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Women’s Squash Defeated at CSA Championships

Following a third-place finish at NESCACs earlier this month, the 15th-ranked Middlebury women’s squash team headed to the CSA Team Championships this past weekend in hopes to win the Kurtz Cup. The three-day national team championships were hosted by Trinity in the Kellner Squash Center.  Middlebury entered their bracket as a huge underdog as they had to compete in the B Draw against teams ranked nationally 9th-16th. The tough weekend began when they faced 10th-ranked Virginia in the quarterfinals, who the Panthers lost to 9-0 earlier this season. The Panthers did not manage to claim a single point, falling 9-0 again. However, Alexa Comai ’19 fought back from a two-game deficit, bringing her match at No.3 to a decisive fifth game, while Natalie Madden ’21 managed to claim a game at No.5.  While the Panthers fell to Virginia, their morale and competitive spirit remained high. In the consolation semifinals, they had the opportunity to come out on top against 14th ranked George Washington. During regular season, the Panthers narrowly missed the win in a 5-4 heartbreaking loss, in which all the matches were competitive and tight. The tide changed when Middlebury fought tooth and nail at the CSA Team Championships, defeating the Colonials in a crushing 6-3 win.  Very quickly, the Panthers secured the win by claiming the first five matches. Mira Chugh ’20 won by default at No. 9, while Natasha Lowitt ’20 doubled the Panther’s edge with a three-game victory one spot above over Anna Moscovici (11-4, 11-5, 11-6). At No.6, Anne Glassie ’20 scratched her way back from a two-game deficit to tally another point for the Panthers (5-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-7). Comai showed the same spirit in her five-game triumph against Emma Tyron in the third position with a score of 4-11, 6-11, 11-5, 1--6, 11-8. For the match-clinching fifth match, first-year Gwen Davis secured this decisive point via a three-game sweep at No.7 (11-8, 11-3, 11-8).  The Panthers moved on to play Williams, vying for 13th/14th place spot in the national rankings. Unfortunately, they fell by a score of 7-2 on Sunday. The match took place at Wesleyan’s Rosenbaum Squash Center and marked the third time this season the two teams have had to play. In the first encounter, the Panthers were victorious at home with a 6-3 win. In the NESCAC Semifinals, they were not as fortunate and fell 6-3.  In a grueling and mentally tough atmosphere, Middlebury unfortunately lost 7-2. The Panthers claimed their first point when Beatrijs Kuijpers ’19 won and Davis followed close behind with a five game triumph at No.7 against Kathryn Wright (9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 10-12, 11-9). Many other matches, though did not post a win, were extremely close. At No. 2, Ideal Dowling, a first year with an outstanding first season, fell in a tough four-game match. Virginia Schaus ’21 and Chugh followed similar fates.  Reflecting on the tournament and her final season, co-captain Comai states, “This season obviously had its high and low points. I felt that overall the team really came together both on and off the courts.” Coach Lewis agrees. “In the match against George Washington, we put in a really strong performance. Overall the season was good.  Every team member had some wins and in their losses hopefully walked away with some valuable takeaways.” Contributing factors to a solid season for the Panthers boiled down to great leadership and  strong performances from the underclassmen.  “We had a lot of great first years and sophomores who had an enormously positive contribution to the team and I am excited to see how they can help us to be even better next year,” Comai said.  “This year we had amazing leadership under our captain, as well as the rest of the senior class. We feel super grateful for everything that they have done for us and will miss them dearly,” Dowling said. The women’s squash team is officially finished with their season, except for a select few competing in the Individual CSA Championship in Providence, Rhode Island Feb. 28-March 2. The tournament will be hosted by Brown and the Moses Brown School.  After a grueling and competitive season, the Panthers undoubtedly deserve a break but are also looking forward to continue training hard, preparing for the next season.  “I think after a little break, we want to try to do a lot of match play and captains’ practices this spring to keep our skill and fitness level high. We also want to try to incorporate a lot of mental fitness training this spring and fall in order to allow each of us to be in our best competitive headspace come season,” Comai said.

Track Picks up First in Middlebury Team Challenge

The Middlebury Panthers hosted the Middlebury Team Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 16, where they once again displayed their prowess against tough competition. The women’s squad was able to win first place in a field of five teams, where they had a total of 200 points.  In the 600-meter run, the Panthers were able to get the top two spots.  Lucy Lang ’19 came in first with a time of 1:38.36, while Ava O’Mara ’21 came in second with a time of 1:38.92.   “This was my first 600m of the season, and I went into the race with the goal of running a good time to place me well at New England DIIIs,” said O’Mara, when asked about her performance. “I think the team performed well as a whole. Our depth as a team in all events is very evident.” For the 800-meter run, Cassie Kearney ’22 came in first place, Emily Bulczynski ’22 came in second, and Meg Wilson ’20 came in third. Their times were 2:17.97, 2:20.95 and 2:21.20, respectively.  Also, the Middlebury “A” team won the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:04.68.  This team was comprised of Kearney, Bulczynski, Katelyn Pease ’22, and Nicole Johnson ’22.  Kreager Taber ’19 was able to get first in the pole vault event with a vault of 3.35 meters.  Other important finishers at the meet were Tasha Greene ’21, Abigail Nadler ’19, Katie Glew ’21, Rory Kelly ’19, Alex Cook ’20, and Helene Rowland ’20. Rowland has been a consistent top finisher so far in the shot put event.  Rowland said, “Especially this season, I’ve been trying to work on being more explosive, which means working on speed and strength.  For me, this extends beyond throwing and into my general fitness. This has really improved my mindset when throwing because I feel like I’m preparing myself as best I can. That being said, I have a lot of room to improve on technique!” The men were able to get first place with a score of 237 points while facing three other teams.  In the 60-meter dash, Conor Banky ’19 captured first place with a time of 7.12, while Nick Hendrix ’20 got second with a time of 7.16.  In the 200-meter dash, Hendrix won first place with 22.37, while Jimmy Martinez ’19 came in behind him with a time of 22.39.  Martinez also won first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.87.  Jon Perlman came in first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.53, while Theo Henderson ’20 came in first place in the one-mile run. Harrison Knowlton ’19 came in first in the 500-meter run.          The Middlebury “C” team was comprised of Michael Wasserstein ’21, Graham Rainsby ’21, Thomas Tarantino ’21, and Nate Evans ’20.  They were able to capture first in the 4X400-meter relay.  The men also had an impressive outing in the pole vault event, as they captured the top four spots.  John Natalone ’19 came in first with a vault of 4.45 meters.  Nate Albers ’20, Will Behm ’22, and Robert Cassidy ’19 got second, third, and fourth place, respectively.  Other important finishers at the meet included Jack Litowitz ’20, Jonathan Fisher ’20, Dylan Mortimer ’19, Nathaniel Klein ’21, and Minhaj Rahman ’19.    When asked about his performance, Litowitz said, “I was pretty happy with my race yesterday overall. It was a small personal best by about two seconds, and I was able to beat some Amherst runners in the process as well. It was definitely my best performance of the indoor season thus far.” The team will be competing in the Division III New England Championships on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23.  The women will be at Bowdoin, while the men will be at MIT.     “As far as preparation goes for DIIIs, I think the team will focus on ‘quality over quantity,’ bringing down the mileage and resting up more this week while also focusing on getting comfortable at race pace and working on top-end speed,” said Litowitz.  “We will also have a few pre-race meetings with both the coaches and the captains to get us pumped up and excited for the weekend. Our captains this year have been especially good at generating a lot of energy across the team, so I would expect a pep talk from them for sure.”  “This next weekend is looking to be really competitive with many talented athletes from around New England,” said Klein. “Our senior captain Minhaj Rahman wrote a new team pump-up speech and cheer, so hopefully we can feed off of that energy and bring the noise this weekend. We’ve been training hard all winter, and this is the weekend to go all out.”

Poet and Painter: Connections Between Chopin and Debussy

The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) once glumly wrote to a friend, “It is dreadful when something weighs on your mind, not to have a soul to unburden yourself to. You know what I mean. I tell my piano the things I used to tell you.” Such emotional power was put on full display on Sunday, Feb. 17, when Natasha Koval Paden, an Affiliate Artist with the Music Department of Middlebury College, hosted a piano recital in Robinson Hall at the Mahaney Arts Center. The free concert, “Connections: A Musical Journey With Debussy and Chopin,” had an audience of about 60 attendees, including locals and college students. The concert was comprised of two halves, one for each of the eponymous composers. The half devoted to the music of Frédéric Chopin was spectacularly Romantic with rich melodies and unbridled zeal. Paden then swept the audience into a forty-minute daydream with the concert’s enchanting Debussy portion. “My favorite pieces were spread throughout,” Jonah Edelman ’20.5 said. “(The music) made me want to let my mind wonder and imagine something different than the typical monotony of Sunday studying.” Assistant Professor of History Rebecca Mitchell, whose research explores musical metaphysics, illuminated the connections between the two composers.  “Many of the musical textures that Debussy explores develop out of Chopin’s compositional style,” Mitchell said. “Chopin was a master of piano composition and helped to develop the full range of its expressive possibilities, something that Debussy continues to explore in his preludes for piano.” Paden began the Chopin segment with the Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23. Composed in 1831, Ballade No. 1 is often considered a masterpiece, rivaled perhaps only by Chopin’s Ballade No. 4 in F Minor.   Ballade No. 1 in G Minor is not for the timid. Paden delicately controlled the Ballade, accentuating the gloomy countermelodies in the opening “heartbeat” sections. Her controlled pace allowed the music to breathe. In the viruostic last sections of the Ballade, however, Paden shined with pyrotechnic glee.  Her fingers zinged across the keyboard and lashed out the final, jaw-droppingly tricky coda of the piece. There are videos on Youtube of even Vladimir Horowitz, one of the greatest pianists of all time, struggling a little with the Ballade’s final bars. Paden held her own and conquered this pianistic Mount Kilimanjaro. Paden next played Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66. The pianist played the composition’s first and last sections with gusto, using soft dynamics to highlight the tenderness of the song’s middle.   Fantasie-Impromptu is a dark and rebellious piece. Mitchell commented on the revolutionary aura of Chopin’s music: “Chopin left Warsaw just before the November Uprising of 1830 in which Polish nationalists tried to regain independence from the Russian Tsar. He never returned to Poland, but remained close to other Polish emigres. He glorified Polish nationalism in his compositions for piano.” The crowd heard Chopin’s exiled loneliness at the end of the concert’s first half; the final chords died softly. The music of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is an enigma of otherworldly grace and polish.  Paden expressed the strangeness of Debussy through subtle dynamic shifts and delicate color choices.  She first played three preludes: “Bruyéres” (“Heather”), “Ondine” (“Mermaid”) and “Feux d’Artifice” (“Fireworks”). “Heather” offered a calm look at the titular flowers. Paden demonstrated a careful pith in coloring the musical landscape, offering fresh purples and exciting blues through each chord she played.   If the first prelude was a pleasant detour into the French countryside, “Mermaid” was a splashy thrill-ride through Les Champs-Élysées. Paden nailed the work, cranking out Art Tatum-esque glescendos that rollicked up and down the Steinway D-274 in Robison Hall.   The 2.74 meters-wide instrument is worth noting. The massive Steinway’s unrivaled power worked perfectly with these preludes: a listener first heard a Debussy arpeggio then its pedaled echoes, then a mixing lilt from the piano’s soundboard that floated through the hall like a ghost. The audience began to see why Debussy is often called an Impressionist in the vein of Monet. Paden melted and changed the sonic landscapes of these preludes, questioning the very form of classical music itself. The last prelude, “Fireworks,” if not a literal showstopper, certainly earned its explosive title. The pianist highlighted Debussy’s influence of Japonisme through her speedy rendering of the pentatonic scale in the her final prelude.   Paden finished the evening with Debussy’s “L’isle joyeuse” (“The Isle of Joy”). Debussy might have found this piece joyful, but it is first and foremost spectacularly weird. Abrupt shifts of time and tone abound. The sensation of listening to the piece is like reading Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness:” mysterious and draining, but often fun. “The Isle of Joy” ended with Paden crashing a tsunami of chords onto the archipelagos of the piece’s beginning, rejecting any sense of structure that the Chopin half tried to make. On the performance as a whole, Paden’s interpretation of Debussy and Chopin highlighted the two composers’ similarities in color and technique, but also their stark differences — Chopin’s restlessness, Debussy’s obliqueness. A proverb of classical music goes, “Bach is God’s word; Mozart, God’s laughter; Beethoven, God’s fire.” Mitchell expanded this analogy: “I think that you could add that Chopin is God’s poet and Debussy is God’s painter.”

Women’s Swimming & Diving Competes at NESCACs

The women’s swimming and diving team competed at Wesleyan in the 2019 NESCAC Championship from Thursday to Sunday, Feb. 14 to 17, where they placed eighth. Williams took the winning title for the sixth consecutive year, scoring 1,873 total points. Finishing second was Tufts with 1,439.5 points, followed by Amherst (1,322 points). The Panthers amassed 730 points, many of which came from Frances VanderMeer ’20.  VanderMeer claimed gold by .04 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, sprinting to a victorious time of 23.55. Last winter, she was runner-up with a school-record-breaking performance. VanderMeer made the NCAA “B” standard for the second year in a row. She also earned All-NESCAC honors in the 50 backstroke, where she placed third and narrowly missed the school record.  The Panther relay teams acquired solid scores on Thursday and Friday. The 800-yard freestyle quartet of Kristin Karpowicz ’19, Audrey Hsi ’22, Angela Riggins ’19, and Grace Stimson ’19 secured eighth (7.43.32). Also scoring eighth was the 200 free relay of VanderMeer, Maddie McKean ’22, Stimson, and Erin Kelly ’21 (1:36.84), in addition to the 400-yard medley relay of VanderMeer, Kelly, McKean, and Hsi (3:57.83).  Notable individual performances included Hannah Wander ’22, who took 10th in the 50-yard breaststroke (30.82), and Karpowicz, who claimed seventh in the 500-yard free (5:01.47).  The Panthers continued their feats on Saturday, showing strong efforts in many of the individual events. The 200-yard medley relay team of Hsi, VanderMeer, Kelly, and McKean finished eighth in 1:46.7. Wander also took eighth in the 100 breastroke (1:07.1), stopping the clock just before Kelly, who swam to 13th in 1:07.83. In the 1,000 freestyle, Riggins touched the wall 10th (10:28.51). Karpowicz scored 11th in the 200 free (1:53.22), while Sarah McEachern ’21 swam the 400 individual medley in 4:42.38, earning 16th.  Ending her individual events on a high note, VanderMeer scored third in the 100 free, achieving another NCAA “B” cut mark with a time of 51.46. Runner-up in 2018, she made All-NESCAC honors for the second time in this event. Indicative of her impressive season as a whole, VanderMeer’s performance provided the Panthers with momentum heading into the rest of Sunday.  Riggins took 13th in the 1,650 freestyle, completing the 66 laps in 17:38.01. In the 200 breastroke final, Hannah Wander and Kelly took 11th (2:26.74) and 12th (2:26.88), respectively.  On the diving boards, Olivia Rieur claimed ninth in both the one- and three-meter events, accumulating 343.85 points. Following closely behind in 10th place was Mary Cate Carroll ’21, scoring 335.15 points.  Closing out the final day of competition, the 400 freestyle relay quartet of VanderMeer, Stimson, Hsi, and Karpowicz finished eighth in 3:30.74.  Overall, the Panthers uncapped the majority of their potential in this year’s NESCAC Championship, conquering record-breaking times, attaining personal successes, and winning several individual titles. This weekend, Feb. 22–24, the men’s team host their half of NESCACs in the Natatorium.

Men’s Hockey Falls to Amherst

Men’s hockey finished up its regular season with a tough 4-1 loss at Amherst this past Saturday, Feb. 16. Just the day before, the Panthers went into overtime away at Hamilton to end up with a tie at three-all. Though this weekend marks a discouraging end to the regular season, what’s in the past is in the past as the Panthers gear up for a postseason surge. The NESCAC quarterfinals, which will be held next Saturday, Feb. 23, brings a new beginning and a fresh chance for the Panthers to show their stuff. Middlebury will begin its run for a conference title on the road against Wesleyan.  “The playoffs [are] a new season. The regular-season history has no real implications now that we are in the playoffs. We have been playing really good hockey and are peaking at the right time, ” said captain Jimmy McKee ’19. However in preparing for the big game, the Panthers are looking to not repeat the same mistakes made earlier this season, as the past two times Middlebury faced Wesleyan both ended in losses. “The first two games against Wesleyan did not go the way we wanted. A couple tough bounces did not go the way we wanted,” acknowledged McKee. “Like I said, we are playing good hockey, and I hope that they underestimate our ability. We will be ready to come out and play on Saturday afternoon.” Wesleyan also holds a 15-7-2 record while Middlebury stands at 8-12-4, thus getting a home advantage. Although it’s possible this could impact Middlebury’s play, the team has been more or less equally consistent both home and away, with a difference of only one more win at home. Growth throughout the course of the season is also in the Panther’s favor. The squad “[has] made significant improvements because of their efforts with training and building team chemistry last spring, in the fall, and throughout the season,” recognized coach Neil Sinclair. “We are looking forward to playing Wesleyan in the playoffs.” Wesleyan may have the record, but Middlebury has the drive to stay alive in this competition.

Women’s Squash Captures Third Place in NESCAC

Following a third-place finish at NESCACs earlier this month, the women’s squash team finally had a weekend off after a long and well-fought three-day tournament hosted by Trinity. The Panthers, entering the tournament as the third seed, clinched out a 5-4 win over Bates in the first round. In the semifinals, Middlebury fell to Williams in a tough 6-3 loss but proceeded to blank Amherst 9-0 in the third-place playoff. The 14th-ranked Panthers look forward to the CSA Team Championships this February 22-24 at Trinity, hoping for a shot at winning the Kurtz Cup.  In their first victory over sixth-seeded Bates, the Panthers posted a narrow victory of 5-4. In the quarterfinal, Bates started with a 1-0 lead, but the Panthers followed close behind and rattled off three wins for a 3-1 advantage. Mira Chugh ’20 defeated Katie Bull at No. 9 (11-6, 13-15, 11-2, 11-7), while Alexa Comai ’19 won in the third spot (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10) and Natasha Lowitt ’20 was victorious against Molly Brooks at No. 8 (12-10, 11-6, 11-1). The Bobcats leveled the playing field at 3-3 with five-game triumphs at No. 5 and No. 2. In the seventh position, Gwen Davis ’22 made it 4-3 with a three-game win over  Natalie Bachman (11-5, 11-5, 11-5). Virginia Schaus ’21 clinched the match with a three-game victory at No. 4 against Katie Manternach (11-5, 11-3, 11-0). Against the Ephs (14-9) in the semifinals, Williams moved out to a 2-0 advantage with victories at No. 3 and No. 6. Chugh ’20 made the score 2-1 with an impressive 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 win over Adrienne Conza in the ninth slot. The Ephs regained their two-point advantage with a three-game victory at No. 2. Lowitt improved to 2-0 for the day, outlasting Alex Pear in five games at No. 8 (9-11, 15-13, 5-11, 11-5, 11-4). Williams clinched the match behind a five-game victory in the middle of the ladder, followed by a four-game triumph in the top spot. Davis tallied the third point for the Panthers, earning a five-game win at No. 7 against Kathryn Wright (8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2). The Ephs recorded the last point, a five-game victory at No. 4, for the final 6-3 score. In their sweep over the Mammoths, the Panthers only gave up five games for their 9-0 victory. Chugh tallied the first point with a win at No. 9, followed by Anne Glassie ’20 at No. 6, Comai at No.3, and Ideal Dowling ’22 at No. 2. For the match-clinching fifth point, Natasha Lowitt fought for an 11-3, 3-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 victory against Margaret Werner in the eight position.  With this past weekend to recover from a long and strenuous NESCAC tournament, the women’s squash team will head into the CSA Team Championships fresh and ready to go. 

Men’s Squash Triumphs

The Middlebury men’s squash team concluded the CSA Team Championships Summers Cup with a 5-4 triumph over 17th-ranked Williams to claim third place in their bracket. To start the match off, freshman Teddy Best won a point for the Panthers at No. 6 in a swift three games and junior captain William Cembalest won another at No. 3 in four games. After Williams took a point to make the score 2-1, junior Jacob Ellen advanced the score to 3-1 in a three-game win at No. 2. With the score at 3-3 after two more points went to the Ephs, the Panthers responded with a win by first-year Justin Ghaeli at No. 1 and a match clinching three-game victory by junior John Epley at No. 7.  This match marked the third time the Panthers faced the Ephs this season. The Middlebury squad embraced the challenge with open arms, eager for redemption after the Ephs won the previous encounter by a 4-5 margin during the NESCAC semifinals. Epley commented, “It feels great to finish the season with a winning record against Williams. We view them as perhaps our biggest rivals and always enjoy beating them. This win will give us confidence going into next year, as we aren’t losing any seniors”. Prior to Williams, the Panthers faced 23rd-ranked Bowdoin in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, sending the Polar Bears home with a blistering 9-0 defeat. Returning the following day for their semifinals match, the squad slipped to 19th -ranked Brown by a 6-3 margin. Alex Merrill ’21 scored one point for Middlebury at No. 9 in a four-game victory, and the other two Panthers points were won by Nick Bermingham at No. 5 and John Epley at No. 7, both in five sets.  A select few will return to the courts from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Saturday, March 2 to compete at the CSA Individual Championships hosted by Brown University and Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.

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Divestment Makes Us Proud

On Jan. 29, Middlebury announced it will begin divesting from fossil fuels over a fifteen year period through the Energy2028 initiative. As a board of students, we are excited and incredibly proud of the collaborative work between student activists, Middlebury administrators, staff, faculty and the Board of Trustees, who unanimously agreed to the proposal. We share in our community’s excitement that our institution is living up to its reputation as an environmental leader.  Student activism surrounding divestment has persisted through multiple presidents and has been passed down through generations of students. A 2012 article written by Scholar in Residence Bill McKibben for Rolling Stone brought the issue into public focus. In 2013, however, the Board of Trustees voted against divestment. But student activists persisted.  We are grateful to the students of the Sunday Night Environmental Group (SNEG) who continued to push for divestment, often writing in our Opinion pages. We applaud the trustees for being willing to rethink their initial stance on divestment, and we hope that other institutions who are disinclined to divest take note that change is possible. Divestment is a complex issue, but this agreement shows that when everyone works together we can find solutions. We were pleasantly surprised to see that Energy2028 encompasses goals larger than divestment of the 4 percent of our $1.124 billion endowment directly invested in fossil fuels. It promises to transition to 100 percent renewable energies by 2028, to reduce consumption on campus, and to expand environmental educational opportunities. While we know that this plan won’t completely eliminate the school’s indirect investments in fossil fuel companies if they are included in general equity funds, we are still pleased that Middlebury is using a broader definition than most for what constitutes a fossil fuel company in its direct investments.  We are proud of all that Middlebury has promised and recognized that there is a lot of work to be done to ensure that all of these promises come to pass. We hope that students continue to be climate activists and pass down the knowledge and importance of this agreement to the next generation of students.  As a paper, we will continue to support student activists in holding Middlebury accountable. Through continued reporting on the history of divestment and on Energy2028 as it unfolds, we want to do our part in giving this initiative its best chance of succeeding by staying invested in its progress. We hope students will continue to write opinion pieces about their activist work.  Those who are skeptical of this announcement have every right to be. Some student activists were dismayed in 2016, when Middlebury reached carbon neutrality only by purchasing carbon offsets from its Bread Loaf campus. But we hope that Energy2028 is the next step of a truly more progressive Middlebury in all realms. We hope the college will continue to practice transparency, detailing how exactly the goals of Energy2028 will be met, and continue soliciting student opinion.  We are grateful for the leadership of Laurie Patton and the Middlebury students, professors, community members and administrators who helped make divestment a reality. We are excited to traverse this new frontier and see how Energy2028 unfolds.

Plastic Bag Ban Advances With Community Support

Middlebury residents will vote on whether to enact legislation that would ban plastic bags within the community on March 5. A Town Hall meeting will take place the night before the vote, giving residents, business owners and members of the Selectboard a chance to discuss the proposed ban and its possible implications before making their decision. Middlebury resident Amy McAninch and Middlebury College student Amelia Miller ’20 are spearheading the movement to ban plastic bags. Prompted by the news of other towns that have approved plastic bag bans, McAninch said she “felt really strongly that we could do this.” Since then, they have held several meetings throughout town to hear concerns, questions and suggestions about the bag ban.  On Feb. 12, two of these meetings were held at the Residence at Otter Creek, an Independent and Assisted Living Facility in Middlebury and the Ilsley Public Library. The meetings have been happening in town for months now, and McAninch and Miller’s hard work has paid off: the signatures on their petition were verified by the Town Clerk in January, which means the proposal can be voted upon in the Town Meeting. Should the motion go through, the Selectboard will then manage the exact wording and logistics of the program. The benefits of a ban are clear from a sustainability viewpoint. The Mass Green Plastic Bag Cost Calculator shows that the town of Middlebury, with a population of 8,500, uses about 4,513,500 bags every year. These bags cost retailers $180,540 each year — a figure that doesn’t include the environmental impacts of the plastic production. As it is now, consumers can choose to use reusable bags or recycled plastic or paper bags. However, those involved in the movement to ban plastic bags are not confident that shoppers will consistently opt for alternatives, continuing generally to use the bags supplied by retailers. The thin composition of these bags poses a problem. They can break, blow into the water, or turn into microplastic particles, thereby contaminating water sources or threatening wildlife.  The Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Change group, a project of 350Vermont, met in late January to discuss potentially banning plastic bags in Middlebury. The group, run by Ashley Laux of the college’s Center for Community Engagement, meets once a month to take action against climate change. The structure of the group mirrors similar groups throughout other Vermont communities, designed to provide a forum for families to be proactive in climate change action while also balancing their familial responsibilities. Past issues included eco-Sabbath days, where consumers change their patterns of behavior to “try to live lighter on the earth”, explained Laux. She feels that the group has helped her learn more about causes she might not have otherwise engaged with as well as making her a more conscientious consumer and environmental activist. The group meets once a month in the Town Recreation Center, where dinner and childcare are provided by 350Vermont. According to their Facebook page, Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action represents “a network of parents across Vermont who are coming together to take organized, empowered action to protect the health and safety of our collective future.” The participants in the Middlebury chapter of the project engage in local action, as highlighted in January’s meeting where community members brainstormed the best ways to campaign on behalf of the ban. From letters to the Front Porch Forum and the Addison County Independent to speaking at the Town Hall Meeting next month, parents are prepared to play an active role in the environmental movement in town. They also discussed the possibility of donating reusable bags in order to reduce the worry that getting rid of plastic bags would force people to buy new bags that might be unaffordable for some. The engagement displayed by the Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Change is reflected in the community as a whole. McAninch noted that there has been very little pushback from community members at any of the meetings so far. In fact, she noted that the next step would be to tackle plastic straw usage in town. Laura Asermily, a member of the Middlebury Selectboard, attended the meeting as well, appearing optimistic about the success of the proposed ban. She explained that last year, 70 percent of surveyed Middlebury residents supported a ban of this nature. However, it could take about a year from the time the town votes on the possible ban to its actual implementation. The Selectboard would need to finalize logistics of getting rid of plastic bags, from grandfathering them out to providing a cheap and sustainable alternative. Those details could take a while, explained Asermily, but they would also create great change for the community. In the meantime, Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action has turned their efforts towards the capital. In February, the group is planning to have their children make Valentines for the Earth to deliver to the state legislature in Montpelier on their Annual Lobby Day in an effort to encourage more eco-friendly laws. Hopefully, their civic-minded dedication will provide dividends as residents cast their ballots on Feb. 5. Middlebury students can support the ban by not using plastic bags and, whenever possible, patronizing stores who support the bag ban and are committed to building an environmentally sustainable town. Registered Middlebury voters can add their names to the petition by emailing KeepMiddleburyBeautiful@gmail.com.

Indoor Track Sweeps on Home Turf

Members of the Middlebury track and field team have been giving it their all during the past few weeks as they begin to prepare for upcoming championship meets.  During the Middlebury Invitational on Friday, Jan. 25 and Saturday, Jan. 26, both the men and women placed first among the competition.  The Panthers then had great performances during the Tufts Cupid Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 2.  The most recent meet was the non-scoring Fastrack National Invitational in Staten Island, New York, where the team yet again did its best against top opponents. Gretchen McGrath ’21 stated, “I think that any time we get a chance to compete at a meet it helps us to get ready in a way that ordinary training doesn’t.  Even though the meet was “non-scoring,” we all were going 100 percent during the competition, which we don’t do in practice.... Meets also give us an opportunity to test ourselves and do our best under some pressure that can’t be simulated in practice.” At the Fastrack National Invitational, there were several standout performances by the men.  In separate 400-meter finals, Arden Coleman ’20 was able to achieve eighth place while Jimmy Martinez ’19 got third.  Coleman had a time of 50.47 ,and Martinez had a time of 48.69.  In the mile finals, Jon Perlman ’19 had a time of 4:13.69 and Will Meyer ’20 had a time of 4:19.31.  They got fourth and ninth place, respectively.  In a separate mile finals, Theo Henderson ’20 placed eighth with a time of 4:22.36.  Minhaj Rahman ’19 also continued his strong season as he placed first in the weight-throw finals with a throw of 18.63 meters. There were also some equally great performances by the women.  In the 400-meter finals, McGrath had a time of 59.83, which got her fourth place, and Lucy Lang ’19 had a time of 1:00.80, which got her ninth place.  Katelyn Pease ’22 came in fourth in the 800-meter finals with a time of 2:19.45.  In the same race, Emily Bulczynski ’22 had a time of 2:21.45, which allowed her to capture 11th place.  The women were also able to get fourth in the 4x400 relay as Lang, McGrath, Julia Munz ’22 and Ava O’Mara ’21 led the way with a time of 4:01.83.  In another strong performance, Cady Barns ’22 placed first in the triple-jump finals with a jump of 10.39 meters. The team’s upcoming meet will be the Middlebury Team Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 16.  This meet will be further preparation, as the Division III New England Championships are right around the corner. McGrath echoed this when she said, “It’s our last opportunity in individual events to improve to the point where we feel confident heading into New Englands the following weekend.... Relays ... give us a chance to synchronize working on handoffs and that kind of stuff.  It’ll be a good last meet here at home to get excited before New Englands.” If the team continues on its current trajectory, it should be able to do very well during the next couple of weeks.

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Women’s Puck Picks Up Some ‘Dubs’

The Middlebury women’s hockey team took both games in a doubleheader against the Hamilton Continentals on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25 and 26. The first game ended 4-1 on goals from junior Anna Zumwinkle and sophomore Madie Leidt and a pair of empty -netters by seniors Katherine Jackson and Katarina Shuchuk. Junior goalie Lin Han finished the game with nine saves. In the second game, scoring finally opened in the last minute of the second period as Hamilton slipped the puck past sophomore goalie Anna Goldstein. The Panthers tied it up in the third as first-year Eva Hendrikson fired a slap shot into the back of the net, only for Hamilton to regain the lead 10 minutes later. Sophomore Ellie Barney then scored to tie the game at 2-2. With 35 seconds left, Jackson sealed the come-from-behind victory for Middlebury. On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2, Middlebury squared off against Wesleyan in another doubleheader. The first game, a 3-2 victory for the Panthers, saw a power-play goal from Barney and a pair of goals from Leidt, who added a shorthanded tally and the game-winner for her team-leading ninth goal of the season. The second game ended 1-0 as Wesleyan picked up the program’s first win against Middlebury since their initial meeting in the 1978-79 season. Senior captain Jenna Marotta skated in her 100th game, and Goldstein made 15 saves. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the Panthers picked up another shutout as they defeated the Norwich Cadets 3-0. Middlebury scored in each of the three periods as Shuchuk netted power-play and even-strength goals, with Jackson adding an empty-net goal with less than a minute remaining. Goaltender Han made 34 saves in her 11th career shutout. This past weekend saw Middlebury face off against Colby in a NESCAC back-to-back. On Friday, Feb. 8, the Panthers scored a season-high six goals. The first two came in the final minute and a half of the first period from Shuchuk and first-year Ashley McDonald, her first as a Panther. Four goals in the second period sealed the victory for Middlebury as first-years Jenna Letterie and Katie Hargrave, Marotta and Barney all scored. Barney had a four-point night as senior alternate captain Rachael St. Clair skated in her 100th game as a Middlebury Panther. The second game ended in a 1-0 victory for the Mules. Despite a 27-23 shot advantage, Middlebury could not convert, and Sadie Kuhn’s lone goal remained the difference. Middlebury (14-4-3, 9-3-2) seeks to close out the regular season in the next few games. The eighth-ranked Panthers will square up twice against Williams, finishing up NESCAC play. They then face third-ranked Plattsburgh State on Tuesday, Feb. 19 in the final game of regular play.

Swimming & Diving Splashes into Championships

Throughout the second half of Winter Term, the swim and dive teams competed in their final meets before the NESCAC Championship. On Saturday, Jan. 26, the Panthers faced Hamilton and Williams. The following weekend, they hosted Williams and the University of Vermont at the Middlebury Invitational.  According to Kristen Karpowitz ’19, the team hopes to score higher than last year at NESCACs. It previously placed seventh and is capable of placing closer to fifth this year.  “By our dual-meet results, we definitely can beat some teams that we lost to last year,” Karpowitz said.  In their last dual meet, the swim and dive teams bested Hamilton 222-77 on the women’s side and 212-66 on the men’s side. The teams lost to Williams, the women 171-122 and the men 164-110.  Audrey Hsi ’22, Frances VanderMeer ’20 and Grace Stimson ’19 continued their successful season with wins in their individual events at the tri-meet. Hsi and Vandermeer won the 100 backstroke (1:00.96) and 50 backstroke (27.46) respectively, while Stimson claimed the 100 individual medley in 1:02.74.  Both the men’s and women’s 200 free relay teams beat the Ephs and Continentals to the wall. On the women’s side, VanderMeer, Maddie McKean ’22, Courtney Gantt ’22 and Erin Kelly ’21 stopped the clock first in 1:39.86. The men’s squad of Corey Jalbert ’21, Jake Gaughan ’22, Bryan Chang ’22 and Brendan Leech ’19 won in 1:27.56. On the diving boards, Mike Chirico ’20 triumphed in both the one-meter (267.75) and three-meter (271.75) events.  The swim and dive teams had further opportunity to get ready for NESCACs in the annual Middlebury Invitational, hosted on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2. In this unscored meet, the Panthers captured multiple event victories over the Ephs and the Catamounts.  The women’s team secured six event titles. Erin Kelly ’21 was pivotal in four of them. Individually, she took both the 50 freestyle (24.83) and the 100 breaststroke (1:07.89). She also accompanied VanderMeer, McKean and Hsi in the 200 medley relay, which finished first in 1:48.16. McKean, Kelly, Audrey Kelly ’21 and VanderMeer then sprinted through the 400 free relay, out-touching the rest of the competition in 3:37.07.  Other winning efforts came from VanderMeer in the 100 backstroke (59.88) and Karpowitz in the 400 individual medley (4:38.89). Diver Olivia Rieur was runner-up in both the one-meter (381.00 points) and three-meter (396.23 points) events.  The men’s team claimed the opening event: Jalbert, Leech, Chang and Will Pannos ’20 finished the 200 free relay first in 1:26.35. The 400-yard medley relay of Kevin Santoro ’21, Cody Kim ’22, Jack Dowling ’19 and Gaughan also triumphed with a time of 3:34.51.  Max Sassi ’22 excelled in his individual events, winning the 50 free (22.18) and 100 free (49.21). Additional wins came from Pannos in the 200-yard individual medley (1:57.10), Morgan Matsuda ’19 in the 100 breaststroke (59.95) and Santoro in the 100 backstroke (53.31). In the diving events, Chirico again sweeped both boards, taking the one-meter title with 481.73 points and the three-meter win with 482.18 points. Bolstered by these victories, the Panthers are approaching the rest of their season with confidence. Karpowitz noted, “The team is trying to keep our morale up and work together and make sure that we’re getting all the little things right in the last few days of practice to fully feel rested and ready to go for the meet this weekend.”  This weekend, Feb. 15-17, the women head to Wesleyan for their NESCAC Championship. Middlebury will host the NESCAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship in the natatorium the following weekend, Feb. 22-24. 

Record Number of Applicants Seek Admission to Class of 2023

Middlebury received a record number of applications during the 2018-2019 admissions cycle, with 9,750 students vying for a spot in the Class of 2023. The applicant pool increased by 5.6 percent compared to last year’s 9,230. With an increase of 13.9 percent, the number of applicants who identify as students of color also reached a new high. Over the past 10 years, Middlebury’s applicant rates have increased by about 34 percent, according to Dean of Admissions Greg Buckles. Within that same 10 years, the college has seen a 99 percent increase in students of color, and a 75 percent increase in international students. “Using an incremental, thoughtful, and responsible approach, we want to grow the pool to reach any potential candidate for whom a Middlebury education might be a good fit,” Buckles said. In a news release, Director of Admissions Nicole Curvin attributed this year’s growth in part to recruitment by Middlebury’s staff in the South and the West, where growth in applicants was particularly strong. Applicants rose by 16 percent in the South, and 10 percent in the West. The applicants hail from across the country, with most admitted students coming from New York. Other pipeline states include California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Illinois. International applicants were up 10 percent this year. The six countries with the most applicants were led by China, with 628, followed by Pakistan, India, South Korea, Vietnam and Kenya. Other NESCAC schools, such as Bowdoin, also saw an uptick in applications. Bowdoin received a total of 9,300 applications this year, an increase over its record of 9,081 for the Class of 2022. [pullquote speaker="Greg Buckles" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]We are trying to pay more attention to students who may fall outside what some may consider traditional norms or mainstream types of Middlebury profiles.[/pullquote] For the first binding early decision round, Middlebury said it admitted 297 of the 654 applicants this December. A quarter of early admits were students of color. The second round of early applicants and regular decision applicants will receive their decisions in mid-February and March 23, respectively. The college is looking to continue the development of a diverse and balanced community in the Class of 2023. “We are trying to pay more attention to students who may fall outside what some may consider traditional norms or mainstream types of Middlebury profiles,” Buckles said. Looking to the future, Buckles believes the college will focus on reaching international applicants, as well as tackling affordability. “Middlebury will want to continue to be accessible to anyone who is qualified and admitted regardless of ability to pay,” said Buckles, who is leaving the college at the end of the academic year to take a job at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. The admissions team is busy reviewing applications for next year’s class, which they expect to total between 610 and 630 students in the fall and another 100 to 110 in February. The projected class size of about 700 is consistent with previous years. Last year’s overall acceptance rate was 18.4 percent, down from 19.7 percent the year before.

Men’s Basketball: You Win Some, You Lose Some

The men’s basketball team sealed away its 2018-19 regular season schedule with two NESCAC conference games this past Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 and 9. Middlebury hosted No. 8 Hamilton (5-3 in the NESCAC) on Friday night, pulling off a 80-79 win over the Continentals.  Max Bosco ’21 shot a three with 2.4 seconds left in the game, propelling the Panthers to a one-point win as the buzzer sounded.  “Anything that we had to do to win and get the chance to clinch home court for [the] NESCAC tournament was big. We didn’t give up, even down a few points, and coming up with a win definitely propelled us with energy into Saturday against Amherst,” said Bosco.  Middlebury faced No. 19 Amherst on Saturday afternoon in Pepin Gymnasium and ultimately fell to the Mammoths 97-93. Jack Farrell ’21 led the Panthers in points, posting up 22, and Bosco and Eric McCord ’19 each had 12. Amherst tallied the final five points for the victory.  The Panthers stand second in the NESCAC, as Amherst and Hamilton will play a makeup game on Tuesday night, Feb. 12, which will determine the final conference standings. Middlebury comes in hot to the postseason with an 18-6 record, and 7-2 in the NESCAC.  “Against both Hamilton and Amherst we played really good, team basketball,” commented Bosco. “We all wanted to win for each other, which was great.” The Panthers will stay attentive to the outcome of the NESCAC game on Tuesday night, but have a focus at practice this week. “We feel confident in how we are playing right now, but will continue to work on defensive intensity,” said Bosco. “We came into both games this past weekend with a lot of energy and well-prepared.”

Men’s Squash Finds a Spot on the Podium

The Middlebury men’s squash team earned third place in the NESCAC Championships. Hosted by the Panthers in the Bostwick Family Squash Center, the weekend was claimed by No. 2 Trinity, who now holds a 14-2 record. Middlebury reached the semifinals by picking up a win over 24th-ranked Tufts on  Saturday, Feb. 2 before returning to the courts the same day to fall to 18th-ranked Williams. The squad swept Tufts in a swift 9-0 victory with only three matches requiring more than three games. Back at it against Williams, the team suffered a close 5-4 loss. Middlebury posed wins in the second and third positions by juniors Jacob Ellen and William Cembalest, as well as in the sixth and ninth spots by first-year Teddy Best and sophomore Alex Merrill, respectively. Unlike the match against Tufts, this battle only saw one three-game match. Both Best and Cembalest fought through their five-game matches to claim points for Midd.  The team returned to the Bostwick Family Squash Center this past Saturday, Feb. 9, to challenge 19th-ranked MIT. The first two points were won by a five-game comeback from Cembalest and then another five-game victory by Best. The Panthers then edged the Engineers further by claiming yet another two five-game wins, this time from sophomore Wiatt Hinton and junior Jacob Ellen. Sophomore John Epley clinched the match at No. 7 in a four-game win to round out the match at 5-4 and secure a 13-5 record for the Panthers. Following this excitement, the team will travel to the CSA Team Championships hosted by Yale from Friday to Sunday, Feb. 15-17.

This J-Term: Remember Staff

For full staff issue coverage, click here. Middlebury College had its first-ever Martin Luther King Jr. Day off this week, and many were left wondering what the commemoration meant — and, perhaps more importantly, why it was happening only for the first time.  At the very least, the holiday demonstrated the administration’s often-unrealized but well-intentioned desire to make all Middlebury students feel equally recognized and validated here. It is right to set aside a day to honor Dr. King’s advocacy for justice, nonviolence and peace, but committing ourselves to Dr. King’s legacy means that we must confront the injustices he fought and remember those he struggled for, including oppressed racial minorities and workers. To truly honor Martin Luther King Jr., we should follow his example by refusing to neglect those in our own community who feel overlooked and invisible.  After our recent snowstorm, as we walk neatly shoveled paths across campus, it is difficult not to notice the staff members who work tirelessly to make Middlebury liveable. Last Winter Term, we published an article on the snow removal staff. Clinton “Buzz” Snyder, the college’s landscape supervisor, and Luther Tenny, facilities maintenance and operations director, work together to oversee snow removal operations. For a “typical snow event” (a foot or less of snow), 14 snow plows and ten crews of shovelers assemble to tackle the campus. Workers are called in the order of their proximity to the school; staff who live in New York are called in earlier than those who live in Vermont. Plow crews come in around 4 a.m. to clear the roads and walkways. These crews clean over 120 college buildings, including off-campus housing such as Weybridge, Homestead and the Mill.  This spring, the Middlebury College staff and faculty will experience significant changes. In an effort to maintain Middlebury’s financial sustainability, the administration announced a workforce planning process last year that will identify areas where the college can be more efficient in its spending, in part through faculty and staff cuts. In the end, the college hopes to cut about 10 percent of staff compensation costs through buyouts, and save over $2 million over the next few years through early retirement by faculty.  It is unfortunate that the people who work the hardest for this school should have to worry about the security of their jobs. Recent dining hall short-staffing during this week’s snowstorm pointed to the value of each individual staff member. It’s difficult to meet our low-waste environmental standards when we have to use paper plates and cups instead of reusable ones. We rely on staff for all our school’s operations, from putting on plays to coordinating on behalf of student organizations. Our school does not run without them. As a student newspaper, we have not always done a good enough job covering the issues that matter to the staff members who make Middlebury a place we can call home. We understand that part of the reason why this relationship has been tenuous in the past is because staff members are often not allowed to speak freely without repercussions. Our renewed commitment to community integration may take the form of more anonymous interviews. As we have seen in the process of putting this issue together, there are more nuanced considerations for staff who wish to voice opinions or concerns than there are for students or faculty.  We believe that The Campus should be the medium through which staff members can express their opinions openly. At the same time, as Middlebury’s primary newspaper, we hope to provide an outlet for every person in our community. We hope to extend the lines of communication and give voice to faculty and staff concerns, which should be concerns for every person who has a stake in this school — that is, for all of us. If it weren’t for staff, Middlebury would be unsuccessful, not to mention uninhabitable. Let’s appreciate the people without whom this college would cease to exist.

Divestment and Energy 2028: A Future Worth Fighting For

In a world of sobering climate reports and inadequate national action, institutions that actively seek to propel the climate movement forward are the catalysts needed for national progress. Middlebury is one of those inspirational catalysts, and in choosing to attend Middlebury, I hoped to join its momentous wave of environmentalism. In learning about the student-led carbon neutrality campaign, the Environmental Studies Program, and the fossil fuel divestment campaign, I saw the drive, intelligence, and hope of the student body. Beyond that, I saw the unflinching support of an administration destined to pioneer true environmental stewardship. Now with four months under my belt as a Middlebury student, I can positively assert that the Middlebury students of Sunday Night Environmental Group (SNEG), a student climate justice organization, are addressing some of the world’s most challenging problems. With its support for divestment and internal carbon pricing, SNEG is taking comprehensive action to curb the effects of climate change. Upon encountering these initiatives on campus and witnessing the process of their incorporation in the Energy 2028 proposal, my preconceived notions about the College were confirmed. [pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Middlebury is often recognized as a leader in sustainable higher education.[/pullquote] The Energy 2028 proposal provides a complete transition to 100% renewables, a 25% reduction in consumption, an internal carbon pricing system, the enhancement of sustainability education, and a response to the student divestment referendum. First proposed in 2013, the student divestment ask advocates for the complete removal of approximately $53.7 million of the College’s endowment from the fossil fuel industry. It was ratified by the SGA with 79% student support, followed by faculty support of 92%. Internal carbon pricing has also received popular support over the years, as have movements for sustainability literacy and emissions reductions. Because Middlebury is often recognized as a leader in sustainable higher education, the idea of sustained fossil fuel use and investments appear contradictory to the College’s identity. Through Energy 2028, the Middlebury community and Board of Trustees have an exciting opportunity to demonstrate their support for environmental justice.  [pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]There is a need for a vision, a desire for a “so what” that can mobilize entire battalions of climate activists.[/pullquote] Being at the College now amidst the whirlwind of the divestment campaign, however, I understand the nuances of this 6-year project. I understand that change can feel impossible; humans have a tendency to wait for the 11th hour, the 59th minute. I understand that each community member acts with the best of intentions for the College and that the Board of Trustees prioritizes fiduciary responsibility to students and the school. Divestment from fossil fuels and the other components of Energy 2028 align with this goal. In acting on Energy 2028, the College can take leadership in the realm of climate action and its mission of global leadership, while also maintaining fiscal responsibility. This positive action provides an unparalleled opportunity for Middlebury to catalyze progress in the realm of environmentalism. Ultimately, positive action is part of a larger need within the environmental movement, a need for a broadening of the conversation around energy. There is a need for a vision, a desire for a “so what” that can mobilize entire battalions of climate activists. For it will not be fear that motivates and mobilizes but rather innovation and ingenuity that will charge the troops and launch them into action. What do we want to find when the dust settles and the noise dies? We must advocate for that world we want to see, not against an ungodly alternative. [pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]SNEG hopes to show the Board, the students, the faculty, staff, alumni, state, and country what our world can be.[/pullquote] When I went to Washington D.C. on December 10th to protest with the Sunrise Movement for a Select Committee for a Green New Deal, I saw a movement that painted a picture of that beautiful world so many of us hope to live in one day. I saw a diverse but equal society, a government that truly protects its people from the corrupting influences of fossil fuel money, a clean country, a green country, a society that is healthy and employed and happy. The kind of hope produced from a movement like Sunrise is the type of hope so close you can taste it. I taste this type of hope in the energy here at Middlebury. Yes, Divest Midd is against the idea of financially endorsing and enabling the activities of exploitative companies and individuals within the fossil fuel industry. However, more importantly, SNEG hopes to show the Board, the students, the faculty, staff, alumni, state, and country what our world can be. We can be a country that puts our money where our mouths are, a country that fully embodies leadership in progress and innovation, a country that actively chases the values of responsibility, integrity, creativity, and contribution we so espouse. Ultimately, though, that transition to a just, responsible, clean country can only come when institutions and individuals push for it, when they break the ground in acts like Energy 2028. We are asking our school to end its ownership of the industry poisoning our homes and our futures. We are making the economics of green initiatives more feasible. We are truly achieving the carbon neutrality that has been the face of our environmental identity and taking responsibility for the consumption patterns that have created this global problem in the first place. We are empowering students and magnifying voices, challenging the status quo and demanding the higher standards we know our school is capable of achieving. Taking positive action on Energy 2028 can propel our school and our country on a path to change the world. My only question is, why on Earth would you want to stop that? Note: Anyone wishing to support these causes can attend the following events: Thursday, 01/24:  Personal Divestment Action 1:00 at ADK Divest Panel at 4:30 in Dana Auditorium Friday 01/25:  School-wide Orange-Out All Day Letter-Writing Event at 1:00 at Mead Chapel Storytelling Event 2:00 at Mead Chapel

Women’s March on Montpelier Draws Crowds Despite Freezing Weather

Single-digit temperatures couldn’t prevent nearly 1,000 women and allies from crowding the state capital last Saturday, Jan. 19 in support of the Women’s March on Montpelier. In part inspired by the 2018 midterms, which brought throngs of women to Congress, Women’s March Vermont organized the Women’s Rally in Montpelier along with sister marches and rallies in cities throughout the world. The rally in Montpelier was one of many that took place across the nation on Saturday to commemorate the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. In 2017, on the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, thousands protested in the U.S capital against the Trump administration and its threat to reproductive, civil and human rights. According to estimates by the Washington Post, 4.1 million people took part in various marches across the U.S., and thousands marched throughout the world in a show of global support for the resistance movement. President Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton outraged many who objected to his offensive treatment of and statements about women, and prompted the idea of the Women’s March on Facebook the day after the election. [pullquote speaker="KRISTEN VRANCKEN" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]We’ve been organizing locally to advocate for the policies that matter to us, and those that impact women’s lives...[/pullquote] The protestors in various Women’s March events voiced support not only for women’s and reproductive rights, but also criminal justice, environmental issues, immigrants, Muslims, the disabled and gay and transgender people — all groups threatened under the Trump administration. Organizers of the Women’s March view the protests as part of a larger resistance movement, in which various organizations and companies can play a role in facilitating the civic participation of women. On the Women’s March Vermont website, they describe their mission to “harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change. Women’s March is a women-led movement providing intersectional education on a diverse range of issues and creating entry points … through trainings, outreach programs and events. Women’s March is committed to dismantling systems of oppression through nonviolent resistance.”  Women’s March Vermont organizer Kristen Vrancken further stated, “We’ve been organizing locally to advocate for the policies that matter to us, and those that impact women’s lives, and we’re flooding the streets in solidarity with our sisters in D.C. to remind the country that Vermont resists — and this time, we’re coming with an agenda.”  The March featured a series of female speakers ranging from women’s rights to environmental activists. They also announced the Women’s Agenda, which includes progressive federal policy demands in addition to local progressive legislative initiatives for attendees to support. The March was sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s as well as the Vermont Women’s Fund and ACLU Vermont. Women’s March Vermont describes marching as a means of: protecting women’s bodies, affirming women’s diversity, valuing women’s work, respecting women’s contributions and unifying women’s allies. Aside from fighting for specific rights and facets of society, the protestors sought to project an overall theme of anti-oppression and unity leading up to the 2020 presidential election.  Within the March, various organizations advocated for their causes, including Planned Parenthood, which urged attendees to come to a Jan. 22 action at the Statehouse to secure abortion rights in Vermont, reported the Burlington Free Press. In addition, many representatives from groups such as Members of Migrant Justice, Black Lives Matter and University of Vermont Socialists were present. Students at the college expressed support for the Montpelier Women’s March in addition to the global movement as a whole.  “I think there’s something really powerful in the idea that this is not just one protest and one city, but a truly global movement of unified, powerful women standing up for rights and groups that should and must be defended,” said Mariel Edokwe ’20.