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(04/22/10 4:00am)
The first present Leonard Gibbs remembers getting from his father was Louis Untermeyer’s anthology of poetry. Born in Georgia, Gibbs moved to Great Valley, Va. at the age of five. The Blue Ridge Mountains inspired Gibbs, and when he and his wife settled in Panton, Vt. seven years ago, he was glad the mountains moved, too.
“We have 10 acres of land and live right next to a dairy farm,” said Gibbs. “The Vermont smell surrounds me.”
A retired minister, Gibbs now spends his time writing poetry. He worked with the Presbyterian Church for 30 years and believes he fell into the position, inheriting the job from his ancestor after earning a doctorate in theology from Boston University. Poetry is now his occupation, and Gibbs wakes up at four each morning to write. He stares out his kitchen window and watches the sun rise over Snake Mountain, and he has found this to be his favorite time and place to work.
“A poet is someone who writes poetry,” said Gibbs. “Some people are doctors, some people are septic tank cleaners and some, like me, choose to be poets.”
Although Gibbs has not memorized much of his poetry, he can still recite the first one he wrote because it has lived with him for over 60 years. Gibbs says he has written 1,500 poems throughout his career, but only 10 of them are quality pieces. He believes the style and the message of a poem must match and only when the two work together is an effective poem born.
“A poet has to combine his personality, make-up and mindset in order to write,” said Gibbs.
The Panton resident enjoys writing structured poetry, like sonnets and haikus, and using iambic pentameter; however, he crafts free-verse poems as well. Gibbs has written about 320 sonnets, mostly when he had what he calls “sonnet-disease,” but he believes only two of the them are worth reading. Although Gibbs’ background is in philosophy and theology, his poetry is mostly humorous. Many of his pieces are also based on his mood. If the sun comes up and it is a nice day, Gibbs’ poems tend to be light and fun, but when it is cloudy, Gibbs says his poems tend to be darker.
“Yes, I call myself a poet, but I am not a very good one,” said Gibbs. “And I still don’t completely know why I started writing, but I don’t think anyone has the answer to that question yet.”
A member of the Poetry Society of Vermont and of the Otter Creek Poets, as well as the monthly columnist for the Addison Independent’s Poet’s Corner, Gibbs keeps himself busy. Unfortunately, the Poetry Society meets far away from Gibbs’ Panton home and he has not seen the group in some time. The members work together to critique each other’s work. Gibbs says the group members encourage each other, but they also are not afraid to “smash” someone’s poem when it needs it.
Besides hosting poetry workshops, the society publishes The Mountain Troubadour, a publication featuring poems from each of the 60 members in the group.
Normally, the Otter Creek Poets meet on Thursday afternoons at the Ilsley Public Library, and each of the 30 members who regularly show up has five minutes to read a poem of his or her choosing. The poets share their work, and then make and take suggestions. However, in honor of Poetry Month, Gibbs was asked to select and read 16 of his poems. He chose pieces that represent a variety of poetry styles because Gibbs also sees himself as a teacher. The selected poems show the progression of Gibbs’ poetry career thus far. Four other community members, carefully chosen by Gibbs, read his poems as well.
“A good reader has a strong clear voice and he believes in the poem,” said Gibbs. “He must know the poem, and put his heart into it, so the poem’s message gets across to the audience.”
A few years ago Gibbs entered “A Prairie Home Companion’s” Bed of Roses Love Sonnet contest. Out of the 4,000 applications, he was selected as one of the top 30 candidates. The Addison Independent interviewed Gibbs and wrote an article about his recent success. While there, Gibbs told the paper he was interested in writing a column for them, and The Addison Independent agreed. Each month, he selects another poet’s work, and he often chooses pieces written by other members of the Otter Creek Poets. Gibbs writes a brief biographical sketch of the poet, followed by his own interpretation of the piece.
“This column in mostly for my buddies,” he said. “But I have selected pieces by great poets of the past, as well.”
Gibbs plans to continue writing poetry and enjoying his beloved Vermont mountains.
(04/22/10 3:59am)
So much for the T.A.M. Last week, Middlebury cyclists spent their workouts biking to Uganda!
Not literally, of course. Proctor Terrace played host to several exercise bikes last week as part of the campus-wide Bike to Uganda fundraiser.
Hosted by Middlebury’s chapter of Building Tomorrow (BT), a nonprofit focused on building schools in Africa, the event challenged Middlebury students to collectively bike the roughly 7,000 miles from Vermont to Uganda.
Not even five years old, BT got its start in 2005 when founder George Srour, at the time a recent graduate from the College of William and Mary, started the organization in an empty room in his parents’ house.
To date the nonprofit has built four schools in Uganda and provided classroom space for 1,250 underprivileged children. Over 20 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada boast chapters of Building Tomorrow.
The Middlebury community has Jessi Stevens ’12 to thank for BT’s presence on campus. A native of Indianapolis (where BT has its headquarters), Stevens started Middlebury’s chapter last spring after a high school coach recommended her to the organization. Since then, the club has raised over $2,500 for BT and run two major events: Bike for Tomorrow and last fall’s Brick by Brick campaign.
Stevens credits the nonprofit’s dignity and transparency as an organization for her dedication to Building Tomorrow.
“I think that service should be a partnership and that respect — equal respect — should be held on the sides of giver and recipient,” she said.
“I think that you should realize that both sides of this relationship have equal amounts to give. Building Tomorrow literally does that.”
Stevens is referring to BT’s unique relationship with the communities it serves. Entirely focused on meeting Uganda’s needs as defined by Uganda, BT enters only communities that actively request and are in need of a school.
“It’s not a bunch of Americans coming in, describing what we think Uganda needs and then subsequently giving it to them,” Stevens said.
Quite the contrary — the Ugandan community takes the lead in almost every stage of the process. Besides seeking the funds from Building Tomorrow, they volunteer their time to actually construct each school.
The BT academies are staffed by Ugandan citizens paid by the Ugandan Ministry of Education, which partners with Building Tomorrow.
“Our goal is to build a school by the end of four years,” Stevens said. She believes that as Middlebury’s chapter continues to grow, raising the $45,000 will become a feasible goal.
Contributing to the Middlebury chapter’s efforts is BT’s simple donation system. With its operational costs covered entirely by private donations and grants, BT can send all money raised by individual chapters directly to Uganda.
“It’s really efficient,” explained Sarah King ’12, a member of the Middlebury chapter.
“Giving a small donation makes an impact.”
She cited the Brick by Brick campaign as an example, in which a mere $5 donation purchased nine pounds of bricks in Uganda.
Middlebury’s money is well spent. Roughly 41 million children in sub-Saharan Africa live each day without access to public education. This crisis is especially problematic in Uganda, where over half the population is under the age of 15. This makes Uganda the youngest country in the world.
“It’s important for schools like Middlebury to realize that they can do really small things to [affect] people in different parts of the world who don’t have access to education like we do,” said King, describing her enthusiasm for Building Tomorrow.
Each BT school provides the Ugandan community with seven classrooms, a headmaster’s office, a library, toilets and a soccer field. A single BT academy serves 325 Ugandan children. Not bad for a country where barely half of all youth are able to complete primary school.
As they look toward the future, Middlebury’s Building
Tomorrow intends to make Bike to Uganda and Brick by Brick annual events.
In addition, the group is planning a newsletter campaign for the near future and next year hope to expand their fundraising into the greater Middlebury community, focusing particularly on the school communities.
While Middlebury didn’t quite make it all the way to Uganda, teams of cyclists collectively covered 3,700 miles, enough to reach the African coast. The members of team Steven Glansburg can enjoy their bragging rights as the group that biked the greatest distance, while 2 Live Crew came in second. Middlebury’s Building Tomorrow hopes that next year, as the organization grows, it’ll make it all the way to Uganda. Until then, the chapter can enjoy the success of its Bike to Uganda fundraiser, which succeeded in part due to the sheer simplicity of its design.
“That’s the draw of it — that it’s convenient,” said Christina Fox ’13.5 and Kari Nielsen ’13.5 as they biked their way through a late afternoon work-out.
Middlebury students have finally mastered multitasking. Now even their workouts are committed to social justice.
(04/15/10 4:00am)
Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) expanded service in the county by 40 percent on March 8, and as a result, ridership has significantly increased. In March alone, transit use grew by 14 percent on the Middlebury Shuttle, 25 percent on the Tri-Town Shuttle and 55 percent on the Saturday LINK to Burlington. College student use of the Saturday LINK alone increased by 87 percent, according to the Executive Director of ACTR Jim Moulton.
The ACTR increased its services from Middlebury to Burlington on Saturdays from two to four trips. Among other changes to the ACTR schedule, the bus now runs direct services to Bristol and Vergennes.
Moulton and Nadine Barnicle, community relations manager of ACTR, made the changes in early March and have had the month to make small tweaks to the schedule before heavily advertising.
“We did a soft start to make sure we were getting the schedule right,” Barnicle said.
Now, the ACTR has started to run a widespread promotional campaign, advertising on the radio and in various newspapers. The company also printed 7,500 brochures, 2,000 of which went to Middlebury students in their mailboxes.
“It’s 40 percent more service, so we want 40 percent more riders,” Barnicle said.
Barnicle related the response from the community to the shape of a bell curve. She noted that some people who have called have loved the changes and some have complained, but most have comfortably adjusted to the new schedule and routes. These responses indicate to ACTR administrators that the new schedule will stick.
“I’m optimistic there won’t be major changes,” Barnicle said.
ACTR will publish an updated schedule with more exact arrival and departure times in October when they have significant data, collected over the course of many months.
However, with the short-term review, Moulton and Barnicle are pleased with how business has been affected. Moulton attributed part of the jump in ridership to changing gas prices.
“Fuel prices have been going up slowly but steadily over the past few weeks,” Moulton said. “A rise which always causes commuters to consider using public transportation.”
Additionally, Barnicle is optimistic that more and more people will take the bus because of climate issues.
“We’re really part of the solution to climate change,” Barnicle said. “Transportation is a part of the energy conundrum.”
She noted that 46 percent of Vermont’s carbon emissions come from transportation, a percentage that can be easily decreased.
Barnicle observed that in a crowded room of Vermonters, two- thirds of those in the room would likely raise their hand when asked who used alternative fuels and ate organically. However, she speculated, if you asked the same room, “how many people take public transportation”, only five or six hands might go up.
“They’re making other important lifestyle choices,” Barnicle said of Vermonters. “We have to make a public transportation system accessible to them.”
In keeping with this mission, ACTR will be one of the sponsors of the “Way to Go Commuter Challenge” this year. During the week of May 17-21, the “Way to Go” challenge will encourage people to use forms of transportation other than their car
.
“The hardest part is to take our first step to change our behavior,” Barnicle said. “It’s about making people look around and say, ‘wow, there are ways to get somewhere other than my car.’”
As Middlbury residents seek changes in their transportation routine, Barnicle mentioned that the College has also been supportive of ACTR and she encouraged students as well as staff to use the bus.
“It can be a pleasant experience.” Barnicle said. “It helps college students to get around and is great for commuters.”
(04/15/10 4:00am)
When Tammy Duckworth was pejoratively labeled “the army mom” for giving out hot cocoa to soldiers before their morning flights, she knew something had to change.
Insulted by the epithet, Duckworth, captain of a 500-soldier aviation task force, stopped providing hot drinks for her crew. But when their performance began to suffer, she realized that her attitude needed to change.
“From this experience, I learned not to suppress my femininity, even in a field dominated by men,” Duckworth said, addressing the 2009 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. “I should have taken the term ‘army mom’ as a compliment.”
Duckworth, along with four other women, was honored at the conference as a Woman of Distinction. Hosted by the University of Rhode Island, the conference draws between 200 and 300 participants each year from colleges across the nation. The two-day event features keynote speakers, panels and workshops and the unique opportunity to network with women from all over the country. Among the attendees were Middlebury College students Ashley Cheung ’11 and Sydney Alphonso ’12.
Cheung and Alphonso initially heard about the conference through Sister to Sister. The organization plans activities for middle school girls from Middlebury, Bristol and Vergennes, including game nights at the Grille, cooking parties, and log rolling competitions. These activities bring together girls of all ages and provide a safe, engaging environment for younger participants. Both Cheung and Alphonso have been involved since their first year.
Ashley Panichelli ’10 is an active member of Sister to Sister. “For me, the most rewarding part of Sister to Sister has been being able to see a change in the middle school girls who attend our events,” she said. “They become more confident and eager with each year.”
For Alphonso, the highlight of the conference was listening to the speeches. “It’s amazing to hear people you admire talk about the things they’re passionate about,” she said.
The Women of Distinction, including Tammy Duckworth, Diane Rehm, Martine Rothblatt, Anucha Browne Sanders and Melissa Poe, were sources of inspiration for Cheung and Alphonso.
“They each had their own path to success,” said Alphonso.
Martine Rothblatt, a transgendered honoree, was recognized for founding a biotechnology company that has led efforts to develop new medicines for pulmonary arterial hypertension and ovarian cancer. Diane Rehm began her career as a volunteer producer and is now the host of National Public Radio’s “Diane Rehm Show.” Melissa Poe founded an environmental awareness organization, and Anucha Browne Sanders, currently the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Marketing at the University of Buffalo, was fired for speaking out against the sexual harassment she and her female colleagues faced while working as executives for the New York Knicks.
The speakers at the conference talked about the hardships they faced on the road to success. Keynote speaker Nontumbi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, talked about the discrimination she endured under apartheid in South Africa. With her friend and colleague, Rose Bader, Tutu formed an organization called Sister Sojourner, which brings together women from the United States and South Africa to interact and learn from one another.
“Think about the strong women who came before you and their struggles, and take action for those who come after you,” Tutu advised the attendees.
(04/15/10 3:59am)
Dristy Shrestha ’11 and Wyatt Orme ’12, along with Olivia Grugan ’12, have each been awarded $10,000 in funding from the Davis Projects for Peace initiative for projects to be completed in Guatemala and Nepal this summer.
Orme and Grugan will build a public library in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Their project, entitled “Unveiling Reality — A Library and Oral History Project in Guatemala,” seeks to inspire youth to investigate past violent events in order to encourage a better understanding of the country’s current volatility. The library will be located in a school where Grugan worked in 2008. Grugan and Orme hope to use their relationships with Guatemalans in order to gather an enthusiastic response to the project.
Dristy Shrestha ’11, for a project titled “Scouts to Promote Peace and Unity in Nepal,” will travel to Nepal to organize a camping event for more than 500 youth of different castes and ethnicities. Shrestha will work with Nepal Scouts, a national organization that organizes activities for Nepali youth 12 to 16 years old. She hopes the event will promote peace and unity by allowing youth to form friendships outside of their social and ethnic classes. Shrestha herself is from Nepal and an alum of the program.
Of the 25 projects submitted by College students, two were granted funding from Projects for Peace. The office of President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz will fund an additional project by Mahnaz Rezaie ’13 to build well-pumps in an Afghan community. Rezaie’s project, titled “Hand Well-pumps for Karte Amin 2nd, Herat, Afghanistan” will bring easier access to drinking water for a community of around 1,800 near the border with Iran.
Through the Davis Projects for Peace initiative, students from colleges and universities in the Davis United World College Scholars Program will receive a collective $1 million in funding during the summer of 2010 for self-designed grassroots projects in all regions of the world.
The philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis began the initiative in 2007 on the anniversary of her 100th birthday in order to encourage university students to launch their plans for building world peace.
(04/08/10 4:00am)
Middlebury’s comprehensive fee for the 2010-2011 academic year will rise 3.4 percent to $52,120, President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz confirmed on April 7. Factoring in the $380 annual student activities fee, this latest increase brings the total price of a year at Middlebury to $52,500.
The move reflects commitments Liebowitz made in his Feb. 12 address to limit tuition increases to less than one percent above the rate of inflation. Between December 2008 and December 2009, the Consumer Price Index rose 2.7 percent.
The Board of Trustees approved a range of potential fee increases during its February meeting and allowed the administration to set the final figure.
The comprehensive fee includes tuition, room and board. Students must also pay an activities fee of $380 and the College estimates students will require an additional $2,000 to pay for books and personal expenses.
For the current academic year, the comprehensive fee is $50,400.
Stay up-to-date on this year's comprehensive fee hike with The Campus — in print, on Twitter (@middcampus) and online, at www.middleburycampus.com.
(04/08/10 3:59am)
Conversations about women’s and gender issues are alive and well at Middlebury. Throughout the school year, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Chellis House, the Women’s Resource Center, organize roughly 60 events. Each February, we look at the intersections of race and gender, as exemplified in the WAGS and Chellis-supported “What is Color” series, organized by the student group Women of Color. March is dedicated to women’s history. During Gaypril, we look at issues of gender and sexuality. While the different “theme months” provide us with a red thread, we by no means restrict ourselves to covering merely one theme during a particular time period. If a speaker happens to be in the area or is only available on a certain date, we still make events happen.
This brings me to my next point: the work involved in organizing events. Any student who has ever tried to bring an event to campus can attest to the fact that it takes hours upon hours to have a successful outcome. In your article Feb. 25 “Women’s History Month celebrates 127 years of coeducation,” your writers criticize Chellis House, stating that the events for women’s history were badly advertised. They probably overlooked the fact that the programming for the women’s history month event series was emailed to the whole campus on Feb. 9 as well as subsequent reminders for single events. In addition, the College’s Web calendar lists events on a daily basis. For our big-name speaker Helen Benedict, we sent out an all-campus e-mail and hung up 70 posters all around campus.
I have often heard that students don’t read e-mails, yet, if you send them too many, they get upset. At an environmentally conscious campus as ours, paper posters are also frowned upon. I would therefore like to invite suggestions on how to best advertise events. It seems to me that organizers are caught between a rock and a hard place.
Helen Benedict’s lecture was organized in cooperation with St. Michael’s College, one of our “neighboring counterparts,” as your writers call them in their article. To my knowledge, Ms. Benedict’s lecture was the ONLY event at St. Michael’s for women’s history month. The women’s center at UVM organized six special events on their campus of 15,000. By comparison, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Chellis House organized eight events for a student population of 2,500. When your writers claim that Women’s History Month is celebrated “with less vigor” at Middlebury than at “neighboring counterparts,” they do not seem to be basing this claim on any research.
Your interviewee Lark Nierenberg wondered “how much conversation [and inspiration] comes from [celebrating women’s history month].” Judging from animated discussions at Chellis House and at other events, I cannot help but think that participants are stimulated intellectually and spiritually. Ms. Nierenberg herself is scheduled to give a talk for Gaypril at Chellis House on April 1. Your interviewee Ariel Smith remarked that nobody gave a “s**t about Black History Month [or Women’s History Month].” Many of our events, like Julia Alvarez’s lecture on March 10 (article “Alvarez ‘colors’ gender discussion”) are filled to the last seat. Some people do seem to care, after all.
And since this paper also serves as a promotional forum, I would like to invite the campus to our annual Gensler Endowment/CCSRE Symposium “Interrogating Citizenship: Sex, Class, Race, and Regimes of Power” on April 2 and 3. This symposium looks at how sexuality, class and race have affected the concept of citizenship in projects of nation building, war, empire and labor mobilization. The conversation continues ...
(03/18/10 4:59am)
I guess New York can’t let Illinois have all the fun.
On Feb. 26, New York State Governor David Paterson announced an end to his reelection campaign. For many voters, this was hardly news; Paterson — who was widely mocked by the national political establishment, lobbied by the Obama administration not to run and who stumbled into office as a poor replacement for disgraced Governor Elliot “Client Number Nine” Spitzer — had seen his approval rating dwindle to a mere 26 percent.
Even when Spitzer resigned in connection with a prostitution scandal in 2008, his approval rating remained slightly higher; at least he was competent in his office.
Paterson, who began his term with random confessions of previous cocaine use and extramarital affairs, constantly appeared out of his depth in the messy world of Albany politics. The only reason that his decision not to run again even made the front page was the governor’s clear connection to an aide’s domestic violence case.
The aide, David A. Johnson, allegedly stripped a female companion of her clothes, choked her, and stopped her from getting help. This should have prompted Johnson to seek an early retirement or to turn himself in to the authorities.
Instead, he had friends in the State Police contact the woman several times. When the police were apparently unable to quiet her, Johnson called in the big guns: he had longtime friend Paterson call the woman the day before she was due to appear in court.
She failed to show up the next day, and the case was dropped. Problem solved, right?
The governor appears to not recognize any wrongdoing on his part, seems bewildered by calls for his resignation and swears that he did not abuse his office; I guess he lets his staffers handle the abuse.
Barely had the cries for Paterson’s head subsided when another New York politician snatched the headlines: 20-term congressman Charles Rangel was finally forced from his powerful position as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee by a report that he took free, corporate-sponsored trips — plural — to the Caribbean.
While that alone would never dislodge the great Mr. Rangel, he is also currently under investigation for failing to disclose several checking accounts valued between $250,000 and $500,000, illegally renting four apartments in New York City and not reporting $75,000 in income from his villa in the Dominican Republic.
It’s hard to imagine his excuse for these transgressions, given the fact that his congressional committee writes the tax laws that the rest of us have to obey.
Under normal circumstances, those two stories would be enough to hold the attention of the ever-busy news media, but freshman Congressman Eric Massa from the 29th district seems fully intent and fully capable of topping the bizarre achievements of his two political elders. He announced on March 3 that he would not seek reelection due to health reasons.
It quickly became clear that those “health” concerns were an attempt to conceal a whole different type of problem: that the Congressman had sexually harassed a whole host of navy shipmates, colleagues and male staffers throughout the course of his career.
Allegations rapidly emerged that Massa told an aide they should “frakk,” that he once gave a navy shipmate an unwanted “snorkeling” late at night (look it up on UrbanDictionary), that the Congressman celebrated his 50th birthday with a rowdy “tickle fight” with his younger staffers and that he would brag about his special “Massa Massages.”
The Congressman tried to defend himself as “a salty old sailor” — as if that phrase wasn’t evidence enough of his guilt — and fired back that the White House had forced him out because he wouldn’t support the health care bill.
By the time he appeared on Glenn Beck the next day, Massa admitted to the obviously disappointed “crier-in-chief” at Fox News that his mistakes were his own.
Maybe Massa realized that he might want to save the slightest shred of dignity for his retirement; between a governor covering up an aide’s domestic abuse, a Congressman firmly in the pocket of corporate interests and another felled upon his own sword, so to speak, dignity seems to have completely abandoned the state of New York.
(03/18/10 4:59am)
Hamilton adopts need-blind admissions
While tough economic conditions have caused many colleges to favor applicants who do not require financial aid, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., has decided to swim against the current by adopting a need-blind admissions policy.
Admitting those students who would otherwise not be admitted due to financial needs will cost Hamilton $2 million a year. Six trustees have each pledged $500,000 to jumpstart the need-blind effort, but Hamilton’s long-term goal is to raise $40 million to permanently fund an endowment for need-blind admissions.
Hamilton is aware of the financial risks but is prepared to tackle them. Monica Inzer, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Hamilton, said that with the previous system, some students who were likely to be accepted were cut once the financial aid budget ran out. Those who did not require aid would be accepted instead.
Hamilton enacted this new aid policy, which will debut with this fall’s first-year class, in order to “level the playing field.” Inzer said that, although it is not always easy to do the right thing, the policy is the right thing to do.
—The New York Times
Naval Academy adopts stronger cyber security
The United States Naval Academy presented a plan last week that involves expanding its cyber security curriculum. An expansion of the program would better prepare the student body for cyber warfare.
According to the Associated Press, the Naval Academy recognizes that it falls behind the other two major military academies, the United States Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy, in preparing its students for defending and attacking computer systems.
The academy began to notably expand in December 2009 with a new center for cyber securities studies and has continued to do so. The academy is also testing three new courses this semester: “Cryptology and Network Security,” “Computer Forensics” and “Fundamentals of Cyber Security.” The school now offers cyber security internships, as well as a club as an outlet for more knowledge and experience.
—The Chronicle of Higher Education
Judge rules in favor of Californian students
John E. Munter, a judge of the Superior Court of San Francisco, ruled on March 10 that the University of California must pay a total of $38 million to thousands of former students who accused the university of raising fees illegally after promising not to. The university violated a contract in which it promised 2,900 professional school students a fixed tuition fee throughout their enrollment.
This is the second time the University of California has lost a class-action lawsuit because of increasing professional student fees.
Christopher M. Patti, a lawyer for the university, claims that the professional students were told that the university would increase its fees. Patti said that when the professional students enrolled, there was no longer a constant fee; therefore, they should have expected the additional costs.
—The Chronicle of Higher Education
(03/18/10 4:59am)
Last year, housing was more affordable in Vermont than in any year since 2003, according to the Vermont Economy Newsletter. This is certainly good news, but the downside is that “more affordable” is a relative term.
Each year the Vermont Housing Awareness Campaign (VHAC) publishes a study about affordable housing and the cost of living in Vermont, and its findings for 2009 are in sharp contrast with the recent rosy reports of housing’s new affordability. To buy a median-cost home, Vermonters must earn $63,000 a year, but 61 percent of Vermont households have incomes below that threshold. Furthermore, average rent saw a nine-percent increase from 2008, and has shot up 63 percent since 1996.
Affordability is calculated based on the cost of living and the ability of Vermonters to pay, and the steady increases in home and rental prices have outpaced growth in real incomes. Of the 10 jobs that employ the most Vermonters, 21 percent of the population, only three pay a wage rate high enough for the employee to afford housing.
The expense of living in Vermont has perpetuated a bigger problem: homelessness. The VHAC study estimates that there were over 5,000 Vermonters without a permanent residence in 2008. Many are staying in shelters for the first time and, on the whole, shelter residents are staying for longer periods of time; this is a chronic issue, not a short-term loss of shelter. The recent recession and job losses have exacerbated the issue, but this is a fundamental challenge for the state.
Although some efforts are underway, it’s important for Vermont to prioritize affordable housing initiatives. There are many affordable housing units being built around the state, but they simply are not meeting the need. In a time of budget cuts and lack of resources, it is more important than ever to be an advocate for affordable housing. Vermont faces numerous issues, from energy to transportation, but we must prioritize affordable housing, understanding that it is a critical challenge for today with implications for the future.
The stimulus bill and subsequent bills have shown an increased commitment at the federal level to fund affordable housing projects, but the Vermont legislature could show more commitment. After severe cuts to the Vermont State Housing Authority budget two years ago, funding has leveled, but it should be increased slowly as the economy recovers. Last Friday Governor Jim Douglas ’72 awarded $500,000 to Vergennes for 25 housing units, 20 of which are designated as affordable housing. Bravo — but I think we can afford to do more.
Addison County is in the bottom third for affordability among Vermont counties, and has also seen homelessness on the rise over the past several years. There are many ways to get involved with these issues in Middlebury, from Habitat to Humanity to volunteering at Mountain Street Transitional Housing.
The lack of affordable housing affects a broad spectrum of the population, from college students to refugees to retirees.
Affordable housing and homelessness are crucial problems right now, and they also jeopardize Vermont’s future. Many young adults leave Vermont because of the limited options for jobs with decent pay, especially in proportion to the high cost of living. Of the state’s many pressing concerns, we need to focus first on the ones that have such concrete repercussions. 5,000 people without a place to live is as concrete as it gets. It is essential and practical to address affordable housing, for the sake of homeless Vermonters and for the future viability of the state.
(03/11/10 5:00am)
3/5 - Governor Jim Douglas announced $630,000 in funding for an affordable housing project for the elderly as well as money to make the Georgia and Bristol municipal buildings handicapped accessible. These grants will reach five communities in Vermont. Vergennes will receive the $500,000 Community Development Block Grant that will be used toward improvements to infrastructure in the town.
3/4 - Health Commissioner Wendy Davis announced that almost one-third of Vermonters have been vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 influenza. He celebrated this report as a great achievement but also cautioned Vermonters that they should still take measures to ward off sickness. During the outbreak of H1N1, 149 Vermonters were hospitalized and three died.
3/3 - Trout fishing will begin on Saturday, April 10 this year. Vermont’s 2010 stocking schedule will soon be available. Anglers can go to http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com and click “Fishing” to see an interactive map of where different species of fish will be stocked.
(03/11/10 4:59am)
Members of the Student Government Association (SGA) committed $12,000 to expand Midnight Breakfast this spring at its meeting on March 7.
Based on high student attendance in the fall and positive feedback from the student body, the Student Government Association has decided to continue and expand Midnight Breakfast. For three nights during spring term finals, students, hungry and tired from studying, will be able to fuel up in the early hours of the morning. This one-night expansion will be funded by the SGA. Each night will cost $4,000.
The SGA also discussed the current state of the fitness center. Molly Dwyer ’10, student co-chair of Community Council, commented on the lack of maintenance of the exercise equipment available in the fitness center and the inconvenient hours of operation. During the week, the gym is open from 6 to 9 a.m., but then closes until noon. Although many faculty members use the gym during the early morning hours, Dwyer believes students would make more use of mid-morning gym time. Improved equipment and increased hours of operation would benefit all members of the College community, from professors to varsity athletes, she believes.
Jess Poracky ’13, a member of the Panthers’ varsity softball team, agrees that the current hours are not conducive to many students’ schedules.
“Many times, I am finished with classes before noon, and it would be so convenient to be able to go to the gym then,” Poracky said. “It would also be extremely helpful for the gym to open earlier on the weekends.”
Although the SGA has not decided what course of action it will take because funding for the gym is part of the tuition-based athletic facilities budget. SGA members agreed to appraise the situation to determine whether they can or should make any financial contributions to improve the situation. The SGA plans to contact Director of Athletics Erin Quinn to determine the next steps to be taken to provide new, functional equipment and more convenient hours of operation.
The body also discussed the SGA’s finances at the meeting. SGA President Mike Panzer ’10 reviewed the funds requested by various SGA Cabinet committees. Although final approval must come from SGA Treasurer Tom Brush ’10, the SGA agreed to the allocation of the funding, which Panzer described as “pre-apportioned budgets [that] will facilitate and expedite work that cabinet committees undertake.” The funds include $500 to the Environmental Committee to continue its efforts to increase environmental consciousness on campus, through table-top ads in the dining halls and through the continuation of campus sustainability tours. Additionally, $1,500 will be allocated to the Diversity Committee to help with the cost of hosting speakers and conducting workshops. The bike club will receive $1,500 as well. The money will come from the student activity fees fund. The Finance Committee also has agreed to pay in full the individual entry and registration fees for members of the cycling and equestrian clubs.
(03/11/10 4:59am)
BASEBALL
After what Coach Bob Smith called a “disappointing” season last year, the Middlebury Panthers baseball team is looking to rebound this season and achieve the same kind of success that brought them their first NESCAC championship in 2006. The Panthers finished 14-16 last year.
“Last season was tough,” said P/C Nick Angstman ’11. “We were really hurt by injuries.” Smith also cited injuries as a reason last year’s team did not live up to its own expectations. However, those injuries did force younger players to step into bigger roles than they might have otherwise played, and that could translate into more success this spring. “We have very few guys who haven’t seen significant time at their positions,” said Angstman.
The Panthers are looking to revive last year’s strong offensive performance, when they recorded the second-highest batting average in the conference, finishing only behind eventual national champion Trinity. Key players in the lineup hoping to maintain last year’s hitting success include OF Erich Enns ’10, 3B/P Donny McKillop ’11, and team captain 1B Mark Shimrock ’09, who hit .421 last year on the way to being named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Division-III All-Star team.
Pitching and defense were two areas in which the Panthers struggled last season, finishing seventh in the conference in both team ERA and fielding percentage. However, Smith said that this season the team can improve in both of those categories. “One of our main goals is to reduce free bases, such as those given up by errors and walks,” he said.
The pitching rotation this season is anchored by Angstman and seniors Steve Shortle ’09, Rob Palladino ’09 and Matt Joseph ’09. Other key players on the defensive side include SS Dave Miranowski ’09 and outfielders Enns, Alex Blair ’10 and Tim Dillon ’09. The biggest question the Panthers have this spring involves the catching position, which Smith calls an “open situation.” Angstman will see time at both pitcher and catcher, and other players will compete for the spot. If the Panthers can fill the catcher’s position and improve in the areas where they struggled last year, the squad has the potential for a competitive year. Said Angstman, “If we can throw strikes and make the routine plays this year, I think we’ll fare well.”
“We have been coming to practice with a purpose and we have been getting better every day,” said Shimrock, who hopes to lead his team to NESCAC playoffs. “As long as we continue to come to practice with a desire to get better everyday and maintain a high level of focus, we can achieve this goal.”
—Dillon Hupp, Staff Writer
SOFTBALL
The women’s softball team has an enormous amount of potential this season, with many key returning players and a motivated freshman class.
Led by strong senior co-captains Natalie Komrovsky ’09 and Amelia Magistrali ’09, the team will surely be ready to take on NESCAC competition this season.
The team as a whole gained a lot of experience last season. Specifically, the current sophomore class includes seven of the 14 members of the team and now has a season under their belt.
“We had a lot of young players starting last year and that experience is sure to help us this season,” said Nellie Wood ’11.
Starting a new tradition, the team will travel to Southern California over spring break this year to practice outdoors and play their first 11 games — including their NESCAC opener against Williams — at Pomona-Pitzer.
“While it’s been frustrating playing inside during the preseason, we should be ready to hit the ground running when our season begins over spring break,” said Magistrali. “It’s a really important trip, not only because we finally begin our season outdoors, but we’ll be playing three games against Williams at the end of the week. We want to send a message right from the beginning of the season that we’re ready to compete with the top NESCAC teams this year.”
The competition will definitely be strong in the NESCAC west division, but the women’s softball team will be competitive, vying for one of the top two spots to qualify for the NESCAC tournament.
— Elissa Goeke, Staff Writer
MENS TENNIS
The Middlebury tennis team hopes to come out swinging when the spring season kicks off this Saturday at NYU. Undeniably one of the top D-III programs in the nation, the Panthers won the NCAA national championship in 2004 and have earned six straight trips to the NCAA final four. When asked about goals for the season, tri-captain Andrew Thomson ’10 was firm in his conviction. “There is no denying that our team goal is to win a National Championship this spring,” he said.
The Panthers are also looking to regain their NESCAC crown which they had held from ’04-’07 but lost in the finals last year. This year’s team seems to be poised to do just that. Although the team graduated a top national player in Filip “The Flash” Marinkovic ’08, the tri-captains — Thomson, Andrew Lee ’10 and Conrad Olson ’09 — point to the depth and work ethic of the team as great strengths. The tri-captains also prided the team on their singles play, but said that there was work to be done with the doubles squads.
The incoming first-years will undoubtedly add depth and strength to the program.
“It is refreshing to know that if senior players suffer injuries,” said Olson, “we have excellent first-year players ready to step in and play — [if they aren’t] already playing, of course.”
While many Middlebury students will be stuck on campus over spring break, the tennis team will be in California for some early season matches and training. The trip will allow the team to start their season with some stiff competition from D-III and D-I schools. The matches in California will also set the tone for the season.
“They will be a chance to make an impression on some of the better teams,” said Lee.
Back east, the Panthers will face some tough competitors in the NESCAC from the likes of Williams and Amherst. Although confident, when pressed for predictions, the tri-captains refused to commit to any results; rather, they stressed that the team members will work and play as hard as they can.
— Martin Breu, Staff Writer
WOMENS TENNIS
Panther women’s tennis starts up again this weekend with the Middlebury Invitational, a two-day event in which Middlebury will compete against teams from Brandeis, NYU, Connecticut College and Bates College.
According to senior co-captain Clare Burke ’09, “[the team] has been working really hard during this preseason and I think everyone is ready to have that work translate into solid match play.”
The spring season will be filled with challenging matches against some of the best Division III teams in the country, including the top-ranked Williams College team and the number two ranked squad from Washington and Lee.
The Panthers struggled with injuries in the fall, and once again will be missing some key players for the first few weeks of the spring season due to injuries.
“The diagnoses for the most part have been positive and it seems that none of [the injuries] are super serious,” said Burke. “A couple of players have to take a week or two off. Even so, I think the team is looking good. People worked very hard in the off-season, especially our freshmen, and it shows. I think we are going to have a very good season.”
The team certainly has a great outlook for the season, and hopes that under the guidance of captains Burke and Elizabeth Stone ’09, the players will be able to win their first NESCAC championship this spring.
“We have a fairly young team with five freshmen, but everyone is very talented and dedicated,” said Annie Weinberg ’10. “We certainly have a shot at beating some of the top teams.”
Taking the numerous team injuries into account, the team hopes that its attitude and hard work in the off-season will translate into a successful spring.
— Alex Lovett-Woodsum, Staff Writer
MENS LACROSSE
After being unceremoniously dethroned in the NESCAC semifinals, the date with Williams on April 24 cannot come soon enough for the Panthers. The loss, and the season as a whole, was less an indicator of a slip in Panther skill than of the emerging parody in Division III lacrosse. The men’s streak of eight consecutive NESCAC championships ended last year, but the storied program seems poised to start anew this season. Ranked by InsideLacrosse and LaxPower as preseason #3 and #4, respectively, it would appear that the lacrosse world agrees.
The Panthers are losing several key players from last year’s quarterfinals run. The attack will continue to use a heavy dose of Pete Smith’s ’10 distributing, Matt Ferrer’s ’09 crease work and Tom Petty’s ’09 dodging, but they lose honorable mention all-American Jim Cabrera ’08 and his 23 goals from a year ago. Cabrera’s size, strength and powerful shot complemented others’ strengths and created space for strong midfield dodges. David Hild ’12 took this past off-season very seriously, adding muscle and honing his shot in preparation to fill Cabrera’s large shoes.
On the defensive side, Middlebury has a very young corps of long poles. The Panthers lost honorable mention all-American John Bambrick ’08 and second team all-American James Guay at close defense, as well as long-pole midfield specialist Glenn Bickley ’08. Charlie Schopp ’10 returns at close defense with football standout Mike Quinn ’09, but three first-year players, Matt Rayner ‘12, Briggs Davis ’12 and Henry Clark ’12 will see extensive time. Captain Pete Britt ’09 gained a critical year of experience between the pipes last season, but the success of the defense rides on the ability of youngsters to step up.
After a drought of NCAA finals appearances, the Panthers look to prove that they belong with the likes of Gettysburg, Salisbury and Cortland State as perennial title-contenders. The team has assembled the pieces around NESCAC player of the year and first team all-American Mike Stone ’09, but the real question is if they will fit. Let’s hope that this time when Williams rolls into town with their vertically-challenged goalie, we can remember it as the game that sparked the run, not the game that ended the streak.
— Jeb Burchenal, Staff Writer
WOMENS LACROSSE
Middlebury women’s lacrosse ended last season with a 9-7 loss to Hamilton in the NCAA regional final. That was the first time the team did not make an appearance in the Final Four in 14 years.
This year, they are looking to make history in a different way.
With a new defensive method and some talented offensive threats, the squad has different plans for this season.
Middlebury’s defense seems like it will be the backbone of the team.
Last year Middlebury played with a zone in the defensive end but this year the team is switching to a different plan of attack.
Attacker Chase Delano ’11 commented that “the new ‘D’ we will be using is a lot more intimidating and aggressive and will rattle a lot of the attack that we face on opposing teams this season.”
Anchored by a pair of senior co-captains — defender Taryn Petrelli ’09 and goalie Blair Bowie ’09 — the Panther defense is up to the challenge of adjusting its tactics.
“They are speedy and aggressive and have been working great together in the new defensive system,” Delano added.
Middlebury’s offensive squad has the potential to be some of the fiercest competition in the league.
After losing some high scoring seniors, Middlebury will look to different players to generate scoring opportunities this season, relying on upperclassmen Dana Heritage ’10 and tri-captain Kate Barton ’09.
“We have big shoes to fill after losing seniors like Katherine Entwisle and Mimi Shatz on attack, but we also have some new rookie talent to look forward to, as well as some returners who really know how to light it up,” said Delano, who proved to be an offensive threat last year in her freshman campaign.
Whether on offense or defense, the players on the Middlebury team are well prepared for the exciting challenges that the season will bring.
The Panthers opened the season with a 14-6 win over Bates College and will play their first home game on Friday, March 13 against Babson.
— Julia Ireland, Staff Writer
GOLF
After the long winter hiatus, the men’s and women’s golf teams are ready to break out their clubs and hit the ground running. Both teams had very strong fall seasons, putting them in a great position to go to nationals.
“We’re definitely excited to start the spring season again,” said Courtney Mazzei ’11, who placed first overall in the NESCAC Tournament and led the team as the Panthers clinched NESCACs last October at Williams.
The Panthers are hoping to follow up on last year’s 14th-place finish at the Division III national tournament in Iowa. They are ranked fourth in the nation after their fall season and are poised to make a return.
“We’re going to have to overcome the rustiness from the winter,” she said. “We’re all working back into it and spring break is going to be really important for us.” The team is going to Florida over break to fine tune for the upcoming season.
“We’re really optimistic,” said Liz Hirsch ’11. “We have everything we need; the biggest challenge is going to be putting it together.”
The men’s team is also looking to capitalize on their strong fall and make another run at Nationals.
“Last year in the spring, we made a really big push to qualify for nationals and fell just short,” said Brian Cady ’11. “We know going into this year that we can do it.”
The Panthers hosted the NESCAC qualifier last September and put on a show for the home crowd, coming in first and setting the stage for the NESCAC finals this April.
The key to success for the men is going to be beating these schools again and having a strong spring break.
“Mike McCormick ’09 is going to be the senior we’re going to look to for a solid performance,” said Cady. “We have the people that can shoot the scores to make nationals.”
The season opens up in Florida, at the Division III national course against Williams. The Ephs, Hamilton, and Trinity are going to be the Panthers’ biggest rivals, with all three schools coming to Middlebury for the NESCAC finals. If the Panthers can beat them again, they will receive an automatic bid to Nationals.
— James Schwerdtman, Staff Writer
TRACK AND FIELD
Anyone intimately acquainted with the track and field world will tell you that the indoor season is really more of a buildup to outdoor than a true season in its own right. It essentially serves as a barometer to outdoor success, and if this year’s indoor season is any indication, the Middlebury track and field team should be in good shape making the transition from the bubble to the track this spring. Both the women’s and men’s squads, after 3rd- and 7th-place respective finishes in NESCACs last spring, are looking to build upon last year’s success.
“The competition is going to be harder this year,” said Alice Wisener ’11. “Based on indoor results, it looks like we are going to have a better team and will be able to compete at a higher level.” The women’s middle-distance and distance events in particular look poised for a great season, building off the success of both the women’s cross country and indoor seasons. Kaitlynn Saldanha ’11 will be one to watch in the spring after qualifying provisionally for Nationals in the indoor season in the 800-meter event. Sophia Spring ’11 saw a great rookie season last spring running the 1500 and 3000 and will likely add another dimension to the women’s d aistance success this season. After breaking school records in both the 500 and 600 in the indoor season, Katy Magill ’11 promises to carry the middle-distance team into the spring season, while rookie Becca Fanning ’12, running well in both the 500 and 600m indoors, is hoping to add to the success of this talented bunch in the 400.
A solid core of senior leaders, anchored by co-captains Kelley Coughlan ’09 and Jen Katz ’09, will carry this relatively young team into the season. Jen Brenes, also a senior and current 100-meter hurdles school record holder, should be another invaluable veteran while rookie Mia Martinez ’12, building off success in the 55m hurdles in indoor, represents just one athlete in a very talented class of first-years.
On the men’s side, an excellent jumping crew, led by pole vaulters Adam Dede ’11 and a currently-injured Kristoffer Williams ’11, could shape up to be one of the best in the NESCAC. Leadership should be provided by a good group of seniors including captains Ben Fowler ’09 in the 800 and Chandler Koglmeier ’09 in the hammer throw. Look to Micah Wood ’10, an all-NESCAC and all-New England runner in the 200 and 400, to lead the mid-distance sprinters and keep an eye open for up-and-coming rookies John Montroy ’12 in the 110 hurdles and Mike Schmidt ’12, current school record holder in the 3000.
The goal of the season, according to Martin Beatty ’84, is to “do as best as we can in our conference,” hopefully culminating in a team win in NESCACs. Going into a challenging season, he believes the key to success will be “really good strength across the board,” something such a diverse and talented team seems to have in full supply.
While only time will tell for this Middlebury team, prospects for a successful spring season look good.
— Alyssa O’Gallagher, Staff Writer
(03/04/10 5:00am)
“I rarely go anywhere without my camera because I enjoy photo-documenting my life,” said Vincent A. Jones IV, one of the most eccentric members of the Class of 2012.
“I’m regarded as quite a prominent Facebook personality. I have over 2,300 friends, 200 well-composed profile pictures from my countless self-conducted photo shoots, and over 100 vibrant photo albums,” explained Jones with a grin of accomplishment as we began what was to be an hour of detailed anecdotes and meticulously crafted statements.
Like a celebrity bracing for a media backlash, Jones immediately defended his penchant for self-pics, stating, “Let me be clear — my photo shoots are not rooted in narcissism. Modern technology improves access and opportunity for so many people; where photography and sound recording were once reserved for a chosen few, now anyone can lay down and edit a track, record a video and have more facile access to high quality cameras.”
When asked to disclose an estimate of how many photographs he had on his computer, Jones didn’t hesitate, responding, “My photo library currently stands at 30,000 photographs, with 3,500 of those being pictures of myself.”
In attempt to better understand the man behind this social networking phenomenon, I asked Jones about his life before Middlebury.
“I hail from the San Francisco Bay area of California — Newark, to be exact,” he said. “I was probably one of the most well-known students on campus in high school due to my work with the California Association of Student Councils where I would host leadership conferences all over the state. At the height of my involvement, I was on a plane twice a month.”
When it came to choosing a college, Jones had to make a decision between the sunny campus of UC-Berkeley and our isolated Northeastern institution.
“I was arrested by the fall foliage and distinct sense of community during my first visit to the College through the Discover Middlebury Program,” said Jones. “Middlebury professors are very engaged and are interested in the overall student. They cultivate the total person.”
The decision to move all the way across the country initially worried and confused his family, but Jones noted, “I’m here after tears and mediation, and I’m thriving as a first-generation college student.”
Demonstrating his immense appreciation for the Vermont school, Jones loves to get people excited about applying to Middlebury.
“I already have my class ring!” exclaimed Jones. “I work as both a multicultural recruitment intern at the Office of Admissions and as a campus tour guide. To demonstrate the wonderful acoustics of the concert hall at the Mahaney Center for the Arts, I typically serenade my tour group with whatever comes to mind from ‘Danny Boy’ to ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight.’” Hearing my surprised laugh, Jones went on to say, “I’m a countertenor and I just recently hit the highest C on the piano.”
Delving further into his involvement on campus, Jones expanded on his work within admissions, saying, “Middlebury is a place where I matter, a place where I can actively contribute to the community.”
Before we could move to the next topic, Jones, like an idealistic politician, continued, “I feel that it is my duty to advance public good, promote common interests, and extend benevolence to all — to have a profound impact on my classmates.”
Included in his quest for a closer Middlebury community is Jones’ work to encourage multiculturalism on campus as both the R.A. of PALANA and the house’s resident Leadership Development Coordinator.
“I take great joy in cultivating leadership in my peers, and help them create projects to promote multiculturalism,” said Jones. “My current PALANA initiative is to bring the Dartmouth Gospel Choir to Middlebury in order to expose students to a new culture through a community building event. The ripples of this endeavor will be felt both locally and internationally.”
The help of Jones not only affects those of us on campus, but this active student also remains in close contact with his California roots through a personal newsletter.
“This publication is known as the Vincent Jones Newsletter, which is distributed to friends and family, my church congregation, company executives and potential future sponsors,” explained Jones. “The newsletter typically quantifies my acts of virtue and informs readers of my progress.”
Jones went on to explain that his eponymous newsletter is also intended to inspire youth to pursue higher education, saying, “I bear in mind those who do not have the knowledge or salience about the path towards higher education.”
As the interview wore down, it was clear that Jones is a man who lives a well-documented life with a passion for the arts and multicultural projects. Within this hour I learned a great deal about Jones, from the cover album of favorite songs he is currently recording to his insatiable obsession with Ethiopian cuisine.
My final conclusion: Vincent A. Jones IV is ready for Middlebury, but are we ready for him?
(02/25/10 5:00am)
The Middlebury women’s swimming and diving team hosted the NESCAC tournament this past weekend, finishing in a solid third place. The meet ran from Friday until Sunday, and the competition was tight throughout the three days. In the days leading up the meet, the ladies were working hard and staying focused.
“There is not much to say pre-meet except that we are on edge and hyped,” said co-captain Katie Remington ’10 and Emma Johnson ’10 the day before competition. The senior leaders on the team kept up their energy throughout the week leading up to the meet, and fed their younger compatriots’ minds with what competing in the NESCAC meet is really all about: competition, excitement and tradition.
Williams came in first place, compiling a tally of 1,954 points. Amherst snuck into second with 1,376 points and Middlebury fell right behind them with 1,148 points.
There were many notable individual accomplishments on the Middlebury squad. Diver Megan Collins ’12 won the three-meter event and received 442.35 points, just missing the pool record of 444.65 points. She also took second in the one-meter dive and received Diver of the Meet honors. Additionally, the Middlebury diving coach, Lisa Gibbs, was named NESCAC diving coach of the year.
Several rookie swimmers turned in standout performances in the meet. Jen Friedlander ’13 had an impressive first NESCAC appearance, seizing the NESCAC title in the 1000-freestyle, finishing in 10:18.30 and breaking the pool record. In addition to capturing that title, she also placed second in the 200-intermedley. Rookie teammate Nora Daly ’13 had a successful weekend as well, capturing second in the 200-freestyle, third in the 50-freestyle, and third in the 100-freestyle.
Audrey Tolbert ’13 also had an impressive meet, as she proved her endurance finishing fifth in the 500-freestyle and sixth in the 1,650-freestyle.
The relay teams upheld this pattern of success as well. Most notably, the 800-freestyle relay team, comprised of Katherine Loftus ’12, Annie Friedlander ’11, Daly and Tolbert, came out victorious with a time of 7:35.33, breaking the school record by six seconds.
“Audrey Tolbert did an incredible job holding off one of the fastest D-III swimmers (from Williams) in the country as the anchor leg of that relay,” commented co-captain Katie Soja ’10. Additionally, the 200-medley relay team, which included Salena Casha ’13, Remington, Yu Wang ’10 and Friedlander, finished in a solid fourth place. The 400-freestyle relay team, comprised of Daly, Tolbert, Remington and Casha, finished in third place, as did the 200-freestyle team made up of Daly, Tolbert, Loftus and Remington.
“It was really incredible,” said Soja of the weekend. “I think we shocked a lot of teams, and beat a lot of people who were beating us earlier in the season.” The women’s team is happy to have had a successful season, and looks forward to cheering on the men’s team who will be competing at Williams in the NESCAC tournament
(02/25/10 5:00am)
The much-anticipated music video to “Midd Kid,” by the Allen Jokers, which premiered on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Donald E. Axinn ’51 Center at Starr Library, continues to stir controversy among all members of the College community. Some see the video as an honest interpretation of campus social life; to others, it represents little more than amusing satire; still others reject its emphasis on certain social groups and behaviors to the exclusion of others.
The song “Midd Kid” is the creation of Sam Robinson ’11 who, with the help of his older brother and Colin Meany ’11, composed the lyrics. Using Logic Studio and the additional vocals of Phil Gordon ’11, Andrew Plumley ’11 and Alyssa Limperis ’12, they mixed and recorded the song and, last November, shared the finished product with some friends.
Until then, the group had not seriously considered filming anything more than an amateur video with handheld cameras. But through the encouragement of Michaela O’Connor ’11, a Film and Media Culture (FMMC) major, they connected with Shane Mandes ’10, also a FMMC major, and Aaron Becker ’10, who runs the business side of Windward Entertainment, a film production company based in Los Angeles. The two offered to produce a professional music video through Becker’s company, and when Robinson agreed, the group entered into the planning process.
Two months later, Aram Rappaport, the video’s director and Becker’s partner at Windward, flew from Los Angeles with filming equipment, and shooting took place on campus over the weekend of Jan. 23-25. After two weeks of editing the raw cuts, the video premiered this past Saturday and was released on YouTube and the Allen Jokers’ Web site on Sunday.
“It started out as a small thing,” said Mandes. “But then the popularity really started to get out of control, and we realized it could be a lot bigger of a project.”
Some find offense in the Allen Jokers’ blatant exploitation of common stereotypes of Middlebury students for humor.
“It doesn’t portray Midd in a fair way,” said Sam Carlson ’10. “It shows us as a bunch of partiers. During the refrain, they didn’t even play on the Nalgene theme. Instead, they just showed scenes of people singing. They weren’t playing off any of our cool stereotypes at all. That’s what really bothers me.”
“I thought the song was really witty, but I was turned off by the music video,” said Sarah Simonds ’11. “It was a bunch of drunk, slobbering people partying. This is supposed to be a positive image of Middlebury?”
Some members of groups directly targeted by the video have found its interpretation of their behaviors and attitudes somewhat vexing. Jack Balaban ’12, a member of the varsity lacrosse team, described the video’s portrayal of lacrosse players as a “sensitive subject” among team members.
“Obviously, we think of ourselves as more dynamic members of the Middlebury community than a bunch of bros in visors throwing up on girls,” Balaban said. “I think that if people are being honest with themselves, they would agree with that. The video simply perpetuates a stereotype. Its easy to make fun of this particular stereotype, just like any other stereotype … But it can become tiresome, and I think that it is interesting to note that were any number of other stereotypes on campus made fun of in that fashion, people would be outraged.”
“I respect the hard work needed to make such a video,” said captain of the lacrosse team Pete Smith ’10. “I think some groups targeted in the song are misrepresented which is unfortunate, but I also understand … that the song is a joke, so I’ll just take it as that.”
Other students were impressed by the video’s professional quality.
“I was really proud of the ‘Midd Kid’ rap,” said Charles Giardina ’12. “They did a really good job, and the production value of the video was great.”
Renee Igo ’11, a cabin and trail coordinator for the Middlebury Mountain Club and a self-described “authoritative granola voice,” referring to the video’s jab at outdoorsy students, said she found the video “funny.”
“I don’t take the rap seriously as a representation of Middlebury or me as a Middlebury student,” she said. “I don’t think this rap is going to change people’s perception of Midd.”
The video was funded in part by Atwater, Brainerd, Cook and Ross Commons; the Allen Jokers provided the remaining half. Becker rejected funds from Wonnacott Commons because the money came with, as he put it, “fairly ridiculous” requirements; for example, the Wonnacott mascot must be featured in the video.
Becker contacted Nalgene in order to obtain clearance to use the corporation’s products in the video; Nalgene granted clearance immediately and even donated products. Becker is currently in discussions with the company over a possible 30-second Internet advertisement, made with clips from the “Midd Kid” video.
The producers never contacted Odwalla, Inc., whose product features prominently in the video, about corporate clearance. The scene was a late addition, Becker explained, and he did not have time to contact the company.
“So we risked some, and took more practical approaches with others,” he said. “The whole idea is to limit them [corporate logos].”
The video was filmed over the course of three days, during which Mandes and others in the production team “didn’t sleep for two of the nights,” as he reported. Production schedule included 12-hour days for some; shooting began at 6 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 25, in McCullough Social Space, with approximately 60 extras in attendance.
The College never granted official permission for the filming to take place. Mandes had to register for approval as an extracurricular independent project in order to obtain what film space the team was able to procure and to rent equipment from the FMMC department. Administration officials declined to comment for this story.
“Every single second was an adrenaline rush,” he said. “We got to meet tons of people, and work with great people, and at the end of it, it was just the most rewarding experience.”
The team behind the video seemed to anticipate the range of reactions their final product would receive.
“You get different reactions from every single group,” said Mandes. “I’ve heard absolutely everything … I think it’s great that it pushes the envelope that much and it’s that prominent that we can provoke different responses. We accept all criticism, and we embrace it, and we encourage you to lash out if you don’t like it, and encourage you to back it up if you like it. We appreciate all the opinions.”
Alumni have also actively praised the video, both personally to its creators and in online comment boards on YouTube.
“I talked to a bunch of recent alumni who, when they heard the song, were reminiscing about Middlebury and how much they missed it,” said Becker. “I think adding a video to that song makes the memories that much more concrete.”
About 500 people, including three members of the Board of Trustees, attended the Saturday night premiere. The line extended from the screening room out the front door of the Axinn Center, and the video had to be shown seven times in order to accommodate the crowds.
“What I heard is that the trustees really liked it, which is good news, because we shot it without the College really supporting it,” said Becker. “So it’s good to have the trustees on our side. That’s great news.”
The video’s creators repeatedly emphasized their essentially comic intentions.
“I know there are going to be people that don’t like it because it’s sexist, but it’s a rap video, come on, it’s supposed to be like that,” said Robinson. “It’s a parody on rap videos, and that’s why it’s funny. You’ve got to lighten up … It didn’t need to represent Middlebury accurately, and I think it’s good that it doesn’t. The video wouldn’t be as funny.”
“It has to be taken with a grain of salt,” said Limperis. “It’s a big exaggeration, but in order for it to be funny it has to be like that.”
“Obviously there’s more to Middlebury than what’s represented in the video, and obviously there’s lots of admirable and passionate and amazing people here, but they don’t make for a very funny rap song,” said Charlie Taft ’11, one of the video’s assistant producers, who launched the Allen Jokers’ Web site. “That was the intention — to have fun and make people laugh … I think when you say it doesn’t represent Middlebury, well obviously that’s true, but it’s also an unfair criticism because that was never the goal.”
(02/18/10 5:01am)
Last Thursday, Feb. 11, the seven seniors of the environmental science 401 seminar (taken during this Winter Term) presented their research findings about the effectiveness of forests at sequestering carbon. The students’ message about the College, the environmental studies program and its relationship with the greater Vermont community questioned the viability of the biomass facility.
For the first time this year, the ES department offered its senior seminar during the winter term. For Alice Ford ’10, ES 401 was a huge success. Although the compression of all that research into four short weeks was obviously stressful, she said that “having the seminar during J-term was great. It let us concentrate on just our research without having to do, well, other classes.”
In another change this year, the ES department decided to create a common theme among the three seminars (fall, winter, spring). All three groups of students will focus on energy.
Specifically, the Winter Term group researched carbon sequestration and storage. Ford said that, in general, they wanted to study “the procurement standards that the College uses for biomass so that they consider more of the forests’ sequestration potential.” “Procurement standards” is just the scientific way of saying, “how we go about getting” the biomass (i.e. forest material like trees, leaves and brush) that the College burns at its plant. The ES students believe that the way in which we harvest biomass material is affecting the carbon storage potential of the forests. Trees take in carbon dioxide, store the carbon inside the wood, and give off resultant oxygen. Forests therefore store a lot of carbon within them. This process of taking CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it is called carbon storage. Carbon sequestration is actually taking the CO2 and eliminating it altogether. The ES 401 students collected data on how much carbon a forest can store and how different harvesting practices affect those numbers.
This research led the students to a number of interesting conclusions. The students were able to come up with some rough estimates of the potential carbon storage of Middlebury lands. The 1,297 hectares of land that Middlebury owns both near campus and at Bread Loaf is capable of storing between 323,000 and 354,000 tons of carbon. They calculated that as the forest grows, untouched, carbon storage increases by about 10,000 tons per year. For reference, the Middlebury Web site indicates that the biomass facility is meant to decrease the College’s total carbon emissions by 12,500 tons, a fraction of the amount being stored in its lands. Unfortunately, the estimates presented by the group were extremely rough. There does not exist enough data to make accurate estimates. The students were forced to use data from other types of forests and equations meant for other places in the United States.
Ford explained that “this work needs to be done. With more resources, we could have done a lot more.” In this regard, one of the other things students in the ES seminar had to learn was “how frustrating it is to research modern ES concepts.”
The biomass facility on campus is the jewel of the College’s sustainability program, but both the fall group and these Winter Term seniors agree that Middlebury’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2016 cannot be accomplished with the biomass facility running as it does now. While previously biomass gassification was thought to be nearly carbon neutral, that opinion is changing — beacause, while burning biomass is much better than the burning of fossil fuels, it is still a deeply flawed process, according to students of ES 401.
Their study of carbon sequestration indicates that naturally growing forests are the optimal way to store carbon. Any thinning, harvesting, or managing in general will hamper the forest’s ability to store the carbon. Carbon storage in the forests is a naturally occurring process that has been regulating the CO2 levels in the atmosphere since the dawn of time. However, as more forests are cut, the gap between the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere and the carbon being stored widens, increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, and thereby contributing to be a major source of climate change.
Carbon storage, then, must be considered in any calculation of carbon neutrality. Ford said that any cutting of trees results in the “missing out on potential carbon sequestration.” Those trees could be storing carbon, and cutting them is the same as releasing that same amount of potential into the atmosphere. Also, the soil, which is the best store of carbon available, is exposed to sunlight by the cutting of trees, which releases even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The procurement standards that the seminar put together are a way of optimizing the carbon storage of the forests. Things like selective cutting, observing longer harvesting cycles, and managing the ages of the trees would maintain higher levels of carbon storage while still enabling the plant to obtain biomass for energy. Still, the best way to maintain carbon storage is through “passive management.”
Meghan Blumstein ’11, who attended the colloquium, described the presentation as the “best example at Middlebury of community outreach,” adding that “the ES department makes an effort to connect their research to the greater Vermont community.” Dale Freundlich ’10 was likewise encouraged by the “connection with the community, which is often lacking at the College.” This seminar worked with Vermont Family Forests in an effort to educate farmers about carbon sequestration and set up procurement standards for community farmers. The farmers that are part of VFF are environmentally conscious. Unfortunately, according to Lizzie Horvitz ’10, “landowners are not aware of carbon sequestration.” There is simply not enough information or research, especially on the local level because so much of the storage depends upon variables such as the specific soils and trees found in the area. Middlebury needs to research the economics of biomass procurement and into the exact amount of carbon storage potential of its lands to find out which behavioral changes can serve its goal of carbon neutrality.
In addition to Ford and Horvitz, this Winter Term’s ES 401 seminar included: Clare Crosby ’10, Chris Free ’10, Charlie Hofmann ’10, Emily May ’10, and Roz Vara ’10. The course was led by Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Steve Trombulak.
(02/18/10 4:59am)
St. Michael’s gets Third Eye Blind for concert
On April 16, popular ’90s band Third Eye Blind will play at St. Michael’s College in Burlington.
A survey released last year showed that the campus preferred a spring concert that featured a rock band.
“The top genre was rock, overwhelmingly rock,” said secretary of programming Claire McQuillen. “So then we highlighted all the popular [bands] and made a list of about 15 or 20. We then gave it to our Student Association representatives and asked them who they think would draw in bigger crowds.”
Other possibilities considered were the Dropkick Murphys and MGMT. Trey Anastasio of Phish wanted to play at St. Michael’s this year, but he was too pricey for the college.
The decision has sparked an array of Facebook groups, including “Say No to Third Eye Blind,” “Say Yes to Third Eye Blind” and “Say No To People Who Say No To Third Eye Blind.”
“Every year there are people who oppose it,” McQuillen said. “But I think we’re seeing it a lot more this year than last.”
She added that some of the choices of the student body were a little too ambitious.
“Students were asking for headliners like Lady Gaga,” McQuillen said. “But the problem is we have a school of 2,000 people, only so much money, we’re confined to certain dates and the availability of the band, not to mention they must be approved by the administration for appropriateness.”
— The Defender
Dartmouth announces numerous staff cuts
Dartmouth announced on Feb. 15 that they would lay off 38 non-teaching staff members this week, as well as reintroducing student loans next year.
These significant changes are being made in an attempt to close a projected recurring annual budget gap of $100 million. Dartmouth plans to lay off a “similar number” in April, and 33 additional employees will be asked to work reduced hours.
Starting with the Class of 2014, financial-aid recipients from families with incomes above $75,000 to take out loans of $2,500 to $5,500. Williams College also ended their no-loan plan recently.
The Board of Trustees also approved a 4.6 percent increase in undergraduate fees for next year, to $52,275.
— The New York Times
Pipe bomb found on Pierce College campus
A man located a pipe bomb at a small pond located on the Pierce College campus, Feb. 15.
He brought the bomb into the Pierce College sheriff’s station and told deputies he found it by a pond on the campus.
Though the campus was already closed for the President’s Day holiday, detectives cleared the area as they searched the it for additional devices. None were located.
While the device was live, it did not appear to be connected to any specific threat against the school.
No students or faculty members were in the area when the bomb was located because of the holiday.
— The Los Angeles Times
(02/11/10 4:59am)
The outpouring of support for the people of Haiti has been a small silver lining to the disastrous earthquake that struck nearly a month ago.
In one of the largest relief efforts in history, people from all corners of the globe have pledged donations large and small to the country, be it through texting the Red Cross, holding fundraisers or traveling to the country to get their hands dirty. The town of Middlebury has answered the call in a strong way, as well.
“Vermonters have always been incredibly generous,” said Rob Levine, the regional executive for Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley for the Red Cross.
“There is a high awareness here of the world beyond Vermont and America.”
That awareness has manifested itself in a number of ways throughout the state and in Middlebury.
“We’ve had everything from elementary fundraisers to youth groups helping out to neighborhood cookie sales,” said Levine.
In Vermont alone, Levine put the total amount of money raised in the “hundreds of thousands,” and said that thus far, the national Red Cross has spent or committed more than $78 million in various ways.
Most of this spending has gone to the establishment of a few large-scale projects. Operations have been set up to supply Haitians with one million liters of clean water per day. In addition, four warehouses run by the Red Cross, two in Port-au-Prince and two in Santo Domingo, have been opened to give people basic need items, such as blankets, medical supplies and small cookware.
On a more local scale, many small businesses have donated their time and money to help those who are suffering. American Flatbread sponsored benefit bakes at all of its locations in the week following the earthquake.
“We donated a portion of each bread sale for each night we were open,” said Solon Coburn, office administrator at American Flatbread.
“The turnout was excellent, with many people saying that they were there to show their support, in addition to having a great meal.
“We had some very positive feedback from people,” said Coburn.
“It’s always cool when people take the time to tell you those things.”
In addition to the contributions from American Flatbread, customers were able to donate in jars set up throughout the restaurant. By the end of the weekend, the bake benefit had raised more than $1,000, which was sent to Relief Partners in Health, another charity that has been heavily involved in the relief effort.
At Waterfalls Day Spa, the staff came up with a creative way to raise some money and remember the victims of the tragedy.
“We were trying to figure out something that was equal parts a show of solidarity as well as to benefit Haiti in any way we could,” said Sara Daly, owner of Waterfalls.
“People started to give ideas and we came up with the band.”
The Heal Haiti wristbands are on sale for $5 at the spa. Beyond the initial $5, if customers wear their bands to future spa treatments, five percent of the purchase goes towards the relief efforts.
“The band serves as a symbol and is done in the colors of the Haitian flag,” said Daly, helping to serve as a reminder of those who are suffering.
“We do a lot of healing here and we wanted to come up with something that would try to help heal the people of Haiti.”
Daly hopes to raise about $500 through this fundraiser, with proceeds from the bands going to the Red Cross, and proceeds from the additional contributions to go where it seems most appropriate.
While this disaster has been met with incredible support from the community both here in Middlebury and internationally, Levine stressed the presence of the smaller local tragedies that happen every day.
“This has been the second largest outpouring of monetary support, following Hurricane Katrina,” said Levine,
“but people must also remember that catastrophe also happens in Addison County. A single family lost their home in a fire in the weekend following the earthquake, and Red Cross volunteers here are crucial in assisting them.”
With the help of local businesses and townspeople, the Red Cross can continue to send aid to Haiti and maintain local support .
(02/11/10 4:59am)
The women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams swam strongly this past weekend in their invitational tournament. The tournament consisted of Williams, Dartmouth men and University of Vermont women. The Panther swimmers were victorious in all events except for one relay and they now feel confident as they enter the NESCAC tournament.
“This weekend was a nice tune-up for our swimmers, particularly our relays, which won five out of six” said head coach Peter Solomon. “I felt it was important for our swimmers to get used to the championship format swimming three sessions in a row and they delivered.”
The Panthers had numerous impressive first-place finishers. The 400-medley relay team finished with a time of 4:07.53. Annie Friedlander ’11 swam the backstroke, Salena Casha ’13 swam the breaststroke, Katherine Loftus ’12 took off with the butterfly and Audrey Tolbert ’13 concluded the relay with the freestyle. The 400-freestyle relay team also came out victorious with co-captain Katie Remington ’10 leading her younger teammates, who all competed with high energy. The 400 freestyle relay included Nora Daly ’13, Briehan Burke ’13, Ana Villarreal ’12 and Remington. The 200-freestyle relay team, consisting of Daly, Loftus, Remington and Tolbert, took first, finishing with a time of 1:39.44.
In addition to taking part in the two relay teams, Remington also competed in and won the 50-meter freestyle, completing the event with a time of 25.09, a personal best. Co-captain Katie Soja ’10 took first in the 200-butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:13.27. Tolbert also won the 500-meter freestyle, finishing with a time of 5:17.55. Molly Eberhardt ’11 also swam well, concluding her season by taking off a tremendous amount of time from her distance swims.
Gemma Collins ’12 dominated the diving competition, accumulating 409.25 points in the 1-meter dive and 406.10 points in the 3-meter dive. Both of these scores reach the NCAA consideration standard. The women’s swimmers and divers are extremely focused and are excited to prepare for the upcoming NESCACs.
When asked how the women’s team felt at the conclusion of the meet, Remington responded, “It was awesome. We’re totally ready for NESCACs and I couldn’t be more excited. Getting up and racing against some of the best swimmers in the nation this weekend was pretty unreal and set the energy that we’re looking to carry into our taper for the next two weeks.”
“[We have] gotten over some of the sickness we were dealing with earlier in the season, which is nice,” added Soja.
Remington also commented on the women hosting NESCACs. “I’m hyped out of my mind about having NESCACs here at [Middlebury] this year for my last year,” she said, “and I think we’re going to wow a lot of people.”
The men’s team also competed strongly. The 400- and 200-medley relay teams swam to victory, as did the 400 and 200-freestyle relay teams. The 400-medley team consists of backstroker and co-captain Schuyler Beeman ’10, breaststroker Matt Vukich ’11, butterflier John Dillon ’12 and freestyler Ted Hall ’12. The 200-medley team consists of Dillon, Vukich and Beeman, and Adam Schaffer ’12, who took over the butterfly in the event. The 200-freestyle relay team consisted of Nick Daly ’12, Beeman, Jay Li ’11 and Dillon. In addition to being part of the four victorious relay teams, Dillon also won the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. His 100-meter backstroke, which he swam in a time of 51.47, is up for NCAA B Standard and also sets a new Middlebury College pool record.
“This past weekend was a great opportunity to get up and race, preparing ourselves for our upcoming NESCACs,” said Beeman. “The invitational allowed us to get used to the morning trial and evening final sessions, which is the format of our NESCACs. It was like a test run.”
The Middlebury swimmers and divers have done exceptionally well, both individually and collectively this season, and the teams anxiously await their upcoming NESCAC meets in which they hope to swim as fast and as strong as ever.
