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Field hockey combats human trafficking in India

A 17-year-old girl, the oldest of six children, was offered the chance to go to leave her town and make money for herself and her family. She was brought by a male acquaintance to Delhi, where she proceeded to work as a maid for a family. By the time she realized she wasn’t being paid, it was too late. Her “friend” was long gone with the money, and she was left with only the hope of being rescued.  This is the labor trafficking story shared by one of the 106 girls who attended the second annual East India Hockey Project (EIHP), a weeklong field hockey camp and tournament aimed at combating trafficking by helping female athletes ages 14–17 gain self-confidence and leadership skills to bring back to their communities. The EIHP is run through a partnership between Middlebury College, the US State Department, the Indian Consulate and the anti-trafficking NGO Shakti Vahini. It was led by head coach Katherine DeLorenzo and assistant coach Rachel Palumbo, with support from five alumnae who attended the first camp in November of 2018 and seven current players: senior Kelly Coyle, junior Erin Nicholas and sophomores Grace Harlan, Riley Marchin, Grace Murphy, Hannah Sullivan and Joan Vera. The program is based in Jharkhand, one of the most remote and impoverished regions in India. Each girl who attended the camp is at a high risk for human trafficking.  “On the surface level, it seems like we’re just playing field hockey, like what is that doing?” Coyle said. “But it’s the small, intangible things about telling the girls to speak up, plus their additional workshops [that teach them] how to use their voice in all those scenarios, that make a difference. Seeing all that together, it made it seem like the impact was a lot bigger than just coming to the field and playing hockey.” Although the camp only ran from January 27 to February 3, the field hockey girls arrived in India on the 5th, along with eight members of Middlebury’s BOLD Scholars, a women’s leadership program. The students all traveled to Delhi and Kolkata together, and while the athletes helped with the EIHP, the BOLD Scholars worked at a school peace fair. During their travels, Baishaki Taylor, vice president for student affairs, and Rebekah Irwin, the director and curator the Special Collections & Archives, taught a special winter term class for the students, focusing on gender in Indian society.  “It’s really easy to come in and do a workshop and leave,” Taylor said. “Given our commitment and our mission statement, we want Middlebury students to be able to leave this campus and be ready to address and actually make meaningful contributions to the communities that they live in, no matter where it is. [We want them to] be able to address some of the world’s most challenging problems, not just go in and do a project. The class part provided some glimpses to get a sense of the differences and similarities the world’s largest democracy has [in common] with the world’s strongest democracy.” It is estimated that over 30,000 young women are trafficked each year from Jharkhand alone, and the EIHP aims to combat this tradition. In addition to practicing field hockey from 8 a.m to 4 p.m each day, the players attended informative workshops. The Shakti Vahini leaders taught the girls practical skills to bring home, such as learning how to spot human traffickers, how to intervene in different situations and how to record evidence on a phone to build a case against a trafficker. At night, the girls were encouraged to share their stories with each other through performative arts, and at the end of the camp, four stories were selected to be professionally reproduced.   “The girls were all inspirations to everyone who traveled from our team,” said Nicholas. “We kept saying the whole trip that we were probably getting out of it more than they were because we were learning from them the whole time. They have been through so much, and then would come to the field everyday so excited to learn. They’d be dancing in circles and laughing and having a great time and finding the joy in every little moment that they had.” At the end of the week, the Panthers hosted a tournament for the girls, an event attended by local press and students and even Marie Royce, the assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs. On the last day, the five most outstanding campers were invited to come to Middlebury in April, where they will have the opportunity to attend the spring field hockey training camp and immerse themselves in the American culture.  “One of the girls who I coached all week had won the ‘Most Outstanding Defensive Player’ award had a smile on her face the entire week,” Coyle said. “She was always giggling, always laughing. But on the last day, she started [crying]. One of the interpreters explained that she had never experienced this kind of attention or award or recognition in her life and it was completely overwhelming for her. [She] received awards and people [were] paying attention to her and honoring her in a way she had never [had] before in [her] life.”

Avoid a repeat of the 2016 election by nominating Bernie Sanders

  On the night of November 8, 2016, I was shell-shocked by the news of Donald Trump’s victory. I spent most of the night struggling over my calculus homework, expecting a decisive victory for Hillary Clinton. After peeking my head into our common room and seeing the looks of terror on peoples’ faces, I realized the unthinkable happened. The media narrative that a moderate democrat was best suited to defeat Trump was wrong. That night taught me that beating Trump will require a bold, progressive agenda that speaks to the needs of everyday Americans, not a pursuit of incrementalism. I’m afraid that the country has forgotten this lesson. Bernie Sanders was the antidote then, and he is the antidote now; I believe only he can beat Trump.  Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election through victories in key swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. An NBC news report found Trump visited these states 46 times more than Clinton in the final 102 days before the election. Alarming? Definitely. There’s no way that another democratic nominee repeats these same mistakes, right? Unfortunately, Joe Biden is on pace to match the 2016 strategy. He skipped campaigning in most Super Tuesday states. It’s not just his absence of campaigning in key states that should raise eyebrows. Biden’s record, current base, and policies will lose in November. Based on the evidence below, Joe Biden loses to Trump. Biden voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China, which cost the Rustbelt over 4 million jobs, per a 2019 NBC News analysis. We’re up against an incumbent president who won white working-class voters by 67% nationally, according to NYT exit polling data. Defeating Trump will require an unprecedented turnout of youth and disaffected voters who sat out the 2016 election. In a general election campaign with Biden as the Democratic nominee, Trump could hammer Biden on his anti-worker record and win among blue-collar workers again. I believe Biden’s current platform and policies will lose to Trump. As of now, Biden’s essentially been running on a platform of “I can beat Trump.” That sounds great, but he rarely articulates how he will win. Trump’s campaign team has already fought this battle once before. Instead of bold and comprehensive plans to combat climate change, income inequality, or our dysfunctional healthcare system, Biden is advocating for a “return to normalcy” (which only plays well with his current base). Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, will beat Trump. Sanders’ voting record speaks to the key swing state voters we must win over in November. He voted against disastrous trade deals like NAFTA and PNTR with China. Sanders has proven to be the most pro-union member of Congress. Per the AFL-CIO, a federation of 55 unions, he has a nearly 100% lifetime pro-union voting record. Most importantly, Sanders didn’t trust Cheney and Bush when they lied about weapons of mass destruction In Iraq. Sanders led the effort against the war in Iraq. Biden supported the war.   Sanders’ base would be enough to defeat Trump. The Washington Post’s exit polling shows that Sanders’ median support in Super Tuesday states for voters under the age of 29 was 43 points above Biden’s, and his median support in these states for independents was 8 points above Biden’s. NBC News exit polls found that Sanders won 43% of first-time voters on Super Tuesday, significantly more than the other candidates. To beat an incumbent president, the younger voters, independents, and disaffected voters who overwhelmingly back Sanders must be acknowledged. Also, a study by the Democracy Fund found 92% of Biden supporters would vote for Sanders in the general election. On the flipside, 94% of Sanders supporters would vote for Biden. Both of these statistics prove a vast majority of Democrats’ main goal is defeating Trump. Sanders’ current platform and policies would beat Trump. The Washington Post’s exit polling found that Super Tuesday voters agree with Sanders on the issues by 13 points above Biden. These issues include Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and a $15 federal minimum wage. Sanders’ vision would not only benefit the entire country by combating climate change and guaranteeing healthcare as a human right, but also inspire key voters. It’s imperative we, as Democrats, unite against an establishment which is following the same 2016 playbook. Inspired by Sanders’ grassroots movement, I co-founded Midd Students for Bernie in October of last year. Through canvassing, phonebanking, friend-to-friend outreach, we are building a progressive movement to oust Trump. I hope supporters of Elizabeth Warren, a progressive champion for working-class families, choose to join our movement to beat Trump and transform our government and economy. Will we choose the moderate lane which ends in perpetual defeat to populists like Trump, or will we choose the progressive lane which can defeat Trump and improve the lives of millions of American families? If you haven’t voted yet, consider voting for the best candidate who can beat Trump: Bernie Sanders. Reach out to friends and family in states which have yet to vote like New York and Connecticut and remind them what we’re up against. If you’re inclined to volunteer for the campaign, visit BernieSanders.com/volunteer! While Biden has a SuperPac and Wall-Street donors behind him, Sanders’ has the support of millions of grassroots activists. Only Sanders has the agenda that can defeat Trump and bring-about much needed change. When it comes to defeating Trump, whose side are you on?   Tarik Shahzad is a member of the class of 2020 and co-founder of Midd Students for Bernie.

Men’s lacrosse pulls away against Conn. College, grabs 20–8 victory

“One of the best parts of lacrosse is that it’s a game of runs,” said captain midfielder, Jake Madnick ’20. “You can go up 6–0 on a team, and then all of a sudden, you look up at the scoreboard, and it’s 6–5”.  Winning games, according to Madnick, is about how one reacts to such runs. Men’s lacrosse hosted Connecticut College on Saturday, March. 7 and defeated their opponents from New London, 20–8. But the final score doesn’t capture the struggle that ensued in the first half and how the Panthers kept their composure despite some successful runs by the Camels.  When the hosts planted a 3–0 lead in the first quarter, Connecticut College cut the lead to two, amplifying their bench. They gained even further momentum by forcing a turnover and saving a mid-range snipe by Middlebury attackman A.J Kucinski ’20. While the Panthers scored with one second remaining in the first, the Camels won the following faceoff, drew two penalties, and eventually buried another goal to set the score, 4–2.  The blue-and-white, however, responded over the course of the second quarter by tallying two unanswered goals. With two minutes left before halftime and the score at 7–3 Panthers, Tyler Forbes ’22 and Danny Jacobs ’20 snuck in some goals of their own before the Camels scored again with 35 seconds left in the period.  But if lacrosse is a game of runs, and any side can instantly gain momentum, such volatility cuts both ways. While it’s possible for the losing team to pick up steam, the winning team could expand its lead in a flash.  “[The third quarter] was one of our best quarters this year,” said Madnick. The Panthers outscored their Connecticut visitors 7–2 that period and would tack on an additional four in the fourth. Attackman Michael McCormick ’20 tallied four goals throughout the game. Forbes earned three.  “[McCormick’s] got a left-handed shot that I don’t think any goalie in the country at any division could save,” said Madnick. “He was firing on all cylinders against [Connecticut College]”. William Ryan ’23 and Will Zink ’23 would earn their first collegiate scores in the game as well. Backup goalie Finn O’Connor ’23 also saw some action.  “It was really cool to see some of the younger guys get in the game and get some experience,” said Madnick.  Such experience may prove useful in the season ahead.

Baseball opens season, going 2-1 in Texas Series

The baseball team capped the week with a 2–1 record against Southwestern University in its first non-conference series of the year.  The Southwestern Pirates put up three runs in the first inning of the series opener -- all runs coming with two outs. The Panthers got on the board in the top of the sixth when infielder Justin Han ’20 was walked and outfielder Henry Strmecki ’21 scored on two errors. Two runners were stranded in the top of the seventh as the Panthers were unable to tack on a game-tying run.  Trailing 2–0 after the fourth inning of game two, a walk from infielder Hayden Smith ’20 and a two-run homer from infielder Andrew Gough ’22 got the fifth-inning rally started for the Panthers. With the bases loaded, senior infielder Kevin Woodring hit a grand slam to put Middlebury ahead, 7–2. The Panthers added a run in the top of the sixth, ultimately winning 8–4.  Pitcher Alex Price ’22 earned the win over five innings, allowing just two runs and four hits with seven strikeouts.  In the series rubber match, the Panthers pushed across three runs in the top of the 11th inning, putting the finishing touches on a 9-8 victory. Pitcher Drew Martinson ’20 picked up the win on two scoreless innings, striking out three. 

Track and Field records podium finishes ahead of NCAAs

The Panthers recently participated in the Tufts National Qualifying Meet on Saturday, Mar. 7. The non-scoring meet featured quite a few impressive performances. Both the men and the women’s squads competed hard. In the 800-meter run, Nicole Johnson ’22 captured second and Emily Bulczynski ’22 captured fourth. Other impressive performers were Meg Wilson ’20, Katie Glew ’21, and Katelyn Pease ’22. The women’s 4 X 400-meter relay “A” team captured first. “I am so proud of how we did as a team this weekend,” said Grace Desmond ’23, a member of the 4 X 400 “A” team. “We went out and competed hard and were able to drop over 5 seconds from our time at D3 New England’s. We had our eyes on NCAAs and just wanted to go out and do our best!” On the men’s side, Will Meyer ’20 came in sixth place in the 1-mile run. Jonathan Fisher ’20 placed second in the high jump event and Nathaniel Klein ’21 got sixth in the shot-put event. “High jump didn’t go quite as well as I had wanted, but it was still a solid performance,” said Fisher. “I had put together a string of really good practices and meets…and was hoping to set a new personal best.” Up next will be the fated NCAA Championships which will take place on Friday, Mar. 13 and Saturday, Mar. 14. “The team is looking forward to nationals with great anticipation,” said Fisher. “Though only a few of us are going to compete, we will all be watching and cheering on our teammates from campus. We also have a number of first-time qualifiers, which is always exciting to see and bodes well for the team in the future.” “We are all so excited for the upcoming NCAA Championships!” said Desmond. “I think we will just continue to do some fine tuning this week, making sure we are taking care of the small details to gear up for Friday night!”

Women’s Lax Flexes Muscles with Double Header Sweep

This team is dominant. The Panthers showed up on Saturday and Sunday as they produced two road wins that extended their current win streak to 25 straight games. The women’s lacrosse team is firing on all cylinders and it seems as if no one can stand in their way, even this early in the season. On Saturday, the women traveled to Connecticut College. The lopsided 13-3 first half set the Panthers up to calmly cruise to a 16-5 final game score. The frightening offensive duo that includes Emily Barnard ’20 and Julia Earley ’22 thrashed the Camels’ defense by recording 7 points each. The Panther defense didn’t let much past them, but in the rare chances they did, goalie Julia White ’20 stepped up and made 4 great saves. “At this point in the season we are excited to have 3 strong wins under our belt and are looking forward to unlocking our teams potential as we continue to face tough opponents,” said Barnard, team captain and leading point scorer. “We have an amazing group of 28 girls that connect really well on and off the field and just want to take advantage of every opportunity we get to improve!”  The Sunday game included even more fervor as the Panthers relentlessly overpowered Springfield. The early lead was continued by an onslaught of scoring for Middlebury that left the final score at 23-4. This game can truly be considered a team effort as six different players tallied a hat trick, including first-year’s Susan Rowley ’23 and Nikki Mormile ’23. “In terms of how the freshmen are feeling, we’ve all been looking forward to the start of the season since the fall, so it is super exciting for it to be finally here and to have our first college lacrosse games,” said Rowley,  leading scorer among first-years. “We can’t wait for the rest of a fun and hopefully successful spring!” said Rowley. The Panthers seem to show no signs of slowing down. Their next game will be this coming Saturday, when they host Trinity at 2:00.

Men’s hockey post-season run cut short

A season-long pattern of poor home performances continued on Saturday, as men’s puck was bested by Wesleyan in the NESCAC Quarterfinals in Kenyon Arena. Despite entering the third period with a 2-1 lead, the Panthers conceded three straight goals to the Cardinals, who booked their ticket to the NESCAC Semifinal with a 4-2 victory. The Panthers finish the season 10-12-3 overall, an improvement from last season’s 8-13-4 record.  The Cardinals dealt the first blow with 48 seconds remaining in the first stanza when Cam Peritz punched home a rebound. Senior netminder Brian Ketchabaw ‘20 made a nice effort to save an initial shot, but Wesleyan’s power play was simply too much for the Panthers to handle.  Just under two minutes into the second period, Zach Shapiro ’22 found the back of the net after Emack Bentley ’22 stole the puck and delivered a deftly placed assist. The Panthers seemed primed to grab a second goal after tying the game up, but failed to capitalize on two consecutive power play opportunities. However, they finally snatched the lead with 40 seconds remaining in the second, after a slap shot from Brendan Dawson ’20 smashed into the back of the net.  The third period was one to forget for the Panthers, who conceded three consecutive goals en route to a 4-2 home defeat. Men’s puck were not devoid of chances in the final period; Wesleyan keeper Tim Sestak rarely had a chance to breathe in the last 20 minutes, facing multiple Panthers shots, one of which ricocheted off the post. This marked the second year in a row that Wesleyan defeated Middlebury in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.  Captain Owen Powers ’20, who finished the season with a team-high 22 points, was quick to find the positives in the season. “Although we were disappointed with the end result, I am really proud of the steps this team has taken over my 3 years here at Midd. I look forward to watching their continued success. Cheer boys cheer.”  Co-captain Brett Dineen ’20 shared a similar sentiment. “We accomplished a lot as a group including the team’s first home playoff game in six years. I’m excited to see what the returners continue to achieve in the rest of their Middlebury career.”  The Cardinals head to Williamstown next weekend, where they will face off against the top-seeded Ephs in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.

Women’s hockey keeps eyeing NESCAC crown

In perfect fashion on Carnival Weekend, the Panthers just keep on rolling.  The women’s hockey team defeated the Trinity Bantams in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, 4–1, and will advance to the semifinals and play Hamilton. Hamilton, ranked fourth, stands between Middlebury and a seat to the conference championship. History appears favorable to be on the blue-and-white’s side; Middlebury hasn’t lost a game to Hamilton in the past two seasons. In fact, one past match included a 3–1 victory against Hamilton in the NESCAC Semifinals last year.  If Middlebury wins, they’ll go on to play either Colby or Amherst, who are playing one another in the other semifinal matchup. 

Men’s squash upsets No. 2 seed; claims second at Nationals

The Men’s Squash team travelled to Harvard this weekend to play in the CSA team nationals. Middlebury faced Amherst in the quarterfinals and the blue-and-white managed to snag the victory by a score of 6–3. The Panthers also emerged victorious in the semifinals against the Navy Midshipmen, 5-4. Unfortunately, the men lost out to Williams, 5-4, in the finals on Sunday.  This weekend, two Panthers, Nick Bermingham ’20 and Jack Kagan ’20 will go on to compete in the CSA individual championship at the University of Pennsylvania. Though they had a rough start to the season, the men’s squad has gained momentum in the past few weeks. Hopefully, it continues onto the individual championships. 

Track and Field battles through injuries as indoor season winds down

The Panthers had a great outing at the Division III New England Championships on Feb. 28 and Feb. 29. The women earned sixth place, while the men took twelfth. Gretchen McGrath ’21 led the pack with her fourth place finish in the 400-meter dash. In the 800-meter run, Cassidy Kearney ’22, Meg Wilson ’20, and Nicole Johnson ’22 chased after one another, picking up third, fourth, and fifth places respectively. It is also important to mention that the 4 x 400 meter relay “A” team came in fourth. Max Cluss ’23 spoke to the men’s performance. “Overall we had a solid performance at Regionals, but we wish we performed better,” Cluss said. “This indoor season we’ve been plagued with injuries so we did not race our entire team.” Impressive performances by the men include Will Meyer ’20 who came in seventh place in the 3000-meter run. The veteran squad comprised of Arden Coleman ’20, William Robertson ’21, Mathew Durst ’21, and Nathan Hill ’20 grabbed fourth in the 4X400 meter relay. It is also important to mention the performance of Nathaniel Klein ’21 who captured fifth in the shot-put event. With the completion of this meet, the Panthers near the final stretch of the indoor season. Up next the teams will once again travel to Medford for the Tufts Last Chance Meet on Saturday, Mar. 7 for another opportunity to compete before NCAA’s.  Coleman commented on the upcoming meet. “We need to take it day by day,” said Coleman. “There’s nothing else we can do but keep grinding and position ourselves to perform the best we can at Tufts.”

All articles are approved in annual Middlebury town meeting

Hundreds of Middlebury residents gathered at the town meeting at Middlebury Union High School on Monday night, approving all seven proposed articles. The town meeting, a manifestation of direct democracy, involved the discussion of several proposals, followed by a voice vote. Residents also reviewed and discussed information on three more legislative articles that were decided on Tuesday via Australian ballot.   The meeting featured first-time Moderator Susan Shashok, who replaced former Vermont Governor and longtime town meeting moderator Jim Douglas ’72.  Shashok has previously attended the town meeting as a member of the selectboard — the town’s governing group of seven elected members — and was endorsed by Douglas last year after he announced he would not be running again for the position of moderator. “[Douglas’s endorsement] felt pretty good,” Shashok said in a phone interview Wednesday. “He’s been a very good mentor to me during this process. Even though it’s big shoes to fill, I told everybody I’d have different shoes. Jim’s okay with that and so I’m okay with that.” At the meeting, Middlebury Selectboard Chair Brian Carpenter read a year-in-review report, which mainly focused on progress of the Middlebury Bridge and Rail Project. The town budget was approved without dissent and included increased funding for the replacement of public works equipment, such as the town’s 25-year-old street sweeper. Tax surpluses will be used to fund downtown projects like the railroad platform and updates to light fixtures. The two most contentious articles of the night were Article 4 and Article 2, both of which allocated additional extra-budget funds to first responder services. Article 4 requested a $63,721 increase in appropriations for Middlebury Regional Emergency and Medical Services (MREMS). Some residents expected money requests for first response care to be part of the town budget, and not presented as a separate article. But the the selectboard said it had not had enough time to review the MREMS allocation request to add it to the budget beforehand.  Opponents were concerned about giving such a large sum of money to a non-profit without the selectboard spending time to review the proposal. Advocates for the article however, claimed that emergency and medical services are essential.  “I understand and appreciate the concerns expressed regarding municipal appropriations for independent, non-profit entities,” said Ben Fuller, vice-chair of MREMS, in an email to The Campus. “That said, I also believe that the critical, life-saving services we provide put us in a slightly different category than most other non-profits.”  These concerns led to a motion to postpone consideration of the item, an action that Shashok said she hadn’t anticipated. “We had one motion to lay the item on the table, and that’s very rare,” Shashok told The Campus. “I knew what to do, but I had to stop the meeting and double-check my notes just to make sure I had it right.” The motion to table eventually failed, and Article 4 passed with an amendment to limit the increased funding to one year. “I think it was the best solution to support them this one time, and make sure that the selectboard had full authority to vet and include what we feel is appropriate in next year’s budget,” Carpenter told The Campus. Article 2, which allocated $80,000 to the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) for the purchase of new police cruisers, also incited discussion at the meeting. Residents pointed out that funds for vehicle replacement are an annual expenditure, not a one-time purchase. Police Chief Tom Hanley agreed and said during the meeting that he is not sure why the police vehicle allocation has not been added to MPD’s budget. Discussions centered around the high wear and tear on police cars, which can be used for four years before requiring heightened levels of maintenance. In focusing on environmental concerns, the police department replaced one of its cars last year with a hybrid car. Though the cruiser is not yet in service in Middlebury, the department is considering purchasing two more hybrid cruisers this year. Other articles dealt with 2020 tax collection dates and allocation of funds from the Cross Street Reserve Fund for water system improvements. The selectboard's goal is to complete the water system improvements before the state begins a repaving project throughout town.  “Ideally, we would not replace the roads and then dig them up again,” said selectboard member Heather Seeley at the meeting. The meeting ended with discussion of other articles that would appear on the Australian ballot the following day, including Article 9, a proposition that allocates funds to flood resilience projects in East Middlebury. Article 8 proposed allocating $5,000 to the Turning Point Center, a non-profit that provides services to those suffering from substance abuse, and Article 10 proposed using $850,000 to rehabilitate dilapidated buildings near the police station. All articles passed with healthy margins on Tuesday, according to Carpenter. Dave Silberman, attorney and Middlebury resident, spoke multiple times during the meeting. “Democracy only works when people participate in it,” Silberman said.  “I really feel that I’m exercising my civic duty.”  For Vermonters like Silberman, who values democratic participation, and Shashok, who considers herself a “democracy geek,” town meeting presents an opportunity to take advantage of an important tradition.  “I love Vermont’s town meeting,” said Fuller, the vice-chair of MREMS. “It’s an iconic tradition that helps preserve the sense of community in our towns and allows for the most direct and transparent form of democratic government.”

You’ve got (so, so much) mail

The Middlebury Student Mail Center received an award for efficiency in distribution from technology company Neopost in October after delivering over 89,000 packages in the 2018-19 school year. In comparison, Miami University, a public research university with around 24,000 students, received the same efficiency award for colleges and universities with more than 7,000 students. The university, in the 2018–19 school year, received 91,000 packages —  only 2,000 more than Middlebury. To Jacki Galenkamp, mail center supervisor, the award signals what she had already noticed in the mail room. “We’ve been receiving over 1,000 packages a day,” she said last week, adding that the Mail Center processed 99,600 packages in the 2019 calendar year. “We receive staff and faculty packages, but the majority of packages are student [packages].” Galenkamp added that she believes the rurality of the college has everything to do with the abundance of packages. “We don’t have a lot of shopping [in town],” she said. “The options here are more limited than even [those in] Burlington, or those of any college in New Jersey or Connecticut.” In accordance with reporting from fall 2018, Galenkamp said she does not believe that the increased package volume is a result of the online bookstore, alone. “I don’t really see a huge increase [in books] since the college bookstore stopped carrying books and inventory—that’s been a question that’s been posed to us quite a bit,” Galenkamp said.    The months that mark the start of each semester — February and September — are the busiest months in the mailroom, according to data from the Mail Center. Despite this observation, Galenkamp’s claim that the online bookstore is not the only factor in higher delivery rates is substantiated: the data shows a 4,000-package difference between the months of February and September, suggesting that the increase in packages may also be the result of students moving in and returning to campus. Feb. 2019 saw the second-most packages by a narrow margin, the third-busiest month being Oct. 2019. Assuming students have ordered and received their books by the second month of the term, the idea that the online bookstore is solely responsible for the increase in packages seems unlikely. Though the mail center staff is unsure which factors have led to this influx of packages, Galenkamp says that Neopost — the company that presented the Mail Center with the efficiency award — has been key in the expedient nature of the mailroom. The cloud-based system enables package tracking within the College. It emails students an hour after their package is processed in a message that states the package’s type, tracking number and recipient’s name. When processed, this information is logged into the mailroom’s searchable database. This system allows packages to be tracked within the system, provided they have been processed. Before Neopost, Galenkamp said that students received paper slips in their mailboxes upon a package’s arrival. “[The paper slips] were really inefficient because many college students don’t ever even check their mailbox,” she said. “With the electronic system, they get an email as soon as the package is processed.” Galenkamp told The Campus that this processing is something some students still do not understand. She said that many students arrive at the Mail Center as soon as they receive notification from the package’s sender that a package has been delivered. This, she said, causes problems — even with a system as slick as Neopost.  “Frequently, we get students coming down and saying, ‘Amazon said my package is here.’ That’s great, but so are 1100 other [packages],” she said. “If you come down looking for a package before you’ve gotten an email saying it’s been processed, it makes processing come to a screeching halt and it takes longer for you to get your package.” In a mailroom that often processes and delivers over a thousand packages in a single day, Galenkamp said that patience is important. “As soon as it’s processed, you’ll get an email,” she said. Note: Ariadne Will is a mail clerk at the Middlebury College Mail Center.

All schools abroad in Italy canceled due to coronavirus concerns

Middlebury has canceled the three C.V. Starr Schools in Italy for this spring semester due to concerns over the coronavirus COVID-19.  In an email sent to students studying in Florence, Rome and Ferrara on Feb. 29, the college advised students to return to the United States as soon as possible. Each student will have the option to take the semester off and get refunded for the semester’s tuition, or to take online classes taught by professors at Sede Capponi, the Middlebury Center in Florence. The decision was prompted by concerns that students might face more difficulties leaving the country as the virus spreads and governments impose stricter travel travel regulations, according to Assistant Director of International Programs Alessandra Capossela. The CDC raised the Italy travel advisory to “Level 3 — Avoid Non Essential Travel” on Feb. 28. The next day, the U.S. State Department raised the travel advisory level for Lombardy and Veneto, the epicenter of coronavirus in Italy,  to “Level 4 — Do Not Travel.”  In January, President Trump placed strict restrictions on travel to and from China, where the virus originated. The college cancelled its schools in Hangzhou, Kunming and Beijing China that month. Middlebury waited to suspend its programs in Italy even as multiple other universities with programs in Florence told their students to leave the country. Syracuse University announced it was canceling its program on Feb. 24, and both Fairfield University and Elon University followed the next day. On Feb. 24, New York University announced it was evacuating its students and suspending the program until March 29 at the earliest.  “We know that this decision came as a disappointment to many of our students and their families,” Capossela told The Campus. “We did not make this decision lightly, and it was made with the students’ health and wellbeing as our first priority.” A prevailing sense of melancholy hangs over the Middlebury Schools in Italy students, according to Marco Kaper ’21, who was studying in Florence. “A lot of students woke up to the email [on Feb. 29], cried a little bit and then cried a lot. For a lot of people, this is a really big deal,” he said. “They’ve been looking forward to going abroad for a very long time, and that opportunity has been taken away from them.” However, Kaper understands that leaving the country is also a privilege. “We are very privileged to be able to leave right now and ‘escape’ the pandemic as far as going to the U.S. is concerned,” said Kaper.  “I live with a native Italian [roomate], and he’s freaking out right now because he doesn’t really have a home to go to to leave like we do.” Twenty-three students were enrolled in the Middlebury Schools in Italy, including six Middlebury undergraduates, five Middlebury graduate students, and 12 students from other institutions. Most were studying in Florence, with the exception of one student in Rome and one in Ferrara. On Feb. 24, the college closed its school in Ferrara, prompting the student studying there to transfer to the school in Rome. Students were not in Italy long before the cancellation. All arrived in Italy by Feb. 9, and classes at Middlebury’s Sede Capponi Center began on Feb. 18. Some students feel the decision exacerbates overblown fears about contracting the virus.  “The cancellations were very upsetting because none of us were afraid of getting coronavirus,” Eva Ury ’21.5 said. “The virus wasn’t impacting our daily lives in Florence at all. Only the Middlebury program’s fear of us getting the virus and their liability was affecting us.” The Sede Capponi Center is set to begin online classes next week, which they will conduct through a mix of recorded lectures and video chats, according to a campus-wide email. Professors and students will have to surmount the logistical hurdle of differing time zones — Ury, for example, plans to remain in Europe and spend the semester traveling, while other students will return to their homes elsewhere.  The Sede courses are not designed to accommodate students who test into the advanced level of Italian. Those students are normally permitted to take only one class there, and must enroll in two local university courses or one university course and one internship. Those students, should they opt to take the online courses, will have to fit into existing intermediate or graduate level courses, according to Ury. The college told returning students that they will most likely have to submit to health checks upon arriving in the U.S., but will not have to undergo quarantine unless they fail the screenings. But CDC and U.S. State Department guidelines could change in the upcoming days, according to Capossela.  Dean of International Programs Carlos Vélez said that decisions to close further schools will depend on a confluence of several factors, including increases in the number of coronavirus cases in the immediate vicinity of a program’s locations, indications that travel options will become limited, advisories from the Department of State and the CDC and decisions by local university partners. Velez declined to comment on any specific sites that he is considering closing. “Given the spread of the virus we have to actively monitor every site with [the] possibility [of closing them] in mind,” Vélez said. ”Health and safety are our primary concerns.”

College staff brace for summer road closures in town

The Middlebury Bridge and Rail Project, promising a passenger rail from Rutland to Burlington by 2021, will necessitate road closures on Merchants Row and Main Street between May 4 and Aug. 5. The town is currently working with Middlebury College administrators, in conjunction with the College’s 15-member Staff Council (MSC), to mitigate the potential effects of the project on staff commutes this summer.  Stacie Marshall, a member of the Staff Council who works in the Office of Advancement, said staff are most concerned about the increase in traffic the process will cause. Employees are also worried about delays, congestion and increased risk of accidents, according to a survey sent out by the MSC. “Typically, I do need to get over the bridges somehow,” Ryan Clement, a data services librarian at Davis Family Library, told The Campus “[The project] will make me figure out a longer route around depending on the time of day.” “Traffic will be much more congested throughout town with only having one bridge.” said Jennifer Pottinger, a customer services coordinator for facilities services.  At the Staff Council’s Jan. 31 meeting, it presented some written recommendations to the Senior Leadership Group (SLG), President Laurie Patton’s advisory council. These recommendations included providing options to work remotely, as well as shared office spaces north and south of town. Employees also proposed incentives for biking or walking to work, encouraging staff to use the bus or providing a shuttle for places south of town. It is uncertain as to when the Staff Council will hear back from the SLG regarding these suggestions. “I go across the Cross Street Bridge,” said Erin Goodrich, associate administrator of student life. “I assume that traffic will be very backed up.” Merchants Row will be closed to traffic starting on May 4, with Main Street closures following on May 27. At that time, workers will begin replacing the two bridges with a tunnel and expanding Triangle Park. There will be no construction over Memorial Day Weekend. In addition, Franklin Street, which runs from Davis Library to The Mill, will become one-way starting May 1 so that the town can add more parking spots within close walking distance of downtown. “Parking is already hard if you don’t know where it is, ‘’ Clement said.  Both roads will reopen by Aug. 5, restoring all downtown parking. Jim Gish, the community liaison for Bridge and Rail Project, predicts that the worst congestion will be during the first five to six weeks of construction due to extensive construction traffic in addition to the road closures.  “Middlebury and the Agency of Transportation have planned extensively for the downtown detour,” Gish said. “We will also be relying on the patience and good humor of the motorists who will have to contend with this temporary disruption.”  Some staff members are not concerned about the traffic changes. “I don’t have concerns for my own commute, because I live close to town,” said Carolyn Dahm, administrative coordinator for International Student and Scholar Services, who uses the bridges in her commute.  “I remember when the project started, they were building the temporary bridges,” said Clement, “and the impact was not as much as I’ve worried it will be.”  Throughout this spring, construction will entail installing timber lagging under and around the Main Street bridge, while sheet piles, used to stabilize railway lines, are installed near Seymour Street.  Jess Crossman, who works in Atwater Dining Hall, said she foresees an effect on local commerce. “I can definitely see it affecting small businesses,” said Crossman, who also works at Cafe Provence in Brandon. She said that an ongoing construction project in Brandon completed in summer 2019 had a negative effect on business at the cafe.  Still, Crossman echoed the sentiment reported by many local Middlebury business owners in The Campus this October. “I think the end result is pretty great,” she said, “if you can suffer through it.”  Road closures will coincide with the beginning of Middlebury language schools and Middlebury Reunion 2020, but Gish emphasizes that all stores will still be accessible. “All sidewalks will be open,” she said, “and Middlebury’s stores and restaurants will need their business.”  “I think if people really want to go somewhere,” said Dahm, “they will go somewhere.”

Election Day

  Monday, March 2, 7:00 p.m. At last night's Town Meeting, residents discussed and debated on a variety of issues, including water system transmission and distribution improvements, flood resiliency measures and funding for police and EMS. Voters will vote on these issues in today's Australian Ballot.  

Women's squash sneaks past NESCAC rivals

Women’s squash made the trek down to Yale this weekend to battle it out in the College Squash Association National Championships. Middlebury went 1–2 for the weekend, facing some of the top ranked teams in the nation. First up on Friday, Feb. 21, the Panthers were tested by #10 University of Virginia (UVA) for the second time this season. While the match didn’t go their way, Virginia Schaus ’22, Natasha Lowitt ’20, and Caroline Arena ’23 were each able to snag a game from their second-seeded opponents. The following day, Middlebury geared up to face #14 George Washington University (GW) in the semifinals. Having been edged out by the Colonials 6–3 in January, the Panthers tried to close the gaps that GW had capitalized on to nab the win. It was a nail-biting fight that came down to the very last match at the sixth spot after the Panthers knotted the match at 4–4. However, the Panthers run would be stopped as a Colonial came from behind to steal the win. “We fought well against UVA,” Lowitt said. “It really set us up well to take on George Washington. The match against GW was 4–4 and unfortunately, we lost the last match, but we were really proud of how everyone played. It was really exciting that we almost beat GW since we lost 6-3 earlier in the season.” Sunday, Feb. 22, was a NESCAC showdown, with the winnter grabbing the No. 15 final national ranking. The Panthers had some trouble with Bates during the regular season when they ultimately fell 6–3. But after a weekend of tough competition, Middlebury was up for the task. The women quickly picked up the first four matches as the Bobcats remained silent. The Bobcats narrowed the gap by two before the Panthers responded once more with back-to-back-to-back wins in the first and seventh slots. Annie Glassie ’20 showed her experience as a veteran when she closed out the contest in her position without dropping a game. “Beating Bates to end the season was really special because they have been such a rival all of my four years,” Lowitt said. “Our team’s love of the game and love for each other really showed this weekend.” 

Men’s hockey rejuvenated after 2–0 weekend

The men’s hockey team won both of their home games this past weekend, defeating Amherst and Hamilton in the final two regular season games of the year. With these two victories, the Panthers (10–11–3, 8–7–3) snatched the No. 4 seed in the NESCAC tournament, earning home court advantage in the quarterfinals this weekend.  The past week’s action kicked off on Friday, Feb. 24, when Amhest came to town for the first time of the season. The last time the two teams played, the Panthers narrowly edged out the Mammoths, 3–2. Men’s puck started off the game strong, gaining a 1–0 lead just 2 minutes into the first period. The goal was a career first for Paddy Mangan ’23, whose shot deftly evaded defenders. In the subsequent stanza, the Mammoths tied things up at 1–1, setting the stage for an intense third period. Neither team disappointed. Halfway through the third, Matt Danner ’21 snatched a loose puck out of the air and fed a pass to Mitchell Allen ’20, who beat a defender and skillfully tucked away a shot, giving the Panthers the 2–1 lead. Roughly five minutes later, however, the Mammoths responded, tying the game up at 2–2. The tie lifted the game into overtime, which only lasted a mere 23 seconds; after Antoine Belisle ’23 saw his shot saved by Amherst’s goalie, captain Owen Powers ’20 slid and knocked in the rebound, sending the Panthers into a celebration huddle.  The following day, the Panthers hosted the Hamilton Continentals, who entered the game having won six out of their last seven matches. Despite being outshot (29 to 20), the Panthers managed to tuck away a season-high six goals against the Continentals, while finding a way to maintain a clean sheet, credit to netminder Brian Ketchabaw ’20. The Panthers scored in clumps, netting three goals in the opening eight minutes and two goals in the final half of the third period. Powers was among the goalscorers for the Panthers, who ends the regular season with 22 points, the highest of any Panther.  The NESCAC tournament is slated to begin on Saturday, Feb. 29, when the fourth-seeded Panthers will host the fifth-seeded Wesleyan Cardinals. The Panthers are 1–1 against the Cardinals this season; despite falling 3–1 at home in January, they earned revenge in early February, edging the Cardinals, 4–1. Game time is set for 4 p.m.  

Departments unite in new Center for the Humanities

Founded in the long shadow of the 2008 economic crisis and the anxieties surrounding employment which ensued, humanities programs across the country continue to seek ways to fight declining enrollments. The college’s new Center for the Humanities, housed in the Axinn Center, focuses on promoting cohesion, collaboration and scholarship between departments and other New England institutions. While the Center involves no new physical facilities, its leadership promises new approaches to teaching and cross-campus projects that will connect the myriad of humanities departments already at the college. The Center is the product of a decade of conversations. According to Marion Wells, the Center’s co-director and a professor of English and American Literatures, the process began in 2010 when James Davis, a professor of Religion, called together a group of humanities faculty. Their informal meetings eventually produced the Humanities Steering Committee in 2011. The creation of the Center was motivated by the recognition that the humanities had taken “a backseat” at the college and its peer institutions since 2008. The Campus wrote about the state of humanities this October in an editorial, which highlighted the fallacy of many assumptions surrounding humanities majors – including, but not limited to, their perceived low salaries and poor employability. The editorial cited data from the Center for Careers and Internships, which showed that “arts and communication formed the largest employer for the Middlebury Class of 2018, while financial services came in second.”  The unemployment rates of 25–29-year-olds with Bachelor’s degrees in English and STEM fields were approximately the same, at 3.4 and 3.3% respectively, a 2019 report by the National Center for Education Statistics found. Similarly, the unemployment rates of Economics and Fine Arts majors both hovered around 4%.  Faculty members felt a growing need for a more concrete vision of the humanities at the college, according to the center’s co-directors Wells and Febe Armanios, professor of History. In the early stages of the process, they consulted humanities directors from Colby, Dartmouth and Yale, who provided data and inspired the creation of their collaborative co-directorship. A similar collaborative leadership model is reportedly used at Franklin and Marshall College. Though Wells and Armanios assumed their positions in September 2019, the center has deliberately kept a low profile so as to focus on building a robust foundation.  “When we brought in these colleagues from Colby and Dartmouth and Yale, we were told, ‘Take your time in this initial building period, take your time getting things set up and get them set up in the right way, make sure you have the support of faculty,’” Armanios said. “It’s a consultative process.” As part of this, the center appointed two humanities student fellows, Laura Friedrich ’20.5 and Molly Burnett ’22. Burnett was actively involved in helping build the center’s new website, which launched in early February. One of the center’s main objectives is to establish the Axinn Center as the formal location of the humanities on campus, similar to the relationship of the sciences to Bicentennial Hall, or the arts and Mahaney Center. [pullquote speaker="Molly Burnett '22" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Having a central home will increase the visibility of humanities on campus.[/pullquote] “When it was originally opened as a building, [Axinn] was more or less envisioned to be a place of gathering and coalescing over the humanities on campus, but it didn’t end up quite formalizing as such,” Armanios said. The co-directors hope that this formal locus can promote cohesion and collaboration in humanities curricula and among the faculty teaching them. Burnett echoed Armanios’ views, and added that having a central home will increase the visibility of humanities on campus.  “In a sense [the identity] isn’t there,” Wells said. “People would say ‘I do humanistic work,’ but whether they see themselves as belonging to a community of humanists on campus is a really different question up until this point.” This sentiment persists in spite of the vast network of resources the college has invested in the humanities, including the over 40 Middlebury C.V. Schools Abroad, the New England Review, the CMRS-Oxford program and the Bread Loaf School of English. “There’s a lot of talk about those individual entities, but not about how they’re all the humanities,” Wells said.  Plans for the center include “Public Humanities courses,” which would connect the college’s humanities program to the Middlebury community. Public Humanities classes, which are reportedly standard practice at the college’s peer institutions, would include a “Humanities lab” that encompasses subjects such as manuscript workshops and paleography, which Wells and Armanios say the college has not been able to offer before. A grant proposal for the project has already been written, according to Wells.  The planners hope this collaboration could involve other colleges. Wells says that the center has sought to connect with other humanities centers in Vermont, and have received permission to join the New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC) with institutions including Amherst, Colby, Smith, Brown and the University of Connecticut. This membership gives the center access to new grant money available within the consortium.  Without a steady increase of new students majoring in the humanities, Wells expressed concern that some humanities departments may become so-called “service departments” – departments whose courses students only enroll in to fulfill distribution requirements. This in turn would negatively affect humanities departments’ ability to get new tenure-track positions. Without the influx of young professors and new ideas, departments also risk looking dated and unattractive in the eyes of students. A vicious cycle forms.   “We need to show how absolutely central the core humanities skills and concerns are to creating responsible, ethical and vibrant lives after graduation,” the co-directors said in an email to The Campus.  The center’s inaugural event, writer Emily Bernard’s lecture titled “Black is the Body: Writing about Race in America,” will take place in Wilson Hall on Thursday, March 5. Bernard is a Professor of English at the University of Vermont and the author of several titles, including “Some of My Best Friends: Writings on Interracial Friendships.”

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Let’s not sit this one out

It is a widely-held belief that the measure of a democracy is its ability to ensure free and fair elections for its people. For Americans, our ability to continue to deliver on this promise relies on our participation in the electoral process. As a country, we’ve struggled; in the past five presidential election cycles, voter participation across the country has consistently been in the mid-50s. Part of MiddVote’s job the last few years has been to reflect on our own progress. As a college community, how have we done?  In the past two general midterm elections, our participation rate has seen sporadic change. In 2014, we fared notoriously poorly, with only 15% of Middlebury College students (including MIIS enrollees) voting. 2018 showed marked turnaround for a midterm election cycle, with 51% of all eligible students voting — a 36% increase in turnout. How can we sustain this momentum in elections to come, even in primary elections with seemingly less importance?  For one, we can create a culture of voting. Repeatedly, studies have demonstrated that individuals are more likely to vote when their peers talk about the news and encourage voting. If communities are the springboards for getting people to vote, then it’s hard to imagine a place that could  offer more lift to civic engagement than a college campus. As a college, we should normalize the very act of voting. Registering to vote shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should appear on syllabi. Requesting an absentee ballot shouldn’t be a chore; it should be easy and accessible, understandable and encouraged.   We are inviting our peers to think about how they will be civically minded this semester. For many of us, our first opportunity to vote this year comes on Tuesday, March 3. Any Middlebury student can be considered a resident of Vermont and is eligible to vote between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Middlebury Recreation Center, at 154 Creek Rd. Vermont state law allows any individual to register on election day, at the polls, should they not be registered beforehand. Those unable to make it to the polls on election day may request absentee ballots in-person at the Middlebury Town Clerk’s office up until Friday, February 28 at 4:00pm.  For students who may wish to vote in their home states, MiddVote has sent out state-specific, detailed memoranda on how to register and request an absentee ballot, with specific attention to states’ varying deadlines. We hope this dispels confusion surrounding the process, which differs widely across all 50 states and territories.   We can do even more than voting, too. Middlebury holds its town meeting on Monday, March 2at 7:00 p.m. Town Meeting is a historic, unique annual opportunity for Vermonters to commune and consider issues of local governance. Residents can heartily discuss the issues at hand before voting the following day. Town Meeting reinforces the centrality of the role communities play in self-governance. MiddVote is also sponsoring Trivia Night on Thursday, March 5 to engage our college community in newfound, exciting civic education programming.  We hope that Middlebury students won’t lose sight of the important role we play in our democracy: engaged citizens. For some, voting isn’t an option; for others, it’s an infrequent and cumbersome choice. As a community, we can do everything we can to engage everybody in our democratic processes. Let’s not sit this election out. Zeke Hodkin is a member of the class of 2021 and the President of MiddVote.