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Dancing to the music of a different time

The Center for Disease Control’s announcement that masks and social distancing aren’t required anymore in most instances for fully vaccinated Americans has led me, strangely enough, to revisit a hidden gem of literary fiction: Anthony Powell’s 12-volume tragicomedy masterpiece, “A Dance to the Music of Time.” Powell’s 20th century novel explores the marvels of coincidence and the joys of conversation. Heading into this summer, the series is a good frame of reference for readers who want to reflect on why people in our newly-active social lives are so fascinatingly complex.  “A Dance to the Music of Time” chronicles a British circle of upper-middle-class bohemians and their non-artist friends from the 1920s to the early ’70s through a series of chance encounters at parties, receptions and dinners. Powell follows this group through the eyes of Nick Jenkins, a young publisher who later becomes a novelist. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Nick Carraway, Powell’s Nick Jenkins is a cypher, but this also makes him a perfect window through which to examine the people who surround him. His circle is an assortment of painters, poets, composers, financiers and aristocrats who all seem a little like P.G. Wodehouse’s aloof characters, albeit if they were dropped into our own deeply flawed world.  Powell revels in the limits of Nick’s first-person narration: the series’ protagonist can only conjecture about the inner-lives of his friends. Although we don’t know if Nick’s guesses about his peers’ love lives and personal traits are entirely accurate (though you get the feeling that they mostly are), his conclusions tend to apply perfectly to people in general. For example, consider when Dicky Umfraville claps eyes on Buster Fox, a man who seduced one of Dicky’s several ex-wives years before. Instead of getting right to the confrontation, Powell takes his sweet time.  “When people really hate one another,” Powell writes, “the tension within them can sometimes make itself felt throughout a room, like atmospheric waves, first hot, then cold, wafted backwards and forwards as if in an invisible process of air conditioning, creating a pervasive physical disturbance.”  Another highlight of the series is the character Kenneth Widmerpool, an antagonist who, like Milton’s Satan, gets all the best lines. Widmerpool, Nick’s old schoolmate, has a “piscine” (fish-like) appearance that masks an unquenchable lust for power. The character’s scheming leads him to financial success, military advancement during the Second World War and a seat in the House of Commons. His inglorious decline ends, somehow perfectly, with the occult.  Some critics find Powell’s style a tad extravagant. This is a misreading, but an understandable one. If the prose of the “Dance” is purple, it is a light violet, quietly controlled by the author in ways that you notice when you throw yourself into the text.  In the first pages of the series, the narrator’s thoughts turn to the Baroque-era painting “A Dance to the Music of Time” by Nicolas Poussin, causing the Proustian flashback that begins the story: “The image of Time brought thoughts of mortality: of human beings, facing outward like the Seasons, moving hand in hand in intricate measure, stepping slowly, methodically sometimes a trifle awkwardly, in evolutions that take recognisable shape: or breaking into seemingly meaningless gyrations, while partners disappear only to reappear again, once more giving pattern to the spectacle: unable to control the melody, unable, perhaps, to control the steps of the dance.”  This quote has no business working as well as it does. Powell’s style might not be your cup of tea, but it is charming in a warmly rambling, elegantly impromptu sort of way.  A more reasonable objection to the series is Jenkin’s memories of World War II, which are largely based on Powell’s own experience in the war. Reading this slower section of the series, you sometimes wish that Powell did more exciting things than writing up memos in Northern Ireland during the war. But these middle books still have their merits: the war trilogy constructs a comedy of manners about the bureaucratic slog of army life which Nick mostly abhors and Widmerpool, hilariously, finds his natural environment in.  “Poetry makes nothing happen,” wrote W.H. Auden. Although on the surface nothing really happens in “A Dance to the Music of Time,” there is ample poetry in this low-key saga that so deftly explores the unknowability of human relationships and the enchanting weirdness of the way life unfolds. Will the academy or critics ever take Powell as seriously as they do other British stylists of the twentieth century such as Woolf or E.M. Forster? Probably not, although Powell may be superior to both of these writers. Despite its loftiness, “A Dance to the Music of Time” has it all: sheer entertainment value, narrative tenderness, an incredible cast of characters and — most surprisingly for a 2,500-page epic — lightness of touch.  

Part 1: Faculty & Staff

The Faculty and Staff section focuses on increasing hiring equity, training new and existing faculty and staff in DEI practices, and building community among new hires to increase retention. Many view it as an important first step in an ongoing process that requires much deeper and continual institutional change.  Of the 11 strategies included in the section, 10 have been completed or involve ongoing programs that are underway, although two programs have been temporarily put on hold because of the pandemic. Only one strategy, the term for which begins this year, is still in development.  HIRING  One of the major pillars of the section is hiring more BIPOC faculty and staff and those from other “historically underrepresented groups.”   The college has historically struggled to hire a more diverse staff because most are recruited from the overwhelmingly white communities surrounding Middlebury, according to Chief Diversity Officer Miguel Fernández. Almost 93% of Addison County residents are white.    Resistance to diversifying the faculty body often comes from the perception of diversity and qualifications being opposing qualities, according to Associate Professor of Political Science Kemi Fuentes-George.  “You tend to see a lot of language about [how] what we need are the most qualified people, and that usually gets taken to be an argument against seeking diversity,” he said. “There's this kind of equation of, if you're orienting around a diversity hire, by definition, you're not seeking qualified people.” Of the 329 current faculty members, 57, or 17%, identify as belonging to a minority ethnic or racial group, according to Dean of Faculty Sujata Moorti.  While there is a formal hiring freeze for faculty and staff, the college is filling limited positions that were planned before the pandemic or are needed on an urgent basis. Faculty and staff search committees now receive DEI training (Strategy #3 and #4), and job candidates are asked to include their own experience with inclusive practices in their application as a measure to assess their “multicultural competence” (Strategy #5). New employee orientations now include workshops on diversity, equity and inclusion, though the college has not offered staff orientations — which normally happen periodically as opposed to the the once-a-year faculty orientation — during the hiring freeze (Strategy #6), according to Director of Education for Equity and Inclusion Renee Wells.  The college has also approved a staff position to help with partner inclusion, and Moorti is currently working with the Educational Affairs Committee to see if an institution-wide policy is possible (Strategy #2).  RETENTION A second large part of the section is an attempt to improve conditions for faculty and staff from historically marginalized communities. As part of Strategy #11, the college has developed exit interview questions “related to campus climate… to identify and address barriers to retention.” Moorti hopes that, over time, these interviews can inform the administration on how to improve the climate for remaining faculty.   Faculty and staff say that some of the current barriers to retention are not feeling supported by the college and academia as a whole, the extra — often uncompensated — burden of advocating for students and not feeling a sense of belonging in the community. The plan addresses some of these areas, but critically does not include provisions for others. Measures to support incoming faculty hires have been put on pause because of the pandemic. The OEIDI has not been able to host social networking opportunities for faculty from historically underrepresented communities (Strategy #10) or DEI workshops in departments expecting new hires (Strategy #8) but are looking forward to bringing those back next year. The college has been able to expand mentoring opportunities for new and junior faculty from historically underrepresented groups. In addition to regular departmental mentoring, the college has purchased membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (Strategy #9), which provides resources for development, training and mentorship. The college will also be expanding mentorship and development opportunities available through the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity this summer. Moorti hopes that junior faculty will be able to avail themselves of this resource for more support and networking opportunities. Measures like these have been crucial for retaining current BIPOC faculty despite the struggles they face.   “One of the primary reasons that I stayed at Middlebury … was that I found my community,” Fuentes-George said. “I found people who were supportive and who mentored me, some of whom had tenure, some of whom didn't, some of whom were in my department, some of whom weren't, and it pretty clearly underlined to me how important those kinds of social networks can be.”  Still, these measures are designed primarily to build support for incoming faculty and staff members and do little to address the underlying conditions current faculty members face.   Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric James Chase Sanchez views academia as a whole as a white space within which people of color can struggle to feel welcomed or valued, and Middlebury is no exception. That fact became abundantly clear to Fuentes-George after hearing his colleagues defend the invitation of Charles Murray to campus in 2017. Fuentes-George recalls other faculty members insisting that Murray was not racist, despite his claims that Black people — like Fuentes-George — and Latinos are genetically less intelligent. In the wake of Murray’s visit, Fuentes-George strongly considered leaving Middlebury.    Both Fuentes-George and Chase Sanchez credit their luck in finding their own small communities at Middlebury as one of the major reasons they have stayed here, something they say can be difficult for many faculty of color. They both discussed how easy it is to feel isolated on a predominantly white campus in a predominantly white area.   Chase Sanchez recalled visiting a restaurant in Bristol with a Black colleague. At one point, he looked up from his plate and idly scanned the room. To his surprise, he realized he was making eye contact with nearly everyone around him. They had been staring at him, and he felt suddenly acutely aware of how much he stood out as a Latino in an overwhelmingly white space.  “There’s a little bit more of that uncomfortable nature of being a minority living within the community that is very, very white,” Chase Sanchez said. “All these variables can just build up pressure.” Admissions Counselor Maria Del Sol Nava ’18 has also struggled to feel completely welcome in the local community.   “Middlebury has become a home for me because I have now been here for seven years (four as a student and three as a staff member), [but] I am keenly aware that I am a brown woman in a very white town,” she said in an email to The Campus. “There are many times when I don’t feel safe.”  The reaction of other faculty and academia as a whole to the scholarship of BIPOC faculty also make some feel unsupported or valued at Middlebury. BIPOC faculty who do race-based research often see their work devalued in academia, where it is viewed more as activism than empirical inquiry and seen as contributing less to their fields than the development of theory, according to Chase Sanchez.   In the wake of the Jan. 6 capitol riots, Fuentes-George led a class discussion about the racial motivations behind them. He was taken aback when one of his colleagues accused him of engaging in advocacy rather than real scholarship.  He views that interaction as emblematic of “a number of practices, discourses and comments about personal relations and about how departments and institutions function that make it difficult for people of color to feel supported.”  While faculty and staff from historically marginalized communities often do not feel valued or supported by Middlebury as an institution, they contribute significantly to the college — well beyond the scope of their positions. Many shoulder the extra burden of pushing for institutional change and advocating for marginalized students who turn to them for support, labor that is often uncompensated or not rewarded in performance reviews.  “[I feel] a social responsibility for the other first-gen and underrepresented students that I meet and worked with,” Del Sol Nava said in an email to the Campus. “[I take] on additional emotional labor that my white colleagues do not take on, or do not to the same extent.”  Fuentes-George serves on the Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CDEI) and is also a Posse mentor. He also frequently provides informal mentoring and support for BIPOC students who turn to him for advice in navigating through Middlebury and has worked to spearhead change within his department — labor that is uncompensated.  “These are things that I do feel passionate about doing,” Fuentes-George said. “But the reality is that it takes a lot of time and energy, and it's also emotionally taxing.” Del Sol Nava hopes that the school works toward being a place where such sacrifices don’t need to be made. “I think we can imagine more for ourselves as an institution so that our BIPOC staff and faculty don’t feel burdened with being the ones who have to create change or be the only ones who support the students who want to make change,” she said.   At the same time that the extra, uncompensated advocacy work drains faculty and staff of color, it’s also a major reason why some stay despite the institutional challenges they face.  “There are a lot of students I didn’t want to leave alone,” said Fuentes-George “I didn’t want them to just be here with one less voice to advocate. There’s few enough for them already, so [I decided] to stay here and advocate for them.”  Supporting BIPOC students also animates Chase Sanchez’s work, especially in light of his own experiences trying to navigate through a predominantly white college as a Latino student.   When Chase Sanchez told his advisor — who was white — that he wanted to become a professor, Chase Sanchez recalls him replying, “Someone like you wanting to be a professor is what makes someone like me laugh.”  Chase Sanchez turned his advisor’s doubt into motivation and worked triply hard to prove that he belonged in academia despite what his advisor thought. But he knows this kind of experience can set other students back or discourage them from pursuing their original goals altogether. This year’s Zeitgeist survey found that BIPOC students reported feeling imposter syndrome — “the experience of doubting one’s abilities and feeling like a fraud” — at a significantly higher rate than their white peers.   “I remember what it feels like to have no one believe in you,” Chase Sanchez said. “I always want to help other people going through that, because it's a very tough space to navigate.”  TRAINING  While the advocacy of BIPOC faculty and staff and the promise to increase institutional diversity are crucial to students from underrepresented groups feeling supported, Del Sol Nava emphasized that the practices of the entire staff and faculty body must shift.  “I think more students at Middlebury would feel more supported if they saw more people who looked like them, but that doesn’t mean that is the only step we take,” she said in an email to The Campus. “It also means teaching our current faculty and staff to learn and unlearn how to make students feel more comfortable.”  Wells hopes that the Inclusive Practitioners Program (Strategy #7) will help usher in the culture change necessary to shift people’s practices and reform the institution in the long run. The program, launched in the fall of 2019, consists of a series of workshops within which faculty and staff “engage in critical conversations and skill building related to diversity equity and inclusion.”   “It is about creating the kind of critical awareness that builds people’s skills and capacity to actually change their practices,” Wells said. “It's about developing your ability to actually change what you're doing and how you're doing it in ways that create more access, and opportunity, and equity and inclusion.”  While many of the workshops have focused specifically on race in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, Wells has begun reincorporating other workshops in the series with topics that range from “Designing Accessible Course Syllabi” to “Knowing and Respecting Who's in the Room: A Guide to Using Gender Pronouns.”  “They were really valuable,” Food and Garden Educator Megan Brakeley, who has attended eight workshops, said. “I think that part of the power of doing this work is the power of it being done in community. There's so much that can happen when we are literally sitting in the same room.” Partly inspired by the lessons she’s learned in those workshops as well as through the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, Brakeley has worked to make antiracism a cornerstone of her job at the Knoll, including reevaluating the organic farm’s mission statement, learning to identify and address harm as it happens and holding BIPOC affinity gardening hours.  Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Mez Baker-Médard has attended 10 Inclusive Practitioners workshops and incorporated the lessons they have learned, including redesigning their course material to include more diverse voices and “bringing a lens of power onto the work” they are doing.   “I think it's opened my eyes to a variety of ways in which I can really work on this in the classroom, and there are just so many ways that I can be thoughtful and more nuanced,” they said. “Engaging in that way, it's kind of an act of appreciation and respect for my students, and myself, as well as my own ignorances.”  The workshops are optional to ensure that those who attend want to be there and are willing to put in the work. But it does mean that participants are self-selecting and the staff and faculty who might benefit the most from this education often never show up, according to Wells.  While the Inclusive Practitioner Program aims to increase awareness and proper practices in and beyond the classroom, the DEI plan does not address the curriculum or broad pedagogical reform at an institution-wide level, steps Associate Professor of Education Studies and CDEI Chair Tara Affolter views as crucial for the next action plan.  In the meantime, the initiatives in the plan are supplemented by the work of the Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CDEI), a body for faculty governance on DEI issues formed this year. They created a grant program for academic programs and departments to “find structural ways to engage in anti-racist work” and awarded grants to three departments — Luso-Hispanic Studies, Educations Studies and Economics — this year, according to Affolter.  MOVING FORWARD  All those interviewed for this article emphasized that, while they were optimistic about the potential for the DEI strategies and other current initiatives, they are only the start in a long road towards reforming the college.   “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Baker-Médard said. “The landscape of learning and teaching needs to shift as society shifts.”  Despite the uphill and prolonged battle ahead of them, most expressed a feeling of hope for the future of Middlebury.  “I’m definitely hopeful,” Fuentes-George said. “If I thought that there was no hope I probably would have left.”

Bill Beaney, five-time NESCAC Coach of the Year, reflects on 35 years of coaching

Bill Beaney has coached at Middlebury since the fall of 1986, overseeing four different programs and winning numerous accolades. Beginning as the men’s hockey and women’s soccer coach, Beaney maintained these roles for nearly a decade. In 1994, he stepped down as the women’s soccer coach and began coaching the men’s golf program, which he still coaches today.  Dissatisfied with the gender inequity in golf, Beaney set out to create a women’s program in 1999, coaching the team for several years before finding a more permanent coach. He continued to work with the men’s golf and hockey programs until 2015, when he stepped down from his hockey post to focus solely on the golf team. Coaching vastly different sports may appear difficult to some, Beaney doesn’t see it that way.  “You have the skill piece obviously — you do have to be comfortable teaching certain skills for each sport,” Beaney acknowledged. “But other than that, it’s really about figuring out how to get to know the players you’re dealing with, how to get the best out of them, and how to help them reach their full potential.” Beaney has done just that with his teams, securing nine NESCAC championships as head coach of the men’s golf program. When he was first appointed, the Panthers had yet to win a title since the creation of the men’s golf division in 1984. Since then, Middlebury men’s golf has gone on to become the winningest team of the 21st century in the NESCAC. Beaney has also produced a number of star players, including five NESCAC players of the year. “Each [player] is different,” Beaney said. “You have to learn to ask the right kinds of questions, and then it’s important to listen to be able to take them to the next step in their game.”   Despite his overwhelming success in the competitive aspect of golf, Beaney doesn’t believe that this is his greatest achievement.  “The goal in all these sports is to help these young people be their best and be their best teacher, and thus we want to act as guides so they learn to be self-sufficient.” Now in his 35th year of coaching, Beaney says that the quality of the student-athletes drives him to return to coaching each season. While his love for competition and his love of sports is a contributing factor, his ultimate joy is interacting with students on a daily basis.  Despite facing many obstacles this past year amidst the global pandemic, Beaney says he’s become even more grateful to lead his team and to get to see them so often, even when not competing for championships. Earlier this month, Beaney was named NESCAC Coach of the Year as he led the men’s golf team to a NESCAC Championship on Sunday, May 2. When asked about his award — an accolade Beaney has now earned five times — he credited the excellent work his team put in this year. He also attributed much of the team’s success to this year’s captains, John Mikus ’21 and Jordan Bessalel ’21.  “They guided this team in a way that highlighted their excellent work ethic and consistently demonstrated a respect for their opportunity to play,” Beaney said. “They did a fabulous job.” Beaney believes the team can push to retain their NESCAC title next season, with a number of players set to return after taking remote or gap semesters and a fresh crew of recruits set to join the team in the fall.  Despite all the glory and achievements that Beaney has helped his team earn, he says there is no one moment he considers to be his career highlight.  “I really can’t pick just one moment; I’d probably go on for several paragraphs,” Beaney said. “Every season is different, and each has its own special moments.” Bill Beaney has coached at Middlebury since the fall of 1986, overseeing four different programs and winning numerous accolades.

College struggles to fill low-wage dining and facilities positions

The college is struggling to fill low-wage positions in Dining and Facilities Services — a task many employers have faced this year, sparking a national debate over hiring difficulties and its alleged relation to unemployment benefits. The challenges follow more than a year after student-organized protests for higher staff wages, calls from faculty to address wage compression and requests for higher prioritization of staff needs in budget planning. Positions in the skilled trades areas of Facilities Services have been open for anywhere between one to six months without attracting qualified candidates, according to Director of Facilities Services Mike Moser.  Likewise, Executive Director of Food Service Operations Dan Detora told The Campus that, despite having seven openings in the department for most of the semester, there have been only one or two applicants at any given time. Ross Dining Hall currently has two open cook jobs, one of which has been empty since August 2020 and the other since January 2021. Atwater Dining Hall has been looking to hire a line cook for a few weeks without a single interested applicant, according to Ian Martin, Atwater Commons chef manager. “This is kind of unusual. There have been times we’ve gotten a few applicants and they’re not qualified, and other times we get a lot of applicants, but this time there’s really been no applicants at all for this duration,” said Chris Laframboise, Ross Commons chef manager. Much of the speculation over why hiring has been challenging for the college, as well as for local and national businesses, involves a debate over whether unemployment benefits, bolstered by federal pandemic relief funds, are to blame — or whether wages were substandard to begin with. The college’s lowest paid employees earn less than the livable wage in Vermont. The minimum hourly rates in the Operations Level 1, 2 and 3 (OP1, OP2 and OP3) bands are  $14, $15 and $16 respectively. The Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office found that the 2020 livable wage for a single person without children was $15.72 per hour, more than the starting wages for OP1 and OP2. A 2020 study by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition set the Addison County two-bedroom housing wage at $20.40 per hour, higher than ten of the hourly rates offered by Middlebury.  Many of the current open positions are those that offer wages slightly above the liveable wage. The line cook position in Atwater Dining Hall and the cook positions in Ross Dining Hall are all benefits eligible and in the OP3 band, which offers a minimum, or starting, hourly rate of $16.00 — just $0.28/hr above the liveable wage. For a single parent with one or two children, the rate falls well below the liveable wage for rural Vermont, which is $26.43 and $33.75 respectively. In Vermont, those eligible for unemployment can receive between $191 and $513 per week, depending on eligibility. Currently, this sum is supplemented by the $300 federal weekly benefit as part of the American Rescue Plan. The open cook positions entail a 40 hour work week. Factoring in shift differentials, which are hourly wage supplements for time worked between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., the total weekly wage for the position ranges from $647.50 to $648.25 depending whether the cook works the first or second shift. In either situation, the weekly wage is significantly less than the maximum unemployment amount available of $813 per week.  In a statement to The Campus, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Laura Carotenuto cited enhanced unemployment benefits as a significant factor contributing to the difficulties the college has faced trying to fill positions.  “The challenge to fill open positions is one that is being experienced by employers across Vermont and nationally… Recent unemployment incentives have had an impact on application rates, further complicating those challenges. As the State moves to reinstate the requirement to seek employment in order to receive unemployment benefits, it is our hope that the situation may improve,” Carotenuto said in an email to The Campus. Beginning May 9, Vermont reinstated the Work Search requirement for unemployment benefits, which obligates claimants to submit proof of conducting three job contacts or activities each week while collecting benefits and to accept any work that is offered to them. Vermont is not the only state planning to alter unemployment programs — many Republican-led states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, are looking to cut the American Rescue Plan’s $300 federal supplement to weekly unemployment benefits before the planned Sept. 6 end date in an effort to incentivize returning to low-wage work.  On a national scale, Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell support the argument that ARP’s unemployment benefits are to blame for the current stagnation in the labor market, Democratic leaders have countered that the hiring difficulties most likely arise from low wages, the continuing struggle to find childcare and persisting health and safety concerns.  At Middlebury, the ability to advance to the mid-point or maximum hourly rate for a given pay band depends on “historical factors such as previous experience, education, length of employment at Middlebury/MIIS, performance over time, career moves, etc.,” according to the college’s Human Resources webpage. There is no set timeline that allows staff members to anticipate a raise.  For those with children, returning to work first necessitates finding acceptable and affordable childcare services. In Vermont, the child care sector is notoriously underfunded, and most families can ill-afford their tuition payments, even while most child care workers subsist on poverty wages, according to a VTDigger interview with Sarah Kenney, chief policy officer for the child care advocacy program Let’s Grow Kids. According to the group’s website, 62% of children who need childcare in Vermont don't have access to any regulated program. Fears about the virus and safety concerns also remain as major constraints on returning to in-person work.  Local businesses are facing similar difficulty finding candidates. Mister Up’s, for example, has only been able to fill two of the 10 positions that have been open since February. Rosie’s restaurant has had waitress, server, dishwashing and cooking positions open for a couple months, according to General Manager Ron Sunderland. As positions at the college remain unfilled, those that have stayed at their posts are working even harder for the same wage. Empty positions result in more pressure on the teams that are in place, as existing staff must absorb the extra workload.  “Being down two cooks is one less on each shift, which ultimately means more work gets put on the other cooks, which tends to burn them out faster,” Laframboise said.  As the academic year comes to a close, Laframboise’s focus is turned toward filling the empty positions on time for fall 2021, when dining shifts from its scaled-down Covid-19 operations back to offering full menus for a greater number of students. “Next semester we should be getting those students [who deferred] back plus all the other students. We are going to be very busy and need these cooks,” he said.

Covid-19, climate injustices and the impacts of structural violence — and what students can do about them

“The rich will find their world to be more expensive, inconvenient, uncomfortable, disrupted and colorless; in general, more unpleasant and unpredictable, perhaps greatly so. The poor will die,” Kirk R. Smith, an environmental scientist, said of the coming impacts of climate change on the world.  While some complain about quarantining, self-isolation and staying “one panther apart,” many of us are not as lucky to be able to have those privileges. Within our own community, we are all impacted, but in disproportionate ways. Who can say that the person who just passed by you in the hall isn’t facing food or housing insecurity, exacerbated by the pandemic? Or perhaps the person who sits beside you in class has recently had a family member pass away from Covid-19. Yet the injustices brought on by Covid-19 are disproportionate not only at the small scale (person-to-person), but also clearly on a global scale in the way that some countries have more access to vaccines and tests than other countries. If anything, Covid-19 reveals the structural violence operating in society — violence that also inflicts victims of climate injustices. Structural violence can be used to explain why some people suffer more than others through acknowledgement of the historical, political and economic contexts that shape global phenomena as pertinent as poverty or epidemiology. According to Paul Farmer, “structural violence is violence exerted systematically — that is, indirectly — by everyone who belongs to a certain social order.” Public health is one area where structural violence operates most intensely. This is the case today, when many countries are struggling to tackle Covid-19 because of the lack of infrastructure or political issues such as the hoarding of vaccines and patent rights. In the case of India, a new variant of the virus led to soaring death tolls and hospitals faced shortages of oxygen, medicine and space. Although many news outlets blame the government's lack of capacity to contain the spread of disease, the situation might in fact be caused by structural violence and the deep inequalities it imposes between and within countries. Within the country itself, vast inequalities exist between people, whether between the people in slums and the people living in lavish skyscrapers or between people of different castes. “A decent life was the train that hadn’t hit you, the slumlord you hadn’t offended, the malaria you hadn’t caught,” Abdul Husain, a teenager living in the Annawadi slum of Mumbai, said in the book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers.” Unable to “work from home” or quarantine within the confines of pristine walls, Abdul and others in the dense Annawadi slum must have been some of the people most direly impacted by Covid-19. India is a periphery in the global system, a country once colonized by Britain. The British used a system of divide and rule to conquer, leaving India with even greater social and economic inequalities following independence. After colonization ended, the Green Revolution brought by the United States wreaked havoc to India as it caused environmental damage, the loss of soil fertility and the loss of farmers’ livelihoods. This led many farmers, unable to repay debts, to commit suicide. Increasing market liberalization imposed by richer countries has caused increasing economic inequality, including the growth of the Mumbai slum population — those who, according to the government, have been “lifted out of poverty.” Surely, India’s response to the pandemic today cannot be understood without considering these historical, political and economic contexts of India’s past and present — without understanding structural violence.  Similarly, understanding climate injustices requires an explanation that considers structural violence. Covid-19 itself was likely the result of climate change and its associated problems, particularly the expansion of human settlement and the consequences of our intrusion of wildlife. In terms of the response to climate change, the countries which were once colonizers are most equipped to respond to the effects of climate change. Yet this will happen at the expense of the lives of those in the periphery, as money spent on mitigating climate change issues is not spent on issues of poverty, disease, hunger and disasters of poor countries. Within our own community, perhaps the richest and luckiest among us will be able to move to the places in the country that are safe from environmental turmoil in the future, while others must weather through zones of uncertainty — perhaps even watch their own home sink. Is that fair? Where is the justice in being forced to leave your home? Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia and my birthplace, is predicted to sink in the future. By 2050, 95% of North Jakarta’s land mass will be underwater. This is because of the increasing strain on water sources, which has caused groundwater levels to diminish. The problem of overcrowding is overshadowed by rising sea levels from climate change. The overcrowding of the capital city is inevitable. After all, there is rampant inequality throughout the country in terms of facilities, services and resources offered — yet another form of structural violence. The effect, though, is that Jakarta is polluted, perpetually jammed with traffic, littered, water-stressed and, in the future, at risk of disappearing altogether. Again, I ask, what is the justice in being forced to leave your home? What will happen to the people who have barely anything to start anew? There are many other places like Jakarta in the world — island countries like Kiribati, Tuvalu and Maldives — that will no longer be. Where will their people go? If they become climate refugees, what of the affront to their personhood and dignity, since the land they call their country no longer exists? Even now, the issue of pollution from transnational companies seeking to minimize their profits and outsource costs hurt people in periphery countries most, where environmental regulations are lax and labor cheap. The consequence is the jeopardization of human health, as those living in polluted, toxic areas have higher risks for various illnesses like cancer. These types of problems are considered wicked problems, a term used to describe issues that lack clear solutions and cannot be solved through trial and error. Facing these wicked problems, the question that surely arises is what can we, as Middlebury students, do about it? Perhaps the answer is to build more empathy. Though these problems seem insurmountably difficult to solve, we have strength in our ability to feel. It is easy to forget that the injustices inflicted by Covid-19 or climate change are affecting real people with real lives and families. But there are students even within our community who can speak on the disparity between Middlebury and their home (read “The Storm of the COVID Crisis in Brazil” by Zaba Peixoto). How can we build empathy? Practically speaking, students from my environmental anthropology class have suggested several ideas: an annual forum on climate injustice, making climate literacy (or another globally relevant topic) a distribution requirement or even offering full-ride scholarships for climate refugees. It is not enough for the college to ask students to come up with solutions to deeply systemic issues. Such a method is neoliberal, making these issues seem like a game or another achievement that we as individuals need to choose to accomplish. Systemic issues entail systemic solutions; they also require utmost cooperation and a strong, empathetic community. Hamia Sophia Fatima is a member of the class of 2024. 

Where are we in Energy2028?

Over two years after Middlebury unveiled Energy2028 — a plan to divest the endowment from fossil fuels, while investing in renewable energy and environmental education — the college has advanced towards each of these goals while making equity and justice a cornerstone of its work. Jack Byrne, Dean of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, explained that there are four main pillars of Energy2028: getting to 100% renewable energy, conserving energy on campus, divesting from fossil fuels and integrating sustainability into the educational mission. He noted that progress has been made towards each of these goals but that finding new ways to integrate the goals of Energy2028 with the educational mission of the college will take the longest amount of time.   Academics Chair of the Environmental Studies Program Dan Brayton said that Environmental Studies readily adopted the Energy2028 goals as soon as they were presented to them. Consistent with the equity and justice pillar of Energy2028, core faculty in the program are regularly modifying their courses and placing greater emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. Such changes have already been underway in Contested Grounds, a core Environmental Studies course that Brayton has taught for over a decade alongside other professors. He noted that he now covers texts from three or four Native American writers, an increase from one or zero when he first started teaching the course. In addition, conversations about race and identity are now central to in-class discussions about humans’ relationships to their natural environment. Brayton uses these conversations to pose questions that challenge conventional notions about nature and environmentalism. “Who [traditionally] gets to be an environmentalist in US history? What do environmentalists look like and why? These kinds of questions lead to some really exciting conversations and often some pretty hard conversations,” he said. Progress towards Energy2028 goals in Environmental Studies is largely constrained by limited staffing, Brayton said. He underscored the need for more faculty who are fully affiliated with the program and expressed hope that future faculty are “more representative of global humanity” in their diversity. New courses and initiatives are also being designed for the discipline, some of which extend beyond Middlebury’s Vermont campus. Middlebury Climate Semester, a new study-away program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, will commence in Winter and Spring 2022.  According to Brayton, this new program was necessary in order to introduce cross-curricular courses in the humanities. He explained that it will undergo a two-year trial in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years, with the potential to continue as a permanent, year-round offering if successful. The study-away program will be directed by Brayton and led jointly by the undergraduate Environmental Studies program in Vermont and the International Environmental Policy (IEP) master’s program in Monterey. The program centers around climate change, environmental justice and international environmental policy, according to Brayton. Brayton sees room for potential growth in undergraduate programming at Monterrey and envisions more environmental studies courses being offered in addition to the Climate Semester program. He also anticipates more students opting to study-away in future years as the partnership continues to develop.  “I could imagine more environmental studies offerings at Monterey on top of the Climate Semester — maybe a semester study of the marine environment, maybe a semester study of food and agriculture — these will all be built into the Midd Climate Semester,” he said. “But I can imagine all of these aspects of the Climate Semester kind of building out and becoming bigger.” Justice Energy2028 acknowledges the role of inequity and environmental racism in the climate crisis and aims to make justice a central consideration in all efforts. Byrne described a “do no harm” philosophy in which the equity and justice consequences of a decision, both positive and negative, are considered before taking action.  “I think what we want to be sure of is that we're very conscious of the potential consequences from an equity and justice perspective of different ways we would be thinking about achieving some of these goals,” he said.  Byrne pointed to a March 2020 op-ed that demanded better treatment for workers at Goodrich Farm — which supplies renewable natural gas to the college as part of an anaerobic digester partnership — following alleged incidences of wage theft and physical and verbal abuse against migrant farmworkers. He echoed the authors’ calls for Middlebury to expand the scope of sustainability to its own labor practices and those of its vendors. “In the dairy industry in Vermont, there are a lot of migrant workers, and we know in general that they are dealing with difficult circumstances and conditions,” Byrne said. “So that was the impetus for us to say ‘we really need to have an explicit framework around justice and equity’ — to make sure that when we do a project like that, we're taking into account opportunities to advance justice from a migrant standpoint or from other perspectives.” Bryne explained that a working subcommittee on justice exists within the college’s Environmental Council and expects to share a preliminary report by the end of the year on next steps in the development of this framework. Kate Goodman ’24 believes that the language surrounding justice in Energy2028 does not go far enough. Goodman, who works as a Climate Action Fellow with the Climate Action Capacity Project (CACP), explained that some students are working to incorporate the theme as a more integral facet of each pillar in Energy2028. “I've heard a million times that justice isn't one of the pillars because it should be incorporated in all other pillars, which I like totally agree with: it shouldn't be separate from conservation, it shouldn't be separate from divestment, it should be incorporated,” she said in an interview with The Campus. “But I think that incorporation just hasn't happened, and it has just meant for [justice] to be left out of the language.” Goodman considers the CACP — which debuted Fall 2020 with its first cohort of fellows — to be an accessible stepping stone to environmental organizing at larger institutions like Middlebury. She explained that although she had prior experience with environmental organizing in high school, she didn’t realize the operational complexity involved in continuing that work at Middlebury ahead of time.  With that being said, Goodman underscored the importance of building climate awareness through organic interactions. “I think if you're talking about how we increase climate capacity, I think a lot of the work — the ways I feel that I've helped increase climate capacity — are more natural, like having authentic conversations with friends, other fellows, and people in SNEG [Sunday Night Environmental Group], and less of just individual work on your own,” she said. “But it’s also important to push your own capacity as an individual to know.”

Season in Review: Men’s golf

The competitive sports season may have now come to an end, but the sweet taste of victory remains fresh for men’s golf. Despite many obstacles — ranging from a reduced number of players on campus to an abbreviated season — the Panthers staged an impressive come-from-behind win in the NESCAC championship to claim the school’s ninth-ever title. Only five rostered men’s golf players returned to campus for the spring semester, despite the official roster numbering in the double digits.  Captains Jordan Bessalel ’21 and John Mikus ’21 were greeted with a talented — but young and inexperienced — squad: Hogan Beazley ’23, who had only experienced five days of collegiate competition before the long layoff due to Covid-19; Derek Ban ’24, a first year from Rancho Cucamonga, California; and Colin McCaigue ’24, a first year out of Brookline, New Hampshire.  With the squad of five meaning he would have no available substitutes, coach Bill Beaney recruited Porter Bowman ’21.5 as a walk-on. The team made its first competitive appearance in nearly 18 months at the Hamilton College shootout, finishing 13 strokes off the pace in third place but still beating both Williams and Amherst. Colin McCaigue’s debut was undoubtedly the highlight as he led the team with a three over par.  The team began rounding into form in their next match at Williams College, finishing second out of five teams behind the hosts. McCaigue once again led the Panthers in scoring with Bessalel and Mikus not far behind.  Just two weeks into the season, the Panthers were given the daunting task of competing against the NESCAC’s best at the conference championship. A two-day, 36 hole competition, the competition would test the skill and composure of the competing teams. Bowman was called upon to join the starting lineup for the contest after impressing in practice.  The Panthers made a strong start, placing third on the opening day, but they still had plenty of work to do in the second round as they finished three strokes back on Tufts and two behind Trinity. Hungry for victory, the Panthers hunted down the two teams in front of them and claimed victory on the second day behind huge performances from Beazley, Bessalel, and Mikus. The second round victory proved to be decisive as Middlebury claimed its ninth NESCAC title, stealing it from the clutches of Tufts and Trinity by a single stroke.  The Panthers then concluded their season with an individual shootout against Hamilton College, sweeping the top four spots with Beazley taking home the individual medalist honors. His award was just one of many for the team, as Bessalel claimed the NESCAC Player of the Year award, McCaigue took rookie of the year distinction, Beaney won the coach of the year award, and Mikus and Beazley were both attributed All-NESCAC honors.  Bessalel becomes Middlebury’s fifth Player of the Year since 2010, while McCaigue followed in Bessalel’s footsteps by becoming the sixth Panther to be deemed rookie of the year. Coach Bill Beaney’s coach of the year award was his fifth ever and his first since his three year streak of winning it ended in 2017.  “It was a special season… the boys went out there, held their composure, and gave it their all,” Beaney said.  The Panthers are expected to begin the next campaign sometime in the fall with the return of the autumn season, while they will look to defend their title next spring. Editor’s Note: Porter Bowman ’21.5 is the Senior Opinion Editor for The Campus. 

Season in Review: Men's baseball

Men’s baseball (2–6) finished in fifth place in the NESCAC’s West Division this spring, with both of their victories won in the final inning.  Despite the team’s slow start, the underclassmen-heavy roster — composed of four sophomores and eleven freshmen — made significant progress this season.  Although the team suffered some lopsided losses early in the campaign, men’s baseball finished the season winning two of their last three games, including a walk-off home run against Hamilton and a come-from-behind victory against the would-be NESCAC champions, Amherst.  Head coach Mike Leonard felt that these wins were representative of the progress made by each and every player this season. “I’m so incredibly proud of this group,” Leonard said. “It's such a testament to the mindset of these players that they took these challenges of being thrown into a season they didn't expect to have and facing some tough results early into opportunities to learn and get better.”  First-year and sophomore players who were pressed into starting roles took advantage of the opportunity. Two first-year players stood out for their success in the batter’s box: first-baseman and outfielder Andrew Ashley ’24 and center fielder Sammy Smith ’24. Smith led the Panthers in doubles (2), triples (3), walks (6), on-base percentage (.452), slugging percentage (.750) and OBP plus SLG (1.202). His slugging percentage ranked second in the NESCAC and he was tied for first in triples, as well. “I am pretty pleased with how my at-bats went,” Smith said. “I really focused on being relaxed in the box and having an opposite field approach.”  Meanwhile, Ashley led the team in batting average (.333), hits (9), runs batted in (8) and stolen bases (4).  “If this was a normal year, I probably would have gotten only 10 at-bats,” Ashley claimed. “It meant a lot to get this opportunity to show what I’m capable of, especially after losing my senior season [in high school] to Covid.” Leonard further highlighted the positive effect this wacky Covid-19 season had on these young players. “All of the players really benefited from this opportunity to build confidence, gain some experience, and improve their game,” Leonard posited. “So when they are faced with the challenges of performing in-game or competing against teammates for playing time, they will feel like they are in a better position to do so.” With the full team returning next spring, men’s baseball is expected to produce a dominant team with these hungry, young players set to compete for starting roles against the returning upperclassmen. 

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Season in Review: Women’s golf

Women’s golf wrapped up its season last weekend at home against Hamilton. While this year was nowhere near normal, the team was happy to have a chance to compete in five matches this spring. Coach Bill Mandigo expressed this gratefulness in an interview with The Campus. “The fact that we were able to play, go to different courses, and see different teams was a success regardless of how well we played,” Mandigo said. Women’s golf placed fourth out of four in their first match, and then finished fourth out of five in their next three matches. Team scores were not kept in their final match. While also having to navigate the rule changes due to Covid-19, the Panthers dealt with a smaller roster, as two players did not return to campus this semester and one got injured. Yet, the opportunity to play overshadowed any of these struggles.  Katie Murphy ’23, who led the way for Middlebury in every match, commented on her experience this season.  “Having a season and being able to play golf everyday completely changed the trajectory of my semester,” Murphy said. “Feeling like it was a competitive season was awesome.” The Panthers return almost their entire roster next season, with captain Erika Nakagawa ’21 being the only graduating senior. While Williams won the NESCAC championship this year, Middlebury hopes to compete for the title in the fall.

Part 2: Students

The section of the Action Plan for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that focuses on students is broken down into four categories of initiatives: recruitment, financial aid, development and support.  Renee Wells, Director of Education for Equity and Inclusion, hopes that these initiatives address the questions about community  “How do you help students understand what it means to be a part of a community and to foster community with and for others?” Wells said.  Wells, working alongside Chief Diversity Officer Miguel Fernández and a variety of other staff members across the college, have aimed to interact with students when there are opportunities to engage with the entire student body, specifically through ResLife and Orientation.  Fernández has also aimed to increase the amount of direct student feedback for the respective initiatives, and has met consistently with Concerned Students of Middlebury and the SGA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.  They hope to use these initiatives to make DEI a key component of the Middlebury experience across all parts of campus and academic life.  “Part of what it means to be at Middlebury is to be a part of a community and to think about how you are part of a community in a way that's intentional,” Wells said.  Out of 15 total initiatives in the student section of the Action Plan, eight have been completed, four have been partially completed, one is unknown, and four have not yet been completed. The initiatives that have not been completed at all have completion dates in future years.  Recruitment Nicole Curvin, Dean of Admissions, has relied on demographic data and institutional research to integrate DEI initiatives into several aspects of the admissions process.  Strategy #1 is to increase the admission of historically underrepresented groups. Curvin reports that 40% of the incoming class of 2025 is BIPOC. In 2019, for comparison, only 27% of the student body were BIPOC.   Strategy #2 outlines the creation of a Student Ambassador Program, which was formed in the last academic year in order to reach underrepresented prospective students. The program, which typically sends ambassadors to high schools around the country, has temporarily moved online because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  “We plan to continue to develop this program and eventually return to in-person visits with high school students once it is safe to do so,” Curvin said.  Strategy #3 involves introducing DEI as a core value in the recruitment process. This has involved training staff and student employees on DEI in a variety of ways.  “In the past two years, we hosted facilitators during our annual staff retreat and as we embarked on application review to consider how we approach our evaluation of lived experiences and school context,” Curvin said.  Staff have also read texts, listened to podcasts, and attended conferences and workshops focused on DEI in order to better understand how to best recruit a diverse student body.  “We become better recruiters by understanding and acknowledging our applicant pool for who they are,” Curvin said.  Strategy #4, to increase the accessibility of campus visits, has been put on pause as in-person campus tours did not resume until May 6. Now that in-person tours are allowed, Curvin hopes to consult the community about how to make them more accessible to all prospective students.  “We have already begun discussions and have added features to our website and videos to support prospective students,” Curvin said.  Financial Aid  Strategy #5 outlines a plan to offer opportunities for critical conversations about DEI among staff in both Admissions and Financial Aid, both of which have taken part in DEI workshops. ResLife staff have also attended four mandatory DEI workshops this year, according to Dean of Student Life AJ Place. According to Kim Downs-Burns, associate vice president of student financial services (SFS), SFS has initiated several strategies to implement DEI in their work that aim to better support low-income students.  The SFS office has met with incoming Posse cohorts to review financial aid decisions, collaborated with other NESCAC schools to reach out to low-income students to answer questions about financial aid, worked with SGA to provide an emergency assistance fund for J-term, and participated in Discover Middlebury to meet first-generation students.  Strategy #6 aims to increase accessibility to Middlebury by creating a financial aid policy that goes “beyond need blind and covering full demonstrated need.” One example of this policy that the college has started implementing, according to Downs-Burns, is that many students in Posse cohorts receive financial aid that goes above and beyond their demonstrated need.  SFS has also worked to use fundraising as a way to increase financial support available.  “One of our upcoming fundraising campaigns is prioritizing new gift funds to expand our current pool of eligible students,” said Downs-Burns.  Strategy #7 also addresses accessibility by aiming to reduce the barrier of the cost of course materials such as textbooks.  “SFS has done some work analyzing the costs of textbooks, average course costs, and comparing textbook allowances with what our peer institutions offer in their aid packages,” Fernández said.  SFS already conducts an annual review of their average textbook costs compared to peer institutions. More work will continue on the project in upcoming semesters.  “Currently Midd incorporates a $1000 annual book allowance in the individual student aid budgets which is the median of all Consortium of Financing Higher Education (COFHE) colleges,” said Downs-Burns. COFHE contains 35 other selective liberal arts colleges.  In the fall of 2020, 489 students qualified for SFS’ book advance program, but many students didn’t take advantage of their qualification, which has led SFS to reevaluate the program.  SFS plans to work with the Office of Advancement to fundraise for a book grant program to assist aid recipients with purchasing textbooks, which has been hampered by Covid-19 costs.  “Currently the funding is limited, but we hope a successful pilot will lead to an increase in eligible students,” Downs-Burns said.  Fernández will be working on the textbook accessibility initiative, as well as Strategy #8, which aims to grow an endowed fund to enable students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in the full Middlebury experience, including funding for travel home or trips to Burlington. An endowed fund entails investments of capital that can be periodically withdrawn.  Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for funds has been so high that all donated funds have been put in use and not placed in an endowed fund.  According to Fernández, President Patton plans to make the fund a priority in upcoming fundraising campaigns. The college aims to have the textbook accessibility initiative complete within the next year, while the endowed funds for underprivileged students is expected to be completed in two years.  Development  Strategy #9 extends Wells’s work with DEI workshops to student leaders in Orientation, ResLife, International Student Services, MiddSafe, SGA, and other student organizations.  Similarly, Strategy #10 aims to embed DEI into Orientation programming, and Strategy #11 outlines increasing opportunities for critical conversations among the general student body.  “I have been meeting weekly with the JusTalks students throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, and they have developed and facilitated dozens of peer education workshops during the fall, J-term, and spring semesters,” Wells said. JusTalks also collaborated with Orientation to offer workshops for the class of 2024.5.  While the scale of activities has been inhibited by social distancing requirements, there are plans to expand these initiatives once operations go back to normal. Amanda Reinhardt, Director of Student Activities, said that the virtual workshops are just the beginning.  “As we start planning for MiddView 2021 and Feb Orientation 2022, we will continue to explore ways to incorporate and assess additional DEI content into Middlebury’s Orientation programming in order to meet the goals outlined in the Action Plan,” Reinhardt said.  Rob Moeller, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Residential Education and Innovation has been involved in adding DEI components to the ResLife program.  “This spring we have been partnering with the Anti-Racist Task Force to join and support their work fostering these important conversations. ResLife has also been working in collaboration with JusTalks to hold workshops for first-year [residential hall] communities in-person and virtually this past fall and in the planning process for doing the same this spring,” Moeller said.  To help with these initiatives, Crystal Jones, who will join the staff in July as the inaugural Assistant Director of Education for Equity and Inclusion, will help to develop and facilitate these critical conversations.  Strategy #12 aims to provide more mental health resources to students and support for historically underrepresented groups. Moeller has worked with ResLife to create skill building sessions on making friends, addressing friendship myths and creating panels for students to discuss navigating the social contexts of Middlebury. “Additional collaborations are underway with CTLR to help reduce stress by offering tried and true time management strategies,” Moeller said.  Maddie Hope, Assistant Director of Health and Wellness Education, has also worked with ResLife to promote mental health strategies through several events and training. Some of these events include ProjectConnect, stressbuster series, speed friending events, mental health peer educator workshops and ResLife student staff training.  Support As listed in Strategy #13, the College plans to join the Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS) to focus on advancing the academic success of BIPOC students at selective liberal arts institutions by 2023.  Strategy #14 is a broad goal, hoping to increase resources to underrepresented groups, specifically in the Parton Center for Health and Wellness and Anderson Freeman Resource Center (AFC). The initiative to assess staffing at the AFC has been initiated and a new director will be starting July 1. “We have just hired a new Director of Counseling who is a person of color and has years of experience providing counseling to these communities,” Fernández said. The new director, Alberto Soto, specializes in advocating for diverse populations and the intersection of social justice and mental health, according to Fernández.   Ben Gooch, associate director of clinical operations for counseling services, said that social justice practices and experiences with multicultural counseling are a required component of counselings’ application process.  “We work with programs that we know have a strong stance on supporting underserved communities and training their future counselors to be social justice advocates and allies,” Gooch said.  The counseling department has also recently adopted a new model of counseling called the Flexible Care Model (FCM). FCM, which Soto is an expert in, aims to move care away from systems that perpetuate white and Eurocentric concepts of counseling.  “Our overall goal with this model is to increase immediate access to counseling for students, incorporate multicultural counseling understandings into our session to make sure that we are providing good care that takes into account the diversity of our campus community, and to provide more options to students for what their relationship to counseling can look like,” Gooch said.  The counseling deparment also participates in anti-racist reading groups and training oppurtunities. The Center for Health and Wellness has also collaborated across departments to form working groups for specific issues.  “An example of this is our Trans Care Working Group, which is designed to help make sure staff are up-to-date on the best practices and to work toward dismantling barriers to care for trans-identifying students,” Gooch said.  The Office of the President has completed Strategy #15 by creating a taskforce that has been meeting since the start of the year to explore the creation of a center to support LGBTQ+ students.  Fernández explained that there is a multi-year plan to move forward. “The first year, we will work to find a designated lounge or another existing meeting space; the second year, we will explore the possibility of using a College-owned house; and during a subsequent year, once the new student center is built, we recommend that the center for LGBTQ+ students be located there,” said Fernández.

From Febmester to Snow Bowl graduation, Febs celebrate unique traditions and experiences

Ever since 1971, a group of roughly 100 students has arrived on campus during the snowy month of February, joining the small community of Middlebury students and alumni with half year graduation dates. These students — called “Febs” after their unusual matriculation and graduation month — have often led slightly different paths than students who enter the college during the regular cycle. The college’s February Admissions page describes Febs as members of “a long tradition of adventurous students who aren’t afraid to do things a bit differently.” But being a Feb has changed this year. Instead of traveling, many first-year Febs spent their Febmester in quarantine, while graduating Febs were unable to take part in the traditions they have looked forward to since orientation. While there is not one singular Feb experience, many described feeling especially close to their peers, the presumption of stereotypes — and even certain disadvantages of the program.  Febs by the numbers  For some, being a Feb is a starkly different experience than being a “Reg” — the colloquial term for those matriculating in September — for better or for worse. For starters, each Feb class is fairly small — around 90 to 100 students. This can be an attractive selling point for those who are interested in the possibility of a close-knit graduating class. Eli Richardson ’23.5 said the program was a significant part of his decision to apply to Middlebury. “I enjoy coming in with a smaller community of people,” Richardson said. “I have interacted with people different from me and grown as a result of it.” But class sizes have shifted significantly in the past year. Many students elected to take a semester off amid pandemic precautions, health concerns and increased financial strain. As a result, some Febs have shifted back into a Reg class year, while some Regs have done the opposite — joining a Feb class with which they did not matriculate. Richardson’s class currently sits at 90 students, the smallest of all the current Feb classes, according to the college’s email list. The senior Feb email list includes 200 students. The Feb community  Many Febs have found a kind of instant community among members of their class, bonding during the adjustment period when they first arrive on campus. Charlotte Cahillane ’19.5 noted that the experience of joining Middlebury a semester later than the Reg class had a significant impact on the friends she made. “Based on the nature of starting at the same time and not having easy ways to build community with other classmates, some of my closest folks were Febs from my year,” Cahillane said. Despite initial apprehensiveness about their later start date, Cahillane said that the 2019.5 Febs eventually began to feel more connected to the class of 2019. “You realize everyone is in similar boats and not that much farther ahead than you are,” she said. First-year Febs participate in orientation trips and events each winter, led by Febs in the grades above. This year’s first-year Febs were the first class to have a fully remote orientation; they were also given the option of living together in Forest — where all the first-year Feb counselors (FebYCs) live — or being placed in random housing assignments. Long after the initial orientation, many Febs maintain strong relationships with their smaller class. “The greatest Feb tradition is the sense of camaraderie amongst a subset of students with a single shared experience that persists through your time at Midd,” Noah Fine ’20.5 said. While most Febs do not feel like there is a clear divide between Febs and Regs, they do think there are certain Feb stereotypes that have persisted throughout time.  “Febs were people who were enthusiastic, outgoing, a little bit weird, and people who didn't get in during regular admissions, which put a chip on our shoulders,” Colonno said of the stereotypes.  Though she graduated a semester early — making her part of a Reg class — Colonno’s friends from Middlebury still call her by her nickname, “Febbie,” 16 years after graduation.  Cahillane remembers her classmates being interested in a variety of hobbies and activities, but there were some commonalities that stood out. “A lot of folks were into hiking, being outside… a lot of geography,” Cahillane said. “There's definitely a Feb stereotype that holds up to a certain extent, but there are a bunch of different personalities in my Feb class, and I don't really see a divide between Febs and regs,” Richardson said. While there are no official college demographics for Feb classes, they have often been seen as more white and wealthy than the overall student population. This perception has become so ubiquitous that it is part of campus humor. In 2018, the college’s satirical newspaper, The Local Noodle, ran an article with the headline “Elizabeth Warren to Join Class of 2021.5, Creating Most Diverse Feb Class to Date” featuring Warren’s headshot photoshopped into a picture of students at the college rock climbing wall. Some students described feeling the impact of Feb class demographics. “It definitely shaped my social sphere. Febs historically have been white and upper middle class — not 100% — but those are the folks who can take a semester off,” Cahillane said.  For Sophia Lundberg 21.5, the lack of diversity in her Feb class had a significant impact on her social life and mental health at the start of her college experience.  “I felt like I tried very hard to be a straight, wealthy, white student for a very long time with varying levels of success before realizing that that’s really tiring and burdensome, and I should just try to embrace my identities and experiences instead,” Lundberg said.  Niki Kowsar ’21.5 says that, as an immigrant, she felt out of place in North America — and coming to Middlebury was no different. However, she found her fellow Febs to be empathetic, allowing her to connect with her peers despite demographic differences. “There are activities where wealth, privilege, and access come into play, specifically with traveling and outdoor activities like skiing, golfing, etc., but that's not just specific to the Feb classes, but more so toward the general Middlebury community,” Kowsar said.   Lundberg, who is one of the two SGA Vice Presidents, hopes that the college pursues policies that diversify Feb admissions and create strong support systems for Febs throughout their four years at Middlebury. Student leaders aimed to increase awareness about privilege, microaggressions, and anti-racism, among Febs by adding a JusTalks component to this year’s Feb orientation “I think the inclusion of JusTalks was an exceptional first step, but broadly, it's important for Middlebury to admit more racially and socioeconomically diverse groups of students for future Feb classes to bring in different perspectives while ensuring that all students feel valued and accepted,” Kowsar said.  The “Febmester” The defining feature of being a Feb is the gap semester, referred to as a “Febmester,” that members of the class take before entering college. Many Febs are grateful for the opportunity to take time off between high school and college without the commitment of a full gap year. Libby Scarpota ’24, formerly a member of the class of 2023.5, was one of the Febs who became a Reg this year, spending the spring working at an environmental nonprofit in Hawaii. But, as a former Feb who matriculated a few weeks before Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, Scarpotta was able to spend her Febmester working as an au pair in Italy. “I would highly recommend taking time off school while you're young,” Scarpotta said. “In a sense, it's not like I had a ton of huge responsibilities, and I was able to gain skills and learned a lot as a person.” But Scarpotta also acknowledged that Febmesters full of travel and work experience are not universally accessible. And joining campus in the middle of the semester can also pose a unique set of challenges. “I knew going to Middlebury that I wanted to study languages, so it was really tricky that I couldn't study new languages in the spring… that was why I graduated early,” Colonno said. “I had to do summer school and hustle to get on track.” To some, the lack of immediate access to some aspects of campus life are part of what makes the Feb experience unique.  “Being a Feb can make it difficult to join clubs and other activities your first semester but there’s a certain sense of community that Febs thrive off of as a result,” Fine said. Feb graduation A beloved Feb tradition takes place on the day of their graduation: when students ski — or otherwise descend — down the Snow Bowl in their caps and gowns.  “I'm not a great skier, so I'm genuinely scared for graduation, but even if you don't ski it is a huge bonding moment,” Melisa Gurkan ’23.5 said. The night before graduation, the Febs are invited to a “Febs and sibs” dinner, where Febs and their siblings head to Atwater Dining Hall for a meal and a party. The morning afterwards, Febs don their caps and gowns to hit the slopes. While most choose to ski, some opt for more creative ways of getting down the slope — including canoes.  Feb life during Covid-19 As the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted learning online and forced restrictions on campus social life, many students have chosen to “Feb” themselves and graduate a semester earlier or later than planned. Lundberg knows students who have taken time off for reasons ranging from mental health to simply wanting to have a relaxing semester after a long year of isolation.  “I think Covid has just shown many people that it’s OK to have a “non-traditional” college experience,” she said.  Febs, once a close-knit identity, are now composed of a large number of Middlebury students, which has shifted what it means to be a member of a mid-year graduating class.  “I think [identifying as a Feb] is becoming more irrelevant with the number of people Febbing themselves,” Scaperotta said. Changes in graduation date have caused some to rethink their social circles given that new members of Feb or “Reg” classes may still primarily have friends from their previous class year. “I am nervous about that last semester,” Scarpotta said. “My friends make fun of me that I will have to find freshman friends to live with, but I just hope to meet people in every class year.” The traditional image of the close-knit Feb class has also faced new obstacles this year. Some members of the Class of 2024.5 have struggled to meet other Febs and first-years due to Covid-19 restrictions on campus. Unlike the first years who entered in the fall, class of 2024.5 Febs only had two to three days as Middlebury students before classes began. “There's a sentiment that we didn't have a proper orientation. The regular freshmen had a week of getting to know each other and we were just thrown in,” Julia Lininger-White ’24.5 said. But even without the traditional Feb Orientation and in the absence of typical social activities this year, first-year Febs have still found ways to connect with members of their residence halls or classmates in their first year seminars.   The Class of 2020.5 also missed out on some traditional aspects of the Feb experience. Like the Class of 2020, they were not able to have a formal graduation ceremony. Instead, the Super Senior Febs joined a substitute celebration at Alumni Stadium organized by Julia Sinton ’20.5 and Ben Slater ’20.5. While the college has planned an in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021 that remote seniors can attend, remote Febs were not allowed on campus to celebrate with their peers this February.   Fine feels lucky that he was not in the class of 2020, self-named the “Class of 19.75,” who were sent home abruptly in March. Instead, he had the option of spending his final semester on campus, enjoying the friendships he had established over several pre-pandemic semesters. Conversely, current sophomore Febs were forced to leave campus only five weeks into their college experience. “The 23.5 class was really small, so right off the bat we were a very close grade,” Gurkan said. “And with Covid, people rushed to stick with the friends they made to have people to talk to over the summer and to go into housing with.” But even without class-wide events and traditional social activities to bring them together, some Febs still feel a close bond with their peers. For Lininger-White, the level of camaraderie is closely connected to the small size of Feb classes. “I think the best thing is having this smaller class,” she said. “When I see a Feb, I know I’ll like them.”

Review: Men’s track and field

Men's track and field improved their record to 2–0 on Saturday, beating Hamilton College, 86–54, at home on Dragone Field.  Middlebury swept the jumping events, winning both the long jump and high jump with a staggering 6.81 meters from Max Memeger ’21 and 1.79 meters by Francis Price ’22.  Arden Coleman ’21 also snatched first place in the 100-meter, beating Hamilton’s Joshua Harmsen by three-tenths of a second with a winning time of 11.26 seconds.  Max Cluss ’23 won the 800 for the Panthers, finishing in 1:54.26, while Quinlan McGaugh ’22 took first in the 1500 in 3:58.24.  In the midst of the win, many were reminiscent as this was their last time competing on Dragone Field. The team will finish off their spring season at Williams College next weekend. Bett Sorbo ’24 is looking forward to the last meet of the season, hoping to end it on a good note. “Training this week won’t be too different than the last few weeks. It’s just a matter of continuing to hone in on the things that have already led to our success. Right now, we have the potential to make a serious impression at Williams.” Sorbo said.  The meet is scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at 11 a.m.

Review: Women's golf

On Saturday, women's golf concluded its season at the Ralph Myhre Golf Course in Middlebury. Only individual scores were recorded in the match against Hamilton, although the Panthers still managed an impressive showing. Katie Murphy ’23 led the way for the Panthers, finishing in second place with a score of 80––just one stroke behind the leader. Kayla Li ’23 followed Murphy, tying for third after shooting an 82 on the day. Jacqueline Slinkard ’24 rounded out the top three spots for the Panthers, carding an 83 and tying for fifth place.  Playing in her final collegiate match, senior captain Erika Nakagawa ’21 expressed her pleasure in finishing the season on a high note, but also the sadness of competing in her last match. “I was pretty emotional on the 18th tee box,” Nakagawa said. “I’m going to miss playing with my team so much.”

Midd on wheels: Manoeuvering Middlebury’s campus

Middlebury’s campus is deceptively large, and a walk from Lang Hall to Mahaney can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. If you live in Allen or Atwater, a trip to get a Covid-19 test is a major event that requires your best walking shoes. To shorten the commute from place to place on campus, students have gotten creative about how to get around. For example — albeit rare — roller skaters, with their colorful wheels jutting out from the soles of their feet, can sometimes be spotted on Middlebury’s flatter terrain. The same can be said for the few who choose to sport Heelys, the iconic shoe brand with built in wheels in the heel of each shoe. Isabeau Trimble ’24.5 bought their pair a month before leaving their home in southern Virginia. “Not without my mother’s disapproval,” Trimble added. “Although it’s very fun, and people on campus love it.”  However, there aren’t many places on campus that are conducive to Heely activity. Trimble claimed that their Heelys are perfect for sunny weather and on smooth surfaces, but their use can quickly come to an end when conditions get rough. And when rain falls, there is a high chance that their wearers will, too.  Rain is a common enemy for all who rely on wheeled transport. Wet conditions can cause corrosive rust to form on metal and eliminate the traction of rubber, making steep hills treacherous.  For bikers, rain is less of a danger but still limits their capabilities. “I would go on trails if the weather was clear,” Sarah Kimmel ’24 said.  On our campus, some students have also found a way to hop, spin and kickflip their way over the fine line between transportation and art. Abraham Merino ’24 has a reputation as “the scooter guy,” news which has spread from Stewart to Bicentennial Hall. Merino, from Los Angeles, has been scootering since 2014 and said that he’s happy with the attention and the nickname he’s received.  “I have a mustache, but I can’t show it off because I’m always wearing a mask,” Merino explained. “I’m happy to still be able to express my personality through scootering.” His scooter holds the power to transform any dry surface into a playground and, of course, to get him across campus in the blink of an eye. “I couldn’t make it very long without it,” he said. Always learning new tricks, Merino can be seen outside Battell and throughout campus sliding, jumping and spinning over the day’s obstacles.  There are often heated debates about which dining hall is the best. Regardless of your own opinion, it’s safe to say that Proctor has the best entertainment. On an average sunny day, skateboarders can be seen attempting the most daring jumps and tricks, flying down staircases and sliding across railings. Noe Horiwaki ’21 and Johan Wichterle ’23 both grew up in New York City and attended the same middle school and high school. Now, they skate together on a makeshift skate park outside Proctor.  “The hilly campus is perfect for skating,” said Horiwaki. “Skateboarding makes travel around campus really fast. It’s great for going to get Covid tested.”  However, the transition from New York City skate parks to Proctor has led to some disappointment. As Wichterle put it, “without a practical way to express ourselves, it’s like having basketball practice but never playing a game.”  Despite the limitations, skating at Middlebury has become more popular than ever. Quarantine boredom and curiosity led to many students picking it up over the summer and some brought their boards to campus with them. “As cliché as it sounds, there’s always something new to learn. We keep falling and getting back up again,” Witchterle said.  On the college’s wide, hilly campus, many have found ways to ease their daily commutes. Whether on a bike, a scooter, Heelys or roller skates, students make the most of their transportation. A tool used to get places faster can quickly become a form of self-expression. And in an era characterized by isolation, Middlebury is more mobile than ever. Editor’s Note: This article primarily focuses on the transportation modes of people who do not live with a physical disability. We acknowledge that this does not encompass all members of our community. We hope that the college campus becomes more physically accessible in the coming years and are committed to spotlighting issues related to accessibility.

Biting into crunchiness culture: Midd students engage with the outdoors

MiddKids have long been known for swinging their Nalgene bottles, sporting Patagonia and engaging with the outdoors — all characteristic of what is considered “crunchy.” And while this outdoors- and environment-centric culture permeates campus life, many also find it to be exclusive and inaccessible.  “At Middlebury, there’s a lot of people who are really interested in outdoor recreation and the environment, which is labeled as crunchy on this campus and seems like a large body. Febs often are characterized as crunchy,” Kamryn You Mak ’23.5 said.  After taking the past semester off, You Mak described her experience participating in Feb “crunchy” culture.  “It’s eye-opening seeing how tight-knit this [Feb] community is, where going on a hike is a typical ‘Feb’ activity,” You Mak said. Many students say that there is a stereotype that Febs are more “crunchy,” given that some choose to spend their Feb-mester traveling, working or participating in programs related to exploring the outdoors. For others, crunchy culture takes on additional cultural and political significance.  “I think typically activities and traits associated with crunch culture are eating alternative diets, hiking and other outdoor activities, a dedication to reducing one’s waste, and wearing brands that claim to be environmentally conscious like Patagonia,” said Elijah Willig ’21.  Jackson Hawkins ’21.5 agreed.  “To me, crunchy culture is rooted in a shared love of the outdoors, but has sort of expanded to more superficial things like the sort of music you listen to or the clothes you wear,” Hawkins said.  According to Hannah Gellert ’22, crunchy culture at Middlebury has different segments.  “There's a vein of it that’s truly engaging with the outdoors and recreating in the outdoors. And then there's a vein that's more performative,” Gellert said, noting that performative crunchy culture involves only wearing typical crunchy brands, like Patagonia or North Face. She said that a third segment of crunchy culture involves environmental activism and sustainable living practices.  Crunchy culture has manifested in tangible ways on campus, from the existence of clubs such as Middlebury Mountain Club to the food options people prefer at the dining hall.  “I have felt more self conscious about what I eat since coming to Middlebury. Upon arriving and interacting with people, I actually learned about the concept of ethical consumption,” Willig said.  I never thought there would be environmental benefits to being vegetarian or vegan. I just assumed people either wanted to lose weight or just love animals too much to eat them.”  Willig also noted that there are differences between the ways that certain groups of people on campus eat.  “[I noticed] little things in diet between groups, [like] most white people at Midd don’t touch soda ever,” Willig said.  There are a variety of on-campus groups — with the potential to influence the perception and inclusivity of crunchy culture — that attract students with an appreciation for the outdoors, such as Brooker, the outdoor interest house, or the Middlebury Mountain Club (MMC).  Founded in 1931, MMC is one of Middlebury’s oldest student organizations and offers a variety of outdoor activities year-round, including hiking, boating and climbing trips throughout Vermont and beyond. MMC offers these activities to Middlebury students free of cost.  Historically, their trips have been immensely popular, promoting engagement with and appreciation for the outdoors among the student body. Additionally, MMC hosts social events, provides educational programming and workshops, and runs the first-year outdoor orientation programs.  Current President of MMC Molly Arndt ’23, who hails from Colorado and spent time outdoors growing up, said that she didn’t embrace her “crunchy” side until she came to Middlebury and became involved with the Mountain Club. “The idea of going out on trips to explore Vermont, an incredible place, has allowed me to get more involved with things like canoeing and climbing,” she said. Although many students spoke highly of their memories of enjoying these spaces, inclusivity within outdoor spaces was a critical concern for Arndt, who described MMC’s policy of ensuring that all students can participate in the club’s activities regardless of barriers of cost and access to gear. However, Arndt noted the lingering challenges of expanding accessibility. “This still doesn’t take away the fact that it is an intimidating space to get into,” Ardnt said. Willig said that conversations about inclusivity and the outdoors should not occur in a vacuum.  “Once, I overheard a hiking group in the Adirondack house talking about how to diversify their group and have more people of color feel comfortable doing outdoor activities — all of which is great,” Willig said.  “The meeting was 100% white though. There was no outreach to connect with any cultural organization. No person from the AFC sitting at the meeting. Just white people reflecting on the whiteness of their group”. In efforts to make outdoor spaces more accessible to all students, MMC has created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer position, currently held by You Mak. Since the creation of this position, MCC has led several trips that cater specifically to BIPOC students. Although current initiatives have a limited scope with Covid-19 restrictions, the club plans to increase awareness and availability of activities particularly for students underrepresented in outdoor recreation spaces.  You Mak has also spearheaded the creation of Midd FIRE (Fostering Inclusive Recreation Experiences), a student organization aimed at creating a safe, supportive community of and for BIPOC outdoor recreationists. “It’s a wider issue of people not represented or being able to access the outdoors...Being able to get more people outside is my main goal,” she said. You Mak also noted the importance of making outdoor recreation equitable at a college like Middlebury, which is known both for its predominantly white and wealthy population and its close ties to the environment. You Mak’s primary goal is to increase the visibility of a BIPOC outdoor affinity group within largely white-dominated outdoor organizations and spaces through the increased representation and availability of trips to students of color.  Brooker, the outdoor interest house and another hub for crunchy culture on campus, is also grappling with questions related to the outdoors and exclusivity.  “Within Brooker, we’ve realized that this sort of monolithic “crunchy culture” is really quite exclusive and can make people feel distinctly unwelcome, so we’re trying to change that, but it’s hard. When Brooker is seen as a space where “crunchy” people are, that helps set the vibe for what that looks like on campus,” Hawkins said.  Hannah Gellert ’22 shared that Brooker has made some efforts to become more inclusive this year after informally meeting with the SGA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, including holding more open houses and changing the working on their application. However, she admits that there is more to be done to combat the whiteness of outdoor spaces and “crunchy culture.”  “[Brooker being a majority-white space] is a good example of the overlapping of Midd being a historically white space and the outdoors being a white space. And then, you see that representative who the house has inside of it. Part of that is that you don't want to tokenize people and be like, you’re a person of color, so we're going to automatically take you into the house. Because that's also not productive.”  To challenge and subvert stereotypes associated with “crunchy culture,” You Mak encourages students to reflect on “what [we] grew up thinking, what mainstream environmental culture teaches people and [how to look] critically at spaces at Middlebury and see what can be improved.”

Addison County's Weather Watcher, a Middlebury student with a Bright Future in Weather Forecasting

Michael Wasserstein ’21 is Middlebury College’s unofficial resident weatherman. Wasserstein, a physics major hailing from Middlebury, Conn., runs @addisoncountyweatherwatchers, a popular Instagram account, where he posts daily forecasts, as well as a weekly radio show and a blog, which he uses to discuss and analyze the weather.  Wasserstein has been fascinated by weather since a young age. “I grew up as a skier, and I was always waiting for it to snow, checking forecasts, reading blogs, watching TV, trying to find when the next snow was going to be. I was always looking at the weather,” Wasserstein said.  During his freshman year, he decided to start the Addison County Weather Watchers radio show for WRMC 91.1 FM, which airs every Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m. Wasserstein created his Instagram account, which now has nearly 300 followers, during J-Term of his sophomore year. Every day Wasserstein posts a photo from around campus with a short write-up about the day’s forecast. He has enjoyed watching students incorporate his weather forecasting into their daily routine.  “Especially [recently], I’ve seen the Instagram start to gain some traction,” Wasserstein said. “People tell me that they don’t look at their weather app; they’ll just wake up every morning, read my post and plan their day accordingly.” His blog, born out of pandemic idleness, includes more detailed write-ups of weather events.  Two Middlebury weather events have been particularly memorable to Wasserstein. He was shocked when a tornado touched down in Middlebury on March 26.  “Tornados almost never happen in Vermont, and they almost never happen in Vermont in March,” Wasserstein said. “The fact that this one happened in Middlebury literally two miles away from campus is incredible.”  Wasserstein also vividly remembers a big snowstorm during Martin Luther King Day weekend his sophomore year. Wasserstein recalls frigid temperatures and powerful winds. He continued exploring this particular storm for his senior research project in physics.  Middlebury does not have a meteorology program, so Wasserstein has never formally studied weather in an academic setting, but he is planning to attend graduate school at the University of Utah to study atmospheric science this fall to pursue his love of weather. Wasserstein is most interested in studying past storms and events.  The summer after his sophomore year, he interned at his local NBC television station in Connecticut. There, he worked with presenters to prepare their forecasts, created weather graphics and even had the opportunity to practice presenting in front of a green screen. Although he does not want to pursue a television career, the internship cemented his interest in studying weather.  “Before the summer after my sophomore year, I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted to go into weather, and after that experience, it was, ‘Yes, I absolutely want to do it.’ I don’t want to be on TV, but it was cool just learning about weather and gaining connections,” Wasserstein said.   Wasserstein also led introductory meteorology workshops for the past two J-Terms, allowing students to learn more about the weather.  What does the ideal day of weather look like to the Addison County Weather Watcher himself?  “We get a storm system that moves in at 8 p.m. the previous night, drops a lot of snow overnight, and you wake up, and the skies are completely blue, but we’ve gotten a foot of new snow,” Wasserstein said. “It’s sunny and cold, 20 degrees, for the entire day. Absolutely a good day for skiing.”

Limited campus tours resume for admitted students

Update — Thursday, May 6 As of today, students may seek in-person employment at Middlebury businesses if they are fully vaccinated and have uploaded proof of vaccination to the student health portal, according to an email update from Dean of Students Derek Doucet this afternoon. Students can now also eat outdoors at restaurants in town. —— Middlebury began offering campus tours for admitted students and their families beginning on April 27. Previously, no visitors — including prospective students — were permitted to enter college buildings and grounds.  Dean of Admissions Nicole Curvin addressed an email to faculty, staff and students on April 26 notifying them that the college was resuming tours. But due to an error in communications, most current students did not receive the message until a second email was sent the following day. College Director of Media Relations Sarah Ray clarified that the announcement was posted on the college’s website on April 26.  The college decided to reopen tours following an update in the Vermont Department of Health guidelines. Revisions to the state’s Safe and Healthy Return to Campus plan permitted a limited number of visits to campus.  “We have been monitoring the guidelines pretty closely and have a group that meets daily to discuss how Vermont guidelines are changing and what that means for us as a community,” Curvin said. “It became clear that one of the new possibilities was bringing campus tours back.” There will be a maximum of six tours per day, each limited to one family and not exceeding four persons in total. Visitors are expected to adhere to Vermont state health guidelines, which require full vaccination (14 days past the final dose), a negative test result from within three days prior to entering the state or having recovered from Covid-19 within the past three months with no current symptoms.  Additionally, tours have been adjusted to maximize safety precautions, including shortening tours from their typical length of upwards of an hour and a half to a maximum of one hour, requiring face masks and physical distancing throughout, running tours exclusively outdoors and restricting families from interacting with community members other than their tour guide and other admissions representatives.    According to Curvin, the Admissions Office felt that allowing even a small number of families to visit campus was extremely important given how challenging college enrollment decisions can be for students.  Until now, in lieu of in-person tours, the Admissions Office increased its virtual initiatives to introduce prospective students to the college with events such as an Instagram Live campus tour, short TikTok segments showing the campus and webinars during which admittees could engage with faculty and staff. “We feel really good about the connections we have made virtually and are grateful to expand access through the virtual programming,” Curvin said.  Nevertheless, these programs are not the same as seeing the campus in person. “We are very cognizant that a big part of figuring out a college search is walking around the place you might call home for the next four years,” Senior Admissions Fellow Abbott LaPrade ’21 said.  The college’s decision to reopen tours serves, at least in part, as an effort to curb illicit visits. Students reported sightings of people who appeared to be families of prospective students walking around campus, sometimes without masks, and taking photos. Some even entered the college bookstore, according to reports that Director of Parton Health Services Mark Peluso received from current students. “The plan [to reopen tours] would… actually provide a safer campus environment for students by eliminating unsupervised visits,” Peluso said in an email to The Campus.   Curvin also expressed optimism that the announcement would compel families to visit through the Admissions Office instead of visiting independently. She speculated that other Vermont colleges and universities opening their campuses to visitors — including the University of Vermont, St. Michael’s and Champlain College — may have contributed to the increase in unauthorized visits to Middlebury. “Being surrounded by other institutions that are [opening up to visitors], other families might not really think about it and say, ‘We’ll just drive through.’” she said. Most other NESCACs, with the exceptions of Trinity and Hamilton Colleges, have not yet opened their campuses for tours. Connecticut College allows 30-minute driving tours, during which families are not allowed out of their vehicles. Tufts University and Wesleyan, Bates, Amherst, Williams, Colby and Bowdoin Colleges remain closed to the public for the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year. According to the Admissions Office, health and safety precautions have been a major centerpiece of the administration’s decision-making process on reopening tours and in determining the guidelines for doing so.  “We are deeply appreciative of Middlebury students, faculty and staff for the things they have done this academic year to make us successful,” Curvin said. “We recognize too that this is challenging and that we are still under these limitations. We are really, really sensitive to ensure students can finish their semesters and feel comfortable doing so.”  The opportunity to tour campus is currently only available to admitted students who are still interested in Middlebury, which shrank the potential pool of visitors from the 1,871 admittees to a list including several hundred prospective students. The deposit to commit to Middlebury is due May 7, giving undecided admitted students a week and a half to travel to campus. The Admissions Office expects the number of visitors to be constrained by geography and time and that most families will come from within driving distance, according to Curvin. LaPrade, who had already given three tours as of April 30, said the safety measures required of families — in addition to the fact that he is fully vaccinated — made him feel unconcerned about contracting Covid-19 while giving tours to families. Both Curvin and LaPrade noted that the Admissions Office is very clear about safety expectations in advance of and during tours, especially considering that families coming from different states or geographic regions may be accustomed to more relaxed approaches to Covid-19 safety. So far, families have been conscientious and respectful of all requirements, according to Curvin and LaPrade. The decision to reopen tours to prospective students and their families from around the country has led some students to question the logic and consistency of the administration’s Covid-19 restrictions. LaPrade empathized with his peers’ frustrations over the apparent inconsistency in the college’s policies. “The bigger issue is not that tours are unsafe but that other things are not allowed, like dining outdoors [at restaurants]. We should also enable students to camp overnight or dine outside,” he said. In response to these concerns, Curvin noted that all decisions are made “as much as possible in consultation with planning groups on campus that have been monitoring the situation and Vermont guidelines as well as with health professionals.”  “It’s about assessing risk, including outdoor versus indoor activities,” she said.

Review: Men’s golf

Men’s golf staged a come-from-behind win this weekend to earn the program’s ninth NESCAC title and its first since 2016. Entering the weekend behind both Tufts and Trinity on points, the Panthers clawed their way back to first with an impressive score of 304 on the day, leaving the Jumbos and Bantams in their wake.  Captain Jordan Bessalel ’21 and Hogan Beazley ’23 led the team in the second round, each scoring 75s and tying for fourth place individually. Captain John Mikus ’21 followed close behind in ninth with a 76, while Colin McCaigue ’24 notched a 78 and Porter Bowman ’21.5 scored an 83. Trinity College finished three strokes back on the day, with Tufts and Hamilton rounding out the top four. The Panthers, scoring a combined score of 607, ultimately edged out Trinity and Tufts by a single stroke.  Men’s golf has now won eight NESCAC titles since the turn of the century, making them the most successful team in the division over that period. The team concludes their successful season at the Ralph Myhre Golf Course on Saturday, May 8, with the Middlebury Spring Invitational. Editor’s Note: Porter Bowman ’21.5 is the senior opinion editor for The Campus.