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(10/31/19 10:01am)
Families dressed in costumes, posed for pictures, danced to live music and munched on bags of fresh-popped popcorn. A NASA toddler in a tinfoil hat and a painted cardboard rocket waited patiently in line for face-painting. A mini Evil Queen and a black fruit bat played a life-sized game of Connect 4. Multiple Spider-Men and one Spider Gwen chased each other in front of the bubble machine. In the meantime, parents holding umbrellas stood on the grass and waited for the parade, Spooktacular’s main event, to begin.
The Better Middlebury Partnership hosted its 12th Annual Spooktacular on the Town Green this past Sunday, Oct. 27. Despite a steady drizzle of rain, kids flocked to game stations and activity tables operated by volunteers. Visitors could enjoy games, face-painting, bubbles and a craft table, alongside dancing and halloween-themed treats.
Nancie Dunn, the primary organizer of Spooktacular, started the event 14 years ago and has been hosting it with the help of her husband, Bruce Baker, ever since. For Dunn, the idea for Spooktacular rose out of a need she saw for a community-based Halloween event.
“When my kids were little, there was a parade and a bonfire that the Middlebury Parks and Recreation put on, and then there was nothing,” Dunn said. “So I thought with this cute town we needed to make something.” That was when Dunn got the idea for Spooktacular, which she and Baker have been running ever since.
“We had good weather last year and saw about 500 kids,” Baker said. “Because of the weather, this year was the most challenging year out of the 14.” The covered gazebo in the middle of the Town Green served as not only a refuge from the rain but also as the center of activity from where Baker played live music.
“My favorite part is right here at the gazebo,” Baker said. “All the kids come up, and the ones that are gregarious dance with me and have fun.”
Lauren Laberge, in charge of face-painting station, is one of the committee members who organizes the event every year.
“It’s cute to see the families come out all dressed up,” Laberge said. “I think they love it because you don’t always get an opportunity with your kids to be a part of something with costumes.”
Sarah Stahl, who oversees the crafts, is another committee member.
“[Spooktacular] is different from trick-or-treating in the dark,” Stahl said. “This is a daytime event, and it’s free. Some mother even said to me: ‘Thank you for doing this. This is all we do for Halloween.’”
At 2:30 p.m., Dunn, dressed as the Spooktacular Witch, led the group in a parade through the town. All through Main Street, merchants, some in costume, stood outside their shop fronts with bowls full of candy ready to be dropped in the children’s waiting bags. Audra Ouellette has participated in Spooktacular for all the three years she has been an employee at Sweet Cecily, a local home goods retailer.
“My favorite part about the event are the little faces that come through with costumes on,” Ouellette said. “There’s almost no preparation the vendors have to do beforehand. Nancie supplies everyone with the candy. It’s perfect.” As kids walked past Dunn with bags heavy of sweets, they waved at the Spooktacular Witch and headed home.
“It’s a real nice community thing,” Baker said. “It gives people who might not be able to afford to do anything special on their own an opportunity to get dressed up with their kids and have a great time.”
(10/31/19 9:59am)
President Donald Trump’s election in 2016 disrupted the country’s understanding of politics, conservatism and national identity. As a conservative op-ed columnist at The New York Times, Ross Douthat grapples with this disruption every day.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, Douthat joined moderator and former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas on campus in a discussion titled “Conservatism After Trump: Reaganism Restored or Populism Forever?” as part of the Alexander Hamilton Forum.
Douthat began his talk by describing the modern conservative movement, which he said is rooted in an understanding of American exceptionalism. Douthat defined American exceptionalism as a set of qualities and ideologies that sets this country apart from other nations. He included on this list competing religiosity, commercial culture, suspicion for a centralized government, communitarianism and a mission of liberty. In Douthat’s opinion, these are the elements that modern conservatism should seek to preserve.
“Those exceptional qualities have sustained our society and enabled our republic to flourish, and therefore, while allowing reforming change, they’re qualities worth defending and trying to preserve in changing times,” Douthat said at the talk.
In the last 20 years, however, Douthat said that American life has continued to defeat conservative belief by becoming less “exceptional.” In his mind, this stems from an increasing secularization of American life, a diminishing dependence on communalism, a recession from peak capitalism and a skepticism toward foreign missionaries. More importantly, according to Douthat, a decline in anti-government sentiments has led to a rise of socialism and populism.
According to Douthat, it was Trump’s understanding of this shift away from American exceptionalism that has allowed him to move the Republican Party away from both its politicians and intellectuals. Trump saw that everyday Republicans no longer cared about defending these exceptionalism, but simply finding a voice in a liberal trending community.
“If you look at the other Republican politicians running for president, there is always a sense that what worked for Ronald Reagan in 1980 will work again in 21st century America,” Douthat said. “Trump is none of that. There is the spectacle of him on the debate stage saying things that are not conservative. He didn’t care. Enough Republican voters didn’t care about these orthodoxies either.”
Douthat offered a distinction between conservatism and reactionism, two fields of thought on the right that he believes are often conflated. He defined conservative policy as one that is confident in its ability to endure despite dramatic changes, and a reactionary policy as one in defensive after defeat has already occurred. Douthat believes that globally, the conservative right has abandoned a conservative era for a reactionary one.
According to Douthat, Trump brought a different perspective to the party that spoke to the reactionary era.
However, Douthat believes that Trump’s style of populism has been politically unsuccessful in furthering traditionally populist goals. In other words, Trump’s spontaneous approach to politics does not allow him to fulfill his lofty promises, resulting in the Republican administration’s repeat of a typical conservative agenda.
“He has failed to build the larger support you need for populism, failed to transform the upper echelon of the Republican party that brings it in line with what a populist agenda would be,” Douthat said. “He’s likely to lose re-election, because there is no sustained agenda building of any sort.”
Looking into the future, Douthat hypothesized that some Republicans are expecting to return to a traditional Reagan-era conservative agenda post-Trump. However, in Douthat’s opinion, American conservatism can no longer re-live Reaganism, because the American exceptionalism that existed when Douthat came of age as a conservative no longer exist today.
Donovan Compton ’23, who attended the talk, thought it was interesting to hear from a conservative who does not support Trump. While Compton said his political beliefs do not align with Douthat’s, he felt he was able to learn about the future of conservatism from a different perspective.
“I have friends who didn’t go to the event simply because of the topic,” Compton said. “Politics is not about only hearing one side of the story, but finding a happy medium to have a policy we all agree on. It is important for everyone to be educated on both sides.”
Political Science Professor Keegan Callanan organized the event. Callanan said he was impressed by Douthat’s extensive reading of Alexis de Tocqueville in shaping his view of the current political atmosphere.
“Mr. Douthat writes a twice-weekly column for the New York Times. He often uses these columns to explain the conservative movement to readers and, of course, to criticize elements of the movement,” Callanan said. “He possesses a historical sense that is fairly uncommon in newspaper columnists.”
(10/17/19 10:11am)
MEN'S SOCCER SETTLES FOR TIE AT HOMECOMING
BY ERIK ARVIDSSON
After a brutal double header in Maine, the Panthers drew with Colby this past Saturday in a Homecoming showdown. The Panthers managed to get on the board early as Drew Goulart ’20 connected on a header in the sixth minute to give Middlebury the early lead. Colby struck back quickly when Asa Berolzheimer evened the score at one in the 19th minute.
The rest of the match was tense as both teams pushed hard to find the back of the net. Following regulation and two overtime periods, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. The Panthers are not fully pleased with the performance, but remain positive about what is to come from the team.
“It was disappointing for us this weekend to drop points,” said Goulart. “But, I think that we had periods of the game in which we imposed ourselves on the flow and maintained offensive pressure well.”
Next up, the Panthers face Trinity at home on Saturday, Oct. 19.
WOMEN'S SOCCER TOPS CONFERENCE RANKINGS
BY HEATHER BOEHM
Women’s Soccer rose to the occasion this past weekend and delivered a win to their enthusiastic alumni on the sidelines, easing past Colby with a dominant 4-0 victory at home on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The Middlebury women remain undefeated in NESCAC play following a successful Homecoming Weekend as they replace Williams atop the conference rankings.
Eliza Van Voorhis ’21 got the ball rolling straight from the first whistle. Within the first three minutes, she finished off an assist by Ellie Bavier ’22 and netted a ball past the Colby goalie. About 15 minutes later, Simone Ameer ’21 followed her lead and picked up the first of her two goals with the help of Gretchen McGrath ’21. Captain Olivia Miller ’20 beat out Colby defenders for one last goal to round out the first half, bringing the tally to three.
In the second half, however, the Mules adjusted, and Ameer was held off until the 56th minute before adding to the total.
Middlebury’s offense was dominant on the field, getting 15 shots on goal compared to Colby’s six.
Eva Shaw ’20.5 protected the net, deflecting all six Mule attempts.
“I feel like we’ve been building on each week’s performances and aiming to build and improve with each game we play,” said Miller. “We’ve been working on our team wide press to win the ball back and counter attack and it was an awesome collaborative effort to improve together.”
The Panthers will look to prolong their winning streak when they face Trinity at Dragone Field on Saturday, Oct 19.
MEN’S GOLF MISSES THE MARK IN SARATOGA
BY JACK KAGAN
The Men’s golf team continued a difficult stretch this past weekend, coming off of a 7th place finish at the Saratoga Invitational in Saratoga, N.Y. The Panthers finished just one stroke behind University of Rochester, and well behind familiar foes Trinity, Williams and Babson.
The depleted group, playing without standout Jordan Bessalel ’21, struggled to keep up with the pack for the third week in a row. With the fall season all but wrapped up, the Panthers are trying to keep their sights focused on righting the ship in the spring. “Those teams [in Saratoga] are just far better than we are. We are trying to prepare the best we can but right now they have a bit of a leg up on us” said Jeffrey Giguere ’20.
The team now begins the long wait until they return to the course for the spring season.
VOLLEYBALL SHOWS RESILIENCE IN SPLIT WEEKEND
BY HEATHER BOEHM
The Women’s Volleyball team split their conference games this weekend, falling to No. 24 Wesleyan 3-0 on Friday, Oct. 11 and rebounding with a 3-0 win over Connecticut College on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Pepin Gymnasium.
Wesleyan opened the weekend’s play with a fiery start, dictating the first two sets with a strong performance by Mia Horgan. The Panthers found their stride in the third set, but not before Wesleyan capitalized on their momentum with a four-point victory.
Panther Maggie Wise ’22 led the offense, tallying five kills throughout the contest, while Gigi Alper ’20 showed up on defense with 11 digs.
The Panthers brushed off Friday’s minor setback and were ready to face another NESCAC foe at home on Saturday.
The women jumped into gear as the first ball was tossed into play, at one point driving the first set with an 11-point spread. After getting a handle on the Camel offense, the Panthers proceeded to take the following sets 25-13 and 25-11.
Wise contributed 10 kills to the Middlebury effort, while Chellsa Ferdinand ’20 found her teammates for 16 assists.
The Panthers will make their way to MIT on Friday, Oct. 18 for the New England Challenge, where they will also take on Springfield and Babson.
WOMEN’S TENNIS FACES TOUGH COMPETITION AT NEWITT
BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA
Women’s Tennis competed in the prestigious New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) from Friday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 13, which was hosted by Mount Holyoke and Smith College.
The tournament involved “A,” “B”, and “C” brackets. To advance within a bracket, a team would need to win two of three matches against another team. The three matches included two singles matches, best of 3, and one doubles match, comprised of just one pro-set.
Ruhi Kamdar ’22 and Caitlin Neal ’23 earned the title for the “C” bracket, after having defeated duos from Western New England, Nichols, and Trinity. In the “B” bracket, Catherine Blayze ’20, Amanda Frank ’23, and Brinlea La Barge ‘23 reached the semifinals, but ultimately fell to Wesleyan, 2-1. For the “A” bracket, Maddi Stow ’20, Katherine Hughes ’20, and Skylar Schossberger ’20 swept Trinity in the first round, 3-0, but lost to a duo from Amherst in the second round, 2-1.
FIELD HOCKEY RIDES THE WAVE
BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA
Top-ranked Field Hockey defeated Colby College, 4-1, at home on Saturday, Oct. 12th. Middlebury’s record now stands at 11-0 overall and 7-0 against conference opponents. Colby took the field ranked 17th in the nation and holds a record of 6-3 after the loss.
Erin Nicholas ’21 notched the first goal at the 1:21 mark of the second quarter, burying a shot into the left post. Colby tied the game at 4:48, but the Panthers immediately responded with another goal by Nicholas 36 seconds later. Middlebury would go on to score two more unanswered goals in the third and fourth quarters.
For the most part, offensive momentum appeared to stay with the home team. The Panthers attempted fifteen shots throughout the entire game compared to Mules’ five. Hopefully such momentum continues when they face off against Trinity College at home on Saturday, Oct. 19.
(10/17/19 10:04am)
Tucked away in the foothills of the Green Mountains, the Spirit in Nature Interfaith Path (SPiN) Sanctuary provides a haven for contemplation, reflection and interfaith dialogue.
The series of walking trails in Ripton, Vt. is intended to “connect the experience of nature with faith traditions,” according to the SPiN website. Each of the 14 paths is designated a specific faith and is bespeckled periodically with posted quotes, designed to provoke thoughtful interaction with the natural world. All paths lead to the Sacred Circle, a clearing in the trees that centers the entire sanctuary. The faith traditions range from Druid to Buddhist, including Interfaith and Pagan trails.
The inspiration for the sanctuary came in 1997 with the Dalai Lama’s historic visit to Middlebury College. During his time on campus, the Dalai Lama gave a talk entitled “Spirit and Nature,” which connected interaction with the natural world and practicing faith. Carol and Reg Spooner, current board members of Spirit in Nature and environmental activists, took the talk to heart and created the Spirit in Nature Interfaith Path Sanctuary.
After a series of negotiations, the Spooners convinced then-President of Middlebury College John McCardell to lease them college-owned forest land, eventually settling on SPiN’s current location just off Highway 125, near Ripton.
In fact, the sanctuary’s history is indelibly intertwined with that of the college, from its original inspiration at a college lecture to its location on college land, Middlebury College students have historically engaged with SPiN, walking on the trails and volunteering their time to the sanctuary. Several students have even served on the SPiN board, including Ella Houlihan ’21. She learned about the sanctuary from the Spooners, who she got to know while working in town and was inspired to take time and explore the area, eventually leading to her role on their board.
“Few students know about (SPiN),” Houlihan said. “It’s an incredible study break and opportunity to admire the fall foliage and soak in the world around you.”
Houlihan also noted that the board intends to actively market to Middlebury students in the future, hopefully exposing more of the student body to the remarkable experiences that SPiN has to offer. The sanctuary’s most recent newsletter highlights the first-year seminar that used the sanctuary as the backdrop for its writing workshop last year. Craig Zondag, SPiN board member, led the students on a short orientation through the paths before the seminar did a writing exercise.
However, the vast majority of students seem to have never heard of SPiN, let alone visited the sanctuary themselves. And they are missing out.
SPiN is more than just a series of paths. The intention of the space is not only to facilitate interfaith dialogue, but also to foster a sense of caring for the environment. “Spirit in Nature is an antidote to seeing nature as a resource to be exploited,” SPiN board member Ron Slabough said.
Slabough also explained that “forest bathing” is key to the sanctuary’s mission. Forest bathing, which is a literal translation of the Japanese word “Shinrin-yoku,” involves the meditative practice of bathing in the forest atmosphere, using all five senses to experience and explore the natural world. SPiN is the perfect place to forest bathe, with its multitude of trails and meditative atmosphere.
The idea of Spirit in Nature has proved popular and has spread to six other locations in the Northeast, including one in Norwich and others in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
SPiN is located just off Highway 125 on Goshen Road. To access the sanctuary, students can either drive directly there or take the ACTR bus towards the Snow Bowl, to be either dropped off at Goshen Road for a 0.4 mile walk to SPiN or sometimes riding the bus directly to the SPiN parking lot. Anyone interested in further information can visit the SPiN website at spiritinnature.org.
(10/17/19 10:03am)
Midterms are in full swing, fall break is right around the corner and Vermont’s renowned peak foliage has hit. The season is here, and with it comes brilliant bursts of color that define fall in New England. The Green Mountains show their seasonal red hue and blazing leaves wash the trees with a fiery touch.
Where can students find the best glimpse of fall? Middlebury’s landscape horticulturist Tim Parsons vouches for Snake Mountain.
“It should be a graduation requirement for all students to hike Snake Mountain, if able,” he said. Aside from this staple hike, Parsons recommended Bristol Cliffs and Mount Abraham.
For those staying on campus over break, Vermont Mountain’s Sports and Life ranks Hunger Mountain in Waterbury and Mad River Glen in Waitsfield as two of the top nine Vermont hikes for fall foliage.
Students can even appreciate the stunning scenery without lifting a finger. “Middlebury is a gorgeous campus with really beautiful trees!” Parsons said.
Indeed, Middlebury has seen scattered sights of foliage since mid-September. Although trees turn their leaves at various rates, early foliage is a sign of environmental stress. The first trees to turn are typically stressed or hurt.
“Even the top of that really big tree, there, that’s really stressed,” Parsons said, pointing to a particularly bright yellow tree by McCullough Student Center. “It’s my job to read trees.” The black maple tree species produces a radiant red tone that is crucial to Vermont fall. Black maples thrive in cold weather, whereas oak trees, with their dull, muted gold, are more apparent in areas south of Vermont. According to Parsons’ active social media presence, black maple trees’ peak foliage occurred about a week earlier this year than last.
“I posted almost that exact same picture last year, but a week or two earlier,” he said of his recent Instagram photo. “Two to three weeks ago, when I was seeing trees turn, that to me was a really bad sign.”
According to Parsons, foliage has also been affected by the wet weather throughout the past year. Persistent wetness has led to leaf spots, mildew and diseases. Although the difference goes unnoticed, the leaves are ridden with spots that stay brown rather than turn color.
Parsons, however, is not concerned for the foliage in upcoming years. Global climate change hasn’t disturbed the foliage quite yet, as foliage is prompted by daylight rather than temperature. As daylight becomes shorter, chlorophyll production slows, making way for the carotenoids that produce foliage colors.
That’s not to say foliage avoids responding to climate change altogether. “In the grand scheme of things, global warming might affect foliage in the long run,” Parsons said.
Environmental changes have degraded the quality of peak foliage this year. But to the bare eye, these minimal effects have not yet manifested to disrupt the spectacular fall views. Vermonters should enjoy them while they last, both in the short and long term.
“I’m saying leaves aren’t as good this year, but wow, they’re still great,” Parsons said.
(10/17/19 9:58am)
This recurring column will feature updates from SLG. This week’s column comes from President Laurie Patton.
Greetings Middlebury! With this column, we are inaugurating the first “SLG Corner,” a project cooked up between The Campus, Senior Leadership Group (SLG) and the Student Government Association (SGA).
Every couple of weeks, we will be writing to you about what is on the SLG’s plate, the big issues we are thinking about and what we are hearing from the community.
As you might know, the Middlebury Board of Trustees meets this week from Thursday, Oct. 17 to Saturday, Oct. 19. We thought the best way to start this column was to share our thoughts as SLG and respond to some student-generated FAQs about the board. We hope they are helpful.
What is the Middlebury Board of Trustees?
The board is a group of volunteers who are responsible for the long-term well-being of Middlebury. They act as “fiduciaries” — people entrusted to ensure the financial health and good governance processes of the institution. Each trustee brings a mix of experience, talent, and resources to the table to ensure that this can happen.
What do the trustees do and what decisions does the board make?
Trustees are responsible for oversight, to make sure Middlebury is adhering to best practices in all of our offices. They are not responsible for the everyday management of Middlebury — that is SLG’s job. They typically discuss financial health, approve budgets, approve larger financial decisions (usually over $1 million), discuss overall financial, logistical and educational strategies for the future, vote on tuition costs (determined in collaboration with SLG), assess risks and opportunities that the institution should pay attention to, give final approval of tenure decisions, discuss new initiatives, review the progress of established programs, and review any legal issues that emerge. At every meeting, the board also connects formally and informally with students, staff, and faculty to discuss ongoing life on campus. All the ways that students can connect with the Board are listed below.
Who is on the board? How are members chosen?
You can find the members of the board at go/trustees. Board members are chosen through a long-term selection process by a sub-committee of the board, called “The Trusteeship and Governance Committee,” or T&G for short. We start thinking about candidates several years in advance, and we have several people from the board meet with potential candidates to find out if they have time, talent and interest to serve. Our criteria: first and foremost, a commitment and record of service to Middlebury; a capacity to understand higher education and help find ways to address the biggest challenges facing Middlebury today; an ability to talk collegially across difference; and a sense of long-term strategic vision for our community.
We try to develop a board from a wide variety of sectors. Our current board has representatives from education, finance, law, public service, architecture, technology, industry, medicine, entrepreneurship and the arts. Currently, there are 15 women and 17 men on the board. Seven are people of color. Two live outside the U.S.
We also have emeriti trustees. These are elected trustees who have contributed long-term service to the board. They often come to meetings but do not have a vote. They serve as advisors for Middlebury.
How often do board members convene?
Trustees meet three times a year, in fall, winter and spring. It meets usually on the Middlebury College campus, but every other year it also meets once on the Institute campus. In fall, the board has a retreat, and in winter, the board has a “professional development” session, during which it explores relevant issues in higher education. Examples of past retreat topics have been strategic planning, which contributed to Envisioning Middlebury; financial aid; and the admissions process.
What is the board structure for decision-making and how do trustees come to consensus?
The board does its work mostly through its committees. The strategy committee makes recommendations on how to plan for key issues of our day and create smart decisions for Middlebury’s future. The resources committee makes budgetary recommendations and ensures that we have the funds to keep Middlebury functioning at the highest level possible. The risk committee looks at both areas of vulnerability for our institution, such as cybersecurity, and ways to mitigate those risks. It also look at opportunities for growth, such as the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium. The programs committee works with SLG to identify key opportunities for programmatic growth at Middlebury. It should be noted here that the Middlebury faculty are the primary authority for curricular decisions.
Over the past several years, individual board committees worked together on environmental leadership initiatives like Energy2028. Middlebury students, through the Environmental Council, Sunday Night Environmental Group, DivestMidd and several other groups, voiced their hopes and articulated a vision for Middlebury’s environmental leadership along with faculty and staff after we achieved carbon neutrality. As the board engaged with this community of concerned leaders, the outlines of Energy2028 emerged and were refined through work with the strategy committee. The resources committee did a deeper dive on what it would take to finance the various parts of Energy 2028’s initiatives; The programs committee initially discussed our plans for environmental leadership and reviewed the proposals for Energy 2028 over several meetings; The programs and resources committees then made a joint recommendation to the larger board of trustees to adopt the plan. We anticipate that as we implement Energy 2028, the risk committee will monitor our work to identify any institutional vulnerabilities or opportunities. Throughout the three-year process, the various individual committees met regularly with students, faculty, and staff. It was exhilarating and thorough work.
There are also smaller boards that provide oversight for the different units at Middlebury. There is a smaller board for the college, the various schools (Bread Loaf, the Language Schools, and the Schools Abroad), and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Trustees also serve on those smaller boards, alongside faculty, staff and student members of the Middlebury community. Smaller boards also include members from outside the community, such as representatives from other institutions. For example, we have benefitted from the wisdom of people from the Addison Country School District, Yale University, Junior Achievement of Northern New England and the philanthropic community in the City of Monterey. These smaller boards also make recommendations to the full board of trustees.
Can the board’s decisions be overridden?
The board’s decisions are final. However, as the above example of Energy 2028 shows, by the time the board comes to a decision, it has held many previous meetings — usually several years’ worth of discussions and consultations with SLG, students, faculty and staff. The Middlebury board is conscientious and listens to what is on people’s minds.
How can students communicate with trustees?
Students can connect in four different ways. First, student representatives serve on the boards of the College, the Schools and the Institute, and the investment sub-committee of the resources committee. Second, students talk with trustees informally throughout the course of the meeting, when they attend lunches and dinners hosted by the board. Third, student groups always participate in the programming throughout the weekend. In spring 2019, for example, students from the “How We Live Together” project shared their thoughts with the board; students from DivestMidd gave their perspectives in fall 2018 as the board voted on divestment; students from residential life participated in the fall 2018 retreat, which led to the new student center becoming a priority in planning. Fourth, if students would like trustees to consider particular issues, they should contact the Associate Secretary to the Board Sue Ritter, who will work with students to share their thoughts through the right channels.
What are the top three things about the board of trustees that you would most like to communicate?
First, even though some of their work has to be confidential, trustees really want to connect. They are constantly looking for more ways to engage with folks on campus. Second, we sometimes hear that students worry that the board is mostly wealthy people who only care about the past, or about money. That is not the case. As the description of board members above shows, it is a diverse group from a wide variety of sectors, representing a wide variety of opinions. They disagree well. And they love Middlebury (a large majority of them were once MiddKids). Third, I trust the trustees completely; they always challenge me and the senior leadership team. They ask us tough questions (that’s their job), and make us better: “Can we really reach the goal we’ve set with the tools we’ve got?” “Are we fully prepared for the next economic downturn?” “What is the true cost of a specific part of our educational vision?” They also encourage me and my team to ask them tough questions, too, and we have. In this “strong challenge and strong support” environment, our partnership makes us stronger.
What is on the docket for this week?
We are excited about this meeting. We will focus this year on the faculty-student relationship. At the board retreat, we will hear from several groups of faculty and students whose work together in research, entrepreneurship, and community service has been transformative for all people involved. Trustees will give us feedback on how we can support this kind of collaborative learning even more energetically.
In addition, trustees will hear an update on the progress we are making in the “How We Live Together” initiative. They will also learn about and give us feedback on our new long-term building projects, such as the student center. We will plan for the next steps in our upcoming capital campaign — a long-term fundraising initiative that helps us support our vision for the future. We will also discuss patterns in enrollment at our graduate schools. On Friday night, students from the Environmental Council and the Sustainability Solutions Lab will share their research. It is going to be packed and we are looking forward to reporting back.
Thanks for these questions. And thanks to our representatives from the SGA and The Campus for getting us started.
— President Laurie Patton
(10/10/19 10:15am)
Double trouble: Midd beats Amherst in double overtime thriller
By LAUREN BOYD
The Middlebury football team won a close battle against the Amherst Mammoths in overtime, on Saturday, Sept. 5, maintaining its undefeated season. Prior to the game, both teams were undefeated, making this win a decisive factor in NESCAC standings. The Panthers now co-lead the conference alongside Wesleyan, who is still undefeated on the season.
The game’s excitement started with a Middlebury interception on the Mammoth’s first offensive drive. Kevin Hartley ’20 got the Middlebury fans onto their feet with the first defensive turnover on the game. This thrilling atmosphere would keep the Panthers’s momentum going throughout the subsequent three quarters, through a rollercoaster of emotions.
Middlebury started off going 21–0 against the Mammoths, thanks to a rushing touchdown from Alex Maldjian ’23 and passing touchdowns by Will Jernigan ’21 to Maxim Bochman ’20 and Frank Cosolito ’20. After one Amherst touchdown, but two key Middlebury defensive stops right before the half, the momentum was still in the Panthers’ favor. The fans, excited and on their feet, could feel a win within reach.
A complete momentum shift at the second half enabled Amherst to tie the game, 28–28. Motivated to extend their win streak, and overcome a consistently tough NESCAC competitor, the Panther offense trudged down the field with one minute left on the clock. Less than 10 yards from the goal line, and seconds left on the clock, a shocking Mammoth interception led the game into overtime.
During overtime, both teams failed to convert a field goal or touchdown in their first attempts. Tensions were high as the teams switched sides, both looking to maintain their undefeated seasons.
After the Amherst squad could not score during its second OT attempt, the Panthers had a shot to claim the game. On third down, Jernigan escaped a Mammoth defensemen, rolled to the right side, and connected with Maxwell Rye ’20 for a nine-yard touchdown. The fans both near and afar erupted into cheers as the team piled in the endzone, keeping the winning streak alive and exciting.
“It was one of the best games I’ve been a part of,” offensive lineman Colin Paskewitz ’21 said when asked about the atmosphere of the game, “Throughout the second half when they began to come back, our fans and our bench stayed loud and hopeful. By the second overtime, I was as tired as I’ve ever been during a game. On the last play, [Jernigan] tossed the ball up to [Rye] and it felt like the ball had been in the air for an eternity before [Rye] came down with it. Immediately our bench rushed the field.”
The electric atmosphere of such a close battle was felt both at the Amherst stadium, and with the fans back at home.
“Words cannot describe the sense of pride and joy I felt after such a resilient win,” Paskewitz said.
Jack Pistorius ’21 was awarded NESCAC defensive player of the week, accumulating 13 tackles. Kevin Hartley ’20, Michael Carr ’20, Zander Bailey ’21 and Finn Muldoon ’23 each recorded an interception in the game, respectively.
Next week, on Saturday, Oct. 12, the Panthers will be back at home against Colby College (0-4) for an exciting homecoming weekend. Although the Panthers were elated with the results of the game, they know there is more to be done.
“It’s been an electric atmosphere,” Linebacker Pete Huggins ’21 said about the feeling of winning such an intense game. “Winning a game like that after working the entire offseason is such a rewarding feeling. At the same time, we know we’ve got more wood to chop. Our goal going into the season wasn’t to beat Amherst. Our goal is to win a championship.”
Women’s golf places third at conference qualifier
By MICHAEL SEGEL
This past weekend, the Middlebury women’s golf team was one of six teams competing in the NESCAC Qualifier/Williams Fall Invitational at the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. After day one of the action, the host Williams led with 312 strokes, Amherst followed with 318, and Middlebury ranked third with 326. On Saturday, Katie Murphy ’23 led the squad by shooting a 77 which ranked her tied for second overall. Blake Yaccino ’20 shot second best on the team with an 80 which ranked her as tied for seventh overall. Chloe Levins ’20, after taking medalist honors last weekend, finished in 12th with an 81.
On Sunday, the girls were unable to reverse their luck as they remained in third place and finishing at 309 strokes for the day. These results put them at 635 overall behind Williams (619) and Amherst (624), but in front of Hamilton (679), Bowdoin (694) and Trinity (898). Murphy led the squad again, finishing with 75 strokes to put her at a 152 and third overall. Levins finished next on the squad with 159 (seventh overall), then Yaccino with 160 (ninth), rounded out by Kayla Li ’23 (164, T12) and Lizzie Kenter ’23 (178, 22nd).
It was a tough end to a very successful fall season in which the Panthers never finished below third place in any of their five tournaments and which featured memorable moments such as the squad’s first place finish at the Phinney Golf Classic last weekend where Levins finished first overall.
Cross country teams divide and conquer
By JORDAN HOWELL
Saturday, Oct. 5 featured two races for the Panthers: the Keene State Invitational and the Paul Short Invitational.
In the Keene State Invitational, the men came in fifth place. Their top runner was Max Cluss ’23 who got eighth place with a time of 26:32.5. In the Paul Short Invitational, the men got 37th place. The top finisher was Henry Fleming ’20 with a time of 24:50.9, leading him to place 142nd.
In the Keene State Invitational, the women captured sixth place. A crucial finisher was Leah Metzger ’20 who place 34th with a time of `19:36.2. In the Paul Short Invitational, the women netted seventh place. Cassie Kearney ’22 was the top runner for the Panthers as a time of 21:30.8 got her 14th place.
The Panthers’ next challenge will be the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 19. The team will have some extra time to prepare for the Invitational. Afterward, the teams will focus on championships.
Women's soccer blanks Bates
By MIGUEL ESPINOSA
Second-ranked women’s soccer defeated Bates College by a score of 5–0 on the road on Saturday, Oct. 5th. Midfielder Gretchen McGrath ’21 began the offensive beatdown when she scored during the ninth minute. Forward Simone Ameer ’21 made two consecutive goals at the 32nd and 44th minutes, while Quinn Rogers ’23 and Ellie Greenberg ’20 tallied goals at the 60th and 75th minutes, respectively.
As always, the Panthers’ defense denied any opportunities to catch up. Bates attempted only three shots on goal, whereas Middlebury had 21. Ursula Alwang ’20 and Eva Shaw ’21 shared goaltender responsibilities and each recorded one save.
The Panthers, however, committed eight fouls penalties compared to Bates’ four.
The squad will get back in action against Colby in a homecoming contest this weekend at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12th. The Mules sit at 1–4–2 in the conference compared to the Panthers’ 4–0–1.
Men’s soccer suffers first loss, splits weekend
By ERIK ARVIDSSON
The men’s soccer team completed a Maine double-header on the weekend of Oct. 5-6. In their first game, the fifteenth-ranked Panthers suffered a close, 1-0 loss against Bates. This heartbreaking loss was their first of the season. Luckily, they had the opportunity to bounce back the next day.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, the team headed to Maine Maritime. After a 1-1 start, Middlebury dominated the match for the remaining 40 minutes of the game. Ben Powers ’23, Brendan Barry ’22, Drew Goulart ’20, and Jacob Charles ’23 added goals to give the team a convincing 5-1 win.
Jack Spiridellis ’21 was impressed with the teams resiliency this weekend.
“It was awesome to get the win on Sunday after a tough loss on Saturday. There’s a lot of fight and hunger this year,” said Spiridellis. “Guys aren’t satisfied with mediocre performances.”
Next, the Panthers will face Colby at home for Homecoming. Get out to the turf and cheer them on!
(10/10/19 10:05am)
Economics is an increasingly popular major at Middlebury, and the department’s growing enrollment has placed a strain on its resources. However, a perception remains on campus that the majority of economics majors fit within a certain demographic — often male, certainly white.
This impression — somewhat based in fact — can impact which students feel comfortable taking economics courses. Wider national trends show that women and minorities are underrepresented in the economics profession.
Some students are trying to change that breakdown.
Together with the Economics Department, the largest department at Middlebury by number of majors, Lizzie Friesen ’20 hopes to start a conversation about the lack of diversity in economics and to address stereotypes about the field. The department held a dinner banquet in Atwater Dining Hall on Monday, Sept. 30, where Friesen — herself an economics major — formally announced the Rethinking Economics initiative and its associated student-led club by the same name.
To better understand the perception of economics at Middlebury, Friesen interviewed students on-camera and presented their responses in a video compilation at the Atwater dinner.
Common answers to the question “What kind of a person studies economics?” reinforced the stereotype that most economics students are athletic and finance-oriented. However, a few outlier responses mentioned that economics students might want to “dismantle the system.”
One student in the video said, “I think the stereotype is white male athletes, but I find that to not actually be that true.”
When asked, “What do economists care most about?,” the majority of students said “money”’ and “markets.” Some students said they don’t know, while others said economics is the “study of choices,” and economists are interested in the well-being of everyone.
Economics Department Chair John Maluccio spoke at the dinner about the benefits of race and gender diversity in the economics field. He referenced a paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, which stressed that diverse groups make better and more objective decisions. This is especially important because economics directly influences policy-making, and policy affects constituents of all backgrounds.
The Economics Department has already taken steps to explore ways to make economics courses more accessible to students from under-represented backgrounds. Economics Professor Erin Wolcott cited results from a Swarthmore College study, which looked at nine different colleges, including Middlebury, and explored how targeted outreach affects the diversity of economics courses.
Wolcott contributed data to the study, and in an email to The Campus, she said that the results of the paper show that enrollment in economics courses increased by nearly 20% when targeted information about economics was sent to incoming students from under-represented groups.
The students who launched Rethinking Economics have personal experience feeling out of place in the major. Friesen said that she often questioned whether economics was right for her.
“When people ask me what I major in and I say economics, I often get the response, ‘Oh, you don’t seem like an econ major,’” she said.
But over time, she began to wonder why certain people “seem” like economics majors and others don’t, and what effect those stereotypes might have on Middlebury students.
Friesen decided to reach out to fellow economics majors and organize a discussion. She connected with them over having to constantly dispel the common notion that economics is synonymous with money and finance.
“Some people haven’t really given it much thought or don’t really know what economics is, which is totally understandable,” she said. “I’ve been redefining economics for myself over and over again throughout my time at Middlebury, and I still don’t think I have a solid definition of what economics is.”
She said her own definition of economics has become more broad and nuanced during her time at Middlebury, and she hopes to encourage people to redefine economics for themselves.
Friesen has numerous ideas for the newly-founded club. She has plans to create a peer mentoring program, and looks forward to building a website that centralizes resources for economics students, especially job opportunities such as student research and summer positions. She explained these opportunities are not as equitably accessible, since they are often made available through connections and money.
The Rethinking Economics club held its first meeting of the semester on Tuesday, Oct. 8. More information about the club and and how to get involved is available at go/rethinkingeconomics.
(10/03/19 10:56am)
Middlebury is used to celebrating Bills kicker Steven Hauschka ’07, who transferred from Middlebury to go to NC State in 2007. But there’s another Middlebury alumnus who has found his way to the NFL — not as a player, but as a coach.
This season, Drew Petzing ’09 has begun his sixth year as a coach with the Minnesota Vikings, his first as the wide receiver coach. His former coach Bob Ritter ’82 still remembers him as the hard-nosed upperclassman who would volunteer to work in the office when injuries kept him off the field.
Petzing played as a defensive back on the Middlebury football team his first two years before he was sidelined by injuries which ended his playing career. However, the DB’s injuries may have been a blessing in disguise because his time off the field is what opened the door to his coaching career.
When he suffered his initial injury at the start of his junior year, he essentially took on the role of an extra assistant coach, spending inordinate amounts of time working in the office and watching film with the rest of the coaching staff. The following year when he was injured again, he took on the role of an official assistant coach, receiving a salary for his work —and perhaps taking the job a little too seriously at times as Ritter remembers.
“I went to school with his dad,” Ritter said. “I used to have to pull him aside and say, ‘Drew, you have to go to class. Your dad’s gonna kill me if you don’t graduate on time.’”
Petzing’s love for the game continued to blossom even after he finished his time at Middlebury. Petzing spent six years coaching at the collegiate level, three of those at Ivy League institutions. After graduating from Middlebury in 2009 with a degree in economics and a minor in math and philosophy, he began working at Harvard as a volunteer student assistant. Next, he worked at Boston College in 2010 as a recruiting graduate assistant and later as the defensive graduate assistant in 2011. In 2012, he coached outside linebackers at Yale. 2013 was the year Petzing finally made it to the NFL, working as a football operations intern for the Cleveland Browns. The following year he transitioned to Minnesota, the final stop of his career thus far. He worked with running backs in 2014, one of them Jerick McKinnon, who put up 538 rushing yards, good for third among NFL rookies that year. From 2015–2017, Petzing mainly helped wide receiver coach George Stewart and the offensive coaching staff as well. He helped to foster the young talent of Stefon Diggs who led the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2015 despite missing the first three games of the season. In 2017, Petzing had the honor to be a part of a Vikings team that dominantly finished the season at 13–3 and earned a berth in the NFC championship game. In addition to Diggs, Petzing coached the talented Adam Thielen who put up 1276 yards and 91 catches, sending him to the Pro Bowl. In total, in 2016–2017, Diggs and Thielen combined for 3,995 yards, the most for two teammates that season. In 2018, Petzing worked alongside quarterback coach Kevin Stefanski, the same season that Vikings QB Kirk Cousins came in and set a franchise record with 425 completions.
Ludicrous as it may sound, Pretzing’s injuries may have been a blessing in disguise because his time on the sidelines is what opened the door to his coaching career.
Now, in 2019 Petzing is looking to be a part of a Super Bowl run. The Vikings are off to a 2–1 start, and have a talented core in Kyle Rudolph, Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, as well as Diggs and Theilen.
Petzing, who now lives in Minneapolis with his wife Louisa, has climbed the organizational ranks one step at a time. One thing has been clear about Drew Petzing for a very long time. From being a student-coach at Middlebury to working towards becoming wide receivers coach on the Minnesota Vikings, Petzing has never run from work in any shape or form. He made contributions on the field as long as he could and then continued to take different coaching jobs which have amounted to his crucial job title today. It’s a model of resiliency and ambition that should be admired.
(10/03/19 10:56am)
Men’s soccer
BY ERIK ARVIDSSON
This past weekend the Panthers faced a daunting test, a home and away double header. The Panthers managed to take down Conn College 2–1 on Saturday in Middlebury, and finished up a solid weekend with a 1–1 draw against Amherst College on Sunday in Amherst, Massachusetts.
On Saturday, the game resulted in a 1–1 tie after regulation. In overtime, Max Drazen ’22 was taken down in the box; Liam Sloan ’22 managed to convert the penalty kick to give the Panther’s an exciting walk-off finish.
On Sunday, in a physical and hard fought battle, Henry Wilhelm ’20 put Midd on the board in the 30th minute. Amherst managed to tie the game in the 81st minute and the scoreline would not change.
Ben Potter ’20 commented on the team’s effort this week.
“I think we showed how deep of a team we are,” Potter said. “All 31 of our guys played a role in taking four points this weekend.”
The Panthers will face Bates and Maine Maritime in an away double header this upcoming weekend.
Women’s tennis
BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA
Middlebury hosted the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Women’s Tennis New England Regional Championship on the weekend of Sept. 28–29. The Championship included a singles and doubles bracket and players from NESCAC and non-NESCAC schools. The winners of each bracket would receive invitations to the ITA Cup in Georgia happening on Oct. 17–20. Both brackets involved 32 players or pairs.
Unfortunately, no Panthers — only Cardinals — will be attending the ITA Cup. Wesleyan University’s Yu and Henderson took the doubles tournament, while Jin took singles.
In doubles, Heather Boehm ’20 and Maddi Stow ’20 ventured as far into the semifinals before falling to Yu and Henderson. The pair of Skylar Schossberger ’20 and Katherine Hughes ’20 played into the quarterfinals.
For singles, Boehm, Schossberger and Hughes played into the second rounds of their brackets.
The Panthers will return to the court on Friday, Oct. 11 when they compete in the NEWITT Tournament at Smith College and Mount Holyoke College.
Women's golf
BY MICHAEL SEGEL
It was a big weekend for the women’s golf team as the Panthers came out on top in the George Phinney Classic at their home turf, Ralph Myhre Golf Course. They finished six strokes ahead of Amherst with a total of 634 over the two days.
After the first round, Middlebury was on top with 312 shots, five strokes ahead of NESCAC rivals Amherst and Williams. Chloe Levins ’20 led the team, finishing one stroke out of first with 74 and Katie Murphy ’23 followed up last weekend’s strong showing with a slight 75 stroke performance on Saturday.
On the second round, Middlebury shot for a 322 in total, again led by Levins who would take home medalist honors for the third time in her collegiate career.She had to do so in a playoff with Amherst’s Morgan Yurosek, with the two girls having tied at 153 shots apiece. Both parred the first hole, but on the second hole Levins parred again while Yurosek bogeyed, giving Levins the title.
In other notable performances, Katie Murphy came in third overall with a score of 155 (75–80), Blake Yaccino ’20 in a tie for 13th with a 161 (78–83). Kayla Li ’23 ranked next with a 166 (86–80), while Anna Zumwinkle ’20 finished with a 170 (85–85). Middlebury will compete in the NESCAC Qualifier/Williams Fall Invitational next weekend.
Men's tennis
BY JACK KAGAN
The Men’s Tennis Team is returning from Waterville, Maine this week after an individual’s tournament at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships. Colby College hosted the event featuring teams throughout New England.
Of the draw of 64 players, Middlebury sent six of its own, testing out some new doubles pairs and showcasing younger singles play. Panthers Stan Morris ’22 and Robby Ward ’23 were seeded in the 9–16 group.
The tournament proved to be full of upsets, as only two of the top eight seeds remained by the quarterfinal round. One such upset belonged to Morris who took out the No. 3 seed, Brandeis’ David Aizenberg in straight sets. Ward had a strong showing of his own, making it to the quarterfinals before falling to Wesleyan’s Noah Lilienthal in a tight three sets.
Despite falling to Tufts’ star Boris Sorkin, Morris earned a spot at the ITA Cup on Oct. 17–18 at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
Field Hockey
BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA
Top-ranked Field Hockey continued to assert their dominance by toppling Skidmore College, Connecticut College, and Amherst College. Holding on tight to the only overall undefeated record in the NESCAC, field hockey now stands at 9–0. The Panthers are also 5–0 in conference play, but aren’t the only ones undefeated in that category; No. 5 Tufts University’s conference record lies at 3–0.
The Panthers showcased their defense with a 3–0 victory against Skidmore on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Skidmore did not produce a single shot on goal compared to Middlebury’s impressive 16.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, an offensive onslaught ensued against Connecticut College when the Panthers breezed by 6–1 and attempted 23 shots on goal. Despite allowing one goal, the defense performed solidly having limited Connecticut College to three shots on goal.
On the following day, Sunday, Sept. 29, the Panthers secured a 2–1 win against Amherst. The Panthers maintained a 2–0 lead until halfway into the third quarter when an Amherst shot deflected off a Middlebury defender and entered the goal.
Football
BY LAUREN BOYD
In a widely anticipated contest, the Middlebury Panthers defeated the Trinity Bantams this past Saturday on their home turf. Improving their record to 3–0, the Panthers took home a clutch win against a NESCAC football powerhouse, tallying the most points out of any other conference team against Trinity, since 2011.
The Panthers appeased their fans from the very first whistle, scoring 12 points right off the bat. Trinity didn’t fall far behind, taking the lead with minutes left of the first half, after scoring two touchdowns back to back. By halftime, the Bantams took the 14–12 lead over the Panthers.
A series of interceptions, fourth-down stops, and penalties culminated in the second half for the Panthers’ benefit. Characterized by back-and-forth play, the second half became a race to the finish. In the end, Middlebury came out on top, 32–27.
Will Jernigan ’21 and Alex Maldjian ’23 controlled the offensive game, Jernigan passing for 127 yards and Maldjian posting 90 yards rushing. Four Panthers recorded interceptions on the game: Zander Bailey ’21, Michael Carr ’20, Kevin Hartley ’20 and Finn Muldoon ’23.
Carter Massengill ’20 was named NESCAC special teams player of the week, picking up 12 out of the Panthers’ 32 points. Alex Norton ’20 also received NESCAC player of the week honors for his work on the defensive line, tacking two sacks for 16 yards loss.
Next week, the Panthers will take on the Amherst Mammoths for their second away game of the season.
Cross Country
BY JORDAN HOWELL
The Panthers competed in the Purple Valley Classic on Saturday, Sept. 29. The women were able to achieve fifth place while the men captured fourth.
Notable finishers for the women include Cassie Kearney ’22 who finished in eighth place and Talia Ruxin ’20 who finished in tenth place. Kearney’s time was 23:39.0 and Ruxin’s time was 23:41.2. Notable finishers for the men include Theo Henderson ’20 and Zander Kessler ’22. Henderson finished in 14th place with a time of 27:10.0, while Kessler was able to come in 21st place with a time of 27:15.6.
Next up on the Panthers’ schedule is the Paul Short Invitational and the Keene State Invitational. Both races will occur on Saturday, Oct. 5.
“Starting this week we will be doing threshold and tempo workouts to get some speed in as we progress with our season,” Sophie Nardelli ’23 said.
Men's golf
BY JACK KAGAN
The Men’s Golf team made their way down to Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland, Massachusetts this past weekend to compete in the NESCAC Fall Qualifier. The top four teams would receive a bid to the conference championship tournament — and the Panthers came up just short with a fifth place finish behind Williams, Tufts, Hamilton and Trinity.
The Panthers finished day one just one stroke behind then-third-place Hamilton, but they slipped on day two as other teams upped their game. Middlebury rounded out the tournament seven strokes behind Trinity, ending their conference title hopes.
Leading the pack for the Panthers squad were Jordan Bessalel ’21 and Phinneas Choukas ’22, tied for eighth shooting five above par.
Co-captain Jeffrey Giguere ’20 was missed atop the rankings. After finishing day one in third place, he fell to 12th at six above par.
The Panthers will have to motivate the squad after being shut out from NESCACS and look to garner some positive results for the Saratoga Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12–13.
Volleyball
BY HEATHER BOEHM
Middlebury Volleyball suffered a tough conference loss to Amherst on the road on Friday, Sept. 27. The women fell in a three-set battle with tight scores throughout the first and last sets. Amherst is 10-1 overall with an undefeated NESCAC record.
The Panthers came out swinging, leading the first set 16–12. But Amherst refused to stay silent and retaliated with eight out of the next nine points. The Mammoths capitalized on their momentum and used their home court advantage to seal the win with solid offensive plays.
The Panther defense is looking better than ever, with Gigi Alper ’20 leading the NESCAC in both digs per set and overall digs with a dominating 6.53 and 235 respectively. The next highest in each category was a mere 5.36 from Wesleyan and 202 from Bowdoin.
Maggie Wise ’22 represents the offense with 3.32 kills per set, the third highest tally in the conference. Chellsa Ferdinand ’20 also made some waves this weekend with 14 assists, carving out a space for her in MWV history pushing her total number of assists to 1,619, the sixth most in program history.
Middlebury will look to find some redemption this weekend when they travel to Trinity on Friday, Oct. 4 and Endicott on Saturday, Oct. 5.
(10/03/19 10:03am)
The Fall Faculty Forum is an academic event hosted every year during Fall Family Weekend. Featuring faculty research and innovation, the forum consists of different panels centered around themes of exploration where professors can present their projects to students, parents and members of the community.
"New Modes of Communication" forum
EMMA AUER
At first glance, Japanese classical literature, data science, analysis of the hit TV show “Breaking Bad” and computer-aided language learning platforms don’t seem to have much in common. What brought these disciplines together for the Fall Faculty Forum, however, were the innovative ways Middlebury professors are teaching and researching them. Christopher Star, Professor and Chair of the Classics department, moderated a forum entitled “New Modes of Communication,” which drew together presentations by Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies Otilia Milutin, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Alex Lyford, Professor of Film & Media Culture and Jason Mittell and Gabriel Guillén, Associate Professor of Language Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Each professor detailed their fascinating research and the implications of their work in the classroom. Milutin, for one, described her method of teaching Japanese classics through contemporary forms of Japanese media, like manga and anime, that typically draw her students to the department. In class, she often asks her students to determine the accuracy of recent depictions of classical Japanese literature by comparing them to their original counterparts. As she declared, “The past does not stay in the past,” a statement which has led her to develop a course and publish two articles about contemporary retellings of classical pieces. Her work, she said, has been embraced by her colleagues.
Other professors are challenging the pedagogical norms of their respective fields as well.
Over the past few semesters, Lyford has introduced groundbreaking techniques to his courses at Middlebury by teaching data science in the form of a college writing course. Though the task of developing this course was daunting, his students can benefit from the opportunity to delve deeply into the discussion, writing and peer review inherent to college writing courses. According to him, this sets them apart from other data scientists, and their assignments — apps, for example — generally tell better stories about data than their peers who are not taking the class for college writing credit.
While Lyford explores the promise of writing as a form of communication, the next presenter discussed the merits of diverging from writing into an entirely new form of communication.
Mittell hopes to change the way people study film and media by developing a new form of film analysis: videographic criticism. In these audio-visual publications, critics are able to present their conclusions using actual scenes from films and TV shows, instead of having to recount this evidence in long paragraphs. He presented his fascinating video essay of “Breaking Bad,” a 12 minute piece that delved into the racial elements of Walter White, the protagonist of the show. Mittell also discussed the peer-reviewed videographic journal he founded, called [in]Transition, the first of its kind. Mittell is dedicated to bringing videographic criticism into his classes, and hopes to see it flourish as a critical form.
The digital world is also of interest to Guillèn, who presented his research of language learning sites. Through his extensive investigation, Guillèn seeks to find out if online language learning platforms, like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, actually work. His study revealed that most apps and platforms lack one of the three essential components of language: form, use and meaning. Guillèn argued that students need lexical breadth and depth to move towards speaking ability. According to Guillèn’s data, the classroom remains the most effective place to learn a new language.
The research and pedagogy of these professors — just four of many who presented on Friday — reveal the thriving scholarship at the college. They also prove that there is room for exploration and experimentation in their fields.
"Searching for Answers" panel
EDYTH MOLDOW
As children we were natural “wonderers”: exploring, experimenting and letting our inquiries guide our growing understanding of the world around us. Sometimes, however, this child-like curiosity seems to waver — put on a low-heat simmer in the stovetop of our day-to-day lives. The Fall Faculty Forum panel, “Searching for Answers,” challenged this simmering quest for new knowledge, and instead turns up the heat to inspire intellectual pursuit.
Professor Michael Olinick of the Department of Mathematics weaved together a captivating presentation titled “Suicide, Accident or Political Assassination? The Enigma of Alan Turing’s Death.” He opened the lecture by quoting Marvin Minsky, who argues that “Turing is the key figure of our century.” Not only did Turing famously crack the German’s enigma code at the height of World War II, arguably shortening the war by two years and saving millions of lives, but he also founded computer science, artificial intelligence and mathematical biology. In 1952, Turing was “convicted of gross indecency,” and was given the option to go to prison or undergo treatment to “cure” him of his homosexuality. He was chemically castrated as part of this conversion therapy. The details of his subsequent death remain a mystery that falls in the hands of scholars such as Olinick, who unceasingly research each and every detail, stringing together the facts in hopes of one day reaching the truth.
Following the conspiracy-lover’s delight was “Of Trenches and Tombs: Experiential Learning in Field Archeology, Cyprus, Summer 2019,” presented by Professor Pieter Broucke of the History of Art and Architecture department and Meagan Tan ’21, an Architectural Studies major. Professor Broucke introduced the location of study, an island off the southwest coast of Cyprus that resides in the eastern Mediterranean ocean. The island is named “Yeronisos,” which, broucke revealed, translates to “holy island” in Greek.
“Holy island” indeed. Broucke pieced together, figuratively and literally, remnants of an ancient Greek civilization dating back to the “time of Cleopatra.” By diligently measuring corner blocks, he worked to “reconstruct the counters of the island,” discovering their function as the roof of a temple dedicated to Apollo. Tan flourished under the advising of Professor Broucke by embarking on a summer voyage to Yeronisos where she excavated shards of pottery, explored tombs and took part in field study courses alongside her peers. Intellectual curiosity can take you far and, if you’re really lucky, far enough to be under the ethereal glow of a Mediterranean sunset.
[pullquote speaker="Oratory Now! student coaches" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Self-consciousness must be replaced by audience consciousness[/pullquote]
Rounding out the history-heavy forum was Assistant Professor of Theatre Dana Yeaton’s presentation “Have We Found the Secret to Better Speaking?” Yeaton professed that his “passion for oratory” led him to go through innovation funding from the college to create Oratory Now! This student-driven group has become a “training program for our students who then train students in public speaking.” He then posed a question to the audience: “So…have we discovered the secret to better speaking?” His solution: Let’s find out!
As an experiment, in came Oratory Now! coaches Matthew Fliegauf ’22, GiGi Hogan ’22 and Kate Hilscher ’20.5, who proceeded to lead the audience in a 15 minute exercise. They acknowledged that we are “afraid to look silly” when speaking in public, but that our “self-consciousness must be replaced by audience consciousness.” We must first connect with our bodies, and then with our audience. The coaches commented on why they coach, suggesting that one “can always keep improving.”
And improve we shall when influenced by scholarly events such as these. As the forum drew to a close, all three presenters commented on the purpose of a faculty forum and what they personally gained from presenting. Professor Olinick sees the forum as a way to “generate ideas” in a liberal arts context, which Professor Broucke believes is “exploration in nature,” and that exploration “binds [the liberal arts education] together.” Professor Yeaton shared that for him, the faculty forum is a “genesis of teaching something else” where he “becomes a student” again, describing this process as “freeing” and “fulfilling.”
(10/03/19 10:03am)
During Fall Family Weekend at Middlebury, sports games, pumpkin-carving and art museum exhibitions are just some of the many events that families can attend. While the weekend serves as a joyous reunion for students and their loved ones, the event can also be a painful time for students who have lost parents.
The Dead Parents Society — a student organization that offers a support network and community for students who have lost loved ones — scheduled a weekend getaway from campus amid the abundant parent- and family-oriented activities. The Sunday of family weekend, Jilly Dos Santos ’19.5, president of the society, led ten members to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. They also explored a pumpkin orchard and had dinner in Burlington.
“It can be hard to see everyone’s parents coming up and doing things when you might not have them yourself,” Dos Santos said. “Answering questions like, ‘Are your parents coming up?’ can get awkward. We don’t shy away from answering those questions because that is just the reality of life.”
The Dead Parents Society, founded by Tabitha Mueller ’18, Maddie Stewart-Boldin ’18.5, Silas Keeter ’18.5 and Joe Dempsey ’18, was conceived as a support group for bereaved students to come together and air their grief.
Member Mia Pangasnan ’23 feels the value of the Dead Parents Society comes from relating to peers who have experienced similar loss in their lives.
“It’s not a therapy group at all. We all talk about our experiences and the little microaggressions that we hear when people ask us certain questions,” Pangasnan said. “As serious as the matter is, we all really relate to each other and therefore, we’re able to make jokes that we probably wouldn’t be able to make with other people.”
In discussing the obvious distress associated with their membership, students use comedy and sarcasm to lighten the mood and create a sense of hope and community within the group. Members joked about the Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard, referencing their collective experiences with death.
Despite the tragic circumstances that unite the group, members describe the club culture as one of honesty and authenticity.
Pangasnan feels this trip is an important alternative to staying on campus.
“If you have no parents, a single parent, or [are] in circumstances where parents aren’t able to come to Parents’ Weekend, you really have no one here,” Pangasnan said. “So many of the activities are focused on bringing your parents to this and that, bringing your dog to the Snow Bowl, and the people who have lost parents can’t really do that.”
In this environment, there is no necessity to appear strong, Pangasnan said. This group and the trip intend to create a space where people can be completely emotionally transparent.
“On this trip, we don’t have to pretend with each other. If we’re not okay because of Parents’ Weekend, we can talk about how we’re not okay,” Pangasnan said.
The Dead Parents Society offers regular meeting times, every other Tuesday from 8–9 p.m. in Gifford Annex Lounge.
Dos Santos emphasized that students seeking professional help with grief should go to Parton or CSAC for individual therapy, or attend Parton’s monthly grief group hosted by a professional counselor. However, for students who are also looking for a peer-created space to discuss loss, the Dead Parent Society is open to all.
“We will probably be doing another event toward the end of the semester on campus, so people can be on the lookout for that,” Dos Santos said. “You don’t have to come to every meeting, you don’t ever have to come again if you don’t like it, and it’s just a fun space for community.”
(10/03/19 10:00am)
Last year’s Student Government Association Senate ended in the spring with threats of dissolution. Now, the new SGA is hoping to move in a different direction.
Seven members of last spring’s senate — current President Varsha Vijayakumar ’20 and all senior senators, junior senators and Feb senators — are still on the SGA this fall. The 10 remaining senators were not in office last spring when the senate created its “13 Proposals for Community Healing,” many of which followed frustrations about slow progress on several issues between students and the administration. The proposals were announced in a school-wide email on Apr. 23 in the wake of the cancellation of a controversial talk from Ryszard Legutko, a far-right Polish politician, and were written with input gathered from the wider student body at a town hall a week later.
After the administration’s initial response to several of the proposals — which included a tentative commitment to add a student delegate to the Board of Trustees and increase student representation in the administration’s Senior Leadership Group — the Senate decided not to dissolve in their last meeting of the semester.
Status update
Several of the 13 Proposals have been completed as written in the original statement, including the second proposal, which called for a student, staff member and faculty member to each be appointed as representatives to the College Board of Overseers. The College Board of Overseers is one of three committees within the Board of Trustees; there is also a board for the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and one for the Language Schools, Schools Abroad and Bread Loaf School of English.
Vijayakumar, Associate Vice President for Advancement Operations Jami Black and History Professor William Hart were elected by the student body, Staff Council and Faculty Council, respectively, to serve as the three representatives to the board. Each representative will report back to their constituents following board meetings.
Saif Panday ’21 joined Wengel Kifle ’20 as a student representative on the Community Bias Response Team (CBRT), addressing the ninth proposal’s call for more student representation on the team.
Addressing the second half of that same proposal, which demanded more direct communication after the cancellation of campus events, Chief Diversity Officer Miguel Fernández explained that the request does not fall under the job description of his office.
“Cancellation of campus events is not a bias incident and thus does not fall under the purview of CBRT, so we will not be sending out such communications,” he said.
The college is offering a Black Studies major for the first time this fall, which was called for in the 13th proposal and has been in the works for several years. The major, led by History Professor Bill Hart and American Studies Professor J. Finley, came as a combined result of academic planning by faculty and administration, as well as renewed student campaigns in support of the program.
Several other efforts related to the proposals are in the works. Fernández said President Laurie Patton has plans to appoint an ad hoc working group in the next few weeks to look into an LGBTQ+ center, which was the 10th proposal.
“Movement on this center was stimulated by a student desire for programming, support, and mentoring for queer and trans students on campus,” he said. “I would say it was student-driven.”
Elisa Gan ’20 was nominated to be the the Student Liaison to the SGA on Endowment Affairs (SLSEA). This came after a weeks-long nomination process, in which Gan was approved by the Senate during its meeting on Sunday, Sept. 22. Gan will be a non-voting member of the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees, has full access to information about the endowment, and will report back to the SGA on how the school’s endowment is being invested.
The Senior Leadership Group (SLG) will be creating student advisory committees for each administrator in the group in response to the first proposal. This move will help bring in more student perspective to the work of the administration, and help improve cooperation between students and administrators.
The third proposal, which asked the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (OIDEI) to create a due diligence form for speaker invitations, is no longer on the table and was deemed unworkable, according to Fernández.
“It is not OIDEI’s place to vet speakers. My office was not consulted ahead of time and we do not foresee taking on this role,” Fernandez said.
Fernández said that the fifth proposal, which proposed bias training for all hired staff, faculty, administrators and students, will be covered by Renee Wells’ Inclusive Practitioners program.
Parton Health Center is currently conducting a search for a counselor with expertise working with marginalized communities, which was the 12th proposal.
Administrators did not respond to comment on the progress of several other proposals. These include the proposals centered around communication from the administration about ongoing proposal progress, revisiting the protest policy, improvements to the Green Dot program, making all buildings ADA accessible and making all organizational expenditures available on the college website (the fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and 11th proposals, respectively).
A spokesperson from student government said some of the above proposals are in the works.
A change in tone
Vijayakumar, who was serving as a junior senator last spring when the proposals were issued, has decided not to focus her presidency on their completion.
“Frustration about the lack of student voice included in decision-making processes that will significantly impact our campus culture and student life was, is and should be warranted,” Vijayakumar said. “That being said, this new SGA has worked hard to lay the groundwork for a significant shift in approach that will focus on earning student support and attacking problems on our campus through a more analytical and pragmatic lens.”
This new approach has been welcomed by administrators, some of whom felt the way last year’s SGA presented the proposals was unreasonable.
“The administration did not sign off on the 13 Proposals,” Fernandez said. “This administration believes in dialogue and does not take well to demands. And let’s be honest, these proposals were demands.”
As Vijayakumar worked over the summer to construct a new approach to achieve the SGA’s goals, this was very present in her mind as she built her cabinet, set initiatives and planned for the year to come.
Her approach has been apparent in the first several meetings this year, and she has emphasized the importance of cooperation, accountability and responsibility amongst the entire body. Vijayakumar and her chief of staff, Drew Platt ’20.5, have stressed in recent meetings that representatives need to hold themselves accountable to their own personal initiatives and to the overall goals of the SGA.
“In the past few years many individual members within SGA have done a lot of good work, but the body as a whole has suffered from lack of collaboration and consistency,” Vijayakumar said. “We spent a lot of time this summer diagnosing these issues and developing an action plan to ensure that SGA members will be held accountable within our body, and more importantly to the student body as well.”
For example, the senate was unable to vote on the full proposed list of committee members of every SGA Cabinet Committee during the senate meeting on Sept. 30 after several committee chairs failed to submit their proposed lists on time. The SGA Cabinet consists of dozens of committees that touch every aspect of student life, from athletics to sexual respect.
Vijayakumar called out these unnamed cabinet committee chairs who “didn’t pull their weight” and caused the delay to the approval process. After Vijayakumar set a new deadline, the senate voted Monday to approve the lists of committee members.
The heightened focus of the cabinet, which had taken a backseat in previous administrations, has led to greater responsibility, support, and accountability for appointed cabinet directors from Vijayakumar and her executive team.
Vijayakumar said she and her staff are holding cabinet leaders to a higher standard.
“We have implemented several new accountability measures to ensure that these cabinet committees are more effective than they have been in the past,” Vijayakumar said. “As a result we are confident that the initiatives inspired by the proposals are in the hands of the people that are most dedicated to making tangible progress on those issues.”
Vijayakumar has also sought to improve the underlying issue that drove the 13 Proposals, namely a lack of cooperation between students and the administration. She hopes to improve that relationship to make her SGA as productive as possible.
“Students should also expect a new level of collaboration with the administration,” Vijayakumar said. “They have proven themselves to be more open to student input than ever before, and we are excited to work together in efforts to make this campus a better place for students to study and live.”
For an example, she pointed to an event led by Fernández that will bring more clarity to the faculty hiring process and how that translates to hiring a more diverse faculty. The event, which will take place on Oct. 16, was organized by members of the Cabinet together with Fernández and the OIDEI.
“The fireworks that we saw towards the end of last year represented justified emotions but ultimately did not serve as a means to build consensus or lasting change,” Vijayakumar said. “We have been very conscious of that as we set out our plans to shift SGA culture this year.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the number of returning senators.
(09/26/19 10:06am)
VOLLEYBALL
By: HEATHER BOEHM
Women’s volleyball came up big this weekend, cruising past two NESCAC rivals. The Panthers tallied a 3–0 victory over Colby on Friday, Sept. 20 and closed out a 3–2 win over Bates College on Saturday, Sept. 21. They boast a 2-0 NESCAC record after the wins, and a 7-2 overall record.
If the Panthers were going to make the long trek to Maine, they were going to show up on court. Despite a rocky last weekend, the women were ready to take on their first NESCAC battle. Although Middlebury took the first three sets, each one was a fight to the very end.
Corley Doyle ’22 and Maggie Wise ’22 lead the squad to their sweep, putting up eight kills each. Gigi Alper ’20 protected her side of the net with 23 digs.
Middlebury’s matchup against Bates was a much tougher five sets. The Panthers bested the Bobcats in the first set before Bates stole the next two. The Panthers were able to respond by picking up the next two sets.
Wise proved to be a crucial part of Saturday’s win with 19 kills, while Alper dove around the court to a season high, recording 40 digs.
Beth Neal ’20 commented on the team’s excitement after a decisive weekend.
“Coaches and players were thrilled with the results of this weekend,” Neal said. “Our focus up until this point was to get ready for NESCAC play. The fact that we were able to come off of a seven-hour bus ride Friday night and leave with two conference wins is definitely a positive sign of what’s to come for the rest of the season.”
The women now look to next weekend’s challenge: Amherst. Middlebury will have some nice views on the road to the home of the Mammoths on Friday, Sept. 27.
Neal spoke about the team’s focus for this week’s practice.
“We have always matched up really well with Amherst,” Neal said. “With that in mind, we are definitely going to work on limiting our unforced errors in the coming week. Having no midweek game, we are set up perfectly. We have ample time to focus on the quality of our reps, rather than the quantity. Once we are able to make these minor adjustments and hone in on the potential for our deeply skilled team, we will be unstoppable in the conference.”
MEN'S SOCCER
By ERIK ARVIDSSON
After coming up without any goals in their past two contests, the luck of the men’s soccer team was due for a change.
Their busy last week began on Sept. 17 with a 1–0 win over Mount St. Mary of New York. Then, on Saturday, Sept. 21, the Panthers earned their first NESCAC win over Hamilton. Ben Potter ’20 scored in the 59th minute, and the Panthers held on for 30 more minutes to earn the win.
“I especially have been impressed by Ben Potter, or ‘Pawtah’ as he is called in the locker room,” former player Kye Moffat ’19 said. “He has been scratching together goals, not turning his back on any scoring chance.”
On Sunday, Sept. 22, the Panthers hosted Vermont rival Castleton University. The boys brought it to their opponents, winning with a final score of 7–1. Jake Labranche ’21 scored two goals.
“I saw the opportunity to score, and I told myself, ‘Come on Jake, you can do this,’ and then I did it, and then everyone gave me high-fives!” Labranche said.
Next up, the Panthers play Connecticut College at home on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Amherst on the road on Sunday, Sept. 29.
WOMEN’S GOLF
By MICHAEL SEGEL
This past weekend, eight players from the women’s golf team competed in the Mount Holyoke College Invitational. The Panthers earned an impressive second place finish out of the 16 participating teams, which included NESCAC rivals such as Bates and Bowdoin and some out of conference teams such as NYU and Vassar.
Williams won the two day event, finishing under 600 strokes with 599, leaving Middlebury and NYU in a second place tie with 622 apiece. Leading Middlebury to this near–top finish were Chloe Levins ’20 and Katie Murphy ’23. Levins tied for fourth out of a staggering 86 participants (73 on Saturday, 78 on Sunday) while Murphy put up a strong performance herself, rounding out the weekend with a four way tie for ninth overall (79-76). Kayla Li ’23, Anna Zumwinkle ’20 and Elizabeth Kenter ’23 all placed within the top 27, making it a strong weekend all around for the squad.
On another promising note, five of the eight Middlebury contestants tallied a lower score on Sunday compared to Saturday. The Panthers are back in action next weekend where they will host the Phinney Golf Classic, their last tournament before the NESCAC Qualifier.
MEN'S GOLF
By JACK KAGAN
The Middlebury men’s golf team is coming off a 16th place finish out of 25 teams after this past weekend’s Williams Fall Invitational. The tournament featured fierce rivals such as Williams, Trinity and Hamilton, all of whom finished in the top 10. Teams from 13th–16th place were separated by only a couple of strokes, with Middlebury finishing three strokes behind 13th place St. Lawrence University.
A bright spot of the weekend was standout captain Jeffrey Giguere ’20, who tied for ninth in the tournament overall. His performance is even more impressive considering he finished the first round tied for 14th. The next highest Panther finisher was Sean McGarrity ’23 who tied for 51st.
After a promising third-place finish last weekend at the Duke Nelson Invitational, Middlebury will need to avoid another middle-of-the-pack performance. Doing so could have significant implications for the conference standings, as they head to Wayland, Mass. for the NESCAC Championship Qualifier on Saturday, Sept. 28–29.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
By JENNY LANGERMAN
Women’s soccer struggled at Hamilton this past weekend, finishing with a 1–1 tie on Saturday, Sept. 21.
After some missed scoring opportunities by Middlebury, Hamilton got on the board first with a rebound shot midway through the first half. The Panthers then responded with a goal by Simone Ameer ’21. Ameer currently leads the team in scoring.
Nonetheless, Hamilton’s seasoned goalkeeper continually frustrated the Panthers’ attacks. Gretchen McGrath ’21, Eliza Van Voorhis ’21 and Ameer had strong chances to score, but all their shots were skillfully knocked down. Panther goalkeeper Ursula Alwang ’20 also held down Hamilton, with multiple saves throughout.
The Panthers hope to remain relevant in the rankings when they play against Connecticut College and New England College on Sept. 28 and 29.
CROSS COUNTRY
By JORDAN HOWELL
The Aldrich Invitational, hosted by Middlebury, gave the men’s and women’s cross country teams an opportunity to showcase their fighting spirit before friends, family and other members of the Middlebury community. The Invitational took place on Sept. 21.
The men’s squad achieved third place. Top finishers included Zander Kessler ’22 and Connor Montgomery ’20. Kessler took fifth place amongst all runners with a time of 26:52.4. Montgomery, meanwhile, finished in 13th place with a time of 27:25.8.
The women’s squad attained first place. Talia Ruxin ’20 got a time of 2:43.5, allowing her to capture second place. Chloe Smith ’21 came in right after Ruxin with a time of 23:50.6.
“I was pretty happy with it!” Smith said, when asked about her performance. “I’m excited to continue to build on my base this season and to race in spikes next week.”
The season continues as the men and women will compete in the Purple Valley Classic at Williams on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“Going into Purple Valley, we are excited to put together a full roster and spike up for the first time this season, because despite having three meets, we haven’t really competed at our full capacity yet,” Kessler said.
FOOTBALL
By LAUREN BOYD
Football shut out the Bates Bobcats 28-0 this past Saturday, Sept. 21, in its first away match of the season. The team will look to improve its record to 3-0 this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 28 against Trinity at home.
Middlebury dominated the offensive and defensive games, scoring 28 unanswered points. Led by quarterback Will Jernigan ’21, the Panthers tallied 292 passing yards compared to the Bobcats’ 94. Alex Maldjian ’23 led the rushing game with 141 yards, which was more than all the rushing yards produced by Bates. In total, Middlebury rushed for 176 yards.
Defensively, a plethora of Panthers contributed to keeping the Bobcats away from the end zone. Jack Pistorius ’21, Pete Huggins ’21, Zander Bailey ’21 and Nate Stewart ’21 each recorded four tackles, while Bailey and Huggins each earned a sack.
The first two scores of the game came from the Panthers’ pass game; on the first drive, Jernigan connected with Maxwell Rye ’20, followed by a second touchdown pass to Aidan Power ’20. After Maldjian rushed for a 4–yard touchdown, the Panthers were up 21–0 going into the half.
Both teams went scoreless in the second half, until Maldjian scored a 49–yard touchdown. With four completed PATs from Carter Massengill ’20, the Panthers finished the game with a 28–0 win, improving their record to 2–0.
For their next game, the Panthers will play the Trinity Bantams at home, hoping to avenge last year’s loss.
(09/26/19 10:04am)
“There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it.”
These are the words of Alice Paul, an activist who fought for ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which declared that the right to vote shall not be denied on the basis of sex.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of that amendment, we ought to remember the people and organizations that worked to make this important milestone possible. That is the message behind Middlebury’s latest museum exhibit, “Votes… for women?”, which opened Sept. 13. Curated by History Professor Amy Morsman, the exhibit acknowledges the remarkable contributions of those involved in the push for women’s suffrage while also examining their words and actions through a critical lens.
The exhibit was partly inspired by the work of my first-year seminar, “The Woman Question.” Taught by Professor Morsman, the class explored the changing roles of women in the U.S. in the years prior to 1919, when women were relegated to housework and removed from the public sphere.
The exhibit begins with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. At the historic convention, delegates drafted the “Declaration of Sentiments,” a manifesto demanding gender equality. Resembling the 1776 Declaration of Independence in its language, the document insisted on the equality of men and women and their fundamental rights of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Among its resolutions was a call for suffrage, for which Stanton and Mott became subjects of ridicule in the press at the time.
A theme of the exhibit is that suffragists struggled with internal politics. They were divided over the 15th Amendment, which was passed in 1870 and prohibited voting discrimination only on the basis of race. This division led to the creation of two separate groups, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). The NWSA sought enfranchisement through a federal amendment, whereas the AWSA took a state-by-state campaign strategy. The two groups later merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890, which decided on the state-by-state approach.
The National Women’s Party (NWP), another suffrage group, emerged during the 1910s. It was founded by Alice Paul, who had prior experience leading suffrage campaigns in England. She brought this experience to the U.S. and organised protests in Washington D.C. for federal suffrage legislation. The exhibit shows original banners that NWP members held while picketing in front of the White House, as well as images of these pickets.
The exhibit critically explores the intersection of women’s suffrage, racial justice and economic status and states that the suffrage movement was divisive at its core. It points out that Ida Wells-Barnett was told to march in the back with other black women during the 1913 suffrage parade in Washington D.C. It also says that working class women in the suffrage movement often worked behind the scenes since they had to balance activism with their employment, whereas the women at the center of the movement often came from backgrounds of privilege and status.
[pullquote speaker="Carrie Chapman Catt" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]The vote is a power, a weapon of offense and defense, a prayer. Use it intelligently, conscientiously, prayerfully. Progress is calling to you to make no pause. Act![/pullquote]
A panel dedicated to Vermont discusses the rather small suffrage movement in the state. It attributes the lack of a widespread movement to the rural nature of the state compared to neighboring New York, which had a very active suffrage movement. A separate timeline also features important milestones here at Middlebury. The college — founded as an all-male institution — became coeducational in 1883, and the Chellis House opened on campus in 1993 as a resource for female students.
As we celebrate the centenary of women’s suffrage in the U.S., the exhibit reminds us that further progress still needs to be made to secure voting rights for all Americans. According to the exhibit, the 15th and 19th Amendments were worded as vaguely as possible and, as a result, allowed for the possibility of poll taxes and other disenfranchisement techniques. For instance, black women could not vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Even today, citizens in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories cannot vote in federal elections even though they are just as American as those in the 50 states. Many states have attempted to enact strict identification laws that disproportionately affect certain marginalized groups.
Morsman concluded her opening remarks with an uplifting quote from Carrie Chapman Catt: “The vote is a power, a weapon of offense and defense, a prayer. Use it intelligently, conscientiously, prayerfully. Progress is calling to you to make no pause. Act!”
Catt said these words in celebration of the 19th Amendment being ratified in 1920, but they are just as applicable today.
The “Votes… for women?” exhibition will remain open through Dec. 8. Professor Morsman will also discuss key strategies of the suffrage movement this Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Museum.
(09/26/19 10:03am)
Some say comedy is a boy’s club ... but the joke’s on them!
Last Friday and Saturday evenings, Sept. 20–21, Middlebury students gathered in Coltrane Lounge to learn about sketch comedy from some leading comics on campus.
The workshop, led by female-identifying members of the student-run sketch comedy group Middlebury Discount Comedy (MDC), was part of a larger program this past weekend called the Funny Femme Fest. The Femme Fest was a celebration of women in comedy and comprised of four workshops over the course of two days meant to encourage diverse voices in comedy.
In addition to MDC’s Friday session, the festival included a stand-up workshop led by American Studies Professor J. Finley. The women of Middlebury’s satirical newspaper, The Local Noodle, and members of various on-campus improv groups led workshops on satirical news writing and improv.
The MDC sketch lesson began, quite aptly, with a bizarre getting-to-know-you question. The attendees were asked to share not their majors or hometowns, but rather their most serial killer-like trait, setting the playful yet open-minded tone for the workshop.
After settling into the workshop with the serial killers among us, we were brought through an introduction to the ins and outs of sketch comedy, which usually consists of a series of short, few minute-long scenes known as “sketches.” The session’s leaders, Amy Conaway ’20, Em Ballou ’21 and Laurel Rand-Lewis ’20, provided us with the vocabulary to discuss sketches, as well as some of the basic structures we could use to craft them ourselves.
One of the fundamentals we learned was the idea of “The Game,” which is a bit of a catch-all term to describe what is truly funny or interesting about a scene. We also discussed the importance of creating a cast of characters that is balanced to include both traditionally funny or bizarre characters and what is known as a “straight character.” This character, unlike the other characters (but similar to the audience), is able to recognize the eccentricity of the situation. We then touched on practical elements to take into account when writing sketches to be performed, like including stage directions, sound cues and descriptions of physicality.
After going over the background of the discipline of sketch comedy writing, we dove deeper into feminist comedy writing and how intersections of gender and other identities inform the meaning of a joke or sketch.
When revising drafts of sketches, writers will often look at assumptions made about the gender or other identity markers of a character, asking themselves, “Does this character really need to be ______?” In other words, does the gender of a character matter in order for the joke to work? If not, assigning a gender through a character’s name or physical description may be unnecessary or limiting. One way the writers work around this is by assigning gender neutral names or even referring to characters as “Character no. 1.” After all, Conaway pointed out, we rarely define character by other specific aspects of their identity, such as their religion, favorite sports team or astrological sign.
With regards to addressing controversial subjects in sketches, the session’s leaders highlighted the importance of working honestly and openly with those around you. Sketch comedy, like other works of art, either theatrical or material, can be a powerful tool when it comes to examining societal norms and systems of oppression. But, if poorly executed, jokes can quickly become harmful reinforcements of structural inequalities.
A general rule of thumb, the leaders suggested, is known as “punching up,” wherein jokes remain aware of positionality. The rule enables the critique of power structures, rather than perpetuating them through stereotypes that continue to disempower different groups.
“The world of comedy is still presented with internalized sexism,” Ballou said. “It’s possible for women to be funny not because they play into stereotypes or misogynistic views for laughs, but because they themselves are humorous.”
According to Ballou, there is a general lack of diverse and inclusive comedy. “We need more comedians of color. We need more queer, disabled and working-class comedians.”
(09/26/19 10:03am)
World-renowned cellist Sophie Shao and her sextet performed at the Mahaney Arts Center’s Robison Hall last Saturday evening, Sept. 21. The concert, “Sophie Shao and Friends,” featured works by Arnold Schoenberg, Orlando Gibbons and Johannes Brahms. “Sophie Shao and Friends” also marked the first concert in the centennial of the Middlebury Performing Arts Series.
The evening began with three small pieces by 17th century English composer Orlando Gibbons. “Fantasia a 6, no. III” kicked things off. Shao and cellist Fred Sherry grounded the sextet’s tempo, using a call and response scheme that allowed violinists Jennifer Frautschi and Zachary DePue to let their instruments sing. The two other Gibbons pieces, “Fantasia a 6 no. IV” and the song “Go From My Window,” featured more from violists Che-Yen Chen and Paul Neubauer. In “Go From My Window,” the sextet’s violists acted as a firm harmony to the showier violins and cellos.
“I still hear different things in the Gibbons,” Chen said. “There’s a simplicity to his pieces.”
These musical vignettes shined in their simplicity, but they also highlighted Gibbons’s veddy British pith. Each cello riff conveyed no more or less than Gibbons’s gist, and the dynamics remained crisp, somewhere between piano and mezzo forte.
“Some might call Gibbons the English Palestrina,” Shao said. Gibbons might write like the Italian Renaissance composer Palestrina, but Shao’s group played Gibbons with earnestness, as if they were playing Scarlatti. Their interpretation had swagger.
The program moved on to “Transfigured Night” by Arnold Schoenberg, a 20th century Austrian-American composer. If you know your classical music, you know that Schoenberg is a hot-button issue. In “Debussy: A Painter In Sound,” musicologist Stephen Walsh writes, “Schoenberg may be the first ‘great composer’ in modern history whose music has not entered the repertoire almost a century and a half after his birth.” Poor Arnold.
I asked Shao about Schoenberg’s trickiness for listeners. “[The music critic] Donald Tovey said something like, ‘It’s not a matter of whether you like Schoenberg’s music or not. It’s great no matter what.’”
At “Sophie Shao and Friends,” the beauty of “Transfigured Night” brought some audience members to tears.
“Transfigured Night” started with a two-note whisper from the cellists, followed by the same motif from the violas and violins. Robison Hall felt sad and lonely for a few minutes. Then suddenly, the strings went in dissonant directions — the cellos sung gaily; the violins whined ambivalently. Shao’s ensemble hurled arpeggios left and right, descending the audience into the chaotic middle section of the piece.
“It’s a psychological portrait,” Shao said, referring to the Richard Dehmel poem that Schoenberg based “Transfigured Night” on. The poem deals with a conversation: a woman tells the man she loves that she got impregnated by someone else. The man takes this news rather well and says that he will raise the woman’s child anyway, attributing his forgiveness to the mystique of the night sky.
Such a cerebral work requires transparency, Shao argued. When I asked her what she meant, she said, “[Transparency is] allowing the melody to play so quietly that you shiver.”
The conclusion of “Transfigured Night” suggested less atonal glum than it did the calm euphoria of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “The Lark Ascending.” Despite a murky beginning in D-minor, Shao’s sextet allowed the closing measures to sing a bittersweet farewell.
“The piece invokes a dream,” violinist Jennifer Frautschi declared, adding that “Transfigured Night” offers a more accessible take on the infamously atonal composer. “[The piece] acts as a great introduction to Schoenberg.”
During the first two pieces, I was struck by how the sextet moved together. When cellist Fred Sherry cocked an eyebrow, the violins burst into pizzicato; a nod from Shao yielded a key change. “I think you learn what helps and what doesn’t help,” Shao said when asked about the group’s signals. The six musicians worked together like clockwork.
[pullquote speaker="Sophie Shao" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Music can be like a complex sudoku.[/pullquote]
For lovers of the avant-garde, the Schoenberg piece provided the most enjoyable part of the evening. But “Sophie Shao and Friends” ended with a seminal piece of classical music: Brahm’s “String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat Major.”
In “What To Listen For In Music,” Aaron Copland characterizes Brahms as a musical conservative, a reactionary who fought for “a lost cause” when he rejected the chromaticism of Wagner and pyrotechnics of Liszt. Brahms comes off as an old-fashioned guy.
Sometimes, however, the old ways really are the best. The Brahms sextet dominated the night.
The first movement of the Brahms struck home with its melody. It was refreshing to have a consistent theme after the tonal skulduggery of “Transfigured Night.” The audience never got lost in a jungle of notes; Shao patiently led us through the music.
“Sophie Shao and Friends” absolutely killed the “Andante ma moderato,” the second movement of the sextet. The Andante drummed out a slow, haunting chant in D-minor. One heard the folksy motifs that Brahms later capitalized on in his “Hungarian Dances.”
The last two movements of the sextet charmed the audience with unabashed Romanticism. The cellists especially owned the rondo movement, holding their own with lightning-quick ostinatos that zoomed to the piece’s end. After the last chord of “Sophie Shao and Friends,” the audience roared in approval.
After the concert, I joined the musicians for a late dinner at Two Brothers Tavern. Over onion rings, Shao told me about the grueling effort it took to pull off “Sophie Shao and Friends.”
“There were long days,” Shao admitted. “Music can be like a complex sudoku.”
I responded by quoting my favorite Sergei Rachmainoff proverb: “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”
The cellist nodded, smiling.
(09/19/19 10:03am)
Cross country
By JORDAN HOWELL
The Middlebury cross country team competed in the Bates Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 14. The women finished in third place, while the men captured fourth place.
“The men's and women's cross country teams are excited now that the season is underway!” Talia Ruxin ’20 said. “It was awesome to lace up with the first-years this weekend, and we are feeling lots of positive energy.”
On the women’s side, Ruxin was able to capture seventh place with a time of 18:44.5, while Cassie Kearney ’22 came in 10th place with a time of 19:07.8. For the men, Quinlan McGaugh ’22 came in 10th place with a time of 26:34.4, while a time of 26:44.0 propelled Jack Litowitz ’20 to a 13th place finish.
“The Bates Invitational was a fun race and a great opportunity to run against some strong NESCAC competition early in the season,” McCaugh said.
Regarding the upcoming Aldrich Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21, Litowitz was optimistic.
“A combination of the experience fresh off of a meet this past weekend, spiking up and running on our home course should allow the team to improve this week over last, and carry the positive momentum forward onto the bigger meets where it counts," he said.
Football
By LAUREN BOYD
The Panther football team kicked off their season with a 17–13 win against the Williams Ephs on Saturday, Sept. 14, scoring the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute on the clock.
The start of the second quarter opened up the scoring game. Carter Massengill ’20 put the first points of the game on the board, scoring a field goal from 25 yards out.
Later in the second quarter, the Panthers scored an 18–yard touchdown, gaining a 10–0 lead. The rest of the second quarter, however, was commanded by the Williams offense. Between the second and third quarters, the Ephs scored 13 unanswered points.
With just one minute and 30 seconds left in the game, the Panthers marched down the field behind Jernigan. A series of short passes and 10-yard gains led the Panthers to the 2-yard line, where Jernigan punched in the game-winning touchdown. Massengill tapped in the extra point, making the final score 17–13.
Men’s golf
By JACK KAGAN
The men’s golf team finished at the podium for this past weekend’s Duke Nelson Invitational. The Invitational took place at Middlebury’s Ralph Myhre Golf Course and featured 23 teams from around the region. After a strong start atop the standings at the end of day one, the Panthers finished the tournament in third place, just one stroke behind Williams.
Jordan Bessalel ’21 and co-captain Jeffrey Giguere ’20 shined on day one, coming in at sixth and third place respectively. Giguere finished out day two in first place by one stroke ahead of Williams’ Will Kannegieser. Giguere earned a combined score of 142. Neither Bessalel nor Giguere’s heroics were quite enough to lift the Panthers into second place as a team. New York University finished first.
After a strong showing, the Panthers will have little time to rest before heading down to their rivals’ turf in Williamstown for the Williams Fall Invitational.
Women’s golf
By MICHAEL SEGEL
The Panthers outdid last year’s performance at the St. Lawrence Invitational, this year coming in second place out of nine teams. On Sept. 7–8, five players from the women’s golf team came together to accomplish this feat. Their impressive performance can largely be attributed to the work of Blake Yaccino ’20, who finished third overall out of 47 participants. Classmate Chloe Levins ’20 wasn’t far behind, finishing in a tie for seventh overall.
Coming off the strong showing at the St. Lawrence Invitational, the women then competed in the Ann S. Batchelder Invitational on Sept. 14–15. They came in third overall behind Williams College and Wellesley College. Katie Murphy ’23 finished tied for second overall out of 42 golfers, shooting a two-over par 146 (74–72). Yaccino finished tied for fifth at 154 (76–78), while Levins finished tied for 18th with a 164 (84–80). Elizabeth Kenter ’23 finished tied for 27th, shooting a 169 (85–84), and Kayla Li ’23 finished in 29th with a 170 (85–85). The Panthers will be swinging back in action next week at the Mount Holyoke Invitational.
Men’s tennis
By JACK KAGAN
The men’s tennis team fell just short of divisional titles in four of four singles brackets this past weekend at the Middlebury Invitational on the Proctor Tennis Courts.
Though the squad is currently beginning a rebuilding process after losing its top two players to graduation, a bright future might not be so far away. The top singles flight saw unseeded Stan Morris ’22 blaze through to the finals, taking out the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds in the process.
Robby Ward ’23 also made a run to the finals in the B singles draw, knocking off No. 1 seed Brandeis sophomore Jeff Chen. David Vilys ’22 and Zach Hilty ’22 also made it to the finals in their respective C and D singles draws, and will look to use the momentum to propel themselves into a consistent starting role come spring time.
Surprisingly, the two doubles draws were devoid of Middlebury teams past the quarterfinals, likely owing to sets of entirely new doubles pairings.
The tournament featured teams such as Tufts University and Brandeis College, with whom the Panthers will have to contend if they want to stay at the top of DIII tennis.
Men’s soccer
By ERIK ARVIDSSON
After starting the NESCAC season with a scoreless double overtime tie, the Panthers traveled last weekend to Brunswick, Maine to take on the Bowdoin Polar Bears. For the second week in a row, the Panthers struggled connecting with the back of the net. The team finished with six shots on goal compared to Bowdoin’s 15 and neither were able to score. The game ended at 0–0.
The man of the match was goalkeeper Ryan Grady ’23. Grady made six saves to complete his second shutout of the year. The Panthers remain positive despite not scoring in two consecutive games.
“We have been doing all the right things,” Jack Spiridellis ’21 said. “We just need to put the ball into the back of the net, then we will win games.”
Up next, the Panthers played their home opener against Mt. St. Mary of New York on Sept. 17 (which occured after this issue was sent to print). The Panthers will round out the week with a home double-header this weekend against Hamilton on Saturday and Castleton on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Women’s tennis
By DAN MIGUEL ESPINOSA
The Middlebury women’s tennis team journeyed down Route 7 this past weekend for the Lindsay Morehouse Invitational at Williams College. The invitational followed a round-robin format in which the Panthers competed against three other teams in a full weekend of doubles and singles. No individual team was awarded champion.
On Friday, Sept. 13, three of four doubles pairs picked up victories against Skidmore. The following day, Middlebury swept RPI in three doubles matches, but only took two of three doubles matches against Williams. For singles, Middlebury swept RPI in all five contests.
Middlebury faced Skidmore again on Sunday for singles and won four of six matches. Against Williams, the Panthers won all three singles matches and won their only doubles contest.
The women will use this weekend to prepare for the ITA Regional Championships that kick off at home on Sept. 27.
Women’s soccer
By JENNY LANGERMAN
Women’s soccer had another successful week, winning both of this week’s games to put them at five total wins and zero losses.
The Panthers first faced SUNY Plattsburgh on the road. Despite solid play from their opponents, Middlebury was ultimately able to shut them out two-zip with goals from captain Jinx Charman ’20 and Leah Salzman ’21, and the help of strong defensive play.
Middlebury then hit the road once again to play the Bowdoin Polar Bears, having to put up a tougher fight in their second game of the week. The Bears got an early lead, scoring within the first eight minutes of play. The Panthers matched them with a goal from Salzman, but were unable to pull ahead until the very end. With just a minute and a half of game time left, captain Ellie Greenberg ’20 was able to hook one into the side of the net, securing the win.
The Panthers now have a week to regroup and prepare before their next match against conference-opponent, Hamilton College, on their home turf this Saturday, Sept. 21.
Volleyball
By HEATHER BOEHM
Middlebury Women’s Volleyball fell to an undefeated Clarkson on an unlucky Friday, Sept. 13, and split their weekend contests with a win over Potsdam and a loss to St. Lawrence on Saturday, Sept. 14.
In their first battle of the weekend against Clarkson, the Panthers came out expecting a war. Although they put some numbers on the board, they ultimately fell in straight sets to the 23rd-ranked team in the country. Gigi Alper ’20 led the Panther defense, picking up 13 digs for the night. Jane Nelson ’22 built on her teammates’ efforts and led the offense with six kills.
After a hard loss, Middlebury got back to work. The women triumphed over Potsdam with a decisive 3–0 victory. This time around it was Maggie Wise ’22, who took control of the Panther offense tallying 11 kills.
Although the Panthers were hungry for more, the women fell just short of a victory over St. Lawrence. Middlebury rolled through the first two sets before St. Lawrence stole the next two right back. Middlebury was then defeated by the Saints in the fifth set 15–12.
The Panthers will journey to Maine over the weekend, where they will compete against Colby on Friday, Sept. 20 and Bates on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Field hockey
By DAN MIGUEL ESPINOSA
Field hockey fared successfully on their Sept. 14–15 road trip, defeating ninth-ranked Bowdoin College and 18th-ranked Babson College, 1–0 and 2–0, respectively. The Panthers had difficulty stirring up scoring opportunities during the first half against the Bowdoin Polar Bears. But they gained momentum in the third quarter, outshooting the Polar Bears 3–0. Finally, the Panthers scored 30 seconds into the fourth quarter. The 1–0 score remained until the end of the game.
Against Babson, Middlebury struck early twice in the first quarter. The Panthers struggled scoring for the remainder of the game, but still made some spectacular stops.
Correction: A previous version of the cross country recap included outdated information and dates.
(09/19/19 10:01am)
Driven, unique and fun. Capping a spectacular season this spring with players across class years and ability levels, the Middlebury Pranksters ultimate frisbee team achieved impressive results at this year’s D-III College Championships, with the men’s team snatching the national championship title and the women’s team placing fifth.
The teams faced tough competition on the way to the championship weekend, capping historic seasons. Both teams started their seasons at College Southerns down in Georgia over spring break. The men’s team went 6-1 in their games while the women won all six. “It was the first time testing our strength as a team and we took on top-ranked D-I teams like UNC-Wilmington’s SeaWeed and Carleton Eclipse,” co-captain Allegra Molkenthin ’19.5 said. In the post-season, the men won all of their regional matches, qualifying for the national tournament for the third time (they previously advanced in 2015 and 2018). The women’s team was on a winning streak throughout the first day of the regional championship, beating Brandeis and Wellesley 11-4 and 10-4 respectively, continuing to defeat Williams 10-8. Despite two losses to Williams and Bates on the final day of the regional tournament, the team finished third in the region and punched their ticket to the national tournament in hot and sunny Texas.
The journey to Nationals had its share flight delays and cancellations, as the women’s team entered the tournament with nine of their players on the way from Orlando. Despite the lack of sleep, the team was ready to go. “The sleep deprivation and desire to play well for our teammates who had not arrived yet really helped us push through to take every point,” Molkenthin said. The women advanced to the second round with a 15-0 win against Mary Washington, with 9 of their 24-person roster having not yet arrived in Texas. Competing against 2018 D-III National Champions St. Olaf’s Vortex and still missing players, the team lost on universe point, or sudden death, 10-11. With the team now reunited, the Pranksters faced fourth-seed Puget Sound as the score creeped up one point at a time. In the end, the team came out on top in another university point with a final score of 9-8. After three games in one day, the team then won their pool and received a bye to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinal round, the heat turned up and the competition did as well. The morning game consisted of a 13-14 universe point loss against North Park in 90-degree weather. Although the Pranksters were unable to obtain a place in the championship bracket, they scored a 13-8 win against Portland. With a fifth-place win in the national championship, the Pranksters achieved impressive results in their first national tournament since 2015.
The men’s team’s road to the national title started with a 11-10 win against Franciscan, a 12-10 win against Hamilton and a 14-9 win against Michigan Tech. Seeded first going into the tournament, the Pranksters played defending champions Bryant in the quarterfinals. Despite a hard-fought second half in which Bryant tied Middlebury 6-6 in points scored, Middlebury’s 8-3 lead in the first half brought the team to a 15-9 victory. The semifinal round saw one of the mist exciting games of the tournament. After Kai DeLorenzo ’20.5 sat out through most of the first half due to a heel injury, his return in the second half brought the team to a close 12-11 win against Richmond. Assists by Kevin Strenski ’21 and Zach Levitt ’20 were key to the team punching a ticket to the championship.
Air Force faced Middlebury in the championship game, having scored a 15-13 victory against Carleton College in the second semifinal. Trading holds all the way to halftime, Middlebury led the first half 7-6. Strenski became a star of the game with three goals in the second half. Tied at 12-12, the game would then be played to 14. Strenski received an inside flick and brought the Pranksters to a 13-12 lead. While Air Force received one more break, the team scored two more goals for a final score of 15-12. The team finished their season with a 31-3 record.
Junior Van Lundsgaard caught the winning disc. “I didn’t really realize that I was going to score the game winning point,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure we didn’t turn it or lose our momentum.” Lundsgaard attributes his success to a loving community he finds in the team. “It was as much the team’s goal as it was mine,” he said.
For captain Dylan Salzman ’19, the team’s championship win represents a special moment in the history of the program for both teams. “It speaks to the way in which Middlebury frisbee has shifted away from being just a social group to being real, well developed frisbee teams,” he said. “We won by sheer willpower, and winning the finals felt cathartic. It’s such a validation of everything that we had been working on, and such a testament to the team that we put together.”
Molkenthin enjoyed having both the men and women compete at the same tournament. “It’s very cool to feel like we are both incredibly talented teams and yet we do not take ourselves too seriously, and we value our friendship and sportsmanship immensely,” she said. “We support one another on and off the field whether it’s on the Middlebury men’s soccer turf where we occasionally practiced, at the Spring Symposium for academic presentations, or at the National Championship.” Despite the heat, for many members of the team, being at Nationals was an incredible experience. “The environment was electric – with incredible athletes from all around the country gathered together to celebrate excellence in a unique sport,” Molkenthin said.
For both teams, a lack of institutional support from the college (as compared to other club teams) presents challenges. Since both the men’s and the women’s teams do not have coaches, captains serve in this role, running practices and organizing logistics for the team to travel to tournaments. For Molkenthin, she enjoys being in a position to lead this community on campus. “To be a captain of this team is to feel loved, to be honored with tough decision-making and last-minute logistical juggling, and to be supported by an incredible community that you know has your back the whole way,” she said. Salzman pointed to the dynamic of a “player-coach” where he has to assert authority over his peers. In addition, the inability for the team to reserve field space on campus or have access to athlete trainers present barriers to the team’s sustained success. “It means that we, as captains and players, have to battle for every inch of turf time we get in the winter, and struggle to deal with all of the administrational details that come with running a nationally competitive team,” he said.
Capping off incredibly successful campaigns for both the men and women, the Pranksters feel optimistic for the future. For many players, ultimate frisbee has provided them with a supportive community and unique Middlebury experience. This year has provided them with new depth in the program, building up a new roster of players full of talent, commitment and potential. With various levels of experience and spread out across all class years, the captains strove this year to make the sport and community accessible to all. This year, the team has built on the traditions of previous years and has created a passionate and driven group. “This finish to our season is perhaps most exciting because it makes me think about the future and how much this team can do going forward,” Molkenthin said. “I will have graduated by the time next spring rolls around, but I will be waiting with anticipation to see what my Pranksters can do.”
(09/12/19 10:05am)
Middlebury College will offer a Black Studies major beginning this fall, the culmination of years of effort by faculty, students, alumni and administrators to provide students with a major focused on the black experience.
Beginning this semester, students can choose from a broad list of existing courses — 26 this fall, 15 next spring and two during the interim 2020 winter term — that will count towards completion of a Black Studies (BLST) major. Included in this list are popular courses such as History Professor William Hart’s African American History class and American Studies Professor J. Finley’s course on Black Comic Cultures.
Debate about offering a Black Studies major at Middlebury has been ongoing for years, according to administrators and professors involved in planning the major. An African American Studies minor has been available since 1999, but faculty have long sought to offer a full major that lets students tackle questions of ethnic identity in more depth. According to those involved in the major's development, the current national moment and the right combination of resources at the college were key in making a Black Studies major a reality this fall.
“I can’t overstate the significance of Black Studies being offered at an institution that is 219 years old, whose peer institutions all have Black Studies programs in some way, shape or form,” Finley said. “Middlebury College is taking steps to deepen and sharpen its curriculum.”
The new major also comes after last spring’s student campaign to “decolonize” Middlebury’s curricula, when organizers called on Middlebury’s faculty to better incorporate non-white voices in their curricula. Wengel Kifle ’20, one of the campaign’s organizers, said that the introduction of a Black Studies program constituted an important step towards this goal.
“It is a wonderful and powerful thing for black students to be able to recognize their experiences and their ancestors in the material of what they are learning,” Kifle said. “I believe that it would encourage even more black students to be more confident and passionate in the realm of western academia.”
Students declaring a Black Studies major will be required to take 11 courses, including three “core” courses: a BLST 101 course, a junior seminar on research methods in black studies and a senior seminar. These courses will be available in either the spring or the fall of 2020, Hart said, depending on professor availability. Students will also be required to take either African American History or Intro to African American Culture, both of which are existing courses.
The introduction course was developed by Finley, who specializes in African American studies with a focus on African Diaspora studies. From a pedagogical standpoint, she said, the BLST 101 course will introduce students to sources that seek to convey lived experiences of black people around the world.
“I think approaching Black Studies as a field that is fundamentally rooted in the voices and experiences of black people themselves is something that we all decided should be a central epistemological approach in Black Studies at Middlebury,” Finley said.
Aspects of this approach to Black Studies are reflected in some of the courses already available to students. When Hart teaches African American history, for example, he seeks “as rich means as possible” to convey the past. The best way of doing that, he said, is through an interdisciplinary approach.
“In order to understand the black experience, because black culture has such a rich oral-based tradition, I use documents that historians use,” he said. “But I also use literature, art, painting, photographs, cartoons and illustrations, film clips and other sources to capture stereotyping of blackness.”
As a pedagogical discipline, Black Studies emerged from a push for a broader “ethnic studies” discipline in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1968, the Third World Liberation Front — a multi-racial collective of students at the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University — led a five-month strike from classes to demand reform of admissions offices and protest curricula that largely excluded people of color. Their efforts resulted in the implementation of the country’s first Ethnic Studies Department at UC Berkeley, which in turn led Black Studies, Native American Studies, LatinX Studies and Asian American Studies to emerge as their own disciplines.
Just as they did in the Bay Area in the early 1970s, discussions of ethnic studies played a significant role in the emergence of Black Studies at Middlebury. According to Chief Diversity Officer Miguel Fernandez, who helped mediate discussions about how to best create the major, conversations touched on the possibility of offering a broader “Ethnic Studies” major many times before faculty and administrators settled on Black Studies .
Hart said he remembers discussions about offering a Black Studies major taking place as early as 1993, when he first joined the faculty.
Two key factors made Black Studies a reality this fall, Fernandez said. One, the college has enough professors teaching existing courses that could count towards such a major; and two, the current national moment made offering a Black Studies major a priority.
“The topic of race is a sensitive one and a difficult one, and one that our country has not wanted to engage in,” Fernandez said. “The last five years have forced this country to talk and think about the black experience in new ways ... There’s a greater national consciousness and the need to address it.”
More broadly, Hart said that an increased awareness of the importance of ethnic studies in recent years contributed to the major becoming a reality. He pointed to a more diverse faculty, the creation of the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity in 2014, and President Laurie Patton’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity as other reasons Black Studies finally became a reality.
Because the three new “core” courses for the major are not yet available, faculty picture younger students as the best candidates for the major, Hart said. As a program in its beginning stages hoping to attract new students, professors stressed that this discipline is intended for Middlebury students of all ethnicities.
“Black Studies is not just for black people, and it never was and it never started as something only for black people,” Finley said. “People think that you have to have some sort of biological intimacy with black people or blackness to study black life and culture. That’s not the case.”
At the academic forum for new students at Kenyon Arena last week, Hart was disappointed when not a single white student stopped to inquire about Black Studies .
“This major is designed for all Middlebury students, not just students of color,” Hart said. “Learning other people’s histories, cultures, beliefs, values, is one way for this country to heal instead of keeping it bifurcated by keeping certain majors, programs and courses ghettoized.”
