626 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(09/09/10 4:06am)
BEST WEEK EVER. Such a statement, rendered in all caps and spoken with the naïve earnestness of the Double Rainbow guy, is often written off as hyperbole. However, it is my job to prove to you, loyal Campus reader, that such a statement can be spoken with confidence, without inspiring vitriol, EVERY SINGLE WEEK OF THIS SEMESTER. If I can live up to my heroes, Sam Seaborn and Andrey Tolstoy, I will die a happy person.
In a very real sense, the first week of the semester is the best week ever. You haven’t had the chance to get behind on your homework — even better, you don’t have any yet! You haven’t seen your friends in months, so you haven’t had time to get annoyed by their greetings prefaced with the list of why they are too busy to have more than a two-minute exchange with you or their belief that any argument becomes irrefutable if buffeted by a citation of Plato or Hendrik Hertzberg. Your heart even flutters at the familiar sight of sausage at Proctor, and you aren’t even jaded enough to think of a dirty crack to make about it! There is one reason in particular that makes this week the best week ever:
FRESHMEN STAMPEDE. With all the destruction and sorrow in the world, it is very comforting to know that you can always rely on one thing to never change — first-years will always travel in groups of more than three. Is there a designated term for these packs of first-years? Are they a herd? A gang? A drove? Did you know that a group of ravens is called an unkindness, and a group of crows is called a murder? I would like to start a trend right now of calling these unavoidable packs of first-years an unkindness.
They really should devote more anthropological study to these interesting creatures. Watch an unkindness closely next time they pass you by in front of McCullough.
There are three types of first-years in these groups, which can also be differentiated by names stolen from the animal kingdom and rock band culture. There is the alpha fresh, the student who has the most charisma and the highest SAT scores who could, without question, have been a Feb. There are the groupies, who have chosen this unkindness because this leader was the most appealing. And there is the kid who has to walk on the grass because there is no room on the sidewalk. This kid is the one you need to watch out for. I would bet money that our greatest leaders were once the awkward kid walking on the grass, sometimes having the misfortune to land in that one wet patch of ground at the bottom of Mead Chapel hill that never dries. Obama was once the outlier of an unkindness. James Madison was so the awk one out of all the Founding Fathers. I bet even Ron Liebowitz was forced to take a step off the pavement while at Bucknell University.
The reason that the sight of a freshman unkindness is so wonderful is two-fold. First, the nostalgia brought about by watching these droves of frenetic and nervous energy is pretty wonderful. And no, you were not much cooler than them when you were an alpha fresh those three long years ago.
Second, looking at those fresh faces, collectively more excited than a pack of cougars at a Justin Bieber concert, makes it impossible not to look ahead and conclude that this year could possibly be the best year ever. Unless you are still the kid on the sidewalk and all the free creemee in the world won’t wash away your sorrows. If so, don’t fret, your best years are yet to come. In the meantime, invest in some waterproof footwear.
(05/06/10 4:00am)
This summer, students plan to embark on myriad adventures across the globe, from London to Nevada, Florida to Israel. The Campus talks to students about their upcoming plans.
Josh Johnson ‘13
Nevada Research Expedition
“Geology rocks,” Josh Johnson ’13 quipped when asked about his plans for the coming months. This summer, the prospective geology major will be joining Professor Jeff Munroe on a two-week research expedition to northeastern Nevada. The trip, led by Munroe and Dr. Ben Laabs, geology professor at SUNY Geneseo, will have students from both schools backpacking through the Ruby and East Humboldt Mountains.
“They’re trying to develop climate change records from the region, looking at sediment cores of high-elevation lakes,” Johnson said.
This is the second year into the professors’ three-year project. With the help of National Science Foundation funding and a team of pack mules, the researchers will be drilling cores and taking sledgehammers to glacier boulders in an effort to collect samples for dating.
As one of just two Middlebury first-years taking part in the project this year, the Washington D.C. native is “super excited” about this opportunity.
“It’s going to be the most exciting part of my summer,” Johnson said.
Maddie Niemi ‘11
London Hedge Fund
Full immersion, it seems, is not a technique reserved solely for language majors. Maddie Niemi ’11 will shortly be crossing the Atlantic and diving headfirst into the business world.
Over the course of eight weeks, Niemi will be working on two major projects for a London-based hedge fund. The first entails researching the legal and economic implications of opening a branch of the company in Turkey. The second involves looking into Middle East- and Southeast Asia-based companies that may be good investment options.
“I’m at a place now where I’m considering a law degree, a business degree or a Ph.D. in economics,” she said. “This might give me insight into all of them.”
Though nervous about being on her own and possibly the company’s only intern, she looks forward to exploring a new city and learning about business practices around the world. After spending last summer doing legal research for her advisor at Middlebury, she is especially interested in the tax and business laws of the regions.
Having joined a firm that rarely takes interns in an already-sparse market, Niemi feels quite lucky. “I’m really happy to have this job,” she said.
Santiago Zindel ‘13
Palm Beach Zoo
After a year in Middlebury, where a glimpse of a deer is a respectable dose of wildlife, Santiago Zindel ’13 has his sights set on some slightly more exotic companions. Zindel, originally from Mexico City but currently residing in Palm Beach, Florida, will be working as an intern at the Palm Beach Zoo this summer.
Zindel is one of many college students participating in the internship program offered by the zoo. The program is divided into four areas of concentration: avian care, primate care, carnivore care and behavioral training. While interns in the first three groups will have feeding and cleaning duties for specific types of animals, Zindel will be shadowing trainers of a wide variety of species.
“I’m planning on a bio major, so I was looking for an internship to do with animals,” he said.
Zindel took a “backstage tour” of the zoo over Feb break where he was able to get a closer look at the training and care of the animals. He was especially impressed by the zoo’s humane approach to the animals’ monthly check-ups.
“Most zoos just tranquilize them, but with Palm Beach’s policy, they train the animals for the least intervention possible,” he said. For example, tigers are trained to keep their mouths open and put their paws up against a fence for examination.
After sending in his application earlier this spring, Zindel was interviewed by phone and selected for the internship. Though he has not settled on a career path just yet, he looks forward to beginning his foray into the study of animal behavior.
Jared Smith ‘13
Birthright Israel
For Jared Smith ’13, a safe and all-expenses-paid trip to a land relevant to both his own roots and current world issues sounded like an excellent summer plan.
Smith is one of seven members of Middlebury Hillel who will be traveling with Birthright Israel this summer. The students will embark on a 10-day journey with an itinerary that includes rafting down the Jordan River, a seminar on Arab-Israeli relations, exploring Jerusalem, camel riding and much more.
Birthright is funded by donations from philanthropists and Jewish communities worldwide in an effort to give young adults a chance to learn more about their heritage and strengthen the international community. Eligible participants are Jewish, between the ages of 18 and 26 and have not studied or lived in Israel after the age of 12.
For Smith, the application process alone, though not all too difficult, was eye-opening. “I think the hardest part was the statement of intent,” he said. “It wasn’t really until I got to that part of the application that I really had to think of why I wanted to do it.”
Though the prospect of free travel was alluring in itself, he was mostly drawn to the trip’s personal value.
“The biggest part for me is getting to experience a culture that would otherwise be difficult to experience, especially for safety reasons,” he said.
Dan Murphy ‘11
Sheperd Poverty Alliance Internship in Atlanta
Dan Murphy ’11 began crafting his summer plans when a campus-wide email from the Alliance from Civic Engagement (ACE) office caught his attention earlier this year. The message mentioned internships offered by the Shepherd Poverty Alliance, based at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
“The alliance is a group of colleges that gets together to promote poverty curricula in colleges, studying poverty in America and promoting anti-poverty work,” he said. “It sounded like something that I was really interested in — community mental health and psychosocial well-being in low-income families.”
After a rigorous application process requiring a resumé, transcript, multiple recommendations and an interview, Murphy was chosen to fill one of two available positions. He will be working for Families First, a social services organization in Atlanta, Georgia. His work will consist of “promoting community integration” for primarily low-income families in the area. By making house visits and working on collaborative projects such as a community garden, he hopes to make a difference in these families’ lives.
“We’ll be determining what they need and how we can help,” he said.
Murphy is also eager to live independently for a change, as he and three other interns will be living in an apartment at Georgia Tech.
“Hopefully I’ll make some new friends and connections,” he said, “and I’ll be in charge of my own food.”
(05/06/10 4:00am)
When I began this column three semesters ago, I imagined it as a lighthearted contribution to The Campus’ pages; if not an opportunity to focus solely on seemingly trivial concerns, then just a chance to acknowledge the role alcohol plays in our college lives, for good or ill. And while I hardly thought I’d be starved for subject matter, I did sometimes worry that I would end up stretching for ideas or trying to assign meaning to a topic so obviously insignificant.
So it came as some surprise to me this year when my column all of a sudden seemed more relevant than I ever envisioned it to be. That’s not to say, of course, that I planned on writing something completely frivolous from the outset, but I hardly imagined that discussions about alcohol and how we use it and regulate it would come to dominate the pages of this newspaper from week to week. I suppose this is a columnist’s dream, then, that his or her writing becomes suddenly useful and acknowledged as an actual contribution to public discourse.
Similarly, I was surprised when my column began to drift into more thoughtful concerns over these past few months. Perhaps it is the requisite reflection and nostalgia of senior year, but in my writing I couldn’t help but frame things more broadly and try to understand how alcohol — or anything — fits into our broader experience of college and life.
With this in mind (and hopefully without overstating my own importance), I’ve enjoyed being able to make some contribution to the conversation about alcohol and student life on this campus. And without becoming too philosophical (read: sappy), I’d like to take this last opportunity to proffer some advice to the (still-mostly-hypothetical) reading masses.
First, don’t take yourself too seriously. The reasons for this should be obvious, and the idea is hardly mine. But it’s still valid; too often at Middlebury, students get so caught up in their goals and aspirations, their involvements or an inflated conception of their own importance that they forget that when it comes down to it, for four years we’re just a bunch of kids kicking around in a beautiful place. We shouldn’t worry about our futures — or pretend we know what we’ll do with them — because as much as twenty-odd years might provide us with some experience, it’s hardly enough to be the definitive guide to the rest of our lives. We shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about grades, or jobs or those countless other things with which we stress ourselves out on a daily basis, because these worries impair our ability to laugh, relax and make complete fools of ourselves. Perhaps the reason I’ve been attracted to alcohol is because of its ability to facilitate all three.
Secondly — and lastly (because my twenty-three years of experience are surely not enough from which to draw more than two conclusions about life) — remember to have fun. Four years flies by, and if you spend all your time in the library you won’t feel much when you stride across the stage at commencement other than back pain from too long in a blue recliner and a lingering sense of regret that you never took the time to enjoy Middlebury for what it is. There are too many opportunities here to make academics your one focus, and I’ve learned that the work always gets done, one way or another, so you should never prioritize that over other concerns (read: your life). A nice day in the middle of spring, a stimulating conversation over dinner and a relaxing evening with friends are too good to pass up, regardless of what you think you should be doing. Ultimately, what will matter more to you in the future, the grade you got on that one paper, or the friendships you’ve made and the experiences you’ve had over your years here?
I’ve used alcohol as my lens, then, not because drunken nights are the zenith of the college experience or because we should all be striving for some Animal House ideal, but rather because it forces us to step back from what everyone tells us should matter and focus on what actually does. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t care if anyone drinks (and no one needs to in order to have a good time), but I do care if people spend their days wasting away within the confines of their own brain instead of getting outside, seeing friends and living life.
There are too many great things about this place — and too many countless others about life — to spend one’s time doing anything but trying to savor all of them, whether alcohol plays a role in this or not. So no matter what one opts to do on a weekend night, make sure you enjoy it and are doing it for the right reasons, because these four years pass quickly, and the rest will, too. Spend them drinking liberally from the pleasures of life, regardless of what is in your cup. Cheers.
(04/22/10 4:00am)
A sense of wonder, a reverence for nature and an understanding of humanity have driven Professor John Elder in 37 years of devoted teaching and ravenous learning at Middlebury College. When a man that “has all the human qualities that you think of defining virtue” is leaving a professorship after almost four decades, “we’re going to really really miss him,” said Christopher Shaw, associate director of the Fellowships in Environmental Journalism.
Shaw first met the renowned scholar at a lecture Elder gave in 1995.
“I haven’t heard anybody who could speak so clearly about the then-current issues in enviromentalism and conservation that was so clear and sharp but was also so grounded in scholarship,” said Shaw. “I dont remember a thing he said that day, but I do remember the feeling he left with me, which was, I have to get to know this guy.
Elder will now be retiring from the College, to innumerable expressions of profound affection from students, faculty, and alumni. Originally appointed as a professor in the English department in 1973, John Elder was later given a dual appointment in the Environmental Studies department to reflect his burgeoning interest in the environment. Over his career, Elder has offered courses on topics as diverse as local Vermont towns, modernist literature, Shakespeare, food justice and Wordsworth and Basho.
In an interview, Elder reminisced on his early days as professor and his instant love for Vermont upon arrival, “I loved the combination of natural environment — woods, wildlife, the beauty of the mountains and the lake — with the high quality of the cultural environment, little compact villages with library and music and a chance to know your neighbors … Fairly early on, I decided ... that I wanted to stay and make my career here.”
Elder expounded on a sense of wonder that propelled him “to study literature and to study the earth … we are drawn forward by wonder that motivates us [and] goes out ahead of us.” This gift of attentiveness has inspired Elder in his pursuits of an impressive range of disciplines, as he led English departments around the country to embrace a new environmental literature movement.
Daniel Brayton, associate professor of English and American literatures, also praised Elder for his “profound and ebullient” influence among academia. “John is one of the pioneers of ‘ecocriticism,’ or environmental literary scholarship, said Brayton.
Though his academic prowess has dazzled fellow literary scholars for many decades, it is Elder’s passion for teaching and personal interest in his students that endears him to the Middlebury community, winning him the Vermont Professor of the Year award in 2008.
Jue Yang ‘11.5 reflected on Elder’s enthusiasm for both academic and personal development as she wrote on her experience in his nature writing course, “I realized from talking to John that I am in a trusting community where I grow, not only intellectually, but also in a broader spectrum ... I will walk away from this class not only with a deeper appreciation of my surroundings and the relationship between them and myself, but with hope that life would be more meaningful than ever.”
Simone Dinshaw ‘11 acknowledged Elder as “a light” to those who knew him. “He inspires you, he teaches you, and he helps you find the stories that are buried inside of you ... I feel honored to have had the opportunity to have been in his class this semester, to have basked in his light for a while.”
Brayton shared a cherished memory of what he called “John’s puckish side” on a hike up Mount Abe.
“We walked and talked at a fast pace, and he told me many things about how animals survive the Vermont winter,” said Brayton. “After a quick snack at the summit, John turned to me and said, ‘This is how we get down!’ He then took a flying leap onto the steep, icy trail we had come up and slid on his seat for about fifty yards down the mountainside. I had no choice but to follow.”
Elder will spend his free time finishing a book on the future of Vermont’s communities, sugaring with his two sons in Starksboro and practicing the whistle, flute and bagpipes with his wife, who plays the concertina.
John Glouchevitch ‘10.5 could only say this much: “I’m pretty sure that when I die, I’ll wake up somewhere beautiful and go for a long, long walk with John Elder. That is the best I can say it.”
(04/22/10 4:00am)
On April 27 and May 6, the “Last Lecture” series will present Professor of Biology Tom Root and President Emeritus of the College John M. McCardell, with an opportunity to impart their wisdom to the College community.
Evan Masseau ’11, who started the “Last Lecture Series” last year, is excited to continue the program this year, and hopes to hold more last lectures in the 2010-2011 academic year too.
“Last year, we hosted the first lecture by John Elder, which was a big hit,” said Masseau. “Students really seem to enjoy the break from the usual classroom setting and the opportunity to hear an informal advice and opinions from professors that we usually interact with in formal and academic settings.”
Root is a professor of biology in the Neuroscience Department. Root began teaching at Middlebury in the fall of 2005. Root has taught courses in invertebrate biology, animal behavior, animal physiology, neurology and neural disorders. Although Root’s research focuses on the neural control of behavior in invertebrates, he has guided students through research in all types of animals.
I’m excited to hear Tom Root speak because so far most of the lectures I’ve heard from other universities were from humanities professors, who traditionally address the sorts of philosophical questions the Last Lecture series gets at ... I think he will bring a different perspective to his talk,” said Masseau.
In his lecture, Root hopes “to communicate how a life-long fascination with living things can enrich one’s life, pose important questions about ourselves and lead to a better understanding and appreciation of the world.”
Root will draw upon material from courses he has taught on animals, behavior neuroscience and various Winter Term courses to highlight the “patterns and randomness in nature” that can help others better understand “the patterns and randomness of life.”
John McCardell served as president of the College from 1992–2004. McCardell initially joined the Middlebury faculty in 1976 as a professor of history. During his time at Middlebury, McCardell served as dean for Academic Development and Planning, dean of the faculty, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs before becoming college president.
McCardell has continued to teach courses in U.S. history even after retiring from the college presidency. In 2007, McCardell founded Choose Responsibility, a non-profit organization dedicated to public education about lowering the drinking age to 18.
McCardell leaves Middlebury to become president of Sewanee: The University of the South, located in Tennessee, starting July 1. He will also step down from his position as president of Choose Responsibility on June 30 and will be replaced by a founding board member of the organization.
Because McCardell is leaving Middlebury, the talk “will in fact be a valedictory speech for him,” noted Masseau.
Root will speak on April 27 at 7:30 P.M. in the Johnson Memorial Building, Room 304. President Emeritus John McCardell will speak on May 6 at 7:30 P.M. in Mead Memorial Chapel.
(04/22/10 4:00am)
Over 20 girls and boys aged 6-10 filled the Middlebury Community House on April 16 for the annual teddy bear tea party. Each child brought a favorite stuffed animal and had tea and sandwiches, crackers with teddy bear cheese cut-outs, Teddy Grahams and mini éclairs. After lunch, the children’s librarian at the Ilsley library Judah Hamer and the assistant children’s librarian Kathryn Laliberte read stories to the children.
The House Director Pat Hornbeck, who has worked at the Community House since 2004, commented that the house’s collaboration with the library helped make the event a success.
“This was my first year since the library has been involved and they were great,” she said.
Hornbeck had been looking for a way to draw more people to the gathering and found that working with the Ilsley library was a good solution.
“We needed to build [the tea party] up a little more and they needed another activity for the library,” she said.
Hornbeck said that the tea parties each year bring more people into the Middlebury Community House and raise awareness that the house is a space that everyone can use.
“We have a great deal of difficulty in getting the knowledge out of what we do,” Hornbeck said.
The Community House hosts a range of events, from weddings to graduation parties to memorial services. Hornbeck commented that the trustees will agree to host anything that is “appropriate to the house’s.”
“So that kind of rules out beer parties,” she laughed.
Trustee of the Community House Lynda Rheaume said the teddy bear tea party is appropriate to the house because of its history.
“Jessica Stewart, the woman who gave the house to the people of Middlebury, said she wanted the house to be used by children, so we try to encourage events where children come,” Rheaume said.
Many girls and a few boys visited the house for the first time for the tea party, making the event a success in Rheaume’s and Hornbeck’s eyes.
(04/22/10 3:59am)
Were you a fan of MGMT’s “Oracular Spectacular,” or, more particularly, of “Electric Feel,” “Kids” and “Time to Pretend”? Have you had fun blasting the infectious “Daylight” by Matt & Kim out of your fast moving vehicle? These tunes are great, and, with the “indie” label attached, they make you feel on top of the current music scene.
Unfortunately, it is hard to scan the plethora of music blogs in order to impress a music snob, so I am here to try and help out. This week, I’m changing it up. I’m going to list five tunes by five different artists that are catchy yet obscure enough to give you some credibility among music geeks.
I’ll do my best to cover different genres, but, given my taste, I will inevitably leave many out.
1. “O.N.E.” by Yeasayer: How perfect for the first tune, “one” spelled in all caps. This song combines Afropop guitar jangles and bass riffs with ’80’s-style production to create an epic danceable beat. The timing of the chords is truly bizarre, but Yeasayer are able to show off their quirks in accessible fashion. Any fans of Animal Collective’s less experimental side will immediately take a liking to this tune and this band.
2. “Who Knows Who Cares” by Local Natives: I know I’ve already professed my obsession with this song in a previous review. But I like it so much that I am now putting it on this list and demanding that you listen to it. At first a tranquil guitar riff and beautiful harmonizing, this song is then lifted to a faster pace by a string accompaniment. Indeed, this is a feel-good tune about living life to the fullest, about taking a “van down to Colorado.” This song is for fans of the recent streak of chamber pop in popular indie music (read: Grizzly Bear’s “Veckatimest”).
3. “Shadow People” by Dr. Dog: Despite sounding eerily similar to Adam Sandler’s band from “The Wedding Singer” during the first verse, this tune shows off Dr. Dog’s ability to recall music from a past time in a familiar, more current songwriting structure. This tune is for those who refuse to listen to music past 1980. Believe me, Dr. Dog can play some great (classic) rock ‘n’ roll.
4. “The High Road” by Broken Bells: Okay, maybe this tune isn’t so obscure, but it is so catchy and immediately likeable that I had to include it. Danger Mouse’s dreamy production is so nicely complimented by James Mercer’s voice. At first Mercer — lead singer for The Shins — sounds blasé, but, as more instrumentals enter the song, the once effortless voice is fervently strained. The tune, and the rest of the album, has been my go-to for studying.
5. “Jail La La” by Dum Dum Girls: Unfortunately I missed this four-piece as an opening act just a few weeks ago. Still, I have been digging their freshwoman effort, “I Will Be.” “Jail La La” is so highly stylized with fuzz and distortion, and so catchy with its up-tempo pace and cool vocal delivery. Have fun listening to this tune in your car with the windows down on a summer day.
There you have it — five promised songs by five current artists. Show them to your friends and let them know how truly cool you are.
(04/15/10 3:59am)
To the Editor:
As a long-time vegan, I enjoyed reading about Kristen Faiferlick’s month-long run with a vegan diet (“Vegan for a Month,” Apr. 8). The author sums up my sentiments perfectly: Everyone should try out being vegan!
It’s easier than ever to go vegan. As a growing number of people are opting for animal-friendly meals, restaurants, grocery stores and college campuses across the country are meeting the demand by dishing out vegan options — from veggie burgers to bean burritos to savory meat alternatives and more.
We can stand up for our health, the environment and animals every time we sit down to eat.
Sincerely,
Francesca Valente
(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 ...
(04/08/10 3:59am)
About a month ago, I decided to try out veganism. I know what you’re thinking. Vegans are tree-hugging, granola-loving liberals who only eat carrots and leaves. Well, bear with me, and maybe I can help draw a more accurate picture.
Why would I ever consider veganism? Unlike most people, my decision wasn’t entirely based on moral or ideological grounds. Many vegans will cite environmental concerns, animal cruelty, chemical or hormonal problems with animal products, their own dietary concerns or a range of other valid topics as reasons for not eating animal products. However, I was simply curious. After overhearing a vegan tell an omnivore that only the first 20 days of veganism were hard, I decided to give it a shot and see how true that statement was. Let me tell you, it’s been an adventure.
Before I continue, a distinction needs to be made: veganism does not just concern food. Vegans do not purchase or wear animal products of any type. That means no wool, no silk and no leather. This is different from vegetarianism, practitioners of which usually only restrict themselves to not eating meat. In general, I think it’s fair to say that vegetarianism is a diet, while veganism is a lifestyle. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides. During my month-long trial of veganism, I was one of those exceptions. I wanted to try the diet but wasn’t quite ready to jump into the lifestyle.
Throughout my month of dietary veganism, I’ve surprised myself. I’ve made some darn-good vegan desserts (coconut-lime cupcakes, anyone?) and gained considerable insights into both food and people. Going vegan cold-turkey (if you’ll excuse the expression) teaches you a lot.
First off, it forces you to get creative. Who would have thought of combining oatmeal, cranberries, and coconut flakes? Let me say it here: you’re never too old to play with your food. The pure necessity of finding new flavor combinations forces you to explore the food in the dining halls and the supermarket.
Secondly, it makes you actually look at what’s in your food. Vegans have an absurd knowledge of ingredients. Of course, it was a vegan who told me that some wines have fish scales in them. There are more animal products than you’d think in most foods. Example: every single granola bar in the snack isle of Hannaford is non-vegan (they all contain milk, eggs or both). Conversely, who knew Oreos were vegan? Does that seem a little odd to anyone else?
The third thing I learned was that people have really odd reactions to veganism. Usually, they border on two extremes: hostility or complete awe. If the reaction is hostile, they usually begin by generally attacking veganism, questioning your judgment, listing the merits of meat, searching for hypocrisy or unnecessarily expounding on the mouth-watering flavor of whatever non-vegan food they’re eating. Here’s a little hint from vegans to omnivores: contrary to what you may think, vegans do not appreciate this.
Omnivores are rarely forced to explain why they eat what they eat, while vegans must constantly defend their dietary choices. There seems to be an unfair double-standard. There’s no reason to feel threatened by someone’s choice to be vegan. With some annoying exceptions, vegans don’t attack omnivores for their dietary choices, and I think I can speak for all vegans when I say that we’d appreciate the same treatment.
However, sometimes the reaction is the complete opposite. I often hear “Wow, I could never do that,” or “That must be so hard.” To be honest, I thought the same thing at first. And veganism is difficult (both during and beyond the first 20 days). But frankly, you’d be surprised at what you can do. Which brings me to my final point. Veganism is not a weird, extreme lifestyle, nor is it impossible for the average person. It takes some time and consideration to be sure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs and to be sure you aren’t paying an arm and a leg at the grocery counter. But veganism can be done in a healthy, cheap (surprise!) and amazingly normal way. You don’t have to be a member of PETA or Greenpeace to be a vegan. Try it. You might surprise yourself. And even more importantly, you might learn something.
(04/08/10 3:59am)
A native Colombian, Tata Harper grew up in a natural environment that emphasized beauty and the way that women care for themselves. As a little girl, Harper made bath salts, face masks and hair concoctions with her grandmother.
Six years ago, Harper brought this long-fostered appreciation for natural beauty products to New England, when she and her husband Henri bought 1,200 acres in Vermont. They are now permanent residents of Shoreham, where they live with their 17-month- and 4-week-old babies.
“We wanted a truly rural landscape,” said Harper. “My husband and I love land and animals, and Vermont met of all of our needs; it is fresh and natural, like Colombia.”
A self-described beauty junkie, Harper has used a variety of skin-care products throughout her life. About six years ago, Harper’s friends informed her about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and its partnership with the Environmental Working Group. The campaign produces a skin care database that details the concentration and toxicity levels of personal care products currently being sold on the market. The database is an effective resource for consumers and environmental researchers alike, but many don’t take advantage of the available information, unaware of how their skincare regime might take its toll.
“No one ever believes their $400 bottle of skin lotion is toxic,” said Harper. “People need to take personal responsibility and break down the labels on their products, so they can understand the harmful effects of the active ingredients.”
Harper was shocked when she saw what she was actually putting on her face.
“I asked myself, ‘What are we supposed to do?’” she said. “I decided that I would begin an all-natural skin-care line as my contribution to the cause.”
After years of research and travel, Harper’s vision is now beginning to take form. She launched her idea on an international scale, visiting Italy, Spain, England and France, to speak with chemists about the possibility of an all-natural skin-care line. Critics repeatedly advised Harper that it was impossible to make a synthetic-free product that was both healthy and effective. Furthermore, she struggled to develop a product that women would enjoy using on a daily basis.
“I wanted something with a luxurious feel and smell, as well [as natural],” she said.
Finally, Harper struck gold. With help from European chemists, botanists and aroma therapists, she developed 12 skin-care products. The line, which can be purchased online or through Tata’s individual sellers, called ambassadors, is 100 percent natural.
This is thanks to the collaboration between Harper and the chemists, who tested different combinations of ingredients for their desired outcome. The resulting group of creams and lotions promise a safer substitute for traditional beauty products.
“Women need safe alternatives that won’t make them sick,” said Harper. “There are no long- term repercussions with my products; they simply spread healthy energy.”
Harper’s mission to promote a natural alternative has been further inspired by the reality of food and drug laws in the United States. Her travels in Europe have made her question the effectiveness of the American system, as compared to European administration.
The European Union relies on two separate bodies to monitor organic activity, one for food and one specifically designated to personal care. In contrast, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the sole overseeing body for both categories. Personal care falls under USDA domain because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require companies to report the contents of their products prior to market release. Harper argues that this difference has a resounding affect on consumer health, citing disparities in toxin regulation. About 1,100 toxins have been outlawed in European skin products due to health concerns, while just nine of these ingredients are currently banned in the United States. The Environmental Working Group claims that the FDA has not tested 89 percent of the ingredients in our personal products.
“The FDA is reactive, not proactive,” said Blake Perlman, an associate of Harper’s. “People don’t realize that their skin absorbs these skin-care products; we aren’t protected and many toxins contained in personal care products may freely enter the bloodstream and negatively affect our health, especially subsequent to prolonged use.”
Perlman points to the toxins in these products as a primary reason why many Americans get sick. While companies claim to be environmentally friendly, Perlman questions the validity of such claims.
“And we wonder why so many women are getting cancer?” mused Harper.
Harper and her company are not the only individuals concerned about toxin regulation. Recent trade shows for natural products have mobilized to raise awareness and people in the entertainment industry are getting involved as well. In 1976, Congress passed an act for personal toxin use, and Harper’s company, with others, is pushing for the enactment of a revised law.
Harper is leading by example. Sixty different active ingredients are found in Harper’s products, and 12 of these are grown on her farm in Whiting. Other actives are extracted from plants in places including Israel, Japan, the Amazon and the Czech Republic, and then are shipped to the farm’s lab.
Harper makes all of her products in her lab in Shoreham. Her lab, which was formerly the milk house on the original farm property, has the necessary equipment and technology, including a refrigeration unit, to produce her line. With new actives shipped to Harper each month, all of her products are made fresh and as they are needed.
Harper promotes her product and her mission through education.
“It is important to educate women,” she said. “We must learn how to distinguish between the harmful and the all-natural products.”
In an effort to raise awareness, Harper is traveling throughout the U.S., from Miami to Los Angeles to the Hamptons, giving lectures and hosting events. She wants her customers to experience her products and to gain valuable knowledge about alternative ways to lead a natural life.
Harper hopes to make this lifestyle as convenient as possible, pursuing the development of a wellness line in addition to her skincare products. Working with clinical aroma therapists, she has explored products aimed to curb mood disorders, including stress, anxiety, irritability and insomnia.
Harper hopes to open stores in Madrid and Colombia, as well as building up an expanded U.S. base. She is considering distribution in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, and in Los Angeles.
The skin-care products are sold in glass bottles, as Harper uses only green packaging for her line. The paper labels and printed ink are also all natural. Harper regrets that she has yet to find a “green” pump for her skin creams, but knows that other companies have one in the works.
“My favorite product is the replenishing nutrient complex; it has a great smell,” said Perlman. For herself, Harper favors the rejuvenating serum. This may change as the company continues to innovate.
“Eventually I want to expand and create products for babies, teens and pregnant women,” said Harper. “For now, my mission is to spread wellness and beauty through all-natural means.”
(03/18/10 5:00am)
“If you stop doing prayers you are not Muslim anymore,” explained Asma Naser ’10 of the absolute importance of this religious tradition to Muslims. Prayers allow the Muslim people to connect with Allah and express their gratitude and worship. Yet, observing these daily prayers, as well as the other pillars of Islam, can be difficult for College students, Naser shared.
Though not a major demographic at Middlebury College, Muslims comprise over 1.5 billion people in the world. A monotheistic religion with many similar origins as Christianity and Judaism, Islam instructs its followers to lead their lives through the example of the Prophet Muhammad and through the Qur’an, a holy scripture that is said to be the word of Allah (God). Islam literally means “submission to God” and the adherents of Islam are required by God to follow specific duties that are the foundation of Muslim life. They are called “the five pillars of Islam.”
The first is shahadah, which is a profession of monotheism, stating that there is no other god but Allah, and that Muhammad the prophet is his messenger.
The second is salat or prayers, requiring all Muslims to pray five times at specific periods each day.
The third is zakat or alms tax, which is the practice of giving charity based on personal wealth and is an obligation for those who are financially able.
The fourth is sawm, or fasting, and it occurs during the entirety of the Islamic month of Ramadan. From dawn until dusk Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking and having sex.
The fifth pillar is hajj, a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. “It is a three-day event,” said Naser. “You have to be really pious for those three days. You cannot lie to people, you cannot say harsh words to anyone.”
The pilgrimage takes the Muslims to Mecca, where they “do their rounds,” walking seven times around the Kaaba (a site incredibly sacred to Islam) in addition to Medina where they visit the prophet Muhammad’s mosque. “After pilgrimage you slaughter an animal. That’s the end of it,” said Naser.
The pilgrimage must be made once during the life of every Muslim. Those who have completed the haji are honored in their community.
“[The pilgrimage] is compulsory but I don’t want to do it in compulsion,” said Ansri of his future plans regarding this sacred event. “I want to enjoy the experience ... And wait for the right time when I’m much more mentally mature.”
Due to the strictness of these religious practices, Muslim students at Middlebury are faced with many challenges as they try to both be college students and maintain the essential religious practices that make up their faith.
“I have other commitments; I have my own life,” said Naser. “I don’t think that if I don’t pray five times a day, I’m not a good Muslim. I think I’m trying my best.”
“You have to make sure that you’re doing what you used to do when you were back home,” explained Talhi Asri ’12.“You compare your present activities with what you used to do before and kind of find the right path.”
In the case of Ramadan, breaking fast before dawn and after dusk becomes much more difficult when the dining halls are only open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, the Spiritual and Religious Life Administration has been incredibly helpful in overcoming this particular obstacle for Muslim students.
“Back home, we really celebrate Ramadan. We make really good food, and here, it is hard,” said Naser. “But the good thing about Middlebury College is they give us coupons for Grille that are worth almost eight dollars, and we go to the Grille and get good food and drink.”
The Middlebury Islamic Society has also played a big part in uniting the Muslim community at Middlebury by holding weekly prayer sessions and organizing religious and cultural activities.
“When I came here, I think it is much easier [to practice my religion] especially because we have our Islamic society room and we come here and we have practicing Muslims who come here,” said Naser.“It just gives us more want to be here and be with other Muslim students and pray with them.”
“I asked the advisor to create a mandate Islamic Society meeting after Friday prayer and a lot of people turn up,” said Asri. “It’s there for you to know there are other people around you.”
It is hard to imagine a bigger culture shock than moving from a traditional community in Afghanistan to Middlebury College. Naser’s transition from her home to the United States, was an opportunity to become exposed to different faiths and ideas. As a first-year in 2006, Naser was largely unaware of different religions.
“When we are back home, we are only exposed to one kind of view,” Naser said. “We are all with people who think like us, who are really religious. We know only one thing, which is to be really religious. But when we come here, it’s totally different because then we encounter different faiths. We talk to different people. I didn’t even know about Judaism or Christianity before coming here.”
Naser believes that sharing and understanding different religions is an important way to learn about each other, and that Middlebury has facilitated a great opportunity for her to experience that because of the religious diversity on campus. In her eyes, the other religious groups here share many of the same goals and ideas as Muslims, which creates a greater sense of community that is not only about religious practices, but an overall way to live life. All of the religious groups share a common bond of striving to do good works and be better people through practicing their faith.
“It had a really great impact on me,” said Naser, “because even though they are different people who are practicing different religions. There aren’t a lot of big differences between us.”
Naser has felt no discrimination being a Muslim at Middlebury. In fact, she has assimilated into American culture to a certain extent. As a result, Naser has had to make some changes in her lifestyle.
“My first year I wore hijab for a week, and then everyone would be looking at me and I didn’t want the attention, so I took it off.”
For Naser, these changes came because she realized there are many other important parts of life that are not about religion. She knows that her effort to continue to live under the ideas and teachings of Islam is still an instrumental part of her life, yet through her experience at Middlebury, she has come to accept to other ideas and teachings. For that she is very grateful.
“If I go back,”said Naser, “I’m sure I could explain things to people I could tell them that, ‘No, there aren’t a lot of differences.’ They think that Christians are totally different from us, but I think that if there is someone that could explain to them, ‘no, they are ordinary people like us,’ I’m sure they’d understand.”
(03/18/10 5:00am)
“People don’t know that I’m smart because it’s not consistent with my image,” said Cassidy Boyd ’10, cracking a grin. “I try to be as coldhearted, vicious and glamorous as possible.”
Only a few minutes into our interview, I could tell that this was going to be an interesting, in-my-face way to start my week.
Although it was a Monday morning at 9:30 in the library café, Boyd was ready to chat with me and whoever beckoned from her Blackberry. Worried that I had upset this theater and psychology double major with my slight tardiness, I explained that I nearly missed my alarm and took the fastest shower I could.
Boyd laughed and sarcastically confided, “I always feel like P. Diddy when I wake up, and dance naked around my room.”
Seeing that I had only met Boyd a few times prior to this interview, I did some research as to what people thought of her on campus. The responses I received circled around a common theme, some more joking than others.
A recent alum explained to me that “once you meet her, you will discover how cool she is in all her bullyness,” whereas one Campus editor admitted, “It’s tough, tracking down a diva.”
With a reputation for being somewhat intimidating, I wanted to hear Boyd’s assessment of the rumors.
“I don’t know exactly what I’ve done to get that stigma of being intimidating — it might be my hair, you know, I tend to do a lot of hair flips. These are animal kingdom signs,” said Boyd. “I might also intimidate people with my leopard print laptop case, but who knows.”
Contemplating a deeper reason, Boyd allotted her reputation to her confidence.
“You need to be confident if you’re going to live with yourself for a long time. I just don’t care what other people think of me.” Boyd said bluntly. “You know, if you don’t take risks, you don’t get to sip the champagne.”
Turning the conversation back to her outlook on her past four years at Middlebury, Boyd had much to say about her many activities on campus, the changing student body, and her outlook for the College after she returns to sunny California this summer.
People generally recognize Boyd for her provocative dances in Riddim, but she has become an integral part of many campus organizations. From working as a senior admissions fellow to being a member of the Community Judicial Board, this senior has made it a point to get involved.
“Of course I have formed fantastic friendships through Riddim, and it’s fun to be so well-supported on campus,” explained Boyd. “The 9:30 performances of our shows give everyone in the group the biggest high. Who wouldn’t love being on stage in front of screaming drunk fans?”
With regard to a lesser-known side of Boyd’s busy life, she is currently rehearsing for a faculty-led play, “Bad Blood,” which is part of her senior thesis work. In April, this aspiring actress will be one of 16 nationally-selected participants in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C.
When asked why she decided to transfer herself back East instead of staying in her native Los Angeles, Boyd made it clear that she wanted the authentic small college feel, going on to say, “I didn’t choose to come to the East Coast, I chose Midd — location wasn’t a priority.”
Being prodded to go deeper into her perspective on the vast differences between the coasts, Boyd couldn’t resist the chance to talk about fashion.
“I was originally concerned with fitting in, but now I don’t care what I’m wearing. Some people here wear jeans with sneakers — like, seriously?” said Boyd. “Comfort is not fashion. It was a whole new world out here — Top-Siders and fleece are, like, huge…and pants with whales? I just don’t get it.”
Somewhat confused on how to respond with Top-Siders on and my Patagonia fleece lying beside me, I asked her to explain what she was wearing.
Laughing, she said, “I have on equestrian-inspired white leggings.”
(Case closed.)
On a similar tangent about the student body, we decided to discuss the slow demise of social life on campus.
“The caliber of student applying to Middlebury now is incredible —a situation I can say has significantly benefitted me, as I am about to graduate from an increasingly well-known school — but I worry about the future of the social scene,” said Boyd. “When I chose Middlebury, I was not just selecting a school for academics, but a peer group.”
Sensing her disdain for the direction Midd may be heading for, I reminded her that she would be out of here soon enough; however, this was not the consolation she was hoping for.
“I love it here,” she said. “It’s difficult to imagine leaving. Middlebury is such a safe place, where life is isolated and easy-going,” she admitted. “This school facilitated my passions and has given me lifelong friendships.”
Before wrapping up the interview, it was necessary to end on a lighter, less melancholy note. I asked Boyd, who passionately adheres to a mantra of performing on stage and in life, what her ideal theme song might be. After a few moments passed filled by slight hair tosses, she said she was unsure. “Barbie Girl” by Aqua was once her anthem, but she has decided to move in a new direction — more badass.
(03/11/10 4:59am)
Lewis Carroll’s surreal and absurd “Alice in Wonderland” returns to the cinema, helmed this time by the equally surreal and absurd Tim Burton. The alternatively whimsical and creepy charms of the novel and animated Disney film aren’t matched by Burton’s self-referential interpretation of the story, however. Like his 2005 remake of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Burton tries to draw out the darker elements of story, but only serves to make them seem ridiculous.
The story takes place when Alice is 19, and believes that the Wonderland of the original Disney movie was a dream. She stumbles back down the rabbit hole after running away from a marriage proposal from a square and obnoxious suitor. In the opening scenes, we see her in Austenian, 19th-century England, attending a society party for her own engagement-to-be, with a predictable crew of stuck-up, dull Brits who just don’t get that Alice isn’t like them: she’s not weird, she’s imaginative and fantastical!
Her character might have been more likeable had Mia Wasikowska, who plays her, not looked as if she was consumptive throughout the film (as most of Burton’s heroines do –– but they usually have a good deal more darkness to them than Alice).
We see flashbacks where Alice asks her father if she is mad; he tells her she is, but “all the best people are.” This seems to be the central theme of Burton’s oeuvre, from Edward Scissorhands onwards: weird is more interesting. And he’s usually right, except with Alice, who is much more boring than the film would like us to believe. The exaggerated characters that surround her throw into relief her lack of actual personality.
It would be one thing if she were intended to be an innocent and perfectly normal girl thrown into a bizarre world, but, like the Avril Lavigne song that plays in the credits, Alice tries to be alternative but ends up bland and moderately annoying. Her mission is to kill Jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s dragon, and restore Underland to the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), its rightful leader. There is a protracted fight scene at the end of the film that is visually evocative of a video game version of “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter, who looks like Willy Wonka after years of homelessness and hallucinogenic drug abuse. His mannerisms and speech affectations would be delightful and inspired if he hadn’t used variations on them in “Chocolate Factory” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. Depp is an excellent actor and a seemingly perfect fit for the Mad Hatter, but we’ve seen him play effeminate and insane before. Helena Bonham-Carter, Burton’s other half and other most frequent collaborator, is the most entertaining character in the movie as the Red Queen, the controlling and deeply insecure despot of Underland — the mystical world that Alice mistakes for Wonderland as a child. She is given all the best lines in the movie, and her repartee with the Hatter is perfect: “What a regrettably large head you have!” she tells him while in her custody and under threat of having his head chopped off.
But, like Depp, Bonham-Carter isn’t exactly a stranger to playing this character type (file under “Shrieking Harpy”).
Underland itself is alternatively beautiful and garishly creepy, as it should be. Its lurid colours stand out in contrast to Alice’s pastel England. Tim Burton’s strength has always been his visual creativity, and though he brings his own touch to Carroll’s world here, he doesn’t allow it to be quite as macabre as Sweeney Todd’s London or his most inspired creation, The Nightmare Before Chritsmas’s Halloweentown — probably because Disney financed the production of this supposedly family-targeted fare (this also explains the above-mentioned Avril Lavigne infliction). The addition of an action-adventure element into the plot also somewhat compromises the story: it’s about discovery, not conflict, and Alice isn’t a warrior princess — although her haute couture Joan of Arc armor is fantastic.
The recent retrospective on Tim Burton at the Museum of Modern Art was a testament to his striking originality and specific vision, but what he’s creating now seems to be a diluted memory of his best works. His most memorable and impressive stories and worlds are the ones he writes himself. Perhaps it’s time to move on from the adaptations of adaptations.
(03/11/10 4:59am)
Lecture example sparks media frenzy on Roberts
What started out as a simple law lecture turned into a media frenzy on Thursday at Georgetown University.
Professor Peter W. Tague started his criminal law course in the morning by telling students that the Supreme Court’s chief justice, John G. Roberts, would announce his retirement soon due to health reasons. He then asked students not to spread the word but to keep the information within the class.
After learning the news, however, at least one student texted the information to his or her friends. Within 20 minutes, Radar Online, a gossip site that is the sibling to the National Enquirer, officially reported the rumor, which soon spread to other Web sites.
About halfway through the lecture, which was on the credibility of informants, the professor explained that the information about Roberts was made up to show the class that even people who may be considered reliable sources can give inaccurate information.
—The Chronicle of Higher Education
Tufts University allows applicant YouTube vids
For the first time ever, Tufts University allowed its prospective students to turn in a short YouTube video of themselves as a supplement to their application. Of the 15,000 applicants who applied, about 1,000 submitted videos.
Tufts University is known for the unique aspects of its application. It often gives students a variety of optional essays to answer, which include questions such as “Are we alone?,” one of this year’s topics.
In the videos, some prospective students merely chose to talk into the camera, while others submitted more elaborate projects, showing off their water cameras or animation skills. Elephants were a common theme among many videos, as the university’s mascot is Jumbo the Elephant.
About 60 percent of the videos came from women, with two-thirds sent in by financial aid applicants. Some of the videos have developed a following. One of the favorites so far has had more than 6,000 hits.
Lee Coffin, dean of undergraduate admissions, said the videos gave the admissions staff an opportunity to get a better understanding of the applicants beyond their application.
—The New York Times
Californian students protect budget cuts
Students in California staged dozens of protests in major cities against state budget cuts to public universities last Thursday. More than 1,000 students gathered at the Berkeley, Los Angeles, Davis and Riverside campuses of the University of California. A larger group went to Sacramento, calling on lawmakers to restore funds.
The protests started out peacefully, with protestors making a point to avoid taking aggressive action. However, groups in Oakland and Davis eventually decided to storm the freeways, stopping traffic until the police turned them back or arrested them.
This movement was part of a larger “national day of action” in which students and faculty in 30 states united to protest the budget cuts. California has been deeply affected by its $20 billion budget deficit.
—The Chronicle of Higher Education
(02/25/10 5:00am)
When we think about evolution, all too easily we fall into thinking that Nature somehow has a will — that the survival of the fittest is her intention, and many of our institutions and ideas somehow stand against the march of progress. Whether we are willing to defend this view, it sits within many of us, as an influential idea in modern times, where our human condition — our consciousness, sense of morality — our emotions towards one another, even love and friendship all came about through the evolutionary process, where everything simply helps us to survive and procreate, and everything is tainted with the view that all is “red in tooth and claw.”
It’s a doubt about the nature of existence, and a destructive one. It removes from us the will and choice we think we possess and places us at the mercy of conditions inherited from millions of years of evolution. It also acts, for some of us, as a disingenuous justification when we find it necessary to do something against our usual notions of right and wrong. But there is faulty thinking in all of this. Evolution is a process of randomness, on a time scale that dwarfs the human anomaly that has emerged on the planet. It has no will, no intention; it is simply the fact that what lives has managed to survive and reproduce. It is not the intention of Nature that the fittest survive, it is only a fact that they do. And our notion of the fittest depends entirely on the prevailing conditions on the planet, which are continually changing.
At the present time, our social institutions and economic means of production, more than any natural condition, define those prevailing conditions. Whether or not the most intelligent or the healthiest members of the human race survive, Nature is entirely indifferent. We do not go against natural law when we select who survives and who does not. There is no such natural law; it is simply common sense that what continues on must survive. And if it should so happen that amorous space aliens should aggressively abduct all good-looking people, then the so-called good genes would be for ugliness. In other words, there is no real measure of what the fittest is or should be except for the prevailing conditions on our planet. And if humanity should wipe itself entirely out in a nuclear war, where is Nature’s will in all of this? There is none, and only the fact that man as a species has left no descendants, and is hence obliterated. In other words, there is no objective intention of Nature outside of us, but rather, we, as a people, may decide what is desirable, which certainly includes our notions of equal rights and a state as a political association among equals.
But stepping away from broader concerns about eugenics and social policy, we want to consider the internal implications of this mistaken view of evolution. As mentioned, we are led to doubt our individual wills, because they seem to arise from conditions far beyond our control. Certainly, we are handed a set of contingencies, historical, evolutionary, and also personal from our family and growing-up, and our desire to understand these contingencies and transcend them already signify an attempt to reclaim our sense of free will and hence the meaning of our actions, such that our actions may belong properly to ourselves. For certainly it is always what we make of our contingencies rather than the contingencies themselves that define who we are. And if we are led down, in the usual postmodern manner, of doubting yet again the impulses that drive this desire to transcend our contingencies, that is a vein that is perhaps properly worth considering at some point in our lives, and always be somewhat aware of, but it should not rule our lives.
All this being said, as a child the idea of animals at play always did unnerve me, in the sense of it being primarily preparation for skills the animals would need in the future, and the biting, pouncing and wrestling exhibited in their play were training for them as killers, sometimes even of their own kin. Similarly, this extended for me, at the time, to the idea of innocent human play, and even morality, as all tainted with the worldview that I’ve outlined, as “red in tooth and claw.” There was, however, an image from an animal factbook that left a lasting impression on me. It was about pandas (no kidding), and in particular young pandas, who have been observed in the wild to climb up snowy slopes, and having reached a suitable spot, would proceed to turn on their backs and to toboggan down the hills. This was an observation that, at the time, I considered too ridiculous to serve any evolutionary purpose. I mean, really, imagine their expressions as they rolled down the hills in those monsoon forests, looking up at the sky, and furthermore as they plodded patiently up the hill just to experience that brief sense of acceleration and weightlessness. Certainly, they were not filled with any angst but were simply free to enjoy their natural capacities. And so it seemed to suggest to me that red in tooth and claw does not drive all our impulses, that our intelligence has no committed subconscious motives, and that our consciousness, interpreting, is at least awake in the world, and if aware of some cosmic irony, is at least sincere in doing so.
Today, of course, I can easily come up with any number of reasons why their play might serve some useful evolutionary purpose. Who knows, there might even be a form of panda angst we have little means of understanding, probably revolving around their comedic appearances and how no one can take them seriously. Yet the story I told at the time, and the impulse that leads me to tell a different story today, to get around that virulent view of the world — that, perhaps, is something to hold onto.
(02/25/10 4:59am)
NELSPRUIT, South Africa—Being told that if you can’t find a tree when charged by a rhino you should lie flat on the ground because it won’t be able to reach you with its horn and will only be able to trample you does not inspire much confidence.
Amidst the snows of a Middlebury J-term I could not actually imagine myself being near enough to such creatures that I would need to worry about such things, but here I am in the Kruger National Park surrounded by many dangerous animals. Upon our arrival to Skukuza, the main camp in the Kruger National Park, we received the most humbling safety talks I’ve ever heard. We learned what to do if confronted with elephants, white rhinos, black rhinos, hippos, cape buffalo, leopards and lions, all of which we might encounter and all of which have the capacity to kill a person. If a rhino, hippo or buffalo charges you need to have an eye on the nearest tree and climb it immediately. However, elephants can push trees over and leopards and lions can climb trees, so tree climbing is a big no if they attack. If an elephant charges, it’s best to run and start shedding backpacks and clothing as you run, as this will distract them temporarily and give you more time to escape. However, for lions and leopards you should never run. Running from them automatically makes you prey in their eyes. For lions, you should look them directly in the eyes and scream the worst possible curses at them to scare them off. Leopards you must never look directly in the eyes because this supposedly triggers an attack. Despite these worrying instructions, most often, you can back away slowly if you come upon any of these animals by surprise. While these warnings are a bit terrifying, we are yet to have any dangerously close encounters out in the field.
These warnings are necessary, though, because unlike most visitors to the Kruger National Park, we are able to get out of our game drive vehicles because we are expected to do research in the field. We are always accompanied by one or two armed game guards. We have been doing field research at sites along the Sabie river. Days in the field start early and end late and can be extremely exhausting, with temperatures reaching over 110˚F. On a recent day off, we got to escape the heat and go paddling on the Sabie river, upstream of where it runs through the park. Like most adventures here, paddling has its own dangers as both crocodiles and hippos inhabit the Sabie river. This meant no swimming except in the relative safety of the rapids.
This of course did not stop us from having water wars as we paddled, splashing one another and tipping boats. And the feeling I got as we paddled downstream was unlike anything I’ve felt at home. It was a mixture of a fear of what was swimming about below me, a lot of excitement about what lay around the next bend, and tremendous awe at the landscape around me. This sense of awe is something I feel anytime we step into the field. It feels almost as if we are in Jurassic Park every time we hear the rustle or grunt of a large animal nearby. I half expect to see a T. Rex or triceratops lurch out of the brush. It is humbling to know that there are creatures out that can easily overpower me. Knowing this commands an even deeper respect and awe for the natural world around me here, knowing I am a guest, very much at the mercy of my hosts.
(02/11/10 4:59am)
The Community Friends program, one of the largest and oldest volunteer programs on campus, faces an increasing shortage of male student mentors to pair with local schoolchildren.
The program, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, uses a system of applications and interviews to match Addison County children between the ages of six and 13 with a Middlebury student mentor of the same gender responsible for spending at least two hours a week with their charges for at least one academic year. Though rising numbers of male children have expressed interest in the program, Community Friends has been unable to match them with an equal number of male student volunteers.
“There are more boys who are looking for mentors right now,” said Evan Deutsch ’12, a student coordinator for the program. “We don’t know why, but for some reason, a lot fewer guys want to be mentors, and we’re trying to figure out how to attract more … A lot of guys I’ve talked to that say that they want to do it but in the end, they don’t really follow through. We’ve been hanging up posters and encouraging male mentors to talk to their friends.”
Community Friends differs from many of the other volunteer programs on campus for several central reasons: it forms connections between individual students and mentees rather than having a group setting, and it is a “community-based” program, meaning that its members independently participate in activities in the community rather than meeting in a specific place each week.
“Our focus is on providing the one-on-one attention that kids in our program are lacking at home or elsewhere,” said Kay Freedy, the program’s coordinator through the Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) office. “Parents may be absent or stretched too thin by work or other challenges to expose these kids to the positive adult interaction and opportunities that our mentors can, or maybe they just need another positive influence.”
Ali Urban ’12, one of the program’s student coordinators responsible for interviewing potential mentors, training them and helping match mentors with mentees who have similar interests, also feels that the individual attention and community-based approach are two of the most crucial parts of the Community Friends program.
“I think the one-on-one model of this program is really important to its success and uniqueness,” said Urban. “I had worked with children before, but it had always been in groups or for short periods of time.
“Through Community Friends I’ve developed a really special friendship with Ava, my mentee,” she continued. “I have the opportunity to do things both on and off campus with her that I might not have done otherwise — for example, going sledding or exploring her town … I can give Ava some time where she is the center of attention and try new things, and she, in a way, reminds me of what’s really important.”
Not only does the one-on-one, community-based structure allow for flexibility on the mentor’s part, it also opens up new channels for students to access and have a real impact upon the Addison County community at large.
“The most rewarding part [of the program] is becoming a part of the greater Middlebury community,” said John William Meyer ’10, a mentor within the program. “You’re not just establishing a relationship with a kid, but with a family and community. Being a community friend has helped make Middlebury feel like home.”
Moreover, by asking for at least a yearlong commitment from its mentors, the relationships fostered often extend far beyond that two-hour per week window. Mentors describe their mentees coming to visit them over the summer, or sending them postcards and e-mails while studying abroad.
According to Jere Urban, the guidance counselor at Bristol Elementary School who has been involved in recommending the program to his students and helping advocate for those students to reluctant parents or guardians since 1983, these relationships sometimes last a lifetime.
“I remember a student going to a mentor’s wedding, and another one going on a vacation visit to her mentor,” he said. “I even remember a sixth grader telling me about how his dad is still in touch with his [the dad’s] mentor from 20 years ago!”
According to the Community Friends newsletter published at the end of this past fall semester, 73 percent of 400 polled mentees said mentors helped them raise their goals and expectations.
Josh Pincus ’10, another student coordinator for the program, described one of these broadening experiences with his mentee Finn. He recently took Finn on a visit to a lab in McCardell Bicentennial Hall, where two of Pincus’s friends are conducting research into octopus behavior.
“Finn loves animals and has talked about becoming a vet, but he had never seen an octopus,” Pincus said. “My friend was nice enough to meet us at the lab, where they have a number of octopuses, and we spent the next hour watching and feeding the octopuses. As we walked out of Bi Hall, he turned to me with a huge grin on his face and said, ‘That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done!’”
The program has gone through numerous iterations over its 50-year history, serving handicapped people, elders, and children along the way. Up until eight years ago Counseling Services of Addison County, or CSAC, ran the Community Friends program in partnership with the College. At that time, the program began to run out of the ACE office with the financial and technical support of CSAC. As of this fall, CSAC’s involvement in the program has diminished to support for mentees in need of professional counseling if serious issues arise.
Over the course of the Community Friends program’s existence, 2,000 College students have served as mentors. This year has seen significant growth, expanding from approximately 30 members in the 2007-2008 academic year, and about 60 last year, to 93 students involved this spring.
This jump in enrollment includes several new initiatives, such as Xiao Pengyou, a focus group for Chinese and Chinese-American mentors working with Chinese children adopted by Vermont families, and the Sense of Place program, designed to give Community Friends the opportunity “to explore Vermont together and discover Vermont’s unique agriculture, ecology, government, and history,” according to the program’s newsletter.
“Every week I look forward to my Thursdays, not only because I know I won’t be studying much, but because I’ll be doing something more tangible with my time, something I’ll remember years from now,” said John William Meyer ’10, a mentor. “I would like to encourage my fellow college students, especially freshmen and sophomores to start mentoring. It’s a great way to meet people on campus, and make a significant difference in the local community.”
(01/21/10 8:56pm)
Have you ever looked around the dining hall and started thinking derogatory thoughts about how people are disgusting animals?
Admit it. Or if you haven’t, try it. See that dude over there by the window? Yeah, the one eating a banana and scratching himself. Don’t pretend he doesn’t look like the son of T.S. Eliot and the Rosie O’Donnell gorilla from “Tarzan” — and he also sort of looks like he’s been poisoned by nuclear radiation, doesn’t he?
Gross. Well, I’ve got great news for both you and the radioactive lesbian poet ape: Rejoice, for dinosaurs can make you a hell of a lot happier and boatloads less critical.
Today, I bring you the Dinosaur Theory. Not just because I love dinosaurs, and they are the coolest, and not just because I love theories, but because this can change the way you see the world — or at least make time at the dining hall more fun.
The Dinosaur Theory, postulated by G. Frieden, whose father has an M.D., is this: instead of looking at people as, well, people, just think of every person you see as being a dinosaur. This may seem a little silly — and it is — but it works. Instead of analyzing the physical strengths and weaknesses of those around you, holding them up to the scrutiny of what you’ve come to believe is attractive, just look up from this paper and see nothing but dinosaurs.
That bald dude — dinosaur. That chick who might be a dude — dinosaur. Voilá, you are freed of the compulsion to judge people in terms of attractiveness. They’re all just dinos. Now, I know what you’re thinking — that’s not a theory! Well, the theory part of it is this: If you look at other people as dinosaurs, theoretically the world will become wonderful. Test it out. Haven’t you always wanted to watch a dinosaur eat those grossly delicious Oreo Cheesecake cupcakey things? Here’s your chance!
At the risk of seeming like Jerry Springer during his Final Thought — when he tries to translate his show’s fubar lunacy into some sort of weirdly simple take-home message for children or the mentally challenged — I’d like to point out that this Dinosaur Theory shows us two interesting things about our traditional mental schemas:
1. We really love people when they’re dinosaurs.
2. We’re overly critical. It’s not our fault really — we were taught to be this way, with all of our grade school teachers stressing “critical thinking skills.” The problem is, it’s hard to turn off the thinking when you leave the classroom unless you have incredible compartmentalization skills, which are not taught in school and are also easily confused by critical thinkers with dumbness or naiveté. That being said, we’re often not critical enough, mainly in terms of the general assumptions we make about the world, which we then are too lazy to question.
In going about my day-to-day life, I tend to assume that since we are children of the Age of Enlightenment, we are somehow more intelligent than the lovable-but-bumbling humans of the past who, try as they might, had it all wrong. Under scrutiny, it turns out that this thinking is misguided, like when people read this column and expect real opinions instead of comic philosophical musings at the intellectual level of a stoned eighth grader watching Pokémon re-runs.
We don’t know as much as we think we do, personally and collectively. Irrelevant things are still mistaken for “important evidence” all the time. Case in point, vis-à-vis dinosaurs: In 1999, National Geographic announced the discovery of the “archaeoraptor,” the missing evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. Unfortunately, it turned out that some Chinese guy had just thrown together a fossilized chicken and a lizard tail before claiming that he found the fossil buried in 125 million year-old rocks.
Also, as recently as 1920, a relatively large faction of the scientific community believed that the stegosaurus had possessed two brains: one in its head and one in its butt. Unfortunately, this idea was too cool to be accepted, and today it is thought that the cavity in the tail of the stegosaurus was used to store glycogen. But really, who knows? I, for one, am excited as hell for the day when the President of the United Society of Science has to call a press conference to admit that his/her esteemed colleagues “really dropped the ball on that whole evolution thing,” and “we’d like to officially announce we have no idea.”
As human beings, we like to think there are things that we “know,” but every once in a while, it’s nice look around you and see your fellow human beings as dinosaurs. Go ahead, do it. Hopefully you’ll be overjoyed. And maybe you’ll begin to wonder if knowing is as wonderful as it seems.
(01/21/10 8:51pm)
The last time James Cameron sunk $200 million into a movie, he was warned by the LA Times: “What really brings on the tears is [his] insistence that writing this kind of movie is within his abilities. Not only is it not, it is not even close.”
A decade later, after waiting patiently for technology to become more expensive, Cameron devised a plan that was $37 million better. It came with a warning of his own: if Avatar does well enough, he will use his next lunch break to write nine more sequels.
For one, Cameron’s prolific output will ease the pain of moviegoers who went into depression upon leaving theaters. I’m not making this up. Psychiatrists have been dealing with a stream of patients complaining that life has lost meaning to them since they saw the wonders of digital animation.
A fan on Naviblue.com writes: “I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it, I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’” You will not be missed.
The fundamental flaw of “Avatar” can be described with one of its own metaphors. In a hastily slapped-together montage sequence, one of the scientists explains the indigenous Na’vi greeting “I see you” as “much more than that. It’s like, ‘I see into you and understand you…’”
By equating seeing with understanding, you lower yourself to Cameron’s superficial worldview, in which every viewer is inherently a moron. For example, every creature on Pandora has a tentacle, which they use to touch other creatures’ tentacles and thereby establish a special psychic bond — like they’re making a connection. Do you see?
“Avatar” has been accused of copy-pasting swaths of “Dances with Wolves,” “Pocahontas,” “FernGully” and countless other works that would never dream of being plagiarized. If you’re wondering where the images of aliens came from, don’t be fooled by Cameron’s fib that he was inspired by manifestations of Hindu deities.
Watch Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto” (2006). It’s like Mel went forward three years in time, watched “Avatar” and decided to invent a rainforest-dwelling civilization, where everyone wears dreads, thongs and blue paint on special occasions.
Or — “Quick, blow some s--- up before they notice!”
While the technical innovations employed in the film are impressive, they lack purpose because the script was not designed to accommodate them. Shot-by-shot, nothing distinguishes “Avatar” from another action movie because that’s exactly what it is. Cameron did not challenge himself with the technology by responding to its intrinsic demands, to the necessity of making the viewer’s skin crawl with every new scene because it is so mind-blowingly lifelike. There is no grand finale where the director says,
“You think you’ve seen 3-D? No, my friend, watch this!” Instead, he banks on the narrative. Big mistake.
The Guardian writes:
“Cameron has constructed a fable that combines militarist sci-fi, alarmingly vacuous eco-waffle and an intra-species love story that is presumably designed to cover all the bases” — another sign that art for its own sake is last on his agenda. The fantastical potential of Pandora is tethered at every step to the sociopolitical bases “Avatar” tries to cover, making it impossible to let one’s mind wander because the illusion is shattered every minute by the film’s rabid craving for topicality.
And for those of you still willing to cut the film slack for his insights into colonialism, dig this gem of authorial commentary: “The Na’vi represent something that is our higher selves, or our aspirational selves, what we would like to think we are,” while the humans “represent what we know to be the parts of ourselves that are trashing our world and maybe condemning ourselves to a grim future.”
Perhaps in his next film Cameron will share his thoughts on what different races on Earth represent, and how he would like to see them duke it out.
You may be a lover, James, but you ain’t no dancer.
