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SGA Weekly: Show Your Appreciation

Dear MiddKids,  To begin, thank you to all who voted and participated in this year’s SGA Elections & Referendum. We had an outstanding turnout: 1,730 out of 2,532 students voted (that’s 68 percent, more than voter turnout for national U.S. elections)! Congratulations to all those who have been elected to SGA positions for the coming year! SGA Cabinet:  Cabinet committees are continuing to work on final initiatives for this year, many of which were mentioned in last week’s column. The Cabinet April Monthly Report will be published soon on the SGA website at go/sga (www.middsga.com) under Archives. SGA Senate:  Topic of the Week: This week, the SGA has decided to focus student engagement and opinions on one topic — staff appreciation. This was decided in light of Staff Appreciation Day coming up on 4/30 (next Monday) and recent discussions about student-staff relations and staff equity at Middlebury. SGA senators will be working to speak with students on this topic and looking for students to submit recorded thank-you videos to staff at go/thankyoustaff. Please show your appreciation and help out! Both “Resolution in Support of Action Against Systematic, Institutional Racism Resulting in Gun Violence” and “Resolution in Support of Middlebury Students Against Gun Violence” were passed in SGA Senate this past Sunday. Many SGA senators were hesitant for the SGA to release political statements, so certain sections of both bills were amended. Now, both bills will be forwarded to relevant offices on campus including the Admissions Office, General Counsel, Communications Office, Dean of Students, Diversity & Inclusivity Office, Parton Health Center and more to implement. The final versions of these two bills are available on the SGA website. Sponsors of these bills were Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Cowan and President Jin Sohn. “Proposal for Increase of Student Wellbeing”: This bill was once again discussed in Senate. Much of what was stated in last week’s column regarding this bill still remains. The bill addresses multiple areas that impact student wellbeing including dining, libraries, the Student Health & Wellness Office and the Faculty Educational Affairs Committee. Further, some of these recommendations may actually be accomplished through other means as well. The draft of this bill is available on the SGA website, and I highly encourage you to take a look and speak with Junior Senator Kailash Raj Pandey, sponsor of this bill, or your senators about your thoughts. Where would you like to see more resources for student wellbeing on campus? The Senate will continue to discuss the bill next week.  Upcoming Events to Keep in Mind: Staff Appreciation Day is 4/30 (next Monday)! Keep submitting those thank-you video submissions at go/thankyoustaff and volunteer to help out with the Staff Appreciation Dinner at go/signupservestaff. Students can help to set up, serve or clean up. We are also particularly in need of students with babysitting experience and who are interested in helping to babysit at the dinner. Thanks in advance to all those that help! It Happens Here (IHH) is “an anti-sexual violence campaign that collects anonymous student stories to raise awareness to the frequency and severity of sexual violence on college campuses,” and will be on May 1st (next Tuesday) at Wilson Hall, 8 p.m. For story submissions, please check out go/ihh2018/. If you are interested in reading a story at the event, contact Taite Shomo at tshomo@middlebury.edu for more information. SGA SRR is working on more programming that will also take place on May 1st to support IHH, so please keep an eye out for their work! As always, all past and current bills (including the ones mentioned above) are accessible at go/sga under Weekly Updates and/or Archives. Please continue to reach out to your respective senators or to SGA with any questions, concerns or comments. Also, SGA Senate meetings have been relocated to Axinn 220 for the remainder of the semester. SGA Senate meetings are every Sunday from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Enjoy the sunshine, and as we approach the final weeks of the semester please remember to take moments for self-care as well! Jin Sohn is SGA President.

4.48-1

4.48 Psychosis Explores Peculiarities of Human Mind

On Thursday, April 19 through Saturday, April 21, the Hepburn Zoo Theatre transformed into Sarah Kane’s “4.48 Psychosis,” widely thought of as her suicide note, for Roxy Adviento’s ’18 senior work and Stephen Chen’s Intermediate Independent 500-level lighting project. The play was Kane’s last and its initial production began posthumous at the Royal Court in 2000. In 2016 an operatic adaptation commissioned by the Royal Opera and written by British composer Philip Venable was staged at the Lyric Hammersmith. The play is sequenced in elliptical fragments, fractured and emotionally lacerating, portraying a mind on the brink of a suicidal episode, raging against physicians who do not (and will not) understand. However, it is more than just Kane’s last play. It is also, according to Adviento, “about a universal pain and it’s varying intensities shared among us all. It’s a fight for sanity and an overwhelming need for genuine connection.” Unlike a conventional play, which includes scenes and acts to demonstrate its transition, the progression of this play was demonstrated through “-------“. Adviento explained that it was this lack of transition, characters and stage direction that drew her in to direct the play for her senior thesis.  The play begins with Caleb Green ’19 sitting through a psychiatric meeting. He looks distraught and in pain, yet still is bombarded with questions. The play progresses to tell a story of four people, playing the various parts of a single character with blurring lines of reality. Over the span of 75 minutes, the characters deal with contemplations and discussions of suicide and lack of hope. Although the play lacks strict narrative and timeline, desires of the depressed mind come to surface. The longing for love and understanding and the lack of them from society take a toll on the characters’ life. They seek solace in different channels from religion to medication to love, yet fail in finding it. “4.48 Psychosis” represents a time in her life when Kane was in her depressive state, a time when the brain’s chemical imbalance peaks, when she was visited by depression as well as sobering clarity. The pain emulates a striking journey inside a beautiful but tortured soul. It was saddening to see that irrespective of the treatments she received, she was beyond help and had made up her mind on suicide. “This play is more than about the ongoing abyss of misery and sadness,” said costume designer Mary Baillie ’18. Undoubtedly, the lyrics and dialogue of the play were carefully weighed and added a lyrical effect to the play. The action of sharing clothes of the characters symbolically represents not only “the same person and her distinct identities,” said Baillie but also how the way that individuals grieve is so codependent. The most jarring scene was perhaps the end, where the characters reveal their determination, not to get better, but to commit suicide: “Please don’t cut me up to find out how I died, I’ll tell you how I died, one hundred lofepramine […] slit, hung, it is done.” However, this is contrasted with the last line of the play: “please open the curtains.” This line could be seen as the production opening the curtains at the end to allow a new play to take to take the stage. It signifies how in the broader context of our lives, we need to be able to find positivity in the face of depression and dependency. The show’s leaflets contained a poem by Mary Oliver, entitled “Wild Geese” for a different perspective, offering audiences advice on how to live a worthwhile life. Irrespective of the loneliness that one faces, one simply needs to look outside to see that nature, a living entity, encompasses them and that they have a place amongst everything in this world, no matter the troubles that come with finding it. Overall, this play functions as not only a critique on mental health and its institutions, but also a reminder to find hope in struggling times and to remember that the world around us is still welcoming, even in bleak situations.

Baseball Walks Off Not Once, But Twice

[gallery ids="38762,38763,38764,38765,38766"] The baseball team walked away with four wins this past week, beating the Skidmore Thoroughbreds on the road on Wednesday, April 18, and then sweeping Bowdoin in a three-game series on home turf on Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22. Middlebury picked up a win in non-conference midweek action against Skidmore last Wednesday, coming up with a 5–1 win. The Panthers scored early in the game, putting up two runs in the first inning, and then tacked on one in each of the third, fifth and seventh innings. Skidmore was held to just one run, which came in the fourth inning. Justin Han ’20 led the charge, getting on base all five of his times at the plate and finishing the day with three singles, two walks and four of the team’s five runs. This all-star caliber performance is nothing new from the sophomore infielder, as he leads the team in almost every offensive category. Han has teams highs with 25 runs, 28 hits and 15 RBI’s, and boasts an impressive .373 batting average and a whopping .510 on-base percentage. “My goal for this season was to provide offensive production and be consistent in the field making defensive plays,” says Han. His offensive movement has been key to the team’s success this year and certainly has not gone unnoticed. “Justin Han has been integral to our team, as expected. Stealing bases and racking up the hits, he is incredibly consistent and such a fun guy to play with,” said Hayden Smith ’20. On the mound, Colby Morris ’19 allowed only one run on six hits while striking out four. This junior captain’s consistency has been crucial to the Panthers’ defense this season. With nine pitching appearances under his belt thus far, seven of which he started, Morris has managed to strike out 41 of his opponents — a team-high. Senior Captain Rob Erickson ’18 is also worth noting. Against the Thoroughbreds he tallied three strikeouts and gave up just two hits over three innings. After last weekend’s Bowdoin series, Erickson tails only Morris in many pitching categories thanks to his efforts over eight appearances. The Panthers then returned home to face their third Nescac opponent of the year, Bowdoin. Middlebury saw the Polar Bears on Friday, April 21, in the first of the teams’ three-game series. After falling behind 4–0, Middlebury clawed its way back to take a 6–5 lead, which the Panthers extended to as many as three runs. But Bowdoin responded, getting within one run twice, before tying the game at 10 in the top of the ninth inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Middlebury quickly took away any doubt of the result. They loaded the bases with one out, and Smith finished the game off by singling home Han. “My reaction to the walk-off was pure happiness,” Smith said afterwards. “There’s nothing that gets me more fired up than being the guy that wins the game for my team, and Saturday was the ultimate display of that. And the team was fired up too — it was a spark plug for our bench and our offense, I think. And my mindset was to hit the ball hard. I knew I was the guy to deliver right here, and I embraced the moment. Saw my pitch and put my best swing on it.” The Panthers saw the Polar Bears again the next day for a doubleheader, both games of which ended in Middlebury’s favor. While the Bears came out strong in the first game, scoring two runs right off the bat, Middlebury answered with a pair of runs off a single up the middle from captain Sebastian Sanchez ’18 to tie the score up at two all. Neither team scored until the sixth inning, when miscommunications between the Panthers’ defense allowed the Polar Bears get some insurance runs across the plate. Bowdoin tacked on one more in the seventh, but the Panthers rivaled it with three runs in bottom of the inning, closing the game with a 5-4 victory. Henry Strmecki ’21, Han and Brooks Carroll ’20 led the team with strong performances at the plate. The Panthers came out even stronger in the second game of the day, shutting out the Polar Bears for a 3–0 win. Erickson put the team on his right shoulder in the shutout, striking out four Polar Bears while allowing only four hits through seven innings. Jake Dianno ’21 was big for the Panthers with the bat in his hand, the highlight of the weekend for him being a second-inning shot to right field that sailed over the fence for his first home run at the collegiate level. “It was an awesome experience, and it was just great to be able to come through for my team,” said an excited Dianno. Though the Polar Bears threatened to answer in the fifth inning, Middlebury held them to no score and tacked on two more with runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the deal. The Panthers’ success was a much-needed confidence booster. Before last week, the team held a 6–13 record and was coming off a tough series loss to Wesleyan and another non-conference loss to Southern Vermont. The past week has turned that around. Middlebury’s sights are still set high on the conference championship, and the team feels this is definitely a step in the right direction and a confirmation of their ability. “[Bowdoin] left us with an incredible amount of confidence and proof that we have the talent and capability to find ways to win games,” Han said. “I really like how the team is performing. We have momentum and confidence going into a very important series against Hamilton this weekend,” Han added. His confidence moving forward is shared by Dianno. “This sweep was a great way to get us going heading into our weekend at Hamilton,” Dianno said. After some non-conference midweek action, the Panthers head to Hamilton for a big road series this weekend.

The Comeback Kids of Women’s Lacrosse

The women’s lacrosse team loves to grind out wins in the second half, almost as much as they love keeping their fans on the edge of their seats. And, this weekend, they definitely gave their fans an emotion-filled 60 minutes of play, when they fought past Tufts and Hamilton to secure two crucial Nescac victories. The Panthers opened the weekend by coming from behind to defeat No. 8 Tufts 15–10 on Saturday, April 21, the second game in a row in which they came back against a top-10 opponent. They closed out the weekend by charging past Hamilton 20–11 at Kohn Field on Sunday, April 22. With the two wins, Middlebury vaulted past Tufts in the conference standings into a tie with Amherst for first place. If the Panthers won at Williams on Wednesday, April 25, after the newspaper went to print, they won the Nescac regular-season championship and earned the top seed in the conference playoffs. The Panthers were in high spirits as Vermont hinted at its first signs of spring this Saturday, with sunny 50-degree temperatures. This energy translated onto the field, but it was only after a slow start that the Panthers truly dominated. Tufts came out firing, scoring five of the first six goals of the competition to take a 5–1 lead 15 minutes into Saturday’s game. The scoring started almost five minutes into the game, when Dakota Adamec stole the first goal off a free-position shot. After Tufts doubled their score, Emma McDonagh ’19 netted her first of five goals, narrowing her team’s deficit by one. But Tufts came right back, driving home three goals in just over six minutes to take that large early lead. On their home field, where they had not lost all season, and with a four-goal lead, the Jumbos had the Panthers on the ropes early on. Middlebury countered two straight goals, but Tufts quickly discounted those goals and then some by tallying four of the next five goals to build what would their largest lead of the contest, 9–4. McDonagh gave Middlebury some momentum going into the halftime locker room by scoring her second goal with 3:34 left in the half, and Tufts led 9–5 at halftime. For the third game in a row, Middlebury trailed at halftime, and the four-goal deficit was the largest of the three. “KP (Coach Kate Livesay) always calls us the second-half team,” said Hayden Garrett ’20. “We’ve really embraced it, because we know we can make a comeback or increase our lead going into the next 30 minutes of play. But our goal for this week, going into Nescacs, is to transform [ourselves] into a two-half team. We know we are capable of this because being a second-half team also tells us that we can outlast anyone — we are confident and fitter than our competition. But this also tells us that we should be able to do this right from the first whistle.” Coach Livesay was absolutely correct about Saturday afternoon. The Panthers quickly penetrated the Jumbo defense, scoring the first six goals of the period. In a matter of 15:33, Middlebury went from behind by four to up by two goals on the back of McDonagh, who notched her third, fourth and fifth goals in that span. After McDonagh’s fifth and final goal, Tufts got one back to cut Middlebury’s lead by one, but that was as close as the Jumbos would get. Georgia Carroll ’18, Kate Zecca ’20, Jenna McNicholas ’19 and Hollis Perticone ’18 each scored to close out an emphatic 15–10 Middlebury victory, giving Tufts its second loss in the Nescac and eliminating the Jumbos from contention for the top seed in the conference. The next day, the Panthers brought in a win on their senior day on Sunday, April 22 at Kohn Field. The women excitedly celebrated all five of their strong graduating class: Evie Keating ’18, Claire Russell ’18, Alex Freedman ’18, Carroll, and Perticone. Once again, the Panthers only got rolling well into the second half on Kohn Field. In a high-scoring first half, Middlebury took an 11–9 lead over Hamilton (3–7 in the Nescac), led by Carroll’s three goals. Livesay must have given a strong halftime speech, based on Middlebury’s performance coming out of the break. They scored nine of the 11 goals in the second stanza to put away the visiting Continentals. A rotation of three goalies protected the cage well enough to lift Middlebury to victory. In the first half, Julia Keith ’20 prevented two key balls from getting past her, while in the second half Kate Furber ’19 made another appearance in goal, rejecting three shots. Alex Freedman ’18 won some playing time after Furber. Carroll, McDonagh, and Perticone scored hat tricks during the matchup. Susana Baker ’19 was the defensive heroine, forcing three turnovers and picking up five ground balls. “It was great to celebrate our seniors this weekend,” said Winslow Ferris ’20 afterwards. “It was fun to see some seniors get playing time that normally don’t start. Claire Russell had her first goal of the season, and Alex Freedman made an incredible save in goal. We know that this year we were lucky to be playing under such great senior leadership, on and off the field, and will miss them a lot next year.” After yesterday’s game at Williams, Middlebury sets its eyes on Nescacs, which begin on Saturday, April 28. If the Panthers won yesterday, they will be the one seed in the playoffs. If they lost and Amherst lost to Trinity, Middlebury will be the one seed. Otherwise, Amherst will be, and Middlebury will be the second seed. “We are confident going into our game on Wednesday,” Garrett said. “Looking ahead, we are also really excited and grateful to prolong our season past Wednesday’s game. Playing alongside these girls this season has been incredible. It truly is the first team I have ever been on where I feel like our entire unit is a family.” Regardless of Wednesday’s result, Middlebury will have a home game in the quarterfinals on Saturday, April 28.

Track & Field Teams Set for NESCACS on Saturday

With the cancellation of the Panther Spring Invitational due to unfavorable weather, the Middlebury track and field team had one less opportunity to participate in a full-scale meet in preparation for the upcoming conference championships. Three of the Panthers, Kiera Dowell ’20, Rebecca Gorman ’20, and Jonathan Fisher ’20, were able to get a bit of practice in by participating in the non-scoring Silfen Invitational on Saturday, April 14. The Williams Quad Meet last Saturday, April 21, was the Panthers’ last big meet before the conference championships. It was a non-scoring meet, but the Panthers clearly gave it their all, as shown by their impressive performances. Nathan Hill ’20 affirmed that the Panthers went all out to ensure they were as prepared as they could be for this coming weekend’s meets. “I think the team gained a lot of confidence from this past weekend,” Hill said. “There were a lot of high-quality individual performances, and there is a sense of unity towards the common goal of winning Nescacs.” The women’s team had an excellent showing in the 200-meter dash — the top three finishers in the final race were all Panthers. Alex Cook ’20 won with a time of 26.15, while Kate Holly ’21 was only about .2 seconds behind with a time of 26.39. Lizzie Walkes ’20 came in third with a time of 26.54. Abigail Nadler ’19 and her fellow distance runners continued the Panthers’ dominance of the meet in Williamstown. In the 1500-meter race the top six finishers were representatives of Middlebury. Nadler finished first with a time 4:40.11, but Kate MacCary ’19 was not far behind, finishing with a time of 4:40.60. A time of 4:43.07 was able to net Anna Willig ’20 third place, and Read Allen ’18, Tasha Greene ’21 and Olivia Mitchell ’20 rounded out the top six. Both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams came in first in their races, with times of 49.86 and 4:04.36, respectively. The 4×100 team was composed of Ellie Greenberg ’20, Walkes, Cook and Holly. The 4×400 team was composed of Gretchen McGrath ’21, Langley Dunn ’19, Kai Milici ’21, and Lucy Lang ’19. Like their counterparts on the women’s team, the men’s 400-meter runners had a great tune-up meet last Saturday — six of the seven top finishers were Panthers. Jimmy Martinez ’19 and James Mulliken ’18 came in first and second, respectively. Martinez had a time of 48.76, and Mulliken had a time of 49.56. William Robertson ’21 was fourth, Arden Coleman ’20 was fifth, Cam Mackintosh ’20 was sixth, and Matthew Durst ’21 was seventh. “I think our 400-meter runners are extremely confident going in to next week’s championship meet,” Mulliken said. “We have the strongest group of 400-meter runners in the Nescac, and this group promises to be a strong source of points at the meet. Jimmy Martinez in particular has been running great all year.” Hill was able to show his balanced approach in the 800-meter and 1500-meter races, both of which he won. In the 800, his time was 1:55.28, and in the 1500, his time was 3:57.25. “Kevin [Serrao ’18] and James [Mulliken] are two of the top 800 runners in the country, and they know what it takes to compete at the top level,” Hill said. “Jon [Perlman ’19] and Kevin [Serrao] also both scored in the 1500 last year and are ready to improve upon their places this year.” All in all, the team has many reliable assets that can be depended upon for this Saturday’s conference championship meet. “The team is confident,” said Hill, looking forward to the conference meet. “The confidence stems from the fact that we have all been working hard over the course of the last five months. Nescacs is a ton of fun and has a very high-energy atmosphere that I think we will thrive in.” “Our confidence levels have never been higher going into the championship meet,” Mulliken added. “We strongly believe this is our meet to win.” Hopefully all of this hard work pays off for both the men’s and women’s teams as they get on a bus bound for Williamstown for Saturday’s, April 28, meet.

Softball Is Walked off Twice by Williams Then Walks Off Hamilton on Sunday

The softball team was swept by Williams in Williamstown last weekend, despite two close games that made for exciting and intense affairs. The Ephs took the first game of the series last Friday, 7–6, despite holding a five-run lead after the Panthers’ half of the fourth. “We had a rhythm going after the first few innings,” said senior captain Kati Daczkowski ’18. “We felt good, and our team was working really well as a unit.” Taylor Gardner ’18 got off to a hot start, as she homered to left in her first at-bat in the second inning to give Middlebury a 3–0 lead. It was Garner’s first homer of the season and could not have come at a better time for the Panthers. Ali Della Volpe ’18 and Olivia Bravo ’20 both singled in the top half of the fourth, putting the Panthers up 5–0. However, the Ephs closed the gap in the bottom half of the inning, as Irene Margiotta ’19 gave up a grand slam to make it 5–4. By the end of the sixth, after a lead change and a few good pieces of hitting, things were tied at six. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Ephs put runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, and Williams set themselves up for a walk-off hit to take game one 7–6. In the second game, the Ephs took the win over Middlebury in five innings thanks to the mercy rule, 9–0. The Panthers walked into the third game hoping to get out of town with at least one victory against the No. 19 team in the country. Again, the Panthers took the lead, 2–0, in the first innings of the game. Senior captain Allison Quigley ’18 started off the scoring with a solo home run. Melanie Mandell ‘20 followed Quigley’s lead with a solo shot of her own. However, Williams would win 3–2, as Rebecca Duncan drove in the game-winning run for the second time in three days. Duncan also homered in the bottom of the sixth in the series’ final game. “It’s always hard to lose to conference opponents,” Daczkowski said. “We just have to continue to improve and win.” Following the losses to Williams, the Panthers came out on top in a close battle in a rescheduled game (from Saturday, April 14) against Hamilton, 2–1, in extra innings. This win completed their three-game season sweep of Hamilton, which puts the Panthers in a good position for a spot in the conference playoffs. Last Sunday it was the Panthers’ turn to win in walk-off fashion, as Liza Tarr ’19 stepped up to bat with the game tied and Quigley on base. Tarr connected for a base hit to send Quigley home, winning the game for the Panthers. After midweek action against Rensselaer and St. Joseph, the Panthers will host Wesleyan starting tomorrow afternoon for a three-game set to end the regular season.

Men’s Lacrosse Loses in April for First Time; Eyes Elusive NESCAC Crown

[gallery ids="38773,38774,38771,38772,38775"] “We still have plenty to improve on, and that only excites us, as we have a huge stretch ahead to show how far we can go,” A.J. Kucinski ’20 said after Tufts snapped Middlebury’s five-game winning streak on Saturday, April 21. Despite losing to No. 6 Tufts, who is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Nescac, 13–10 on Saturday on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, the men’s lacrosse team (8–6, 4–5) feels satisfied with their performance over the past few months as the season comes to an end. Though their five-game winning streak came to an end Saturday afternoon to one of the Nescac’s top teams, the Panthers look forward to entering the postseason to try to win the elusive Nescac title. The Tufts game was a well-contested bout with the momentum in favor of Middlebury. After a low-scoring first quarter, the Nescac foes were tied at two. Chase Goree ’20 and Jack Gould ’19 scored Middlebury’s only goals. But then the Panthers took control of the pace of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the visitors 3–1 to take a 5–3 lead into the locker room. “In the first half, we played with great spacing and attacked our matchups very well and played fast, which was to our advantage,” said Kucinski. Middlebury maintained its edge on Youngman Field to start the second half, scoring two more goals to grow its lead to four. But then, just like that, everything shifted. The Jumbos came back to score 10 unanswered goals, six in the third and four in the fourth, to take a 13–7 lead with 7:44 remaining in the game. In the last four minutes, Henry Riehl ‘18 scored three times — his third, fourth, and fifth goals of the game, respectively — but Middlebury got no closer than three goals, suffering a 13–10 defeat. Tufts’ 10–0 run in a little under 20 minutes proved to be decisive in Saturday’s contest. In defeat, the Panthers outshot the Jumbos 55–31, won 19 faceoffs to the visitors’ seven, and committed one fewer turnover (13–12). But their failure to mitigate Tufts’ run and to convert their scoring opportunities cost them against an opponent that does not allow for many miscues. “We knew they were not going to go away, and it came down to just needing to weather that storm a bit better offensively,” Kucinski said. “We could have shot the ball better and converted a few more opportunities that would have helped out the defense, who played great.” Middlebury finished its regular season against Williams yesterday on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, after the newspaper went to print. Throughout the season, however, the discussion around rankings has not crossed the minds of the Panthers. They understand that the Nescac is a conference with elite competition that is bound to produce upsets and the impossible. “There is no doubt that in the Nescac, the team that shows up on game day wanting it more will win the game,” Kucinski said. “Anybody can beat anybody in this league, and our mentality is to go out and bring it, and we know we always are in the fight.” For evidence to the truth of Kucinski’s comment about the unpredictability of postseason conference play, one has to look no further than Middlebury’s sensational run in the playoffs last year. After beating Williams on their final day of the regular season, they went into the playoffs as heavy underdogs but made it to the championship, where they lost by one goal to Wesleyan. “With so many returners from last year and a strong belief in each other as a whole, our goal is the same as always: win the Nescac and ride that confidence into the NCAA tournament,” Kucinski stated. “Our run last year was measured by heart, focus, and everyone doing their job, and with that experience under our belt we can prepare ourselves to take the necessary steps to come out on top.”

Men’s Tennis Beats No. 1 Emory, Making Case For Top ITA Ranking

Middlebury men’s tennis made a convincing case for the top spot of the national polls by defeating No. 1 and defending national champion Emory during a weekend trip to Connecticut, where the Panthers also beat Trinity 6–3 on Saturday, April 21, and No. 13 Wesleyan 5–4 on Sunday, April 22. The Panthers showed this past weekend that their 8–1 win against No. 2 Bowdoin on April 14th was not a fluke, and their championship aspirations were well founded. Just seven days later, they drove to Hartford for a matchup with No. 1 Emory on Trinity’s courts. Before they played Emory, though, they had to show that the depth in their ladder could get through Trinity. Trinity was winless in the Nescac going into the match, and Middlebury gave their singles players some rest, though Andre Xiao ’21 played singles in both matches and ended up losing in a tight three-set match to senior Kyle Scheffers. Doubles standout Timo van der Geest ’18 also got the call to play No. 1 against Trinity, and lost in two closely contested sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. Despite the Trinity’s sharp top-of-the-ladder players, Middlebury secured the win down the stretch with confident wins from experienced stand-ins Alex Vanezis ’20 and Adam Guo ‘21, not to mention a doubles core that held nothing back. The Panthers sent out their usual squad of doubles teams to secure three easy points, as Lubo Cuba ‘19 and Kyle Schlanger ‘18 picked up their 13th win in 16 matches. The Panthers held nothing back in doubles and punished the Bantams 8–2, 8–2, and 8–4 en route to a 6–3 match victory. The Panthers no doubt had their eyes on Emory for later that day. Emory has certainly established itself of late as a Division III powerhouse. The Eagles have won the national championships twice in the past six years and haven’t even finished outside the top 10 in almost 20 years. They traveled up to Hartford undefeated in DIII play after fending off No. 3 University of Chicago, No. 13 Wesleyan, and No. 5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who handed Middlebury a 7–2 loss in California almost a month ago. That being said, neither team forgot the 6–3 loss Middlebury handed Emory last year — a defeat that failed to slow the Eagles trajectory to a national championship just two months thereafter. Last year’s loss seemed perhaps all too familiar for the Eagles as the Panthers proceeded to dominate. The wins started early for Midd, who masterfully handled the Eagles at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, each by scores of 8–1. Van der Geest, playing on minimal rest, showed what he had left in the tank as he and Peter Martin ’19 rounded out the scoring to start the match off 3–0. Panthers duos are an impressive 47–13 this spring, and the players must be comforted each time they can jump out to such a big lead moving into singles play. The Panthers singles players scarcely needed the boost, as they dominated the first through fourth singles spots. The upperclassmen at the top of the ladder made quick work of the men from Emory. Schlanger picked up his fourth-straight win of the spring, while the others finished without much commotion. The top and middle of the ladder left no double who is the better team. “It took a belief in ourselves and a constant attention on staying focused in our execution of our individual game plans, which differ vastly based on the unique talents of each of our players,” assistant coach Andrew Thomson said. After Cuba clinched the match with his 10th win of the spring, the first-years at the bottom of the ladder ran into trouble against Emory’s upperclassmen. Xiao, with little rest, and Nate Eazor ’21 could not finish the job as they fell in incredibly close three-setters with multiple tie-breaks. The upperclassmen had picked them up, however, and the Panthers emerged having tackled the No. 1 team in the country, handing them their first DIII loss of the season. “Beating Emory was a monster win, no doubt about it,” Thomson said. “Anytime you beat a time with that much talent and that strong of a record, it demonstrates that we have a lot of things heading in the right direction for our group. “Of course, it is very possible we will play Emory again and if we do so, we will expect it to be a war. They are always a tough team to beat and even though our victory was clear, we likely caught them on a day they were not playing their best. We will need to continue to improve so that we will be likely to win if we meet again and when they are playing better.” Despite Saturday’s heroics, the result of the weekend still wasn’t certain until the very end. After van der Geest and Martin dropped a tie-breaker to Wesleyan’s Stephen Chen and Cam Daniels, the Panthers found themselves with a narrow 2–1 lead heading into singles against a Wesleyan team that plays an incredibly strong schedule and almost knocked off previously-No. 7 Washington University in St. Louis and previously-No. 8 Carnegie Mellon. Looking to avoid any theatrical upsets, the rock-solid middle of the ladder for Middlebury took care of business in dominant fashion to quickly clinch the match for the Panthers. Schlanger picked up his 11th win in 15 matches, while Eazor and Will de Quant ’18 followed suit. If it weren’t for the order of the matches, the match might have looked in doubt for the Panthers. The Cardinals fought extremely hard, even unexpectedly winning at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, to bring themselves within two points of the Panthers, who led 5-3. Wesleyan’s Princeton Carter took advantage of Xiao’s exhausting weekend and pushed him to his limits, handing him a three-set loss. The Cardinals narrowly missed the upset, and the Panthers survived the weekend unscathed and could finally celebrate their upending of the defending national champions. When the updated ITA rankings come out later today, Middlebury figures to move up a few spots in the polls. Some have speculated that the Panthers may even be the ITA’s new top team heading into the tail end of the season. “It will be interesting to see how the ITA committee decides upon both national and regional rankings as most teams have 1 or 2 losses at this point,” Thomson said. “While a No. 1 national ranking might be possible for us, the only benefit of it would be an improved draw for the NCAA tournament assuming we make it there.” The Panthers must not look past Nescac championship host No. 7 Amherst in their final home match of the year on Sunday, April 29, as they await the seedings for the conference tournament. “We will have to maintain the mentality of a team hungry to prove that we can beat anyone if we are to continue to have a successful season,” Thomson said. “This starts with Amherst this weekend, who will represent another extremely formidable Nescac opponent that is loaded with talent up and down their lineup.” Though the Mammoths haven’t made any noise against top-five-ranked teams this season, they have been perfect against teams outside of this range, so look to the Proctor Tennis Courts on Sunday to see some heated action and a possible Nescac tournament preview.

Women’s Tennis Showcases Depth with Three Wins in Connecticut

The women’s tennis team extended its winning streak to five matches by winning all three in a successful trip to Connecticut from Friday to Sunday, April 20 to 22. No. 4 Middlebury knocked off DI opponent Quinnipiac 4–3 on Friday, dismissed Trinity 9–0 on Saturday, and upended No. 5 Wesleyan in a crucial match for Nescac seeding on Sunday, even though the Cardinals boast the three-time defending NCAA singles champion, Eudice Chong, who also won the doubles title with Victoria Yu last season. Middlebury lost to Chong and Yu at first doubles and first and second singles, but the Panthers took every other match to hand Wesleyan its second loss in the conference. With the victory, the Panthers clinched the second seed in the Nescac playoffs no matter what happens in their last match of the regular season at Amherst this Saturday, because they beat Wesleyan and Tufts, the two teams that are one game behind Middlebury in the standings. Quinnipiac posed a unique challenge for Middlebury in the Panthers’ first match in Connecticut on Friday. Facing a Division I opponent, they played by DI rules, meaning whichever team won more of the doubles pro-sets to six games won the singles doubles point — singles is not different, so the match was out of seven points. And, of course, any Division I opponent will be a challenge. The Bobcats took two out of the three doubles matches to earn the doubles point, as Heather Boehm ’20 and Ann Martin Skelly ’21 won 6–3 in the second slot for Middlebury’s only doubles victory. But Middlebury bounced back when Catherine Blazye ’20, at No. 3, and Katy Hughes ’20, at No. 2, won the first two singles matches in straight sets to put Middlebury ahead. Quinnipiac tied the match at two, then Molly Paradies ’19 rebounded from losing 6–7 in the first set to take the next two sets 6–0, 6–2 and give Middlebury the lead back. Once more, the Bobcats answered back in the sixth slot to tie the match at three. In the deciding match, Skylar Schossberger ’21 won the first set 6–3, lost the second 5–7, then took the third 6–3, securing a 4–3 victory for Middlebury over the hosts. Saturday’s match at Trinity was Middlebury’s easiest of the weekend. The Panthers shut out the Bantams, winning 96 of 111 games in the process. And Sunday’s matchup at Wesleyan held great intrigue for a couple of reasons: both teams entered with one loss in the Nescac, and Middlebury is ranked fourth nationally while Wesleyan is fifth. Doubles play went back and forth. Boehm and Skelly quickly beat their opponents 8–2 in the third slot, but the defending NCAA doubles champions, Chong and Yu, outlasted Schossberger and Hughes in the first to win 8–5 and tie the match. “Wesleyan’s number-one doubles team is very strong,” said Middlebury head coach Rachel Kahan. “Williams was able to push past them in a close one a few weeks ago, so I believe they are beatable.” Even in defeat, Middlebury’s top pair demonstrated they could compete with one of the best doubles teams in the country, and Kahan wants her pair to play Chong and Yu again. “Katy and Sky competed very well and learned a lot from the match, and we hope to get another chance to play them this season.” Blazye and Maddi Stow ’20 made sure Middlebury led entering singles by defeating their opponents 8–2 at No. 2. Chong swept Christina Puccinelli ’19 in first singles to tie the match at two. Saturday was Chong’s birthday — as if she was not tough enough already, playing against the senior on her birthday was probably impossible. The Panthers slowly but steadily pulled away from the Cardinals after that. Schossberger in the fifth slot and Blazye in the fourth won in straight sets before Yu beat Hughes at No. 2. Middlebury led 4–3 with two matches to go — Boehm’s at No. 3 and Stow’s at No. 6. Stow finished first when she beat Zoe Klass-Warch 6–0, 6–3 to clinch the match for Middlebury. Sunday was Stow’s birthday as well, and she got to seal Middlebury’s victory with her second win of the day and fourth of the weekend. Stow stayed undefeated in singles this spring with her two wins over the weekend, extending her unbeaten streak to 10 matches. She is emblematic of Middlebury’s remarkable depth throughout their roster, which proved to be one of their keys to victory against Wesleyan and in every match in Connecticut. All nine players have won matches this spring, and the Panthers won matches in every doubles and singles slot this weekend. “I do believe we have strong depth on our team this year,” said head coach Rachel Kahan. “It is great as a coach to feel that I can put any of my nine players in the lineup and feel confident that they will compete well.” Another example of Middlebury’s depth is Skelly, who stepped into the doubles lineup in the middle of the season to pair with Boehm. They have won all five of their matches together, each of them by three games or more. “We’ve been playing really great together and are thrilled with our five-match winning streak,” said Skelly. “I think that our games really complement each other, and we feed well off each other’s energy. We have been focused, and our coaches have worked with us a lot on different strategies that we’ve been seeing a lot of success in.” Middlebury will travel to Amherst on Saturday, April 28, to face off with the Mammoths in their final match of the regular season. Then the Panthers will turn to Nescacs the following weekend, when they will venture to Amherst again for the playoffs from Friday to Sunday, May 4 to 6.

The Librarian Is In

Director of Research & Instruction Carrie Macfarlane is the librarian for Chinese, Japanese, Neuroscience, Psychology and the Writing Program.   “I’m The One That I Want” by Margaret Cho, 2002 213 pages RATING 4/5 cardigans The What Those who have seen the comedian Margaret Cho perform probably would not describe her as anxious, afraid or uncertain. I’ve never done stand-up comedy, but it seems like it requires a lot of courage. On stage, Margaret Cho is fearless.  I’m the One That I Want is her memoir, and it’s funny. But it also reveals her vulnerabilities. For those who don’t know Margaret Cho, she is a Korean American who grew up in San Francisco in the 1970s. She is the daughter of immigrants, and she describes her early years as amusing, uncomfortable, and at times, utterly distressing. It takes Cho a while to find her way in life. After she fails out of high school, a performing arts program captures her attention. Falling in with a new group of friends doesn’t end Cho’s troubles, but it does set her on a (winding) path toward her career as a successful stand-up comedian with numerous film and television credits. The Why I actually hadn’t seen many (any?) of Margaret Cho’s comedy routines when I requested I’m the One That I Want via Interlibrary Loan. (After I read the book, I had the library purchase a copy -- you can find it in MIDCAT.) I learned about I’m the One That I Want when I was compiling a bibliography of diversity and inclusion readings on behalf of the Alliance for an Inclusive Middlebury (AIM). Many schools have bibliographies like the one I was asked to put together, but I decided to expand the scope of ours to include books that I’d enjoy reading in my free time. Meaning, I wanted memoirs and novels. Stories help me imagine different life experiences. Cho’s life experiences are very different from mine. She grew up in a big city on the West Coast, and I’m from a small town on the East Coast. Her parents came to the U.S. from another country, and mine were born here. She excelled in the theatre, and the only part I ever got in a play was as a narrator who introduced a show then quickly got off the stage. As I read the book, I noted many differences, but I found many similarities too. Cho and I both know why kids do dumb things, but even with the distance and wisdom of age, we still don’t completely forgive them. Cho makes it okay to laugh at her contradictions and struggles, and in doing so, she invites readers to find humor in their own.  And Cho does struggle. Throughout her childhood and her adult years, she works with a backdrop of negative self-talk, poor body image, sexual harassment, racism, and drug abuse. Cho writes with honesty in a voice that is familiar, yet sharp and illuminating. As I gobbled up chapter after chapter, I felt like I was having a conversation with a smart friend. Cho is a comedian though, so she periodically crosses the line between easy and difficult topics. Her readers should know that sometimes, her comedic observations will sting.   What I like about I’m the One That I Want  is that it shines a light on the space between Margaret Cho’s on-stage success and her off-stage challenges. And it makes me laugh. Read it, and if you enjoy it, go to MIDCAT to find Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me? and Gabourey Sidibe’s This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare. By the way, all of these books are recommended in the forthcoming AlM bibliography, available online sometime soon.

Racism, Repenting Explored in “Man on Fire”

On Wednesday April 4, the College held a special screening of the documentary film “Man on Fire.” Students, professors, visiting historians and town residents alike filled the stadium seats in Dana Auditorium for the presentation, which was sponsored by the Writing and Rhetoric Program and the Film and Media Culture Department. The documentary is about Grand Saline, Texas, a 3,000-person town east of Dallas that has a history of racism that the community does not talk about. In June of 2014, an elderly Methodist minister named Charles Moore committed suicide by lighting himself on fire to protest racism in the town. This act of sacrifice is known as self-immolation. He parked his car in a shopping center parking lot, poured gasoline on himself, then set himself ablaze. Moore left a typed note on his car urging the community of Grand Saline and the United States to repent for its racism. The film compiles interviews of Grand Saline residents that illustrate a vast range of opinions regarding Grand Saline’s racist history and reactions to Moore’s demonstration. One interview mentions an area nicknamed “Pole town” referencing a place in Grand Saline where black bodies used to be displayed on poles after being lynched. Another interview mentioned the existence of signs that read “Don’t Let The Sun Set On Your Black Ass” and how rare it was to see a black person walking around town. Other interviews provided an account in direct opposition. Most residents believed the town possessed absolutely no issues with racism and that Moore was unwarranted in his protest. Strategically layered within these interview clips are graphic, yet artistically shot, clips that reenacted Moore’s self-immolation. The cinematography employs soft focus to mitigate the graphic nature of the content, but the heart-wrenching shots force the audience to confront the implication of Moore’s violent death. A stirring moment in the film features an interview that claims Grand Saline does not need to have conversations about racism. Then, immediately following, is a series of skillfully constructed shots displaying a Grand Saline High School pep rally, in which people wear shirts with images and words associated with native people. These shots pass by beautifully and silently. Special guests of this screening included the director of the film, Joel Fendelman, along with producer Dr. James Chase Sanchez. Fendelman has written, produced and directed a number of award-winning narrative and documentary films. His work has been screened at film festivals such as Tribeca, Slamdance and Montreal. James Chase Sanchez is a native of Grand Saline, Texas and an assistant professor of writing at Middlebury College where he researches cultural rhetoric and public memory. He has been published in journals such as “College Composition & Communication” and “The Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric.” He wrote his dissertation entitled “Preaching Behind the Fiery Pulpit: Rhetoric, Self-Immolation, and Public Memory” on the Charles Moore incident. “Man on Fire” affords audience members a story with a unique perspective on modern racism. This film elucidates how many in this country still believe that electing a black president has solved the issue of racism. 

SGA Weekly: A Time of Changes

Dear Middkidds, With less than five weeks left, the SGA Cabinet and Senate are continuing to work hard on ongoing and new initiatives. Be sure to voice your thoughts by reaching out to your student class and commons representatives! SGA Cabinet: 1. Each cabinet committee is working on impactful projects, including a website for Middlebury social nightlife, a divestment referendum, staff appreciation day, Panther pride, late night student access to academic buildings, 10 o’clock Ross and more! Be sure to look out for emails from SGA with more information on these initiatives. SGA Senate: 1. Topic(s) of the Week: This week the SGA has decided to focus student engagement and opinions on three topics: a) meal plans b) resources for international students and c) public art in spaces at Middlebury. Please reach out to your student class and commons representatives to share your opinions on these topics. 2. “An Act to Correct the Club Sports Bill 2.0”: After months of working on club sports related concerns, the Senate passed a bill to eliminate the tier system and create two clusters, Competitive Club Sports and Recreational Club Sports. Competitive Club Sports are structured intercollegiate sport programs without a Varsity counterpart and more structured than the intramural program. Competitive club sports attend regular competitions against other college and universities. Club sports that fall under this cluster are Crew, Cycling, Equestrian, Quidditch, Rugby and Sailing. Recreational Club Sports are sports with a limited travel season of only two competitions per year. Club sports that fall under this cluster are Badminton, Figure Skating, MiddRuns, SKIGA and Tennis. New Recreational Club Sports will receive minimum discretionary funds of $200, an email address and an index code like other organizations on campus, and will follow club sport policies and procedures. All relevant club sports have been contacted about this change. These new clusters will allow the SGA to be more fiscally responsible long-term and provide better organization and avenues for forming new recreational club sports. This bill will immediately go into effect for spring budgeting. Sponsors of this bill were Co-Chair Tina Brook, Senior Senator Hannah Pustejovsky, and President Jin Sohn. 3. “Terms of Commons Senators”: Originally proposed last week, this bylaws amendment was passed in Senate this week. The bill converts Commons Senator positions into semester terms. Specifically, it extends eligibility for the Commons Senator position to include students that may have study abroad plans or off-campus medical leaves. Students that are not studying abroad during the academic year, however, are required to run for both fall and spring semesters. This is based off the Community Co-Chair semester terms model. Essentially, this bill takes into account one of Middlebury’s largest student academic interests, study abroad, in order to make SGA more accessible. This will go into effect for the next election cycle of 2019-2020. Sponsors of this bill were Sophomore Senator Varsha Vijayakumar and Wonnacott Senator Anthony Salas. 4. “Academic Credit for Summer Unpaid Internships”: This bill, originally discussed last week, was passed this week in Senate. The only change to the bill since then is a clarification to include academic credit for internships tied to academic and/or professional interests. This bill will now be handed to relevant offices as a recommendation to implement. The sponsor of this bill was Junior Senator Kailash Raj Pandey. 5. “Proposal for Increase of Student Wellbeing”: This bill was discussed and proposed in Senate this week. Junior Senator Kailash Raj Pandey presented findings from a student survey on ways to increase student wellbeing at Middlebury. The results manifested as bill proposing new relaxation spaces in BiHall and Davis, installing fitdesk recumbent bikes at both libraries, Dining Committee transparency, dining food options, and offerings to match what is offered in the summer, including sauté stations and more fruit and  nut offerings. The Senate will continue to discuss the bill next week. What are your thoughts on these proposals? For more information, the main contact for this initiative is SGA Junior Senator Kailash Pandey. 6. “Swipe System & Meal Plans in Dining”: The Senate is discussing the pros and cons of implementing meal plans. Through conversations with Dan Detora, Executive Director of Food Service Operations, if meal plans were to be instituted, they would all be the same price, but would allow for greater student flexibility. For example, perhaps a student who skips breakfast would prefer 14 meals per week in the dining hall and a higher declining balance to spend at retail locations on campus (and possibly even around town). Maybe a student who has a kitchen in their living space and cooks their own meals would prefer seven dining hall meals per week with a far greater declining balance. Please note that the unlimited meal option would still exist and would be the same price as the other options. The Senate is only just beginning to discuss this idea, and will continue to do so next week. Would you want meal plans at Middlebury? For more information, the main contact for this initiative is SGA Sophomore Senator Jack Goldfield. Upcoming Events to Keep in Mind: 1. We are in the midst of SGA elections season, and voting has begun! Polls and a student-wide referendum on divestment will be open from noon on Thursday (4/19) until noon on Friday (4/20). Don’t forget to vote; every vote counts! 2. Staff Appreciation Day is 4/30! Keep submitting those thank you video submissions and get involved at go/thankyoustaff. And remember to thank staff everyday, not just on Staff Appreciation Day; they do so much for us. As always, all past and current bills (even the ones mentioned above) are accessible at go/sga under Weekly Updates and/or Archives. Please continue to reach out to your respective Senators or to SGA with any questions, concerns or comments. Enjoy these last few weeks of the school year! Jin Sohn is SGA President.

News in Brief

SGA RECOMMENDS AWARDING CREDIT FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIPS The Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously passed a bill asking faculty to award academic credit for summer internships in their most recent meeting on Sunday. Junior senator Kailash Raj Pandey ’19 sponsored the bill. Visit go/internshipsforcredit to view the full bill. The language remains to be finalized.  — Catherine Pollack   SPRING SYMPOSIUM There will be no class on Friday to allow students to attend the twelfth annual Spring Symposium, where over 350 students will present their academic work in a wide array of academic disciplines.  Presenters represent all four classes, though the majority of presenters are seniors. Oral and poster presentations will be held in Bicentennial Hall, while art projects will be displayed in Johnson.  The day will begin with a welcome address by President Laurie L. Patton at 9 a.m. and conclude with a closing reception at 4:45 p.m. — Elaine Velie   SGA EARTH DAY EVENT The SGA Environmental Affairs Committee will host a “Cancel the Apocalypse” fair on Earth Day this Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m in Wilson Hall in McCullough.  Student organizations from the college and local organizations from the Middlebury community will be stationed at tables to share the ways in which they are working to combat climate change. The Sunday Night Environmental Group, Otter Creek Audubon Society, Middlebury Energy Committee, and Middlebury Area Climate Economy Initiative are some of the groups that will be in attendance.  Several individual students will present the actions they’ve taken to protect the environment, including Leif Taranta ’20.5, who spearheaded the switch to reusable to-go containers.  Attendants will also be able to snack on Midd Cakes’ new granola bars.   — Elizabeth Sawyer   TEN O’CLOCK ROSS BACK 10 o’clock Ross reopened on Monday, April 16 after being suspended mid-March due to issues regarding cleanliness. It will run Monday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m for the rest of the semester.  When 10 o’clock Ross was initially suspended, the SGA called on students to treat both the dining hall and the staff tasked with cleaning it with greater respect.   SGA president Jin Sohn wrote, “the Ross Dining Hall Staff trusts the student body by allowing us to enjoy late-night snacks in the dining hall after hours and we have failed to step up to the task.” In an email announcing 10 o’clock Ross’ return, Sohn again asked students to clean up after themselves, to notify monitors of liquid spills, not to tamper with the frozen yogurt machine, and to help the monitors and staff ensure it runs smoothly.  The Campus published an editorial on March 21 citing the suspension of 10 o’clock Ross as just one example of students mistreatment of the college staff.   The March suspension was not the first time 10 o’clock Ross had been suspended, as alcohol consumption during 10 o’clock Ross last winter led to similar consequences. But it will hopefully be the last as students act with greater consideration and respect. — Catherine Pollack   TWO RUNNING FOR COMMUNITY COUNCIL CO-CHAIR Two candidates are running to fill the position of co-chair of Community Council for the 2018-2019 academic year.  Lynn Claire Travnikova ’20 has served as a commons resident assistant and as the social chair of The Middlebury Bobolinks, an a cappella group. Her campaign website can be accessed at go.middlebury.edu/lynn4cc.  John Gosselin ’20 has served as Atwater senator in the SGA for the past year. He is currently a member of Community Council. His campaign website can be accessed at go.middlebury.edu/jgforcc.  Voting will take place from noon on Thursday, April 19 to noon on Friday, April 20 at go.middlebury.edu/vote.

Women’s Lacrosse Comes from Behind to Topple Conference Rivals

The women’s lacrosse team learned a valuable word this past weekend: grit. No. 8 Middlebury clawed its way back to a victory after being down by four goals to Nescac rival No. 11 Trinity twice on Saturday, April 14. The Panthers kept their home crowd on their toes in what made for an exciting, and at times too exciting, game ending with a 14–8 score in the host’s favor. And they bounced back from their first Nescac loss to Colby last weekend, when the Mules dominated the Panthers in at the beginning of both halves on their way to a 14–12 upset. The back-and-forth affair was another storied matchup between two of the Nescac’s perennial powerhouses in women’s lacrosse, since the two programs have combined to win 13 of the 17 Nescac championships in conference history. Not coincidentally, Kate Livesay ’03 played on three of Middlebury’s eight championship teams, from 2001 to 2003, then coached Trinity to four of its five championship teams, before returning to Vermont to capture one at her alma mater in 2016 in her second year as the Panthers’ head coach. “Trinity has been one of our rivals over the years, so this game has a special place in our hearts,” said Hayden Garrett ’20. “Kate Livesay came back to Middlebury after coaching at Trinity for a number of years, so there’s yet another thing fueling us to beat Trinity. This year’s sideline was the most enthusiastic sideline I have ever been a part of, and I know that being loud helps fuel everyone on the field. The momentum of goal after goal in the second half allowed us to keep pushing until we left the field with 10 unanswered goals.” Trinity has had the slight edge in the previous five seasons of this matchup, taking five out of the eight games during that time, but Middlebury won the only matchup last season 10–9 in double overtime and avenged a regular season loss two years ago with wins in the Nescac and NCAA championship games. The Panthers got off to a rocky start when the visitors quickly seized on the gaps in the Middlebury defense and put up four tallies in the first 10:01 of Saturday’s contest, claiming the foreign field as their own territory. But there is a reason they play 60 minutes, not 10. Hollis Perticone ’18 fired up her teammates when she put her team on the board and got them back in the game mentally. Perticone had been out for three days of practice due to a virus, but a lack of stamina was nowhere to be seen on the field as she sparked the momentum shift for her teammates. Knowing that her games were numbered as a senior captain preparing to enter her final postseason, she would not let her sickness be an excuse for another Nescac defeat. Kirsten Murphy ’21 continued her outstanding debut in the blue-and-white with her 15th goal of the season, and Trinity matched her goal to keep Middlebury at an arm’s length. Emily Barnard ’20 and Murphy ignored any obstacles Trinity placed in their way to bring Middlebury within one, which was as close as Middlebury got in the first half. Trinity scored once more in the first 30 minutes and led 6–4 at halftime. Before the game, Livesay certainly would not have been happy to trail by two at that point, but in that moment, she must have been thrilled after her team’s disastrous start. The beginning of the second half reminded everyone at Kohn Field of the game’s first 10 minutes. Trinity scored the first two goals within the first nine minutes of action. But they began to relax too soon — far too soon. Something switched in Middlebury’s mindset. It all started with Erin Nicholas ’21 scoring on a free-position shot almost midway through the second half. Murphy followed two minutes later to complete her hat trick, creating her own opportunity by breezing past multiple Trinity defenders. Perticone and Georgia Carroll ’18 then tied the score. Less than four minutes earlier, Trinity led by four, but they would never lead again. Murphy notched her fourth goal of the game to take the lead three minutes later. Then Perticone, looking more than healthy, assisted Casey O’Neill ’19 on her first goal of the game. Nicholas put home her ninth goal of the season to bring Middlebury ahead 11–8. After a little more than six minutes without scoring, which seemed like an eternity after the Panthers’ scoring spree to take the lead, Middlebury’s second-leading scorer, Emma McDonagh ’19, scored her first of the game to extend the lead to four goals. Then Jenna McNicholas ’19 added insult to injury by scoring back-to-back goals in the last three minutes to cap off Middlebury’s remarkable turnaround. At the end of 60 minutes, the scoreboard read Middlebury 14, Trinity eight. And the Panthers’ comeback against their conference rivals was complete. Middlebury’s win came without defender and two-time All-Nescac performer Evie Keating ’18, who sat out the game because of an injury. Emma Johns ’20 got some of the playing time in Keating’s absence and helped the Panthers clamp down on the Bantams in the second half. “Evie is currently working through an SI joint injury that she sustained over spring break,” said Garrett. “Not having her on the field has been difficult, as we have had to readjust how we play our defense, but even though she is not presently on the field, her leadership is still so impactful on our team, and I know that she will be back on the field soon and it will be as if she were never injured.” Julia Keith ’20 posted another strong start in the cage, making nine saves compared to Trinity’s four. Not only did the win give Livesay and her team bragging rights over her former team, it also kept Middlebury ahead of Trinity in the Nescac standings. The Bantams fell to 5–3 and a fourth-place tie with Bowdoin in the conference, and Middlebury moved to 6–1, half a game behind Tufts and a game behind Amherst in the standings. Middlebury will square off with No. 6 Tufts on their turf in Medford, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 21, with an opportunity to leap the Jumbos and move into second place in the Nescac. In fact, the Panthers control their own destiny. If they win their last three games, they will win the Nescac regular-season championship because they beat first-place Amherst earlier this season. After their matchup against Tufts, Middlebury will host Hamilton on Sunday, April 22, in a rescheduled game from earlier this season, and then will travel to Williams on Wednesday, April 25 for the last game of the regular season.

Men’s Lacrosse Stays on Track for Conference Playoffs

“Going in with four in a row is a great start to the second half of our season,” said A.J. Kucinski ’20 last Saturday after the men’s lacrosse team knocked off Trinity 13–12 in Hartford, Connecticut. It’s interesting that Kucinski said “second half of our season” when only three games remained. He, along with the rest of the team, is clearly unbothered by some of the results from earlier in the season. Confident and shooting for gold, the Panthers are looking forward to ending an exciting season of lacrosse on a strong note to set themselves up for the perfect playoff story. For the first time in two years, the Middlebury men’s lacrosse team is riding a five-game win streak after picking up road wins at Springfield (6–5), Trinity (4–8), and Endicott (4–10). The Panthers inched their way across the finish line in the first two matches, beating Springfield 12–11 on a game-winning goal by Kucinski and holding off a Trinity comeback attempt to win 13–12. On Tuesday, April 17, they beat Endicott 11–9, outscoring the Gulls 4–1 in the fourth quarter to upend the hosts. In Springfield, Massachusetts, the hosts jumped out to a 4–0 lead in the first quarter before Henry Riehl ’18 managed to reel one back for the Panthers with just under eight minutes on the clock. Springfield added a fifth before Riehl assisted Chase Gorree ’20 to bring the Panthers within three by the end of the first quarter. But then, in the second quarter, the Panthers gained a strong hold on the game by outscoring the Pride 6–1. The foes exchanged goals early in the quarter before the Panthers rattled off five unanswered goals to take an 8–6 lead into the locker room. After a low-scoring third quarter when each team scored one goal, the hosts regained the lead by rattling off three straight goals in the first nine minutes of the final quarter. Just as quickly as their lead disappeared, the Panthers scored twice in 36 seconds to go ahead 11–10. But once more, the Pride answered back, tying the game at 11. Then came the game-winner. “We had a four-on-three fast break, and we mishandled the point pass,” Riehl recalled. “A.J. reacted immediately, picked up a gritty ground ball, and fired a shot high past the goalie. A.J. made a huge play picking up the ground ball and running through hard checks from a physical Springfield defense.” And with 59 seconds remaining, the Panthers went ahead 12–11, a lead that held for a Middlebury victory. Riehl did not mention how the game-winning play began, but Kucinski certainly did not forget that he ended up with the ball on a play that started with Chase Midgley ’19 making a save and clearing the danger with an outlet pass. “It was just a great team play. We have a group of guys who love to compete — and compete for each other — and a great defense that has the ability to convert defense into offense,” Kucinski mentioned with regard to his game-winner. “We have complete confidence in each other and were all just playing fast.” On Saturday, April 14, Middlebury faced off with Trinity in Hartford, Connecticut. The Bantams entered the matchup with a 1–6 record in the conference, so the Panthers needed to pick up a win against one of the weakest teams in the Nescac, where no games are easy. Middlebury scored four goals in each of the first two quarters, taking an 8–5 lead into halftime. And in the third quarter both teams scored three times to keep the difference at three goals heading into the final quarter. After Riehl scored his second goal of the game to give Middlebury a 12–8 lead, Trinity drove home three consecutive goals to bring themselves within one. Riehl scored his third goal to put Middlebury ahead by two, but Trinity scored with 48 seconds left and won the ensuing faceoff, giving them one shot to force overtime. As time wound down, the Bantams entered the Middlebury zone and fired a shot. Midgley activated his clutch gene once again to provide the Panthers with a crucial save to stave off the hosts. With 13 goals on the evening, the game against Trinity saw the Panthers produce their highest-scoring game of the season. “I think in the Trinity game, we finally saw everything click in the first half,” Riehl said. “With that being said, I think we have more in us and will continue to improve and generate more high-quality shots.” Even with their best scoring output of the season, the Panthers eked out the win by one goal, the third straight game they won by such a slim margin. The team has won a total of five games this season by one in comparison to last year, when they won one game by one goal. Ironically, that win was against Springfield. “We have gained some great experience these past few games but also learned about what we need to improve to maintain our leads,” captain Nick Peterson ’18 said. “These narrow wins are definitely good prep for playoff games,” Riehl added. “These fourth quarters prepare us to play with composure when down by a goal or tied with just a few minutes to play.” The Panthers are now looking to wrap up their season with a possible seven-game win streak. Their final games will be against Tufts on Saturday, April 21, and Williams on Wednesday, April 25. With their two final regular-season games at home against top-four opponents, the Panthers will look to end their season on a high note heading into the playoffs. “Being able to play any game on Youngman Field is an honor,” Kucinski stated. “Finishing the regular season off with two straight home league games is very exciting, and we are looking forward to every challenge ahead.”

Women’s Tennis Impose Their Will on Home Courts

After six consecutive road matches, the women’s tennis team returned to the warm confines of Nelson Recreation Center, where they dealt 8–1 defeats to two ranked opponents, No. 14 Bowdoin on Saturday, April 14, and No. 17 Skidmore on Sunday, April 15. “Everyone is playing their game and dictating points now,” said Heather Boehm ’20, something they could not quite do last weekend in their loss to No. 2 Williams. Last weekend, No. 4 Middlebury lost its first Nescac match of the season 5–4 to the Ephs, the defending national and Nescac champions, who have consistently been one of the nation’s best teams since the turn of the century and remain so this year as the last undefeated team in DIII women’s tennis. Even in defeat, Middlebury stuck with Williams in a match that actually could have gone either way. Nothing is better than home, though, for the Panthers, who had the opportunity to learn from last weekend’s loss and put a week’s worth of practice into effect on their home courts on Saturday and Sunday. “The team did a great job of coming out in both matches with a lot of energy and really trying to use what we worked on the previous week in practice,” said head coach Rachel Kahan. Playing on their home courts for the first time in almost a month and for the last time in the regular season meant a great deal to the Panthers. “We took advantage of the fact that this was one of our few home games this season and made sure our presence was louder than theirs,” Boehm said. “The team definitely missed Christina Puccinelli ’18’s presence on the court, but her sideline support was incredible and definitely helped us stay positive, which isn’t easy to do from the sidelines.” On Saturday, the Panthers bounced back from the Williams loss by playing excellent tennis from the beginning. Boehm, without her normal doubles partner Puccinelli, who rested her arm over the weekend to prepare for Middlebury’s upcoming three-match weekend, paired with Ann Martin Skelly ’21 to dispose of their Polar Bear opponents in the third doubles slot 8–1 and give the Panthers their first victory of the match. “Bowdoin is always a good team and is a long-time rival,” said Boehm. “But we came out firing right from the first point.” As did Middlebury’s other doubles pairs, Katie Hughes ’20 and Skylar Schossberger ’20, and Catherine Blazye ’20 and Maddi Stow ’20. Hughes and Schossberger surrendered one more game in the first slot than Boehm and Skelly did, and Blazye and Stow lost one more in the second slot than Hughes and Schossberger did — meaning, in the three doubles matches, Middlebury outscored Bowdoin 24–6. Very little changed in Middlebury’s singles matches on Saturday, of which the Panthers won five of six to secure the 8–1 victory, even without Puccinelli, one of their top singles players and a consistent doubles player. After losing last weekend to her Williams opponent, Hughes defeated Bowdoin’s Tess Trinka — who is ranked 16th nationally — 6–1, 6–4 in first singles. And Blazye shut out her opponent in the third slot for her fourth-straight singles victory. “I believe the key to bouncing back from my losses at Williams to win four matches this weekend was putting last weekend out of mind and focusing on the present moment,” Hughes said. “Losing to Williams was a tiny wake-up call and has motivated us to put in extra time and effort these last couple of weeks so we can set ourselves up the best we can to win nationals.” Even without Puccinelli, Middlebury dismissed a top-15 opponent, reasserting themselves as a force to be reckoned with. In Sunday’s match against Skidmore, the Panthers struggled to get going against their non-conference foe. “We always underestimate how good they are, and we came out flat on Saturday,” Boehm said. “But we can always grind them out in singles, even though they are a very strong team.” And that is what the Panthers did on Sunday: they ground out two doubles victories, then swept the Thoroughbreds in singles to earn their second 8–1 win in as many days, punctuated by two shutouts orchestrated by Stow and Molly Paradies ’19 in the fifth and sixth slots, respectively. With two wins, Middlebury moved to 9–2 this spring entering the final two weekends of the regular season. This weekend, Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22, Middlebury will play three matches in Connecticut, one against a DI opponent, Quinnipiac, and two against Nescac foes, Trinity and Wesleyan. Middlebury should beat Trinity, who is 1–5 in the conference, but Wesleyan will be a different beast. Middlebury, Wesleyan and Amherst all lurk behind Williams in the Nescac standings with one loss apiece in conference play, and the next two weekends will go a long way in determining Nescac playoff seedings — since the Panthers play the Mammoths the following weekend in their last match of the regular season. Middlebury took a step in the right direction this weekend with their actual record and with their play on the courts — an important step if they want to avenge their losses from earlier this season. “We are playing with confidence and trying to execute our game plans aggressively,” said Kahan about her team’s play over the weekend. “In order to beat teams like Claremont and Williams, I believe it is going to come down to the belief factor that they can do it, playing loose with no fear, and having some fun.” The regular season never determines who the champion is, but it does demonstrate who is ahead at the time. If the Panthers want to rewrite the regular-season pecking order in the postseason, they must continue to get better, using their energy, relentlessness, and assertiveness from this weekend as building blocks for the future.

Ready or Not, Here They Come

The sixth-ranked men’s tennis team stunned previously undefeated No. 2 Bowdoin on Saturday, April 14, dismantling the Polar Bears 8–1 in the Nelson Recreation Center. They showed no mercy on their opponents on Sunday, April 15 either, efficiently shutting out Colby-Sawyer and downing No. 26 Skidmore 8–1 to move to 12–3 this season. The Bowdoin matchup presented the Panthers with an opportunity to defeat one of the nation’s best teams in Bowdoin, after falling to No. 6 Claremont-Mudd Scripps and No. 5 Williams the previous two weekends, and prove they belong in the conversation of the nation’s best teams. To give some perspective on Bowdoin’s season, they were undefeated coming into Middlebury on Saturday. This is a team that won the Nescac and made a run to the NCAA Final Four last year.   Their record table for single-season wins is riddled with names of current players, including current junior Grant Urken, who set the Bowdoin record for wins in a single season last year with 31. They have had four players named as ITA All-Americans in the past two years. This year, they’ve beaten two top-five ranked teams, and this is reflected in their national ranking. To put it lightly, this is certainly an era of strong men’s tennis teams at Bowdoin College. On Saturday, Middlebury dominated that same program. Middlebury’s stellar day began in doubles, when they won all three matches to set the tone in Nelson. After suffering a few setbacks against top teams despite what is usually an exceptionally strong doubles core, the Panthers doubles pairings struck back. Of his own pairing with Peter Martin ’19, Timo van der Geest ’18 said, “After having two tough doubles matches at third doubles last weekend against Williams and Tufts, it was great to see us bounce back from that and get a very close win against Bowdoin.” Van der Geest and Martin have been each other’s main partners this spring, and they’ve been a mainstay in the lineup for the Panthers, playing all but one match together, all the while compiling a 10–6 record. They showed their chemistry well on Saturday, besting a familiar Bowdoin duo at No. 3 doubles 9–8 (7–2). “It felt really good to get the doubles win on Saturday; that’s the third time in a row that we’ve played against that same doubles team from Bowdoin, and the matches have always been pretty tight,” Martin said. The rest of the doubles proved to be relatively routine finishes dominated by the Panthers’ singles studs. Lubomir Cuba ’19 and Kyle Schlanger ’19 combined for their 11th win of the year in first doubles, compared to just three losses, while William de Quant ’18 and Noah Farrell ’19 picked up their fourth win in five matches together in second doubles to give Middlebury momentum heading into singles. “To be able to win all three doubles matches gave us great momentum to go into singles,” said van der Geest. After finding themselves on the other side two weekends ago when they lost all three doubles matches to rival Williams, Middlebury reversed that feeling on Saturday. Martin, who, like van der Geest, did not play in singles, remained focused on the team. “It definitely felt great to help the team get out to a big lead, which always seems to help give our guys a lot of confidence going into singles,” he said. Confidence is a word van der Geest also used to describe the team sentiment on Saturday. “I think the Bowdoin win solidified the confidence we still had in our entire team, even after we had suffered two tough losses to CMS and Williams,” said the senior. “We knew we have the capabilities to beat any team in the country, and this reaffirmed that. However, our season so far has shown us that we have to show up every single time we go out to play.” Playing No. 1 singles, Cuba showed up against Bowdoin’s Urken on Saturday, winning big in the third set after getting shut out in the second. Cuba has bounced back after back-to-back singles losses against his opponents from CMS and Williams, winning at Tufts last weekend and then twice this weekend. “We definitely demonstrated that we can be a really tough team at every spot in the lineup when we are playing well,” said assistant coach Andrew Thomson ’10, convinced Middlebury’s depth is exceptional this season. The rest of the singles players impressed, to Thomson’s point, but head coach Bob Hansen had a lot to say about his seniors in particular. “We had our senior celebration after the Bowdoin match, which was very fun and a fitting and well-deserved occasion, as the seniors went 5–0 against Bowdoin, leading the team to victory over a very strong team,” he said. He certainly had his eyes on de Quant and Schlanger, who won at No. 3 and No. 4 singles respectively, in addition to the doubles wins they and van der Geest picked up. While the seniors shined on Saturday, Middlebury’s first-years had their moments as well. Andre Xiao ’21 made quick work at the No. 6 spot to move to 11–2 this spring, while Nate Eazor ’21 couldn’t come back after a tight 7–5 loss in the first set, suffering just his third loss of the spring. Both players have worked their way into Hansen’s regular lineup in their first seasons in the blue-and-white, as demonstrated by their presence against the nation’s No. 2 team. The 8–1 match was not a walkover like the final score indicates, and the Panthers had to battle at every position to secure such a definitive win. Members of the squad were ready to learn from the match even in the face of what looked like a blowout on paper, very aware that any regular season win is a loss if they grow complacent afterwards. “It definitely meant a lot for us to prove we can put the pieces together against a tough and well-coached Bowdoin team and come away with a victory. Even though the final score was 8–1, the match was extremely competitive, and we will have to make sure to be prepared in the event we play them again,” said Thomson. Hansen attributes the success to the Panthers’ preparation, and was quick to look forward to more improvements before their next match. “The weekend was a result of strong practices all week, and I look forward to another strong week of work heading into the very stiff competition next weekend. It was definitely taxing but should also really prepare us for the challenges ahead,” he added. After giving some fresh bodies a chance against Colby-Sawyer and proceeding to down them 9–0, the Panthers put an exclamation point on the weekend with an 8–1 win against No. 26 Skidmore, during which they dropped only two sets total. The Panthers barely have a chance to relax, as next weekend presents another exciting opportunity. Thomson was happy with the wins, but said they are not satisfied with anything just yet. “Now that we know we can play at an extremely high level on our home courts, we have a great opportunity this coming weekend to try to replicate our effort on the road versus three tough opponents, including No. 1 Emory,” he said. The team remembers the close losses to Williams and CMS well as they look forward to a shot at the top team in the country, but Hansen said he recognizes the advantages that come with the Panthers’ adversity thus far. “I like that we are building and that it has not all gone smoothly so far. Overall [I am] very proud of our strong, courageous and connected effort this weekend,” he said. The team will need another courageous effort this weekend against the 2017 national champion, Emory (13–2), whom the Panthers will meet at Trinity (5–6, 0–5 in the Nescac) on Saturday, April 21 after a match with the Bantams that morning. However, little separates the top six teams in the country right now. Emory has had close calls with Chicago and CMS, as well as a loss against the same DII Azusa-Pacific team that Middlebury pushed in a close match. The match is up for grabs, so do not be surprised if the Panthers come out of the weekend having made a case for No. 1 in the country.

The Librarian Is In

Film and Media Culture Librarian Amy Frazier is liaison to Film and Media Culture, Dance, Theatre and American Studies.   Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor, 2010 386 pages RATING 4/5 cardigans The What Sometime between the time I started this novel and now, Afrofuturism went from being an established literary/artistic subculture with a history and a growing canon, to becoming The Hottest New Trend in Everything. I feel an impulse to congratulate Nnedi Okorafor for finding herself well-positioned to be a major beneficiary of the trend, but then, she has been here for quite a while, waiting for the rest of us to catch on.  Nnedi Okorafor is Nigerian-American, and her fiction is very much rooted in African, and particularly Nigerian, culture and mythology. She is one of the emerging cornerstones of new Afrofuturist literature, and as such, is especially relevant to the moment. (And yes, she’s the author of a few recent issues of the Black Panther comic book series. You know I couldn’t write this review without including a Black Panther connection, right?) The Why Shocker: this librarian is a huge nerd. I like a lot of nerd stuff. I’ve read more than my share of science fiction (both hard and soft) and graphic novels, and while I’m not all that into fantasy, the fantasy novels I do like, I really like. After reading enough of this stuff, though, if you have any awareness at all you start to notice that it’s all very… Eurocentric. There may be spaceships and unicorns and strange alien species, and maybe even Captain Kirk kissing Lieutenant Uhura, but basically, everyone in the future and/or fantasy realms is white. And speaks English. And apparently comes from Iowa, or the Shire, or some other comfortably-familiar-for-white-people place. So I made it a project for myself to seek out some nerd-ish lit by people whose experience of the world is different from my own: Chinese fantasy novels, genderqueer science fiction (SF), and “Who Fears Death” by Nnedi Okorafor. Also, full disclosure: the reason I chose this Okorafor novel over her many others, is because I read that it got optioned for development into a TV series for HBO, and I wanted to read the book before I watched the show. I’m not necessarily proud of that as my selection criteria, but there it is.  The world of “Who Fears Death” exists an undetermined number of decades/centuries in the future, and the story takes place in an nonspecific part of Africa. That world is connected to ours through history (our present is their distant past) and something, we don’t know what, happened to utterly change our world into theirs. Our technology still exists as semi-functional, repurposed scrap material, but the world is not technologically-advanced in the usual SF mode. Magic is very much a living force, but the human condition seems relatively unchanged. Our protagonist is an adolescent girl named Onyesonwu, translated, meaning “Who Fears Death,”  who is living with her mother and adoptive father in a reasonably peaceful small town.  Also, she can bring the recently-deceased back to life, among other things.  Note: this is not a gentle book. There is harrowing brutality and suffering visited upon female characters from very early on. It has narrative and thematic purpose, but it’s there, and Okorafor does not smooth over the rough parts. There is also real friendship and righteous vengeance and a long arc about love and sexuality as conduit for magic and power.   As a middle-aged white woman, I have to recognize that in reading a novel rooted in African culture, by an African-rooted author, I’ll inevitably miss some of book’s nuance and depth. Nnedi Okorafor and I come from very different figurative places, so I don’t always feel confident that my understanding of her story aligns with her own.  But I wanted to open up my ideas about well-worn, familiar genres to genuinely different perspectives, while honoring the fact that my “genuinely different” might be someone else’s “finally, something I can relate to.” And all to the good, because if faraway worlds and fantastical settings can’t make room for perspectives outside the white, heteronormative, European norm, then what is even the point?

SGA WEEKLY: Ways to Get Involved & Voice Your Opinions

Dear MiddKids, This past Sunday in the Cabinet and Senate we discussed the same topics, so I’ll be sharing updates from both meetings together. They were both long meetings, so buckle in! 1. Topic of the Week: SGA has started a Topic of the Week, where SGA Senators work to prioritize student engagement and opinion on one topic each week. This week’s topic is on the “Support of Action Against Systematic, Institutional Racism Resulting in Gun Violence” and “Support of Middlebury Students Against Gun Violence” (both bills further explained below). So please reach out to your student representative on this topic and voice your thoughts! 2. SGA Elections are in full swing; be on the lookout for campaigns and be sure to vote April 19–20. Presidential and Community Co-Chair Debates will be the evening of April 18 — more details to come. Be sure to stop by and hear what the candidates have to say! 3. Staff Appreciation Day is April 30! There will be many ways to get involved including thank you video submissions, poster notes and more. Check your emails for more information from SGA and get involved at go/thankyoustaff. And remember to thank staff everyday, not just on Staff Appreciation Day; they do so much for us. 4. “Student–Trustees Representation and Engagement Bill”: This bill was passed in the Senate on Sunday. The bill seeks to expand the Student Constituent Overseer position from one student representative to two student representatives with overlapping terms, and from one year terms to two year terms with voting power. Further, the bill asks for a student representative per Trustee Committee, essentially taking the only current SLSEA position for the Resources Committee and replicating it for all the other Trustee Standing Committees including Prudential, Programs, Risk, Strategy, and Trusteeship and Governance. Lastly, the bill calls for a revamping of the Middlebury College Trustees website to better explain the current structure and goals of the Trustees. Next, this bill will be passed to the Trusteeship and Governance Committee for discussion and implementation. We are hoping to engage more students with the Trustees in the month of May with their final meeting for the 2017–2018 academic year. There will be more information to come on this! 5. “Resolution in Support of Action Against Systematic, Institutional Racism Resulting in Gun Violence” and “Resolution in Support of Middlebury Students Against Gun Violence” were discussed in tandem. The SGA is hoping to find ways to provide support beyond statements and toward action. There are many things that both resolutions recommend, but a bulk of the Senate conversation revolved around the first resolution mentioned above. This resolution proposes donating leftover funds from the SGA budget at the end of the 2017–2018 academic year to local and national organizations that are working for this cause. Unfortunately, this goes against college policy; student organizations aren’t allowed to use their funds to directly donate to outside organizations. The SGA is looking at other options, such as creating fundraising avenues for individual donations, and would love to hear other ideas from you. An ad-hoc committee was created at the Senate meeting, and the SGA will continue to work on this moving forward. For more information, the main contact for this initiative is SGA Deputy Chief of Staff, Annie Cowan. 6. “Academic Credit for Summer Unpaid Internships”: This bill was introduced to the Senate this past Sunday. The bill seeks to address international students’ current situation with internship opportunities. Members of the international student community attended the meeting to share their personal stories and support for the bill. The SGA will continue working on this initiative next week. For more information, the main contact for this initiative is SGA junior senator Kailash Pandey. 7. “Terms of Commons Senators” This bylaws amendment resolution was also introduced in the Senate this past Sunday and proposed a change to the terms of Commons Senators from a yearly basis to a semesterly basis. The amendment was passed by a majority, but as per the SGA Constitution, bylaws amendments require a two-week process so the vote was void. The SGA is hoping to return to the bylaws amendment next week, but won’t be able to put this into effect for the upcoming election. For more information the main contacts for this initiative are SGA Sophomore Senator Varsha Vijayakumar and Wonnacott Senator Anthony Salas. 8. Spring Finals Week Library 24/7 Hours: For this upcoming spring semester finals week, the Davis Family Library is not able to financially fund the library for 24/7 hours. The library collected data that shows only a small percentage of the student body used the 24/7 library hours during late nights and early mornings (1 a.m. – 7 a.m.) of the fall semester finals week. We need your help in providing student sentiments and student-driven data about library 24/7 hours during finals week. So please fill out the survey at go/library24/7 to voice your opinions! As always, all past and current bills (even the ones mentioned above) can be accessed at go/sga under Weekly Updates and/or Archives. Please continue to reach out to your respective Senators or to SGA with any questions, concerns, or comments. Thanks for staying engaged!