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(03/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Brian Vito "Iraq has not taken the last chance offered to it by the council," said Ambassador of Cameroon Martin Belinga Eboutou. It's time the U.N. Security Council kept its word: give Iraq no more chances. After 12 years of inspections, although it has not been a continuous 12 years because of Iraqi hindrances, there still exist, according to reports from U.N. inspectors, "550 artillery shells with mustard [gas], 30,000 empty munitions and enough precursors to increase his stockpile to as much as 500 tons of chemical agents [and] 6,500 bombs from the Iran-Iraq war ... the amount of chemical agent in them would be in the order of 1,000 tons." During the period of inspections, Iraq not only has failed to comply with the direct order to disarm, but it has lied and cheated consistently. It took years of persuasion and threats to convince Iraq to admit that it produced four tons of VX nerve agent, a chemical that can kill with only one drop. The United Nations conservatively estimates that Iraq has between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons available to it that it has not surrendered to inspectors. These statistics alone show direct, unmistakable noncompliance despite a decade of inspections. U.N. Resolution 1441 states that "false statements or omissions in the declarations submitted by Iraq pursuant to this resolution and failure by Iraq at any time to comply with, and co-operate fully, in the implementation of this resolution shall constitute a further material breach of Iraq's obligations." What are Iraq's obligations? Here is a brief look at some of the other U.N. resolutions: 1) UNSCR 707, Aug. 15, 1991, ordered Iraq "not to move or attempt to hide anything relating to its nuclear, chemical or biological programmes"; and 2) UNSCR 1284, Dec. 17, 1999, ordered that "Iraq was ... to allow United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) immediate and unconditional access to any weapons sites and facilities." Iraq has been giving inspectors false information or simply no information and has not allowed access (or even admitted) to significant portions of its known weapons stockpile. Inspections have been unable to account for everything because Iraq has not followed through on its obligations, and after 12 years it is unreasonable and hopelessly idealistic to expect Iraq to change this precedent of noncompliance and trickery. Colin Powell states, "If Iraq genuinely wanted to disarm, we would not have to be worrying about setting up means of looking for mobile biological units or any units of that kind. They would be presented to us. We would not need an extensive program to search for and look for underground facilities that we know exist. The very fact that we must make these requests seems to me to show that Iraq is still not cooperating. The inspectors should not have to look under every rock, go to every crossroad, peer into every cave for evidence, for proof." When discussing the most recent inspectors' report to the United Nations, the United States found nearly 30 occasions where Iraq refused to provide credible evidence supporting its claims of disarmament. Powell concludes, "Now is the time for the council to tell Saddam that the clock has not been stopped by his stratagems and his machinations ... The clock continues to tick, and the consequences of Saddam Hussein['s] continued refusal to disarm will be very, very real." Twelve years. Do we need to wait another 12 years only to find that we have experienced nothing but lies, delay tactics and illegal, noncompliant behavior from Iraq? Iraq simply cannot be trusted to abide by its obligations, not now and not in the future. Its record speaks for itself. Now is the time to end this decade of Iraq's abuse of the United Nations and establish the United Nations' credibility that has suffered from its inability to make inspections work. If 12 years is not enough to ensure compliance, how much longer should we waste continuing a futile endeavor? Until Iraq uses its weapons on its own people again? On us? On other nations in the area? It's time for action -- action to ensure everyone's security. Iraq has successfully used piecemeal concession tactics, giving a little here, complying a little there, in order to appease the world. It's time to see through this trickery to Iraq's cruel intentions, and to take action as the consequence of perpetual noncompliance.
(03/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Greg Duggan With the growing possibility of U.S. action in Iraq, debate over a possible war has been intensifying around the world. Last Wednesday, hundreds of high schools and colleges across the country staged a protest called "Books, Not Bombs" to express opposition to military action against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The student walkout also called for increased education funding and an end to tuition hikes at state colleges and universities, calling them a "war tax." The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC), a group formed after the Sept. 11 attacks, organized the nationwide protest.The NYSPC estimates that 400 to 500 high school and college campuses took part in the protest, with anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 students participating. A handful of Vermont high schools coordinated activities to show their own support for "Books, Not Bombs."While almost all schools held a walkout, each school also organized its own distinct demonstration. In Montpelier, students walked to the State House, where protesters spoke with Gov. James Douglas '72 about federal policy. Springfield High School organizers set up tables displaying anti-war photos and lyrics, addressed a letter to President George W. Bush that students could sign and polled students on their feelings about a war.At Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, protesters marched out of class to the town's main intersection to demonstrate. Organizers at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester placed a microphone in the gym, allowing students to speak at will to express their opinions.In Addison County, students at both Mount Abe High School in Bristol and Middlebury Union High School also participated in the day's protests. At Middlebury Union, a school of about 750, 150 to 250 students walked out of class. They then met and spoke in the cafeteria for approximately half an hour before returning to their normal schedules.At Mount Abe, nearly 300 of the 906 students in grades seven to 12 left their classes at 11 a.m. and walked to the Town Green. They assembled themselves in the form of a giant peace sign, and then for the next two hours listened to speakers and singers advocate peace. Elizabeth Ready, the state auditor, attended the event, as did a representative from the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington. After the protest, the students returned to school.Teachers and administrators from the various schools supervised the events, not to participate but simply to ensure that the protests went peacefully and without incident.None of the students were available for comment, but Mount Abe Principal Paulette Bogan said that students planned the entire event. She knew they had been in contact with an outside organization, which was probably the NYSPC, before approaching Bogan the previous week. The principal described the event as one to raise awareness of the issue and the possibility of war. Bogan said "I thought the students were well organized. I compliment them on their orderliness."Before the organized protest, students had placed signs around the school calling for peace. Some students with opposing views reacted by putting up their own signs or taking down the peace signs.The school plans to hold a forum in April "where students will be able to voice their opinions," Bogan said.The day's protest united students in Vermont and across the country to create a youthful voice speaking out against, as the NYSPC press release described it, "the Bush administration's unilateral, 'pre-emptive strike' policy toward Iraq." Other demonstrations took place worldwide in France, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Spain, Britain, Bulgaria and Greece.
(03/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Lucie Greene When sitting or studying in The Grille, it's quite easy to let a lot of the music be a comforting, but distinctly background, entity. It's also easy, with a range of cover tunes, to simply allow the much played lyrics to wash over you, in a haze of biology, physics, political science or whatever subject you're tackling. So what is it about Junior Anais Mitchell's self-composed and performed songs that's so engaging -- that forces you to put down your pen and listen?One of the central musical talents on campus, playing a range of songs based around folk and contemporary influences, Mitchell's talent is the kind that can't be laughed off as a college phase. The degree of sincerity, both beautifully articulated and sensitively sung, is the key to her success as a performer. She quite literally is destined for bigger and better things. This, one would think, would leave her with an air of arrogance. The reality however is polite and friendly and as sincere as the songs.The Middlebury Campus caught up with her on a cold March afternoon, to ask her a few searching questions. Amidst the hub of espressos and lattes in the Juice Bar, we hoped to get a better picture of one of the most prominent performers on campus. The Campus: So where are you from originally?Anais Mitchell: I'm from about 10 minutes away in New Haven, Vt. I grew up there.The Campus: From that beginning, how did you first get interested in music? What was your first introduction to music education?A.M.: Well, I always kind of sang, you know, as a kid, and I took violin lessons for a long time, so that was kind of my formal musical education. I started writing songs my senior year of high school, you know, playing my guitar. It just kind of felt like the thing to do.The Campus: So how would you describe the music that you play? I mean, it seems to have a lot of folk influence or background.A.M.: I think so, although you know the folk genre means something totally different now than what it used to. It's more a contemporary "singer/songwriter" deal.The Campus: Right, but would you say that coming from this area, its traditions, etc., had anything to do with influencing your music?A.M.: I guess I grew up with a lot of folk music: Peter, Paul, and Mary, etc. -- just songs that maybe didn't get recorded but that I learned in school or from my parents or different playing groups. And then I got interested in high school, when I kind of came of musical age, in people like Ani DiFranco, Bob Dylan and people like Joni Mitchell and Dar Williams.The Campus: That seems very evident in your music, actually (sincere flattery).A.M.: Oh, thank you.The Campus: So when you got here, how did you get into performing music, because like Ari Joseph '05, you seem quite central to a lot that goes on here?A.M.: Well, I took a year off before I came to college and moved to Boston for a while. I was living in a co-op house, and I just kind of got job after job and quit them. I was just trying to get away from institutional life and school, so I was waitressing and doing a bunch of other things, and I was playing music, but that was kind of my focus -- just working on my songwriting. And I was playing every open mike night that I could, and sometimes even in the subway there. I had a couple of gigs, but you know, nothing serious. But it was great, because the whole time, I mean that was the real learning process for me, in terms of performance and songwriting. I went from not being able to keep it together on stage at all to singing on stage in front of lots of people. But when I got here, and I just happened to meet a couple of girls, one of them was Laurie Koh '02, and she was running a group called "Chick Jam Society," and that was, you know, really active then. And she knew I was a musician, and was like, "Look, why don't you come and play at this concert we're gonna have," and I was like, "Great!" And from there, it was just kind of great jump into it.The Campus: Going back to Boston, did you find you got much helpful feedback and experience to help you improve as a musician?A.M.: I took a songwriting class, which was really great, just being with other people trying to write songs, and hear what they had to say, and it was also the toughest, because I wasn't that great at all, and I wouldn't say that I got negative feedback, but more I got the sense of being one of many. Especially in Boston, where there are tons of people trying to be singer/songwriters. It was a real eye-opener in that way.The Campus: We've definitely seen you a few times at The Grille.A.M.: Yeah, you only get a certain number of gigs, I think, once a semester and then J-term. I haven't played my spring one yet. The Campus: And the Gamut Room, too.A.M.: Uh-huh, yeah, once in a while. I like the Gamut Room, but you know I think I like The Grille better, because I really like the acoustics, and it's almost nice to not have the pressure of everyone paying attention, because, I don't know, there's something about it that I like -- just being in the background.The Campus: You've also had experience in the recording studio haven't you? Do you have a record deal?A.M.: No, I just made a CD and pressed a thousand copies of it.The Campus: So where do you see yourself headed now? Are you trying to get a record deal or move in a more commercial direction?A.M.: That's a good question. I think I'd love to get involved in an indie label. I would never try for any large scale commercial label.The Campus: And yet I can totally see elements of your music being suited or comparable to successful commercial music right now -- not necessarily the pop market but artists who are big selling anyway. A.M.: Ha ha. I mean maybe at this point I'm just an idealist, but the music industry is pretty messed up right now, and I hate that, and I hate that radio is going the same way. I think it's incredibly limited, with the conglomerates, and a lot of the times it ends up being very conservative. And women's roles too, within that are also very limited and sexualized and objective and stuff. And I think that there's a great indie scene right now also. There are a lot of great indie labels. And also for folk musicians, there's this great kind of "folk circuit" you can travel that's not large scale but has it's own loyal following, and if you can get in to that it's great.The Campus: You performed at "The Vagina Monologues." Did your song have any specific reference to how you feel about the issues raised in that show?A.M.: Yeah. I mean I wrote that song specifically for the show -- its part of a project for my Music 500 course. I'm working on a concert that I'm going to hold on April 26. I'm really excited about it actually. Initially it was on political songwriting, in general, and trying to work on that. But now it's moved in a different direction -- it's changed to kind of more being about American music, and the American folk tradition. I don't know, I guess it kind of came out of, in many ways, feeling like, as an American it's very embarrassing to have the administration that's in power now representing me, with the crazy foreign policy that's going on. It's hard to be proud of our heritage and our culture. But when I think about the United States, I really love the country and love the music. It's using songs that are kind of about being unsafe and about creating a positive identity for us.The Campus: Good luck with it.A.M.: Thanks.Mitchell will be performing on Saturday, April 26, so watch out for posters. Her CD is available at the College Book store, and she has one remaining Grille performance this semester.
(03/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Andrea Gissing U. Penn Pegged for Pirating MoviesThe University of Pennsylvania received many complaints from Universal Studios in the past week regarding the illegal sharing of movie files between students. U. Penn's Office of Information Security apparently received 100 allegations of copyright material misuse. Normally the university receives an average of five to 10 complaints weekly from media companies. The students who own the computers on which the movies have been shared have been contacted and were referred to the Office of Student Conduct. The students were identified by their computer's IP addresses, which movie and music companies can obtain by searching the online databases that students use to download media. Since IP addresses can also be used to get the e-mail address of the computer's user, companies can identify who is sharing files.Along with U. Penn, several other schools were contacted by Universal Studios as well. Michigan State University recieved 500 complaints.The Office of Information Security reported that machines on U. Penn from which files have been shared belong to both students and faculty. Source: U-Wire and The Daily PennsylvanianStandford Pauses to Protest WarAt Stanford University at least 26 faculty canceled classes and 64 have pledged support for the March 5 "Books Not Bombs" strike. The strike protested a pre-emptive war in Iraq. According to students, dozens of classes have been canceled or rescheduled and over 20 faculty participated in the strike. The strike was held in conjunction with a nationwide strike that was supported by over 300 colleges and universities. The organizers of the strike at Stanford, members of the Coalition for Students Against War, lobbied for faculty to either cancel classes or excuse students who were absent. Professors had a variety of reasons for canceling classes, including doing their part to oppose the war and giving the students the opportunity to become more educated on issues pertaining to Iraq. Many professors who decided to hold their classes, thus allowing students choose whether or not to strike, were supportive of the student's decisions. Source: U-WireU. Connecticut Paper Temporarily SilencedAlmost 9,000 copies of The Daily Campus, the student newspaper for the University of Connecticut, were stolen Feb. 28 from The Daily Campus building and several dozen delivery locations shortly after the papers were brought to campus. Newspapers were also reported missing from other locations including academic and administrative buildings.Witnesses reported seeing two females taking copies of the paper from the delivery locations. Staff members of The Daily Campus reported the thefts to the U. Conn Police Departments as soon it was known that the papers had been taken. Thousands of copies were later found in front of the Babbidge Library in plastic garbage bags. The papers were take a day after The Daily Campus ran a controversial column that argued that cultural centers do more to divide students on campus than they do to unite them. The Daily Campus had had to double the size of its Commentary section on Friday to accommodate the letters to the editor in response to the column. U. Conn Police Maj. Ronald Blicher said The Daily Campus could file larceny charges against the individuals once identified.Souce: U-WireFBI Joins Investigation at U-Virginia Campus police at the University of Virginia announced that the FBI has joined the investigation into the assault that occurred Wednesday against Daisy Lunday during her campaign for student government president.Lundy, a sophomore of African American and Korean descent, told police that she was assaulted by an unidentified male around 2 a.m. Wednesday. She said that her assailant slammed her head into her car's steering wheel and used a racial epithet to refer to her candidacy. As of now, no arrests have been made in the incident that led to the postponement of the elections. The assault has led supporters of Lundy and other students to plan marches, candlelight vigils and organize other events to focus attention on what they consider to be a lingering racial problem on campus.Campus police Captain Michael Coleman said that seeking FBI assistance in the investigation of alleged hate crimes is a common occurrence as they are prosecuted under federal statute. Source: The Washington Post
(03/05/03 12:00am)
Author: David Freedman The Middlebury men's swimming and diving team earned a fourth place finish this past weekend at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships. The Panthers, who only had 22 swimmers to bring to the meet out of the allotted 24, fought hard with a squad full of young talent and only three seniors. Head Coach Peter Solomon said, "I couldn't have been happier with how well each and every swimmer performed. Their time drops are what all coaches hope for in a season." By the end of the three-day competition Middlebury's swim team saw three varsity records fall, one meet record set, and seven NCAA qualifying times achieved.Rob Hillas '06 surprised most of the field with a 29-second drop in the 1000-meter freestyle for a Panther record, a personal best and fifth place in the conference. In the 1,650 meter freestyle Hillas knocked off another 49 seconds from his personal best to finish fifth again and set yet another varsity record. Alex Demas '06 put his name on the map with a second place finish in the 200-meter breast and a third place finish in the 400-meter Individual Medley (IM), with NCAA qualifying standards in both races. Austin Krissoff '06 got personal best times in all his events by placing sixth in the 500-meter free and third in the 200-meter free. Jamie Lamere '06 swam just as well as his classmates by taking eighth place in the 1000-meter free, 10th in the 500-meter free, and 11th in the 1,650-meter free. Jon Ellis '06 broke the two-minute mark in the 200-meter fly for the first time in his career. Scott Atkinson '06 proved to be the only true sprinter in the Class of 2006. In the first event of the weekend, the 200-meter Free Relay, Atkinson posted a 20.9 to anchor Middlebury's relay squad. In the last event of the meet, Atkinson finished just as fast with a lifetime best 46.8 second split. With the youth of the team swimming well, Solomon and the Middlebury athletic community have plenty of reason to feel confident about this team's future. Solomon, however, credits the leadership and effort of the three senior captains for the team's success. "Andrew Sterling, Ricky Barfuss and Stephen Kinney took the lead early in the season and finished their swimming careers on fine notes." Kinney became the conference champion in the 100-meter IM and set a meet record in the event; he finished second in the 50-meter Breast as well. In the 200-meter medley relay, Kinney had a split of 25.6 seconds in the 50-meter breast, becoming the only swimmer in the meet to get under the 26 second mark. Barfuss saved his best times of the season for last as well by placing ninth in the 50-meter back, seventh in the 100-meter fly, and 19th in the 100-meter free. He anchored the 800 free relay squad that was later to be disqualified, but in the final race of his career he led off the 400-meter freestyle relay with a time of 47.99 seconds. Sterling got back to old form early in the weekend by dropping 11 seconds in the 500-meter free and placing 12th amidst his first-year teammates in that event who placed sixth, ninth, 10th, and 13th. Later in the weekend, Sterling qualified ninth in the 1000-meter free, and saved one last walk up to the podium with his eighth place finish in the 1,650-meter freestyle."To watch the weekend unfold the way it did seems like a dream at times," Solomon said. "I'm so proud of the team's effort and attitude all weekend."
(03/05/03 12:00am)
Author: Erich Kahner The Middlebury men and women's track and field teams competed at the New England Division III and the New England Open Championships over the past two weekends. At the Division III championships, held on Feb. 21-22, the Panthers produced nine all-New England performers. In the process, three school records fell, and the women's Distance Medley Relay (DMR) guaranteed their spot at the national championships on March 14 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.The DMR, comprised of Jess Manzer '05, Maryanne Porter '04, Adri Logalbo '03 and Michela Adrian '03, surpassed the automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Division III championships (12:08), set a new school record (12:01.32) and a Mt. Ararat Fieldhouse record en route to a victory. They shaved 12 seconds off of their previous season best, and beat the second-place host, Bowdoin, by 30 meters. The foursome earned all-New England titles for their effort. With their trip to Nationals now insured, the athletes feel free from the pressure of qualifying, "It's such a good feeling to know that in three weeks we will be competing in Nationals," said Logalbo. "We have a lot more left in us, and I think we all know what the next goal is: to leave it all in Indiana."Many individual performances earned athletes All-New England honors. Manzer and Logalbo had top eight finishes, meeting the criteria for All-New England credit by placing third (2:18.48) and seventh (2:20.11) in the 800-meter dash. Porter placed second in the 600 meter dash (1:39.79). Adrian had a sixth place finish in the 1,500 (4:44.39) and Jess Kosciewicz '04 was eighth in the 55 meter dash (7.77 seconds).All these athletes combined for 30 points and a 12th place team finish. Williams won the team title with a tally of 174.5. The men also had success during their meet at the Massachusettes Institute of Techonology. The sprint squad produced three All-New England athletes. Captain Mike DeLeo '03.5 set a new personal record and placed seventh in the 55-meter dash (6.70). Liam Aiello '05 also bested his old personal record with a seventh place run in the 200-meter (23.51), and Kevin Bright '06 made the All-New England team in his first season by finishing 5th in the 400 meter (50.98). Other performances of note were the two record-breaking performances in the men's distance events. Nick Digani '05 lowered his own indoor school record -- set last week at Tufts -- by over a second in the 1500 meter. Digani ran a 4:07.16, which translates roughly into a 4:26 mile. The 4x800 meter relay, made up of Marty Wesolowski '03, Mike Mazzota '03, Matt Horesta '06 and Digani, knocked 5 seconds off of the old indoor record with their time of 8:18.5.Last weekend the teams faced stronger competition at the Open New England Championships. No athletes placed in the top eight, but there were still outstanding performances. Bright broke the 50 second barrier in the 400- meter dash, lowering his own school record to 49.94. He placed 13th and bested many seasoned Division I and II athletes, as well as his Division III counterparts."We're really excited about Kevin breaking the big 50," remarked head coach Martin Beatty about Bright's race. Manzer and Logalbo continued to lower their 800 meter marks by running 2:17.75 and 2:18.68 respectively. Manzer finished one spot out of All-New England honors with her ninth place effort, while Logalbo captured 13th. The women's 4x200 meter relay team, made up of Jess Kosciewicz '04, Shena James '06, Kirsten Nagel '06 and Sarah Berkowitz '05, set a new school record with a time of 1:52.73. The teams travel to Tufts next weekend for the Eastern Coast Athletic Championships. This meet offers the final opportunity for athletes to qualify for Nationals. Manzer and Logalbo are extremely close. They need to chop off a second or two from their season bests to surpass the provisional mark of 2:16.2.
(03/05/03 12:00am)
Author: Greg Duggan With the growing possibility of U.S. action in Iraq, debate over a possible war has been intensifying around the world. Last Wednesday, hundreds of high schools and colleges across the country staged a protest called "Books, Not Bombs" to express opposition to military action against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The student walkout also called for increased education funding and an end to tuition hikes at state colleges and universities, calling them a "war tax." The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC), a group formed after the Sept. 11 attacks, organized the nationwide protest.The NYSPC estimates that 400 to 500 high school and college campuses took part in the protest, with anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 students participating. A handful of Vermont high schools coordinated activities to show their own support for "Books, Not Bombs."While almost all schools held a walkout, each school also organized its own distinct demonstration. In Montpelier, students walked to the State House, where protesters spoke with Gov. James Douglas '72 about federal policy. Springfield High School organizers set up tables displaying anti-war photos and lyrics, addressed a letter to President George W. Bush that students could sign and polled students on their feelings about a war.At Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, protesters marched out of class to the town's main intersection to demonstrate. Organizers at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester placed a microphone in the gym, allowing students to speak at will to express their opinions.In Addison County, students at both Mount Abe High School in Bristol and Middlebury Union High School also participated in the day's protests. At Middlebury Union, a school of about 750, 150 to 250 students walked out of class. They then met and spoke in the cafeteria for approximately half an hour before returning to their normal schedules.At Mount Abe, nearly 300 of the 906 students in grades seven to 12 left their classes at 11 a.m. and walked to the Town Green. They assembled themselves in the form of a giant peace sign, and then for the next two hours listened to speakers and singers advocate peace. Elizabeth Ready, the state auditor, attended the event, as did a representative from the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington. After the protest, the students returned to school.Teachers and administrators from the various schools supervised the events, not to participate but simply to ensure that the protests went peacefully and without incident.None of the students were available for comment, but Mount Abe Principal Paulette Bogan said that students planned the entire event. She knew they had been in contact with an outside organization, which was probably the NYSPC, before approaching Bogan the previous week. The principal described the event as one to raise awareness of the issue and the possibility of war. Bogan said "I thought the students were well organized. I compliment them on their orderliness."Before the organized protest, students had placed signs around the school calling for peace. Some students with opposing views reacted by putting up their own signs or taking down the peace signs.The school plans to hold a forum in April "where students will be able to voice their opinions," Bogan said.The day's protest united students in Vermont and across the country to create a youthful voice speaking out against, as the NYSPC press release described it, "the Bush administration's unilateral, 'pre-emptive strike' policy toward Iraq." Other demonstrations took place worldwide in France, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Spain, Britain, Bulgaria and Greece.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Emily Berlanstein The women's basketball season culminated on Saturday when Middlebury fell to Wesleyan, 71-53, in the quarterfinals of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament. Captain Wesley Hyatt '03 polished off her career as the Panthers' leading scorer on the day with 12 points. She commented, "We definitely came out playing hard but our offense was completely stifled by their swarming defense." Middlebury shot an impressive 53 percent from the floor in the first half, but 14 turnovers and three-for-nine shooting in the opening minutes allowed Wesleyan to gain momentum from the tip-off and control the tempo of the game. Hyatt noted that, as a result of the intensity and pressure of the Cardinals' defense, "we failed to get good shots off and our own defense became a little rattled." In the second half, the game seemed to slip away from the Panthers, who shot five-for-26 from the floor. They were impressive from the free throw line, sinking 15 of 18, but this effort was not enough to save the game. The Panthers finish the regular season with a .500 record (12-12). Hyatt reflected, "All in all, we feel that we had some big games at important times, but too often we fell just short of getting the win." She pointed to notable efforts against top-ranked St. Lawrence (51-44), Bowdoin (64-54), Bates (77-68), and a previous match with Wesleyan (54-50). Toward the end of the season, as the Panthers learned to coordinate the movements of the entire team, they fell into a successful rhythm. Perhaps this transition occurred a bit too late. Hyatt lamented, "It's too bad that we didn't have longer because we were finally meshing together as one unit towards the end of the season, whereas we just didn't seem to do so early on." Some notable statistics from the season include Captain Kristin Hanley's '03 second place standing on Middlebury's all-time scoring list. Hanley, who was sidelined for the last five games of the season with an injury, recorded 1,428 points in her career. She is third in rebounds with 733 and second in three-point field goals with 168. She is only the second player in Middlebury history to have over 1400 points and 700 rebounds. Hanley is one of three captains who will certainly be missed. Hyatt was also one of the Panthers go-to girls, averaging 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds on the season. But, Hyatt said Co-Captain Kate Shutte '03 really "stepped it up" this season, leading the team both on the court, as a point guard, and off the court as a positive role model. Do not count the Panthers out for next season. They return Elyse Carlson '05, one of the team's most deadly offensive threats. "She will have a great career ahead of her," Hyatt said of Carlson. Also returning are Alexis Batten '04, a versatile forward who is a strong contributor in all facets of the game and Alexis Hollinger '05, last season's NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The Panthers are hopeful that they can build on this season and continue to work together, using a sophomore and junior class that now has experience in close games.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: David Freedman The Middlebury women's swimming and diving team fought their way to a strong second place finish at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships this weekend, a satisfying capstone that, for the majority of the women on the team, signals the end of their season. Head Coach Peter Solomon called the team's second place finish "one of the most successful meets that I've ever experienced in the last six years here as the Middlebury swimming coach." With just about every swimmer on the Panthers' NESCAC team improving their times in almost every event, Middlebury improved upon last year's outstanding third place finish despite a rookie-laden squad. Middlebury finished behind a powerful Williams College squad that should finish in the top two or three in the country. "I couldn't have asked for a better meet to finish the season off with," Solomon said. He was proud of the dedication and effort that his swimmers showed in the pool and on the sidelines this past weekend. Teammates were cheering on teammates despite just having recovered from finishing their own events. The men's squad also came along and showed tremendous support for the Panthers. The true story of the day was how significantly Middlebury has improved this season. Sarah Groff '04 dropped 13 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle to win the event, and the following day won the 1650-yard freestyle in resounding fashion. Mollie Reed '06 came out of nowhere to finish in fifth place in the 500-yard freestyle, dropping 14 seconds on her personal best and qualifying for an NCAA "B" cut. Kellianne Egan '04 finished third in the 1650-yard freestyle with an NCAA "B" cut, and she put more points on the board for Middlebury with her second place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle event. Leigh Bayer '05 reduced her personal best time by eight seconds in the same event to grab third.Solomon was particularly proud of the seniors, Jaylene Orange '03, Kristen Watson '03 and Carrie MacDonald '03, "who finished the season off magnificently with great performances." Fellow senior Alyson Lipsky swam extremely well, posting a second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle event to earn an automatic qualifying time for Nationals. Karen Johnson '03 and Sarah Schaffer '03 swam career personal best times despite not placing in any finals heats. They both finished under the one-minute mark in the 100-yard freestyle, a swimming milestone in this event. McKenna Moreau '06 finished third in many of the backstroke events behind girls who will likely finish in the top three in Division III swimming. Kate Miller '05 got a personal best in the 200-yard backstroke event and earned a NCAA "B" cut in the 400-yard individual medley as well. All in all, eight of the women's swimmers will tentatively be moving on to the NCAA championships on March 13 to 15: Groff, Reed, Moreau, Lauren King '05, Teague Douglas '06, Martha Goeble '04, Lypsky and Egan. Next season, the Panthers will count on a core of seasoned veterans to continue their winning tradition. Although the team is losing a number of seniors, it remains balanced with sophomores and juniors representing each event.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Alison Damick The week of Aug. 12-18, 2002 was disastrous for the Czech Republic as massive floods covered the nation. The capital city, Prague, experienced the worst floods in over 500 years. The raging Vltava River, at more than seven meters above its normal level, quickly overcame all the barriers built against it, wreaking havoc upon many businesses and institutions throughout the city. According to an appeal posted on the Website of the American Philosophical Association (APA), www.apa.udel.edu, the Institute of Philosophy suffered severe damage to its library, which housed more than 120,000 volumes. Only a fraction of the books could be removed from their underground storage before "partly sewage contaminated waters flooded the library, in some places over the level of 2.5 meters." While exact damage is still being assessed, over 30,000 volumes are known to be lost forever. The Institute, which served not only its members but also a much more vast community of scholars, academics and students alike, issued its international request for aid in restocking its collection shortly after the floods.Assistant Professor of Philosophy Martha Woodruff was attending a conference in October when she noticed a bright gold poster emblazoned with the headline "Donate books to rebuild the flooded libraries of Prague," alongside a picture of a blindfolded rhinoceros being evacuated from the Prague zoo. Under its "Needed Most" list, the poster requested old and new primary texts, new secondary research, journal series and monetary donations for the replacement of texts in the areas of philosophy, political science and sociology. Upon her return from the Conference, she read more about the appeal on the APA web site before suggesting it as a project to the other members of the College's Philosophy Department, all of whom, she reports, "enthusiastically supported it." At present, Professor Woodruff has started collecting extra books from the small library in the Philosophy Department common room to donate. She and others within the department will also be donating books from their personal collections and would like to encourage any of the college community who have philosophy materials to contribute as well. "The project of donating books to Prague means that we can, in our own small way, contribute to the global network of philosophers," Professor Woodruff states "On behalf of the Philosophy Department here at Middlebury, I'm pleased to do what I can to help, even if it's only the beginning." Information about making donations through the College can be acquired by emailing Woodruff at woodruff@middlebury.edu, or the department coordinator, Carol A. Sampson, at sampson@middlebury.edu.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Campus Editor in Chief With sub-zero temperatures plaguing Vermont this winter, people have been confined to the indoors more than usual. Many cardholders of the Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury, however, combatted the dreary weather by taking part in an event called "Blizzard Reading." Carol Chatfield, the children's librarian, described the program, which lasted from Jan. 1 to Feb. 19, as "an effort to increase reading for fun." Anyone holding a library card was free to participate. The event pitted children - anyone under the age of 18 -- against adults to see who could read more pages. In total, Chatfield estimated that 110 people participated, and about two-thirds of these readers were children. People across the age spectrum, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens, took part.The library measured the groups' progress by cutting out paper snowballs and mounting them on the walls. Each snowball represented 100 pages. Younger children were able to read ten picture books or "easy-readers" to receive a snowball. The library did not have any criteria for the types of books it wanted the participants to read. Chatfield said the librarians simply "wanted to emphasize that reading could be fun." The strategy worked perfectly. Chatfield said kids "would come to the desk with big smiles on their faces and say, 'I need 18 snowballs.'"Chatfield praised all of the participants, focusing largely on the children, who amassed 64,500 pages. The adults combined to read 36,500 pages. According to Chatfield, home-schooled children read "incredible amounts." Students in schools generally had less free time for reading, but "also came quite regularly" to add to the growing pile of snowballs. Chatfield mentioned proudly that one young girl from Early Essential Education (EEE) routinely visited the library to contribute. EEE is a program that accepts children who are behind the level they should be upon entering kindergarten.The library holds a summer reading program, from which the idea for "Blizzard Reading" stemmed. Chatfield said, "January is usually a pretty blah month, so let's try to spice it up a little bit with some fun thing." After its first year, Chatfield considers the program a definite success, although she suggested that next year the library "change the theme and do a beach party, or a Hawaiian luau or something warm."The event culminated in a party last Thursday that continued the winter theme. Children made snowmen out of toilet paper, cut out snowflakes and baked cookies, decorating them as snowmen. A name was drawn out of a hat to give away a "Charlotte's Web" book bag. All participants received a small souvenir -- a pencil with the phrase, "I survived the Blizzard of 2003 at the Ilsley Public Library."Chatfield summarized the event by saying, "People had a good time. They kept coming in and checking the chart to see how they were doing. I think we accomplished our goal, and next year we would try to include a wider group of readers."
(02/19/03 12:00am)
Author: Suzanne Mozes Giving voices to the vaginas of women across the world on Valentine's Day, 19 Middlebury College female students let their vaginas speak at Eve Ensler's '75 "The Vagina Monologues." The two performances in McCullough marked the fifth anniversary of the show at the College, infusing V-Day with a dual meaning.Just as the word "vagina" stuns the reader of this article, the word bewilders the audience at first. A staunch discomfort and apprehension surrounds this word in the public and private domain. But by the conclusion of the performance, "vagina" is said 136 times. Ensler desensitizes the audience with repetition while reclaiming the word with pride and reassurance.The night opened with performances by the Mischords, Ryan Dunn-Komeh '05 and Anais Mitchell '04, who dedicated her song to her grandmother sitting in the audience. She prefaced it with, "If it weren't for her vagina, where would I be?" The performance delved into sexual discovery, gender issues, heart-wrenching pain and comic issues of the female genitalia while circumventing expected "male bashing." The evening focused on celebrating women, their bodies and their minds.Directors Joya Scott '04 and Kate Pines-Schwartz '03 cast the 14 monologues with aptitude that mirrored the diversity of roles and the 300 interviews upon which "The Vagina Monologues" are based.While all the performers, clad in outfits that made them feel sexy, left the audience somewhat awe-struck, several of the one-acts left a particularly striking impression due both to the quality of their performance and the material being discussed.In "The Flood," Liz Myers '03 assumed the role of a 72-year-old woman from Long Island with a fastidious accent, focusing her performance on embarrassing encounters with the opposite sex at an early age. Striking a balance between attitude, ethnicity, comedy and respect, Lollie Perez '03 brought out the true texture of "My Angry Vagina" when she yelled, "I don't want my pussy to taste like rain." Parker Diggory '04.5 then launched into 16 moans with dramatic urgency and careful deliberation in "Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy," and Charzetta Nixon '06 developed from a child into a young woman with delicate sensibility in "The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could."During "Under the Burqa", Scott and Pines-Schwartz made a directorial decision to send two other performers in a procession through the audience toward Lily Balsen '06, who was onstage. Balsen walked in a similar solemn processional downstage. The two performers then walked onstage, and lifted their black cloth in front of Balsen, then finished with her performance. When the cloth was dropped, Balsen had magically vanished, leaving the stage void of sound. While the image mirrored the concept of "Under the Burqa," the black cloth and extra women onstage distracted from Balsen's solid performance in this serious, moving piece about an Afghani woman. Furthermore, the processional added implications of an unrelated religious ceremony and made the audience question if women were the cause for their own oppression. Yet, the visual image should be applauded for complementing the idea of "being cut off" and for its experimental liberty.These monologues, along with "My Vagina Was My Village" and "The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could" left legs tightly crossed and clenched. Scott felt that the monologues were particularly difficult because they are so powerful. "We were walking a fine line between accuracy while maintaining the audience's distance to prevent them from feeling threatened. We tried to strike a balance between solidarity and women in such situations and such issues to allow the audience to understand the context ... [and] to identify with these women."Ensler's script, catalyzing the creation of V-Day in 1998, began as a way to stop violence against women, a problem she encountered with alarming frequency during her interviews across the world. As Caitlin Vaughn '04 explained, "Violence against one woman anywhere is violence against women everywhere." As a result, ticket and merchandise sales for this year's two performances raised approximately $2,500 for Womensafe, a center for women and their needs, in the Middlebury area. Moreover, Scott and Pines-Schwartz declared the Middlebury College campus "a rape free zone." This directorial decision was inspired by in a celebrity filled performance at Madison Square Garden in 2001 organized and directed by Ensler.Ensler, a Middlebury graduate, explained in an introduction to her one-woman show that she did not "have girlhood fantasies about becoming the 'vagina lady.'" In fact, while at the College, Ensler studied Sylvia Plath's poetry in the midst of a serious bout with depression and alcoholism.Only after her graduation did Ensler sober up and begin her work as a feminist playwright.The V-Day movement, spurred by Ensler, now moves with its own inertia. Over 2,000 V-Day events took place on Valentine's Day this year on over 1,000 locations across the world."The Vagina Monologues" give women a new means of communication through a second set of lips. While flushing false feelings of security can be alarming, raising awareness of violence against women can only help, just as this past performance has helped the College's small campus.
(02/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Josh Axelrod With temperatures becoming tolerable, and February break beginning on campus, Middlebury's nordic ski team has been busy with weekly carnivals. Action started off last weekend in Stowe, Vt., where the Panthers raced to excellent finishes at the University of Vermont Carnival.The women began the Carnival with a 10-kilometer classical race. Skiing with incredible consistency, Kate Newick '04 led the Panther charge with a sixth-place finish. She was closely followed by fellow teammates Diana Johnson '05 in 10th place and Kate Whitcomb '04 in 12th place. Taylor Leach '06 and Berkley Leach '04 rounded out Middlebury's showing in the top 30 while Claire Anderson '06 finished in 36th place. When the snow settled and the results were in, Middlebury's women had won the day.On the men's side, skiing the same distance as the women, Garrot Kuzzy '06 again led the Panthers with a fantastic fifth place finish. Close behind him was Colin Rodgers '04, skiing to a ninth place finish. Captain Tim Weston '03 finished in 13th spot. Jake Whitcomb '06, Bryce Roche '05 and Marshall Greene '04 all finished in the next eight places behind Weston, proving that Middlebury's men are a force to be reckoned with, and they are continuing to ski faster as the season progresses.Day two began with the women's three-by-five kilometer freestyle relays. Middlebury's A-team of Newick, Johnson and Whitcomb just edged Middlebury's B-team for fifth place. The Leach sisters and Anderson skied to an impressive sixth-place finish, well ahead of many A-teams in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA).Coming off impressive results from the day before and hoping to improve on its third-place overall finish, the men's A-team consisting of Rodgers, Whitcomb, and Kuzzy set out to defeat UVM and steal its glory at home. Rodgers began with a lightning fast 5-kilometer leg, putting Middlebury far out into the lead. Whitcomb was caught later in the second leg, and Kuzzy battled for position throughout his race but was unable to overcome UVM, as it finished about 100 meters ahead of Middlebury, giving the Panthers a very solid and dramatic second-place finish. Not far behind in seventh place, Weston, Roche, and Greene completed Middlebury's results.After the UVM carnival, Head Coach Terry Aldrich decided it would be wise for the team to be rested before traveling to Oak Hill ski area outside Hanover, N.H., for the Dartmouth Carnival and also a preview of the race courses that will be used for this year's NCAA National competitions.The women began the day with a 5-kilometer skate around the skiable yet challenging Oak Hill course. Newick led Middlebury yet again with a fifth-place finish. Skiing strong and relaxed, Johnson finish in 11th place followed closely by Whitcomb in 12th place. Anderson and the Leaches all finished in the top 30 yet again for Middlebury.On the men's side fast snow and a fun course resulted in more excellent results for the Panthers in the 10-kilometer freestyle. Rodgers led Middlebury with an amazing third-place finish, just three seconds out of second place. Back a ways and feeling a little tired, Kuzzy still came up big with a ninth-place effort followed closely by Whitcomb in 11th place. Weston, Greene and Roche all finished in the top 30 for the Panthers.Day two featured the much anticipated 15-kilometer mass start classical race for the women on the challenging 7.5-kilometer Oak Hill course. Whitcomb led the Panthers out of the stadium in second place followed closely by Newick and Johnson. Over the next lap and a half, Newick took over the Panther lead finishing in a solid eighth place followed immediately by Johnson in ninth place. Skiing strong, but continuing to lose ground, Whitcomb finished out the Carnival scoring finishing in 17th place. Anderson was close behind her in 22nd place and Taylor Leach finished with a strong 25th. Berkley Leach finished just outside of NCAA qualification in the 31st spot.With temperatures going above freezing and blue skies, the men's 20-kilometer classical race began in a flourish of bright lycra and whipping poles. The 10-kilometer course featured seven kilometers of rolling ascent followed by a fairly technical and icy downhill back into the stadium. Coming out of the stadium, Weston led all skiers with an amazing show of double poling ability. Close behind him were Rodgers, Kuzzy, Whitcomb and Greene with Roche battling for position after dealing with a slightly slower start.The first lap saw two Dartmouth skiers pull ahead, but Rodgers remained strong in fifth place, close behind the lead pack. Kuzzy fell back a few places, but with nine kilometers remaining, he began to push from ninth place to catch back up to Rodgers. Behind them, Weston, Roche, Whitcomb and Greene had all found each other and were skiing in an impressive train of Middlebury force. Coming into the finish, Rodgers led the Panthers with another excellent race finishing in sixth place, nearly five feet out of fifth place as he came from 50 meters behind to almost beat Tom Temple of Dartmouth. Right on Rodgers' heals was Kuzzy finishing his great race in seventh place. Close behind and very amazing to see was the train of Middlebury skiers that stuck together all the way to the top of the 500-foot climb. Weston finished 13th, Roche 14th, Whitcomb 15th and Greene 16th, placing all Panther skiers well within the top 20 places.With two carnivals to go, the Panther Nordic skiers are showing excellent promise. This includes the Middlebury Carnival, to be held the weekend of February 21, which is one of the most important events for the Panther skiers. We can also look forward to more EISA action next weekend at Mount Prospect, Vermont, where Middlebury will compete in the Williams Carnival. The NCAA nationals begin March 3 at Dartmouth, and Middlebury will be looking to improve on their successes of last year.
(02/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Tom Drescher Rob Chisholm '03 was recently awarded the grand prize in the Ohio State University National Undergraduate Essay Contest in Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics for his paper on the resource management system of a lobster-fishing community in Nova Scotia, his native province. Chisholm wrote the paper, "Drawing the Line: Informal Property Rights in a Nova Scotia Lobster Fishery," last spring for an environmental economics class taught by Jonathan Isham, Assistant Professor of Economics. Immediately impressed with the structure and content of Chisholm's essay, Isham suggested that he submit the paper to Ohio State's national contest. Economic literacy, relevance of the problem, creativity, evidence of strong research, and conclusions derived from analysis were some of the factors considered by the judges. According to Isham, Chisholm's essay was already stellar as a first draft but with some fine-tuning it merited the grand prize in Ohio State's prestigious contest. This distinction, shared with a student from the University of Michigan, earned Chisholm half of a $1,500 prize and a $250 prize for winning his category. Chisholm drew heavily on his experience growing up in a small town in Nova Scotia to write his essay. "Where I'm from, in Nova Scotia, you're either a lobster fisherman or a relative of a lobster fisherman," said Chisholm.Chisholm describes the system utilized in his community as a "common pool" resource system. Through informal rules and cooperation, fishermen are assigned property rights to fish in certain areas, thus minimizing the potential for over-fishing. Chisholm's essay explains the conditions under which a common pool system can promote both sustainability and profitability, using the lobster-fishing village in Nova Scotia as a practical example. Chisholm, an environmental studies major, went on to write his thesis on the same subject. He has since received a scholarship to research material in Nova Scotia relating to his thesis.Chisholm hopes to study resource management around the world and eventually take part in Canadian policy-making. He emphasizes the impact of policies on individuals and small communities. "The lobster fishermen back in Nova Scotia work hard and well with their community toward preserving their resources for its future," explained Chisholm. "Policy must recognize that kind of work at the grass roots level."Chisholm's award is indicative of his hard work, dedication and genuine interest in environmental studies. Isham observed that he represents the kind of environmental studies student Middlebury College is looking for.
(02/12/03 12:00am)
Author: David Freedman With the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships coming in the next few weeks, the Middlebury men's and women's swimming and diving teams took advantage of their last breaths of free time before spring classes begin to relax and take pride in what they have accomplished so far this season. On Feb. 8, the College hosted the Middlebury Invitational, a meet where no scores are tabulated but times are recorded. The event drew ranging teams from NESCAC rivals to local colleges to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The format of the event allows teams to showcase some swimmers who will not compete in postseason meets to end their season on a high note, while at the same time putting the rest of the teams in off-events to keep them fairly sharp before any championship meets.Because of the limitations NESCAC puts on the number of swimmers a school can bring to the championship, many members of the women's team competed in their last meet of the season. These swimmers and divers put on their best performances of the year. Trista McGetrick '06 and Kate Veenker '06 swam their best 50 splits of the year in the 200 medley relay, while Erica Norman '06 and Whitney Sones '05 had season-high times in the 50 butterfly, and Elise Beeger '06 swam under a minute in the 100 freestyle for the first time in her career. The Middlebury divers also went out with a bang: Laura Shaw '05, Tessa Truex '05 and Juliana Muir '04 finished with their highest scores yet (235.45, 234.25, 196.30 respectively) as well as Molly Callahan '04 finishing coming in over 200 points. While the men did compete, they were not shaved and tapered for the event; nevertheless some of the Middlebury swimmers put up impressive times. Austin Krissoff '06 dropped 36 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle to win the event and put him in seventh place overall in the NESCAC rankings. Co-Captain Ricky Barfus '03 and Matt Clark '04 finished under 1:50 in the 200 freestyle event for the first time on the season, while fellow co-captain Andrew Sterling '03 put out a strong showing in a rare appearance in the 200 butterfly. Adam Rahal '05 won the 200 individual medley in personal best fashion to round out the team's performances in the sprints. The Middlebury men's and women's swimming and diving teams also took on Williams on Feb. 1 and came away with some good results despite the score. The women were defeated 184-116.Emily Egan '06 was ecstatic with her sister Kellianne Egan's '04 "outrageously good win in the 1650. Our family and team was so happy for her." Lizzy DeWitt '04 had an outstanding day with wins in the 500, 200 and 100 yard freestyle events, while Alyson Lipsky '03 wrapped up Middlebury's domination in freestyle with her 50-yard victory. The men lost 254-79 though Clark, Jason Korsmeyer '05, and Alex Demas '06 had standout performances. The women's team will head off to the NESCAC Championships from Feb. 21-23, while the men's event will be held the following week from Feb. 28 toMarch 2. Both teams will look to represent Middlebury well with strong first-year classes and a great core of veterans that have been to big meets in the past.
(01/25/03 12:00am)
Author: David Freedman Heading into the final stretch of the season the Middlebury men's and women's swimming and diving teams look ready to make a strong showing at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships at the end of February. The women's team garnered momentum for its final two outings before postseason competition with two strong wins over Hamilton and Union Colleges. The men, meanwhile, impressed fans by coming back from a disappointing 96-135 loss to Hamilton by easily defeating Union's swimmers, 168-126. In the month of January the women's side has started to win with more than just first place finishes; with their record now standing at 6-1, the whole team has begun to put up points on their way to earning big wins. Lizzy Dewitt '04, Kellianne Egan '04, Alyson Lipsky '03 and McKenna Moreau '06 have consistently won or contributed to wins in relays all year long. As the whole team has improved, there are many more clean sweeps of the top places like Egan, Sarah Groff '04, Colleen Reynolds '06 and Emily Egan's '06 performances in the 500-yard freestyle against a good Hamilton squad. Teague Douglas '06, Lily Knopman '06 and Kate Miller '05 have all stood out as huge contributors since the December break, but they have been well supported by the entire Panthers squad. With so many different women swimmers putting up serious points, it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify the team's most dangerous weapons. This was more evident than ever during these past two week's defeats over Union and Hamilton. The youth of the men's side has proven to be both a strength and weakness to Panther swimming. With a solid 4-3 record, the men have lost to teams with plenty of experience and depth. The victories of some of the younger Middlebury swimmers has somewhat overshadowed the consistently strong showings by many of the team's veterans. Captain Andrew Sterling '03, Matt Clark '04, David Hawkins '05 and Jason Korsmeyer '05 all came off at least one individual victory in the past two weeks and finished in the top three places eight more times all together. Freshman Alex Demas '06, who recently won the 100 and 50 yard breaststroke events and earned second in the 400-yard individual medley and Rob Hillas '06, have been two of the faster rookies this season.The swimming and diving teams meet Williams on Feb. 1 and will wrap up regular-season competition the following weekend in the Middlebury Invitational on Feb. 8.
(01/25/03 12:00am)
Author: Peter Faroni On Jan. 8, the Brady Campaign, a Washington-based advocacy group that works in conjunction with the Million Mom March for the prevention of gun violence, issued its annual "report card" scoring state laws for protecting children from guns. On its most recent report card Vermont received a D-, making it one of the 28 states to receive a D or lower.Critics say Vermont laws fail to hold adults responsible for allowing children access to loaded guns and do not require waiting periods or background checks for buying a gun. Chad Ramsey of the Brady Campaign commented, "The thing with Vermont is they have such a long way to go ... there's a laundry list of things that can be done."Vermont also received low marks for allowing 16-year-olds to carry concealed weapons in public. Additionally, critics cited Vermont's failure to establish safety standards for handguns as an alarming weakness in state gun control efforts. Ramsey points out, "Just requiring child safety locks sold with each gun is such a small step." Vermont would have received a failing grade if not for its limit on the sale to or possession of handguns by children under 15.Despite yearly censures from the Brady Campaign, there have been few significant changes in gun control laws. Vermont has received a D- since the organization began issuing its reports six years ago. However, state National Rifle Association (NRA) officials have discredited the Brady Campaign as an effort to restrict firearms sales to civilians under the guise of safety.Vermont's choice to "stick to its guns" over gun control policy can be ascribed to its expectation that citizens owning and using firearms will behave responsibly. Bill Leipold, president of Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, Vermont's branch of the NRA, stated, "Vermont's law is straightforward -- it's a crime to carry a firearm with the intent to commit a crime. I think that firearms in the hands of lawful citizens are a wonderful deterrent to violent crime and to burglary."Former legislator Frederick Maslack (R-Poultney) would agree strongly with Leipold. In 2000, Maslack, a vocal opponent of gun control, introduced before the Vermont Legislature a bill that would have levied fine $500 against all citizens of military service age who were not in possession of a gun. Another bill Maslack introduced would have made basic military training mandatory in Vermont high schools. Both bills were defeated in committee, and Maslack was not reelected in the November election.In response to criticism that Vermont needs more extensive gun laws for minors, Leipold said, "I think minors should be under adult supervision unless they've passed a hunter education class and proven themselves trustworthy." He maintained that liability laws already on the books sufficiently handle instances of parental negligence.Though state gun laws have been heavily criticized by gun control groups, crime remains low in Vermont. Leipold affirmed "Vermont has one of the highest percentages of gun ownership and one of the lowest rates of violent crime. 'Nough said."
(01/15/03 12:00am)
Author: David Freedman Over the past month, the Middlebury men's and women's swimming and diving teams have taken on four opponents, three in the first week of Winter Term. The men rebounded from two losses against perennially strong squads from Dartmouth College and Amherst College to earn two victories over Colby College and Bates College. The women's side earned three New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) wins over the past month. They started on this tear with their historic victory over Amherst, while losing for the first time this season to Dartmouth, a men and women's Division I team.The women's win against Amherst marks the Panther's first defeat of any of their swimming and diving teams in Coach Peter Solomon's six years here. In a truly all-around team effort, Middlebury fought hard for a 129-114 victory marked with personal bests for most of the Panther swimmers and even a few pool records. Lizzy Dewitt '04, McKenna Moreau '06 Electra Smith '06 broke personal records to earn pivotal points for Middlebury throughout the meet. Junior Sarah Groff's win in the 500-yard freestyle event was an amazing performance in which she edged out Amherst's All-American and National Champion swimmer by 0.17 seconds. Despite the 177-118 loss to Dartmouth on Jan. 8, the women swam well against Colby and Bates on the Jan. 11 and 12 to push their record overall to 4-1. With various combinations of swimmers in the freestyle and medley relays, Middlebury won all four relays in the span of two days with Alyson Lipsky '03, Teague Douglas '06, Lily Knopman '06, Liza Reed '06 and Dewitt taking part in many of these races. Kate Miller '05, Lipsky and Moreau continued their strong performances in the backstroke, posting victories for Middlebury in each of these races. The women's team truly showed their depth this weekend by having either two swimmers or two relay teams finish in the top three places in 54 of the 58 events. While the men lost 162-79 in their first NESCAC matchup against Amherst, they showed signs of improvement for a very young team in two big conference wins over Colby, 165-112, and Bates, 161-111. The meet against Dartmouth in between the NESCAC meets exposed the men's side, as the Big Green broke 14 pool records on the night to win 188-88. As Solomon points out, even through the losses, the men's sprinting events and all-around team depth showed they are fierce competitors.Following the theme of the women's meet with Amherst, a host of Middlebury swimmers posted personal bests. The day began with Jason Korsmeyer '05, Stephen Kinney '03, Rob Norman '05 and Scott Atkinson '06 all besting personal records. Matt Clark '04 and David Hawkins '05 placed first and third in the 50-yard freestyle event, and later on Hawkins led the way as he and Clark finished first and second in the 100-yard freestyle event. Putting the two losses aside and pushing forward, the men's team had two outstanding back-to-back performances to move to 3-2 on the year. Hawkins and Clark carried their success from the Amherst meet right into this past weekend. They both participated in the 200-meter medley relay against Bates, and together won the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle events. Hawkins also won the 50 freestyle and the 50 butterfly events against Colby the previous day. Adam Rahal '05, Ricky Barfus '03, Alex Demas '06 and Andrew Sterling '03 contributed consistently throughout the past month. The men's and women's teams will travel to Hamilton on Jan. 18 for their fourth NESCAC meet of the year.
(01/15/03 12:00am)
Author: Megan O'Keefe Despite national concerns about the declining economy, ski enthusiasts are returning to the slopes in greater numbers this season. Abundant snow and prime skiing conditions have boosted sales of both season passes and daily lift tickets at ski resorts across Vermont. Throughout the state, ski areas reported strong levels of business during the holiday season. Steady snowfall and low temperatures resulted in record-breaking openings and Thanksgiving business at many ski areas. At Killington Resort, which boasts the longest ski season in the East, early snowstorms and extensive use of snowmaking equipment produced the best early season in the resort's history. After the resort opened 75 trails by Nov. 6, said Steve Wright, Killington's marketing manager, "It's unheard of to have this much terrain open this early...We're off to an incredible start this season."Weather-propelled sales are benefiting not only large, destination ski resorts but also smaller ski areas. Season pass sales at the Middlebury Snow Bowl are the highest they have been in several years, a significant improve over the 2001-2002 season sales. The Snow Bowl hosts primarily season pass holders. According to Peter Mackey, general manager of the Snow Bowl, season pass sales "strike a good balance" between sales to Middlebury College students, faculty, staff and the general public. Thus far this year, 800 season passes have been purchased by students, as opposed to 500 passes sold to students by this point last year. Five hundred passes have been purchased by College faculty and staff and more than 300 have been sold to the general public. This represents an increase of 10 to 20 percent over last year's sales.Mackey credits an abundance of snow both at the Snow Bowl and in "down country areas" of Massachusetts and Vermont with improved sales at the Bowl. Frequently when snow cover is plentiful at the mountain, but not in lower areas, skiers tend to believe that conditions will be unsatisfactory at the Snow Bowl. An abundance of snow in the town of Middlebury has allayed residents' concerns about the depressed national economy and pushed sales up at the Snow Bowl. The only signs of economic depression were decreased preseason pass sales and fewer weekend and holiday lift ticket purchases. Mackie believes, however, that fewer preseason sales were due in large part to poor skiing conditions at the end of last season. Despite an increase in season pass sales, Peter Mackie assures skiers that the slopes and chairlifts at the SnowBowl will remain uncrowded. While locating a parking space may be difficult and the Lodge may be packed, lines for the chairlift will be short and the slopes will be as clear as they have always been.The only signs of economic depression were decreased preseason pass sales and fewer weekend and holiday lift ticket purchases. Mackie believes, however, that fewer preseason sales were due in large part to poor skiing conditions at the end of last season.Despite an increase in season pass sales, Peter Mackie assures skiers that the slopes and chairlifts at the SnowBowl will remain uncrowded.While locating a parking space may be difficult and the Lodge may be packed, lines for the chairlift will be short and the slopes will be as clear as they have always been.Winter Term proves an especially busy time for the Snow Bowl as students take advantage of more leisure time to hit the slopes. To cope with the added demand Middlebury College sponsors a frequent shuttle service that departs from Adirondack Circle and goes directly to the Bowl.All trails and lifts are currently open to serve both students and members of the local community alike. For the latest ski conditions, consult the snow bowl Web site at www.middlebury.edu/~snowbowl. Ski areas hope the weather patterns continue to encourage the turn out they have seen so far this season.
(01/15/03 12:00am)
Author: Andreas Apostalatos The Middlebury men's hockey team seems to have regained their dominance in Division III hockey after a disappointing start to the season saw the team hit a mediocre .500 winning percentage after its first four games. After coming in last place at the Primelink Great Northern Shootout on Nov. 29-30, the Panthers have won five of their last six games, and are fourth in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). While this position may seem uncharacteristically low for the usually dominant Panthers, Middlebury is only four points shy of first-place Bowdoin, who it will play this Saturday on the road.Much of the Panthers' recent success can be attributed to the strong play of freshman members of the team. In addition to the usual fine goaltending of first-year Yen-I Chen, first-years Tim Schneider, Ryan Cahill and Jeff Smith have all become consistent contributors offensively, with nine, seven and seven points respectively. Kevin Cooper '04 leads the Panthers with nine goals and seven assists (16 points) overall."I think Coach Sinclair and the upperclassmen have put a lot of confidence in the freshman class, and have realized that we need to contribute in order to be successful," said Chen, who has started in goal in 10 of the Panthers' 11 games. "I think we're a pretty young team, and we can only get better. We have great leadership, the captains are doing a great job, and they've really made it comfortable for us as freshmen." Middlebury put on an offensive showcase on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 when it hosted NESCAC competitors Tufts and Connecticut College. The Panthers managed to out-hustle Tufts as they scored three goals in the third period, and took the game 6-2. Middlebury worked the puck very effectively over the course of the game, leaving Tufts worn out by the final period. A consummate team effort saw six different Panthers score.The following day, Connecticut College visited Middlebury for a 4 p.m. matinee. A mishap with the visiting team's bus delayed the game an hour, but Middlebury was not caught off guard. The Panthers routed the Camels 9-1. Once again, the Panthers managed to blow open the game in the game's final interval, scoring four goals. Five Middlebury players notched two points in the game, led by John Dawson '04 (2 goals, 1 assist), who previously had only one goal on the season.Despite the team's easy victories on Jan. 10 and 11, the Panthers can ill afford to loosen their intensity. Both Tufts and Connecticut College rest in the basement of the NESCAC with identical 2-3-1 records, and the rest of January will bring tougher opponents. Middlebury will play seven more games this month, three of them which are against NESCAC teams. This weekend's trip to Maine for games against Colby on Friday and Bowdoin on Saturday will be a pivotal stretch in Middlebury's season. Currently, undefeated Bowdoin rests atop the NESCAC with a 7-0-0 record, while Colby is only two points behind at 6-1-0. A duo of wins will numerically put the Panthers in the upper echelon of NESCAC teams, a place where the team believes it belongs. However, a loss in either game will make it slightly more difficult for the Panthers to win the NESCAC title, since the seeds to the league tournament will be based solely on teams' regular season league records. "The games this [past] weekend were good wins for us," commented team captain Rob Chisholm '03. Chisholm continued, "Against Connecticut College, we felt like we started to click a little bit better and we got everyone working together. Saturday was a great confidence booster for this team, which will be important as we head to Maine next weekend to take on Colby and Bowdoin. Both those teams have been having very good years, and they are probably our biggest league rivals, so we always look forward to playing them."Despite the fact that the Panthers will have to play both games within a 24-hour period, Chisholm and his teammates feel they will be more than energized for the competition. "There is a little more jump in everyone's step in practice this week as we anticipate what should be a great weekend of hockey."After returning from Maine, the Panthers will remain at Middlebury for a three-game homestand, highlighted by a Jan. 21 matchup against Williams. The Ephs currently sit at fifth place in the NESCAC standings, just one spot behind the Panthers.
