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(10/02/25 10:00am)
Early scientific models that describe how the body functions and responds to different sensations during sex, such as Masters and Johnson’s sexual response cycle and Helen Singer Kaplan’s triphasic model, viewed sex as a linear, sequential experience that began with excitement and desire and culminated in orgasm. These models deserve some credit, as they established language and theory about how the body reacts during different elements of a sexual experience. They, however, also set narrow expectations for what sex looks like and, by extension, who is considered “sexually functional.” In reality, these models excluded the experiences of many people with physical, emotional, and cognitive functional differences. At SPECS, we believe it is necessary to reanalyze these models through an inclusive lens.
(10/02/25 10:01am)
President Ian Baucom entered his tenure with multiple public statements asserting “the freedom of our students to express and explore thoughts outside orthodoxy, inside and outside the classroom, without fear or hesitation.” And yet, the reality of students on our campus dictates otherwise. With the Trump administration’s threats to the autonomy of academic institutions, Middlebury is capitulating by intimidating and silencing its students. Free speech at Middlebury is in crisis and this administration is faltering in its commitments to open expression.
(09/25/25 10:02am)
At Beijing Capital Normal University, where I took my semester abroad this past spring, I enrolled in Classical Chinese. There, I developed confidence and an interest in reading simple classical Chinese. I also became more familiar with major schools of thought in the Pre-Qin period of ancient China, its prominent thinkers and their influence on modern China. After studying Classical Chinese, I developed a deeper understanding of Confucius’ saying:
(09/25/25 10:03am)
“You are a writer. Don’t tell your parents that.” My English advisor, Professor Robert Cohen, told me these words as I sat in his office, talking about my recent turn towards Buddhist thought and how I’ve unclouded my judgment of the outside world over the summer.
(09/18/25 10:03am)
On May 28, shortly after the conclusion of exams and our departure from campus, MiddSafe advocates received a letter from the Health and Wellness Education (HWE) office titled “Changes to MiddSafe & Mental Health Peer Educators – Your Eyes and Response Needed!” This email explained that for a variety of reasons, the MiddSafe hotline was going to be shut down, effective immediately, and that our group was to be merged with the Mental Health Peer Educators (MHPEs), another campus resource run by HWE, into the new Peers Educating for Affirming Relationships (PEARs). MiddSafe provided a one-of-a-kind service to Middlebury students: A 24/7 confidential hotline, staffed by students, for those impacted by sexual violence. In quietly shutting down MiddSafe, Middlebury removed a unique resource and overlooked the importance of student input, highlighting the need for greater transparency in decisions that affect the community.
(09/11/25 10:06am)
Reading for pleasure can feel like an elusive luxury amid the perpetual, cyclical motion of college. Over the summer, however, time regains its elasticity, yielding a sweet languor I’ve already begun to miss.
(09/11/25 10:01am)
This past June, the family-owned Hero Sushi and Asian Grocery opened its doors at 21 Macintyre Lane beside Middlebury Discount Beverage, inviting students and locals to enjoy a cozy, welcoming space filled with fresh Asian food and distinctive snacks.
(09/11/25 10:03am)
New and first-time filmmakers from around the world came to Middlebury to showcase their work at the 11th annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, which took place Aug. 20–Aug. 24.
(05/08/25 10:06am)
The Middlebury Commencement is in the realm of the sacred, in what sociologist Émile Durkheim called “the ritual sense of the word. It has … transcendental majesty.” What are its sacred elements? The processional, during which faculty and other luminaries enter to the applause of seniors; the land acknowledgement and opening prayer; the commencement address (e.g., speaker Isabel Wilkerson’s inspiring call in 2018 for “radical empathy”); the singing of the Alma Mater, with its paean to the “sunset glowing o'er the mountains, snowy peaks and winding ways”; the recessional, during which the seniors — now Middlebury graduates — exit to the applause of the faculty and the others. It all adds up to a timeless, transcendent ritual.
(05/01/25 10:02am)
On the evening of April 26, the arrival of the annual student-run arts festival, Nocturne, coincided with weather characteristic of April; heavy gusts and dark clouds hung over Middlebury, leading organizers to implement the event’s rain schedule. Set across four buildings, the event lived up to its sensational reputation despite it all, drawing students from all corners of campus to experience a night of electrifying performances and art installations.
(05/01/25 10:04am)
Ten days before the release of Adrianne Lenker’s most recent live album, “Live at Revolution Hall,” this past Thursday, the artist’s label 4AD put out a release promoting the upcoming album. This page included a tracklist of all 43 songs and conversations composing the album’s runtime, as well as quotes from outlets such as The Sunday Times and The Times pronouncing Lenker to be an heir to Bob Dylan. What caught my attention, however, was the message written by sound engineer Andrew Sarlo (Lenker’s focus has never been on acclaim or comparisons, so this impulse felt right). The epigraph describes this project as a “loving memento from one friend to another,” demanding to be consumed with the same engagement one would devote to a film.
(05/01/25 10:08am)
(04/17/25 10:01am)
Vermont is weighing a controversial plan to trap and remove beavers from 21 state-owned dams in order to mitigate blockages and ensure infrastructural integrity.
(04/17/25 10:04am)
The Middlebury College Community Chorus filled Robison Hall with a heartfelt and powerful performance that celebrated love, humanity and the spirit of community on April 11. The free concert featured nearly 70 non-auditioned chorus members from the college and surrounding towns, and was conducted by Ronnie Romano ’20.
(04/17/25 10:02am)
The Middlebury College Musical Theater Club’s rendition of the musical “Grease” left everyone in Town Hall Theater (THT) “Hopelessly Devoted” to the talented cast and crew this past weekend.
(04/10/25 10:01am)
If you’re anything like me, you’ve watched what little you have invested in the stock market shrink dramatically over the past week. Turmoil has rocked U.S. markets as President Trump rolled out a sweeping set of tariffs — most notably the “Liberation Day” tariffs announced on April 2. The result? A massive equity selloff, trillions in market value wiped out in days and the U.S. entering bear market territory for the first time since 2022.
(04/10/25 10:03am)
John McShea ’25 debuted his visual art collection “Dopamine” to an intimate crowd of friends and supporters on April 4. The paintings are complex explorations into how different sources of pleasure affect personal memory and nostalgia.
(04/10/25 10:00am)
When I arrived at Middlebury College in the fall of 2022, I never thought that I would run a half marathon, organize a fundraising soccer tournament or raise over $3,500 in just three weeks for a humanitarian organization that is over 4,000 miles away. However, that is exactly what I am doing because some causes are personal, and some moments demand more than thought: they demand action. Please consider helping us reach our $10,000 fundraising goal by May by attending our upcoming soccer tournament (details coming soon) and donating to the GoFundMe.
(04/10/25 10:01am)
On Saturday, April 5, an estimated 400 people gathered in downtown Vergennes along Main Street outside City Park as part of the approximately 1,300 nationwide Hands Off! protests against the Trump administration. Beginning around noon, the protest lasted roughly two hours through wind and rain. At its peak, protesters spread across Main Street and the intersection at North Green Street and Green Street. The protest was planned concurrently with other Hands Off! protests throughout Vermont, with an estimated 10,000 in attendance at the Montpelier, Vt. protest. The local chapter of the progressive Indivisible movement placed attendance in Brattleboro, Vt. at around 1,500.
(04/03/25 10:01am)
To celebrate its students’ broad range of instrumental and vocal talent, the Middlebury Community Music Center (MCMC) hosted Bloom and Grow, a pay-what-you-can benefit concert, on Friday, March 28. Proceeds from the concert supported the non-profit’s student scholarship fund, improving accessibility to the center for students. The Center, now in its 10th year of operation, aims to cultivate musical talent and encourage the joy, fulfillment and sense of community that students experience through music.
