurtured what I called my calling,” said Alvarez. The calling to which she refers is writing, especially poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction.
“I call myself a migrant poet,” said Alvarez, who earlier in her career worked as a teacher, travelling from place to place teaching whenever she could and always writing. When Alvarez got a call from the College asking about whether she would want to have a temporary teaching position at the College for one year she immediately said yes. Her one-year gig quickly turned into a 10-year commitment, and soon after that she was being considered for tenure.
The one problem with granting Alvarez tenure was that she needed to have published work in order to be considered. Alvarez quickly compiled her writing and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents was published in 1991.
“I got tenure and I thought of this as my tenure book,” she said. Yet, with the great success of Garcia Girls, Alvarez became overwhelmed with the great task of both teaching and writing.
“I gave up tenure to be a full-time writer,” she said, but I had also fallen in love with the classroom.” Wanting to remain involved with the College, Alvarez worked with the administration to create a role for her on campus. The College’s only writer-in-residence, Alvarez expressed how grateful she is to the College for being so accommodating.
“I really get a lot out of it because it gives me a community that keeps me thinking and learning and growing,” she sad. Alvarez just finished her first creative non-fiction book, A Wedding in Haiti.
“I’m really interest in creative non-fiction. The older I get, the world becomes more and more baffling,” said Alvarez.
Alvarez enjoys remaining connected to the College and acts as the adviser to the Alianza student group and is also a thesis adviser as well. Alvarez credits the College with keeping her constantly engaged and continues to ask questions about the nature of her work.
“The quandary now for me as a writer is, what is the role of the storyteller in the circle of transformative change?”
LAUREN DAVIDSON, MICHELLE SMOLER, and JOSH KRUSKAL contributed to this report.
(11/29/12 2:06am)
On Monday, Nov. 26, at 4:30 PM over 25 students, faculty and Middlebury residents gathered to watch the 2002 documentary Forget Baghdad, a film directed and written by Samir.
“I’m glad so many people are here,” said Danny Loehr ’13.5.
"I came because I’ve studied Arabic and I went to a few synagogues in Tunisia this summer and I was interested in Arab Jews and migration,” explained Loehr.
The screening was put on by the Center for Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE). Following the film, Instructor in Arabic Ahmad Almallah led a discussion about the film’s implications in the context of current conflict in the Middle East.
“This is such an important time for us to open a discussion on Israel and Palestine,” said Almallah.
“The movie helps us consider the complexity of Israeli society and its effect on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank,” added Almallah.
The film chronicles the history of Mizrahi Jews — Jews of Iraqi descent — who were encouraged to immigrate to Israel after it gained statehood in 1948. The film focuses on four older men, friends of the filmmaker’s father, who immigrated to Israel from Iraq in the 1950s. The documentary explores the discrimination that Israel’s Arabic population has been subjected to over the last 60 years.
In the film, the four characters discuss how when they arrived in Israel many of the passengers were sprayed with DDT, an action meant to rid them of any chemicals or diseases they might have brought with them.
“It was as if we had arrived with microbes,” said Michael Sami, who is now a famous author in Israel.
When the Iraqis arrived in Israel the country was so strained by the massive influx of immigrants that there was no work, especially for Mizrahi Jews who were thought to be less intelligent than the Ashkenazi Jews from Europe.
“They thought we were primitive, in need of teaching,” said Sami in the film.
Ella Habiba Shohat, New York University professor of cultural studies, the daughter of two Iraqi Jews who now resides in New York City but grew up in Israel, is featured prominently throughout the film.
Shohat’s book Israeli Cinema: East/West and the Politics of Representation (1989) drew a lot of political attention in Israel.
“Cinema has a very important role in the way we imagine certain groups of people,” she said in the film. She points to examples like Disney’s Aladdin (1992) and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944) as movies in which the Arab world is represented from a biased Western point of view.
“You have to deny a part of your identity in the public because it’s the identity of the enemy,” said Shohat, referring to her feeling that she had to hide her Arabic identity growing up in Israel. She discusses in the film that she felt exiled as an Iraqi living in Israel.
“I understand her desire to live a normal life and move out of a hostile situation,” said Almallah in response to Shohat’s comments in the film. “I’ve had similar reasons for leaving. I also married a Lebanese and cannot go back. These are situations that force people into exile.” He explained that Jews were completely integrated into Iraqi society before moving to Israel. When Mizrahi Jews immigrated to Israel they became more of a minority than they ever were in Iraq.
“The Arab Jews came to the point of hating their identity,” said Almallah. His views are supported by Shohat’s comments in the film.
“In Israel we’re Arabs — we’re the wrong identity,” said Shohat.
“As a Jew of European origins who is studying Arabic I found this movie very enlightening but also disheartening,” said Luke Schanz-Garbassi ’15 in response to the many comments about the discrimination of Jews of European descent toward Jews of Arabic descent in modern Israel.
“I learned a lot about stereotypes, a lot of new stereotypes,” he added.
While Schanz-Garbassi attended the screening with little prior knowledge of this historical and modern political struggle for Mizrahi Jews, Amitai Ben Abba ’15.5 grew up in Israel and shared a more personal view of the conflict.
The film paints the picture that Mizrahi Jews make up a substantial part of Israel’s population and Ben Abba explained that their political support often rests with ultra-nationalist parties.
“[Self-identified leftist] Arab Jews are rare to the point that they’re not relevant to the political atmosphere,” he added.
Almallah reflected that the creation of a Jewish state put pressure on various Jewish minorities to immigrate to Israel despite the discrimination they might face once there.
“Upon the creation of the state of Israel many Arabic Jews were put in a very difficult situation. They had Arab identity at the center of their existence,” he said.
Loehr presented an alternate perspective. Having spent some time in Tunisia this past summer, he became interested in Tunisian Jews and even had the opportunity to visit some of their synagogues.
“The Tunisian Jews that I spent time with had no desire to go to Israel,” he said.
“The creation of a sanctuary for certain people seems to make the life harder for those who don’t want to go to that sanctuary.”
Almallah recognizes that one of the main problems that Israel faces is that it is a state aligned with the West that is situated in the Middle East.
“Israeli culture was primarily made and designed for Europeans,” he said.
During the discussion after the screening, Amr Thameen ’14 asked why there hasn’t been an Arab Spring in Israel.
“I feel like in the 21st century it has to be hard for people in that situation to live normally,” he said, “why don’t people do anything about it?“
Almallah stressed the need to recognize this conflict and to strive for a peaceful solution.
“It is time to start fighting for a different motto and it should be a motto of coexistence,” he said.
“We need to revisit the history of two people coexisting with each other.”
(11/14/12 11:11pm)
Brian Ayers ’14 took Midd Entrepeneurs as a first-year during winter term and knew that he had what it takes to be an entrepeneur.
“In high school I always designed stuff for my lacrosse team and soon I had friends asking me to design stuff for their teams too,” said Ayers.
He realized that with the help of a manufacturer he would be able to profit from his creativity, so he started Ayers Customs.
“After about a year I decided I wanted to do something with the money I had made,” said Ayers, “so I decided to create an inventory.”
Ayers’ latest entrepreneurial venture is a unisex clothing line that strives to appeal to college students. Ayers described the Goodees clothing as preppy in style, but he also had affordability in mind when creating the line.
“I wanted to make it an affordable Vineyard Vines,” he said, “but I don’t want to make the prices so that it’s a social status symbol.”
Ayers wants Goodees to appeal to the college student and has been doing promotional deals for college students in the New England area for the last month. He has student representatives at both the College as well as other institutions on the east coast and uses posters as well as word-of-mouth to market his week-long promotional deals for the school.
“We’re kind of going school by school right now and it’s been working pretty well,” said Ayers. With over 100 online orders in one month, Ayers expects to see sales grow in the next couple of months, especially with his multi-college marketing strategy.
Additionally, Ayers donates five percent of the profits from Goodees to a variety of non-profit organizations that are embroidered on each label.
“It makes it more fun for me to be able to try to make the brand big enough to be able to give back in a meaningful way and actually make a difference instead of only worrying about making money,” he said.
Ayers also donated five baseball caps to the GlobeMed event Friday night at Two Brothers Tavern in town.
Right now, the Goodees products are being manufactured in China, but Ayers hopes to move the operation to the United States soon. “It’s being manufactured in China, but I’m looking to bring it to the States. It’s actually a lot cheaper in China, but I think that bringing it to the States is the right thing to do,” he said.
“I want to make it a classic American line, but I’m always surprised by how many people don’t care whether it’s manufactured in America or China,” he added.
Ayers explained that he has actually had a lot of fun working with China in the manufacturing of his clothes. He used to be up all night during his first winter term at the College, looking for possible manufacturers.
“There’s this one site with an instant messaging service on it and I would be instant messaging with them and I would say that I was the C.E.O. and they knew it was 5 a.m. and would tell me that I work so hard,” he said.
Ayers explains that he looks up all the Chinese holidays so he can email his manufacturer wishing them a great holiday and that they do the same for him. They even emailed him on the fourth of July.
“The one upside of bringing it to the U.S. would be that there would be no language barrier,” said Ayers.
Even though owning his own company adds a lot of stress and work to the Middlebury experience he really enjoys what he does with Goodees.
“Every day there’s a new problem that I have to solve,” he said, “there’s a lot of time management involved. It sometimes gets to the point where I have to decide which email to respond to when I walk between classes.”
He admits that he could not do it without his mom.
“She’s chief operating officer and head of shipping,” he said, “I think she goes to the post office for me about every day now.”
(11/07/12 10:52pm)
This past Sunday afternoon in Twilight Hall, the program in Women’s and Gender Studies, Chellis House and Women's Resource Center held a screening of Guerrilla Midwife, a film that follows Robin Lim and her incredible experiences as a modern midwife. Lim’s business partner in Vermont, Katherine Bramhall, cited the film as being particularly important because “peace is becoming more and more imperative in our modern world.”
It was the premier presentation of the film in the northeast and Lim hopes that by showing it at the College, young people — women especially — will become more aware of the problems in the way that America handles childbirth.
Karin Hanta, director of Chellis House, wrote in an email about her impression of Lim on Sunday.
“She beautifully spoke about the connections between a gentle birth and a life dedicated to non-violence.
I wish every student on campus could have come to this film. Many of our students will have children of their own one day and it would be good for them to have some knowledge of what options are out there to provide the most humane maternal and child care.”
Hanta expressed her wish, in the context of Lim’s work and film, that the United States stop the industrialization of childbirth and reassess methods for dealing with such a life-changing event.
In 1995, Lim found the non-profit organization Bumi Sehat Foundation International to help women in need with all matters relating to pregnancy or maternal health. The program initially began in Bali where Lim set-up a birthing clinic and since then programs have also been started in Aceh and Haiti.
The Bumi Sehat Foundation International, according to its website, “is based on a foundation of three very simple principles: respect for nature, respect for culture and the wise implementation of the science of medicine.”
In 2011, Lim was named one of CNN’s “Heroes of the Year” for her humanitarian efforts for female victims of natural disasters or political unrest and her continuing global advocacy for natural births.
The film, Guerrilla Midwife, was shot over a six-year period by Lim’s daughter. Her daughter followed her as she traveled around the world helping pregnant women give birth in the most peaceful manner possible. In the film, Lim’s daughter shares her earliest memories of her mother and recalled “my mother smelled of newness.”
The film depicted Lim’s relief efforts after the tsunami in Aceh as well as her work in Bali. It also addressed the United States’ shortcomings in terms of the natural births that occur.
According to the film, in the United States only .6 percent of children are born at home, where as 70-80 percent of children are born at home in the rest of the world.
“A lot of lobbying work remains to be done: 10 states in the U.S. still prohibit midwife-assisted home births,” said Hanta.
In 2010 Amnesty International published called “Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA.” The study documented that although the U.S. spends more money than any other country on health care, we rank only 41 in the world for maternal mortality rates, about the same as countries like Slovakia and Latvia. The report stated, “this is not just a matter of public health, but a human rights issue.”
Hanta called for changing the country’s policies for maternal leave to encourage births with less stress.
“In my native country, Austria, one of the parents can stay home with the newborn for up to two years, while still drawing wages and having a guarantee that they can return to their jobs,” she said.
In a question and answer session following the film, Lim said, “we must concern ourselves with marrying the medical model of care with the holistic model.”
Lim expressed the need for more awareness in our country concerning this issue. She acknowledged that while health care should be given to all, it will never be free.
“Healthcare is a human right, but it still costs money,” said Lim.
(10/31/12 7:19pm)
Humans have a natural attraction to disaster. Often traffic gets bad after a car accident not because the accident didn’t get moved to the side quickly enough, but because we can’t look away. We often stare at dead animals in the road not because we want to, but because there’s a certain fascination that makes us. There’s something comforting about events that are out of our immediate control that makes us want to watch them unfold.
Hurricane Sandy is no different. I find myself addicted to the New York Times website, constantly clicking the refresh button to see if I can find out more about what seems to be impending disaster. I’m reminded of Hollywood movies about perfect storms, like The Day After Tomorrow, and feel the excitement of being at the precipice of something big about to happen, yet I also feel guilty for my fascination.
Students on campus almost mocked this impending natural disaster. MiddBlog tweeted expressing concern about the kitty that hangs out around Proctor; a student impersonated “Sandy” on the college radio station. We’re obsessed with what might be the biggest natural disaster to hit the United States in decades, yet we’re not even taking it seriously.
This isn’t to say that I’m advocating dropping everything and running to shelter either, but when talking about a storm that might cause irreparable damage to some of our nation’s most prized cities I find myself surprised that no one is talking about the possible consequences of the storm.
All emails sent out by the administration so far regarding the hurricane have a serious, foreboding, even cautionary tone. As college students, though, we’re invincible. Not only are we invincible, we’re not responsible.
We don’t own homes that may or may not have natural disaster insurance. We’re not moving our lawn furniture so it doesn’t come crashing through our windows, nor are we stocking up on disaster supplies like emergency food, matches or water. We live under the assumption that the College will take care of it for us.
Not that this assumption is inherently bad, because it’s not. It just might be a bit ignorant. The problems this storm poses for the world beyond Middlebury College are severe. It can be hard to sympathize with a situation we have no tangible stake in, yet isn’t that what we’re being taught to do as students seeking a liberal arts education?
There’s a dichotomy in our reaction to Hurricane Sandy. While we learn to be active global citizens and take on important social issues as our own, we also neglect to take seriously the safety of our fellow American citizens. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Northeast currently face flooding, house damage and major transportation issues, yet our sympathy will only be felt retroactively.
There’s a lot of talk about Hurricane Irene of last year and debates about whether Irene was predicted to hit or not to hit Vermont. Yet, history precedes us.
I think that it’s irrelevant whether or not Irene was predicted to hit Vermont. It did. It caused millions of dollars of damage to roads and property in Vermont. The College made great efforts to raise money for the relief efforts, helping Vermont rebuild post-storm.
Hurricane Sandy is unpredictable, yet its wrath is imminent for many parts of this country. Dialogue is not the problem; students are talking about the storm. The problem is our ignorance toward a disaster that is out of our control. We can stop medical malpractice in Africa; it’s a tangible goal. We can’t stop nature. A storm swirls toward the Atlantic seaboard, and there’s little we can do but watch.
In the case of natural disasters that are completely out of our control, the question remains, how can we help?
(09/26/12 11:22pm)
“As far as I know, Middlebury has always fed students here on campus,” said Director of Dining Services Matthew Biette. Proctor was opened in 1959 and served as the main dining hall for the ten years following its opening until the College started a new initiative using Social Dining Units.
Social Dining Units were originally created when the Freeman International Center (FIC) was built in 1970. They provided an alternative and more intimate setting for students than the larger dining hall. The FIC was built around this idea and originally all the offices and classrooms were situated around a central kitchen. During this time, Le Chateau also served meals.
Biette arrived in 1997 when Le Chateau, Student Dining Units and Proctor were the only locations where food was served on campus. Ross opened in the fall of 2002 and Atwater opened in the spring of 2005. Atwater and Ross were built as new additions during the implementation of the Commons System.
The dining halls, year after year, strive to represent the College’s goals with regard to the food they serve.
“The goal of dining services is to enhance the Middlebury experience for all students,” said Executive Chef Robert Cleveland.
Both Cleveland and Biette agree that each dining hall serves a specific purpose on campus and appeals to different students. When asked which dining hall best exemplifies the goals of dining services, Biette said, “They all do in various ways. Each has a bit of differences and people gravitate to what they enjoy.”
All three dining halls strive to incorporate local food into their fare and serve as a principal buyer for over fifty local Vermont companies.
Baba-Louis’s Bakery in Chester, Vt. considers Middlebury one of its most important customers. “We truly value our relationship [with Middlebury College]” said the company. Baba-Louis’s, among other local companies like Vermont Highland Beef and Blue Ledge Farms, depends on the College’s business to survive.
In spite of the emphasis that the College puts on buying food from local and sustainable sources, it must also buy from wholesale distributors.
“Foods can and do come from around the world, depending on the ingredient and season,” said Biette.
The Geography department started an initiative called “Food Mapping” based on a suggestion by former student Christopher Howell ’04.5. This project creates visuals of the geographic origin of four different meals served regularly on campus. In mapping breakfast, turkey dinner, Mexican fajita lunch and the beloved chicken parmesan, the project provides stunning visuals for how far the food we eat travels before it hits our plates.
Historically, the College has seen many initiatives to create more food awareness on campus. Last year, there was a push from a group of students in environmental economics for “LessMeat Mondays,” based on the amount of carbon expended to create meat-based meals.
This initiative received some backlash from meat-eaters who felt guilt-tripped into abstaining from meat. “It’s hard when you’re really hungry and just want to eat what you want to eat and there’s people outside Proctor making you feel guilty for wanting to eat a piece of chicken,” said Mitchell Parrish ’14.
Students and the dining services both struggle to strike a balance between eating consciously, but also enjoying the foods they love.
When asked which he though was more important, food coming from local and sustainable sources or food that tastes good, Cleveland commented that “hopefully they are one in the same.”
Yet, when the Campus’ editorial board was polled and that same question was asked, the results were drastically different. Seventy percent of editors answered that they prioritize sustainable food over taste.
The College’s dining services must take into account a plethora of preferences, priorities and practicalities when creating the menus for the three dining halls.
Above all, staff hope that students have a pleasant dining experience.
The staff and the meals they create are there for “the enjoyment of the students,” said Cleveland.
(09/19/12 11:50pm)
"As soon as I heard about it, I joined, as soon as I joined, I wanted to become more involved in it," said Jake Connolly '13, discussing his involvement in the Community Friends program. The program pairs local kids with students who then commit to spending two hours each week with their community friend.
"It's just so simple," said Connolly, "it gives the kids someone to look up to in the community." Now a senior, Connolly is a student coordinator for the program and encourages all students to apply to become a mentor.
"It's so critical for Middlebury students to become involved in the community."
Over the past three years, Jake's bond with his community friend has grown immensely.
"It's definitely one of the most important things I do at Middlebury," said Connolly.
Part of Connolly's interest in the Community Friends program stemmed from his desire to cultivate relationships outside of the College.
"If you never get off campus you lose out on what ties the school to this place," he said.
Living off campus this year, Connolly feels more apart of the community he has spent his previous years giving back to.
"I've been enjoying frequenting Carol's Hungry Mind to study or the Co-op to grab a snack," he said.
"[Middlebury] is home for me, and at this point in my life, Middlebury is the place I identify the most with."
A pre-med molecular biology and biochemistry major, Connolly has also spent extensive time volunteering at Porter Hospital. Throughout his sophomore and junior years, he worked in the emergency room dealing with everything from broken arms to heart failure.
"I've worked in hospitals since I was a sophomore in high school," he said. "I've known I want to go into medicine for a long time."
Connolly plans to attend medical school next year and pursue a career as a surgeon.
"I want to operate on people," he said with a huge grin on his face. "I've watched countless surgeries, and I can't believe people do that for a living."
Back in high school, he worked as a janitor in the operating room of his local hospital. This early exposure to surgery sparked his interest and has helped guide both his academic and extra-curricular pursuits at Middlebury.
When asked about his other commitments, Connolly, in a over-emphasized British accent, simply said "theater."Â His involvement in theater didn't start until last fall, although he participated in drama in high school.
"I was kind of sick of it," he recalled. "I didn't pick up a script or see a stage. I didn't even go to plays. I was kind of a jerk about it, actually."
Yet, this all changed when he was cast in last fall's production of The Art of Success. Connolly's role in the play helped him rediscover his love for theater. Last spring, he acted in Caryl Churchil's play Serious Money, and this fall, he will perform in the Shakespeare classic As You Like It.
With theater, medicine and the Community Friends program, Connolly is involved in a variety of different aspects of college life. Over many years and an array of campus activities, the relationships he has built remain the most valued part of his college experience, noting how much he admires "the integrity and loyalty of my friends."
When asked if there is anything more to know about him, he paused for a moment and then said, "I make a mean Italian sub in Proctor – I've pretty much perfected it."
(09/19/12 11:19pm)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Dana Yeaton has been teaching a playwriting class at the College since 1999.
"That makes it about 13 years now," said Yeaton, a seasoned playwright himself. Yeaton has high expectations for his class this semester. "I want them to understand and be able to create dramatic action," he said. "P.S., I've been trying to figure it out myself, and I still don't know; it's the Holy Grail."
In this writing-intensive course, students write four ten-minute plays, revise their two favorites and then write a thirty-minute long play to culminate the course. Surprisingly, Yeaton's favorite assignment in the course is the first one: the bad play.
For this assignment, the students write a bad play filled with their biggest pet peeves with theater: gratuitous smoking, unnecessary obscenities, etc.
"I think pound-for-pound writing the bad play frees you up," he said. "I think [writing a bad play] is a critical first step toward writing a good one."
While Playwriting I mainly attracts more creatively inclined students, it also offers a break for others who badly need an imaginative, yet academic, outlet.
"I took this class because I've been interested in playwriting for a while, but never actually finished a play," said Chelsea Melone '15.
Melone's comment may ring true for many other members of the class. Writer's block is a common problem among creative writers, and working in an academic setting helps provide a solution by forcing every student to complete works-in-progress.
The bad play festival, which took place this past Sunday, was the student's first real taste of playwriting. Most students saw their own work performed for the first time.
From another perspective, Michael Bernstein '15 took Playwriting "because at Middlebury I don't use my creative side."
"I'm excited to use the non-analytical part of my brain," said Bernstein.