Search Results

WINTER SPORTS ARE HERE

Strong seniors to lead indoor track  BY JORDAN HOWELL As the cold weather hits and J-Term approaches, so does the indoor track and field season. During the last indoor season, the men placed fifth in the Division III New England Championships while the women captured fourth. In the indoor NCAA Championships, the men tied for seventeenth place and the women tied for sixteenth place. There will be six captains for the Panthers this season, each of whom put together great performances last season. The men will be led by Nick Hendrix ’20, Nathan Hill ’20 and Jonathon Fisher ’20. The women will be led by Helene Rowland ’20, Alex Cook ’20 and Anna Willig ’20. Nathaniel Klein ’21 commented on the upcoming season. “We want as many athletes to qualify for Division three New England’s and potentially go to Nationals,” Klein says. “I’m excited to get on a consistent training schedule... We also have two first year throwers who are learning the weight throw so I’m excited to teach them a new event.” The first meet of the season will be the Middlebury Winter Classic on Saturday, Jan. 11. Hopefully a strong start to the season will lead the team to their goals. Women’s hoops opens season with a bang BY RAIN JI The 2019–20 Middlebury women’s basketball team kicked off the season with a 68–55 win over Keene State College. The team is led by head coach KJ Krasco, assistant coach Savannah Morgan, and senior captains Maya Davis  ’20 and Kira Waldman ’20.  “The main hope for this season is to build on our accomplishments and progress from years prior,” Waldman said. “Our goal is to compete hard in every game so that when we step off the court we feel proud of our energy, effort and enthusiasm.”  The team boasts a promising balance of young talent and experience, with five seniors who bring leadership skills, game experiences and strength in forward positions. Additionally, sophomores contribute different layers of offensive and defensive abilities, and first-years are especially capable in the guard position. They will allow fresh outside looks and innovative passes through the key. “Every member is crucial to our team’s success,” Waldman said. The team is excited for every upcoming game, and they will take all seriously, whether that be preseason or conference contests. The team will play 11 games at Pepin Gymnasium, with the first home game on Nov. 19.  Men’s squash downs Camels BY MAX PADILLA On Saturday, Nov. 16 the Middlebury Men’s Squash team played their 2019–2020 season opener against Hamilton and secured a victory over the Continentals by a score of 8–1. Historically the Panthers have taken on the Continentals and pulled away with a win, scoring 9–0 in the past two seasons that they’ve played them. The team seemed to really come together during their first match. Though, he wasn’t able to play Teddy Best ’22 was proud of his teammates. “We adapted well to Hamilton’s courts and cheered each other on to compete with a loud home crowd. Being away didn’t throw us off our game,” he said. He also noted that Hamilton really brought their A-game, showing up with “with good sportsmanship and athleticism.” Best ’22 is excited about what lies ahead for the Panthers, “We’re looking forward to training hard in the next couple of weeks for our next match in January.” The Panthers will continue their season on Jan. 5 against Williams. Men’s hoops starts strong at Middlebury tip-off BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA The Middlebury men’s basketball team enters the 2019–2020 season with a talented group that only said goodbye to two seniors last spring. This experience was visible on the court this past weekend at the Middlebury Tip-Off tournament, when the team beat both Bridgewater State and Wentworth at home on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16. Over the past 12 years, the men have tallied 265 wins and 72 losses for a .786 winning percentage in addition to three appearances in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The team will shoot for its third NESCAC Championship in five seasons and to make a run in the NCAA Tournament after dropping a first-round game last year.  “A NESCAC championship is on all of our minds,” said Captain and first year all-NESCAC point guard Jack Farrell ’21. “Then, we want to compete at a high level in the national tournament and hopefully make a great run to the championship.”  Five-time NESCAC Coach of the Year Jeff Brown enters his 23rd season with Middlebury. He will commandeer an experienced group that was second in all of the D3 in defensive rebounds per game, fourth in total rebounds per game, and fourth in blocked shots per game.  The Panthers will be under the leadership of captains Farrell, Griffin Kornaker ’21 and Matt Folger ’20, who logged his 1,000th point as a Panther on Saturday. The supporting cast includes Max Bosco ’22,  who averaged 14.6 points and started nine games last year, and 6’9” Alex Sobel ’22, who will look to fill the big shoes of Eric McCord ’19.  The Panthers followed up Saturday’s win with a 92-82 victory over perennial New England hoops powerhouse Keene State on Tuesday, Nov. 19. They next face SUNY Canton on the road on Thursday, Nov. 21.  Alpine Skiing Preview BY CAPTAIN RUDOLPH Heading into the winter season, the Middlebury Men’s and Women’s alpine skiing teams are looking to perform at a high level. Excitement is brewing as they get ready to head to Colorado during Thanksgiving Break for some highly anticipated pre-season training.  The nearing season comes with high expectations. “I’m pretty optimistic about this season to be honest,” Michel Macedo ’22 said.  “I think we’ve got a lot of firepower coming out of the gates. We’ve got a couple guys skiing really fast and I’m excited to see what the freshmen can bring to the table.” Additionally, returning seniors include Pate Campbell ’20 and Katie Utter ’20, both of whom should provide valuable leadership experience. Campbell boasted impressive performances at the St. Lawrence and University of Vermont slaloms, gaining 46 and 33 points, respectively.  As for race locations, the skiers are pumped up to be skiing at mountains like Waterville Valley, the Cabin Lawn, and Middlebury’s very own Snowbowl. Of course, the racers at Winter Carnival look forward to getting major support as they ski in front of their home crowd. “There is definitely a high level of hype surrounding the Carnival,” Tatum Coutu ’23 said.  “My expectations are for the entire school to be there,” Emma Hall ’23 said. Women’s squash sweeps Hamilton BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA Fourteenth-ranked Women’s squash travelled to Clinton, New York and dominated conference foe, Hamilton College, for its first meet of the season on Saturday, Nov. 16. All nine Panthers won their matches.  At the first spot, Caroline Arena ’23 secured victory by giving up just one game against Hamilton’s Hope Worcester, with a performance of 8–11, 11–6, 11–3 and 11–7. Gwen Davis ’22, Natasha Lowitt ’20, Anne Glassie ‘20, Mira Chugh ’20, Maya McDonough ’23, Kiernan Suntha ’23 and Summer Hornbostel ’22 all won their matches without losing a game. Grace Santoro ’23 triumphed in her match against Madison Sakheim, with a line of 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8.  The team looks to build upon the momentum from last year’s season in which it posted a 13–6 record. Although the Panthers lost two of its top three players to graduation, the team will be led by the senior trio of Glassie, Chugh and Lowitt. As demonstrated by its convincing play against Hamilton, Women’s squash is appears to be on track to replicate last year’s successes.  Winter tip-off: Men’s hockey splits weekend BY BLAISE SIEFER The Middlebury men’s hockey team, coached by Neil Sinclair (Middlebury ’93), enters the 2019–20 campaign full of optimism. Returning five of their top seven point scorers from last season, the team brings back much of its offensive firepower and hopes to build off of last season’s 8–13–4 overall record.  “The team is feeling confident coming into the season,” captain Brett Dinneen ’20 said. “We return an experienced, battle-tested group and see a lot of potential from our first-years to help us win some games.” The Panthers welcome seven first-years to the team this year, including a goalkeeper, three defenders and three forwards. “The first-years have made a great mark on this team in their short amount of time on campus,” Dineen said. “They have not settled to just be the younger members of the team but have led by example and are making a big impact immediately.”  Men’s hockey opened up their season with a double-header this past weekend, competing on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Nov. 15 the team narrowly lost to Bowdoin 6–4. Goals came from Emack Bently ’22, Mitchell Allen ’20, sophomore Zach Shapiro ’22 and Brendan Dawson ’20. Despite falling in their season opener, Dineen finds a positive in Middlebury’s late push.  “Friday night wasn’t the result we hoped and there are definitely areas to improve, but it was encouraging to see us make a strong push late,” he said. “We also were able to generate a lot of offense in that game, but it is important for us to not have it come at the expense of defense.” On Saturday, Nov. 16 Middlebury earned their first win of the season, besting Colby 3–0. Allen found himself on the scoresheet for the second game running, while Owen Powers ’20 and Conor Breen ’22 netted their first goals of the season.  “Our second game was an awesome all around team win,” Dineen said. “It was really encouraging to see how the team responded from the previous night and we hope to carry this momentum into next weekend.”  The Panthers get back to work on Friday, Nov. 22, facing off against Tufts in Malden, MA. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.  “Friday night wasn’t the result we hoped and there are definitely areas to improve, but it was encouraging to see us make a strong push late,” he said. “We also were able to generate a lot of offense in that game, but it is important for us to not have it come at the expense of defense.”  On Saturday, Middlebury earned their first win of the season, besting Colby, 3–0. Mitchell Allen found himself on the scoresheet for the second game running, while Owen Powers and Conor Breen netted their first goals of the season.  “Our second game was an awesome all around team win,” Dineen. “It was really encouraging to see how the team responded from the previous night and we hope to carry this momentum into next weekend.” The Panthers are back in action on Friday, Nov. 22, facing off against Tufts in Malden, MA. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.  Swimming & diving faces Conn College in return to natatorium  BY JACK KAGAN The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have returned to the Middlebury Natatorium this past weekend as the men edged out Connecticut College by a margin of four points while the women suffered a tough loss. This is just the start of a season that will see both squads host the Middlebury Invitational on Jan. 31–Feb. 1., while the women will host NESCAC Championships on Feb. 13–16.  The men have seven seniors who will be competing in their final season this winter. The squad is coming off several years toward the back end of the NESCAC rankings, and will look to turn things around this year under the leadership of co-captains Jacob Fleisher ’20 and Charles Quinn ’20.  On the womens’ side, seven seniors will look to make their final impact. With identical results to the men’s team, the women finished eighth in the conference last season and sent no representatives to NCAA’s. However, the women do have experienced leaders like co-captain Frances VanderMeer ’20, who has contributed to four school records in her time on campus, including the 50 Freestyle and multiple different relay teams, in addition to her postseason experience.  Both squads will get back into action at 1 p.m. against Springfield College at home. 

It’s a tough year to be a tree as vandalism spikes

Tim Parsons, the college’s horticulturist, wants you to imagine a campus without any trees: no shade in the summer, nothing to block the wind and snow in winter, no brilliant color change in the fall. While this grim future is not a real risk, the college has already seen $2,000 worth of damages to campus trees this fall. Tree vandalism on campus, a costly and destructive practice that was common about 10 years ago, has picked up again this fall, concurrent with increases in residential property damage, according to Parsons.  In 2009, Parsons began noticing broken branches around campus, often near Battell Hall. Over the next four years, the damages picked up and became increasingly drastic: Trees were often rocked back and forth and ripped clean out of the ground.  “This wasn’t just a random ‘Let’s grab a branch and break it as we walk by,’” Parsons wrote on his blog, The Middlebury Landscape, in 2010, about the destruction of a small red maple outside of Davis Library. “This was intentionally standing in front of a tree, breaking as many branches as you can reach. Cruel, senseless, disheartening, and more than a little bewildering. What can we do as a community?” During senior week in 2013, several tree damages occured. Then suddenly, according to Parsons, at the end of the year, it effectively stopped. Only a broken branch or two for six years, with a few exceptions.  And then, this fall, it picked up again. An entire, recently-planted white spruce tree was ripped out of the ground, roots and all, near the new building at 75 Shannon St., dragged around to the front of the building and dumped among trash cans there. A small flowering dogwood tree between Mead Chapel and Hepburn Hall was destroyed, effectively broken in half. Most recently, a dogwood between Battell and Atwater was torn apart.  Between 2009 and 2013, when tree damage occurred frequently, Parsons would take a trip around campus every Monday morning to assess the trees and document new vandalism.  “And it’s starting to feel again like I should do that,” he said of this fall.  “Horticulturally, it’s been a good year to be a tree,” Parsons wrote on his blog in 2010, noting a good growing season, lack of pests and a mild winter. “Being a tree on campus, though, has been stressful. The amount and severity of incidents against the landscape is rising, and I’m at a loss as to what to do.”  This appears once again to be the case.  When a tree is damaged, especially at the level of severity of the incidents this fall, remedying the situation is not a simple process.  “If it’s split in half like the [tree outside of Mead Chapel], we’re going to cut it down and replant it in the Spring. But it’s more complicated than that, it takes a full year to replant a tree because it has to be reestablished and watered and pruned,” Parsons said. “It’s not just ‘They broke a tree, let’s slam a new one in there.’”  [gallery columns="2" ids="47554,47555"] Trees, Parsons says, are a big part of community: “There’s no better example of community than our shared trees. What would this place be without its trees?”  He added, “Trees do all sorts of things we don’t think about. They’re not just there. Just think about trees as a common, shared resource here that takes a long time to replace.”  According to facilities staff, no student will see the costs of the arboreal damage on their bill — unlike residential hall damage, which is sent to the respective commons office, tree damage is absorbed by the facilities budget. Alcohol, aggression and the social honor code In 2015, Parsons wrote on his blog that felt the tree damage moved beyond vandalism.  “Don’t think of it as vandalism,” he wrote. “Think of what is happening as aggression and violence. Vandalism is breaking off random branches here and there; violence is taking a well-established tree with a three inch trunk and rocking it back and forth for probably ten minutes until it snaps and breaks at the base.”  Over Winter term, Parsons teaches a course titled “Trees and the Urban Forest.” In a paper for that class, Brian Marland ’13 wrote about the relationship between alcohol and aggression toward trees. Most tree vandalism on campus appears directly linked to alcohol consumption, as it appears almost exclusively on weekend nights and frequently occurs in areas that are hotbeds of weekend activity, or on the routes to those locations. Marland argues in his essay that the nature of alcohol consumption and drinking culture on campus contributes to deliberate destruction.  Parsons believes that a solution to vandalism in shared spaces might be a social honor code, a companion to the academic honor code that would compel students to hold others accountable for bad public behavior. A social confrontation philosophy exists at Haverford College, and was debated by the Middlebury Community Council in 2014. The proposal never came to fruition, however, and was at the time criticized for its ambiguity, difficulty to enforce and lack of accountability.  Parsons notes these concerns as well.  “An honor code is only as good as its enforcement,” he said, acknowledging that it is hard for a younger student to approach, say, a senior who is rocking a four-foot tall tree out of the ground, and tell them to stop.  In a blog post from 2015, Parsons says himself, “I’d certainly be nervous to confront someone in the act, and I carry chainsaws around for a living.”  Current Community Council Co-Chair Roni Lezama ’22 noted similarities in the privileged behavior at the root of tree vandalism, residential hall damage and the treatment of dining hall dishes. Still, the social honor code has not been a point of discussion within the council in years. “The vandalism that has occurred at the school recently is more than just ‘college kids being college kids.’ It’s about privilege. It always has been,” Lezama told The Campus. 

Apply to be a student ambassador

“I was born and raised in rural Hawai`i. Aside from me, there are only two other people from Hawai`i in the class of 2022. I had never heard of Middlebury until I searched ‘northeast’ and ‘<2,500 students’ on my Common Application, a week before the application was due.” — Maya Gee ’22  “Coming to Middlebury — an institution my school counselors didn’t recognize, in a state my parents didn’t know existed — without knowing anyone as a person of reference, or even guidance, was difficult.” — Dennis Miranda Cruz ’22  “Growing up in a suburban/rural part of upstate New York myself, I wondered at the low percentage of students from rural backgrounds. Was this because Middlebury did not find them a good fit when reading their applications, or was it that simply not enough students from rural backgrounds applied? I think the problem lay in the latter — in the limitations of Middlebury’s outreach to rural communities, and thus the lack of rural students applying.” — Cynthia Chen ’22 “I commuted to a public school in the very wealthy Financial District of New York City to escape impoverished and underfunded high schools. I strongly believe that I would not have known about Middlebury if I went to one of my local high schools.” — Roni Lezama ’22 “Growing up in Southern California, I assumed that my area would get a lot of outreach due to the size of our population; that was until I realized that, historically, schools like Middlebury never reached out to my high school or any of the public schools in my surrounding area due to how vast the state is and difficult it is to travel in a short amount of time.” — Myles Maxie ’22 When we, five members of the Class of 2022, arrived on Middlebury’s campus in the fall of 2018, the demographics of the student body saddened us. However, they were not something that surprised us. When we all joined the SGA Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (formerly known as the Institutional Diversity Committee) last fall, we found a platform to address these common concerns. Put simply, we wanted Admissions to do more outreach to high schools in rural, low-income serving, and/or ethnically-diverse areas — areas where we all came from. While the Admissions Office does currently conduct some outreach in these areas, we believe our own student population could amplify and personalize this outreach even more. To that end, Miranda Cruz pitched the idea of establishing the Student Ambassador Program on campus. The program would have current Middlebury students doing outreach to high schools that can’t always be reached by the Admissions Office. Quickly, we (Miranda Cruz, Gee, Chen, Lezama, and Maxie) formed a sub-group within the committee that decided to initiate this project.  Last fall, we began collaborations with the Admissions Office to turn our idea into reality. Since the program’s conception, the Dean of Admissions, Nicole Curvin, and Senior Assistant Director of Admissions and Coordinator of Diversity, Inclusion, and Access Initiatives, Santana Audet ’13, have been assisting us in our endeavor. Not only have they helped us build a training program, they have also shared their travel schedules with us — that way, we can be sure to visit the high schools they are unable to. As student ambassadors, we train Middlebury students in two areas: first, giving information sessions on the college to prospective students and second, adding a personal touch and connect with high school students in their own hometowns. We believe that, above all else, students want to go to a college where they envision themselves being happy. In our experience, the best way to help them have that vision in the first place is by watching and listening to someone from their own hometown speak about the school. On that note, we think that Student Ambassador visits offer unique perspectives on both college admissions and Middlebury College itself. Apart from the basic information that Student Ambassadors must be trained to know, we think that students can also provide a more candid outlook of life at Middlebury. Often, connecting with college counselors can be very intimidating for college students. In particular, high school students may feel more self-conscious about what they say and do knowing that they are talking to people who might one day be reading their applications. By comparison, chatting with current college students (who are closer in age and experience) mimics conversations with friends.  Since we began training Student Ambassadors in Spring 2019, we have been piloting the program. We started with schools around the D.C. area and, this fall, are expanding to visit Delaware, Vermont, Hawai`i, Oklahoma, Texas, New York and Ohio. As we are now officially launching the program, we are searching for students who are passionate about creating more access and connection to Middlebury College. We hope this program will be a pivotal point in not only amplifying diverse college admissions outreach at Middlebury, but also across all elite institutions. If you are interested in bridging a connection between your hometown and Middlebury, apply to be a Student Ambassador at go/ambassadorapp or visit middleburystudentambassadors.weebly.com. Applications are due: Dec. 2, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. Maya Gee, Dennis Miranda Cruz, Cynthia Chen, Roni Lezama and Myles Maxie are members of the class of 2022.

Screen-Shot-2019-10-15-at-9.51.13-PM-337x475

ELLIE EBERLEE

Screen-Shot-2019-10-15-at-9.51.13-PM

Sports recaps: Nov. 14

UNDEFEATED FOOTBALL MAKES HISTORY, WINS ‘CAC CROWN BY LAUREN BOYD The Middlebury football team made history this past weekend, becoming the first NESCAC team to go 9-0 during conference play. With this historic achievement, the Panthers also secured a solo NESCAC title after defeating Tufts 31-24 on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Panthers started off their final game of the season with a 7-0 lead, as QB Will Jernigan ’21 drove the ball into the end-zone. Their lead didn’t last long, as Tufts was able to respond quickly, tying up the game by the end of the first quarter. Maxim Bochman ’20 and Jernigan led Middlebury down the field on the next drive, culminating in a touchdown pass between the two Panthers. Up 14-7 for some time, the Panthers capitalized on two interceptions (Finn Muldoon ’23 and Kevin Hartley ’20) with a Carter Massengill ’20 field goal. Going into the half, Middlebury topped the Jumbos 17-7. Returning from halftime, the Panthers were calm and collected, which propelled them throughout the rest of the game. Jernigan and Bochman put the next touchdown on the board, with another touchdown pass for the score. The Jumbos answered with a touchdown of their own, but couldn’t defend a response from the Panthers. Middlebury upped the score to 31–14 with a touchdown run from RB Alex Maldjian ’23. Although Tufts was able to score another 10 points, the contest ended with a Panther win and NESCAC title. Family, friends, alumni and fans made the trek to Tufts to watch the historic event, as the Panthers acquired their fourth overall NESCAC title and first solo title since 2007. FIELD HOCKEY WINS THIRD STRAIGHT NESCAC TITLE BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA Field hockey snatched the NESCAC title in an overtime thriller against Tufts on Sunday, Nov. 10. The victory marked the Panthers’ third-straight conference championship and illustrated Coach DeLorenzo’s hugely successful run in the past several years. Since the 2017 season, field hockey has accumulated a 58–4 record and earned two national championships. The team seeks to pick up its third-straight national championship once it embarks upon the NCAA tournament. The Panthers’ first matchup will be against the winner of Babson/St. Joseph’s (Maine) on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 11:00 a.m. and will be played at Kohn Field. Last Sunday’s close battle saw no team scoring in the first quarter. The Panthers eventually struck first one minute into the second quarter, thanks to a goal by Emma Johns ’20 and an assist by Erin Nicholas ’21. Momentum quickly swung in Tufts’ favor, however, once they tallied two unanswered goals in the second and third quarters. Middlebury then managed to tie the game with eight minutes left in regulation with a goal by Katie George ’23. The match headed to overtime and captain Marissa Baker ’20 buried a rebound shot into the opposing net with four seconds left in overtime.  Ali Denby ’20 was awarded NESCAC Player of the Week for her grit on defense.  “We played with a lot of heart and energy [on Sunday],” Nicholas said, when asked about what contributed to their championship victory. “Everyone was determined to win and this was demonstrated both on the field and on the sidelines.” More work, however, still lies ahead for the Panthers.  “To prepare for regionals we want to build off of the momentum from the Tufts game,” Nicholas said. “We learned a lot about our strengths and weaknesses as a team and we want to use these lessons to help guide our practices in the following weeks.” Men's soccer edged in NESCAC championship, will enter NCAA tournament BY ERIK ARDVIDSSON Heading into the postseason with just two regular season losses, the men’s soccer team believed that they’d be difficult to eliminate. Their play backed up their confidence; in the NESCAC semifinals, they took down Amherst, the first-ranked team in the country. The following day, Middlebury faced defending national champion Tufts for a shot at the NESCAC title. Tufts would score a heartbreaking last minute goal to prevail over the Panthers, 2-1. Despite the disappointing loss, the Panthers learned that their season would be extended when they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Panthers will travel to Troy, N.Y. to face Johnson and Wales University. After two years of first-round exists, the boys are ready for vengeance.  “I think the key for the game this weekend is to take advantage of opportunities when we are wide open in front of the net,” Jake Labranche ’21 said. “To do that, we just need to shoot the ball, and hope it goes in the goal.” Volleyball fights in NESCAC play, finishes in semi finals BY HEATHER BOEHM The Panthers gave it their all this weekend during post-season play. On Friday, Nov. 8, the women overcame Amherst in a thrilling five-setter before ultimately falling the next day to Tufts to end their run. After losing in straight sets last time around to Amherst, the Middlebury women knew they had to come in and make a statement- and that is what they did. The Panthers started the match off on their terms, denying a chance to be shoved around by Amherst with a 25-17 first set. The Mammoths found a way to rebound in the second and knotted the game at one set a piece. The following two sets mirrored the first two, and the teams would fight for a chance to keep their season alive in a fifth-set tiebreaker. The score was neck and neck until Laney Sullivan ’23 capitalized on a Mammoth error and brought her team to the NESCAC semifinals with a 16-14 finish. The Panthers were ready to give the top team in the conference a run for its money after coming off of a big win the day before. Tufts’ early runs defined the rest of the match, with a little help from a home court advantage. The Panthers had a hard time narrowing the large margins and finding their stride. After a tough two sets, Middlebury found its groove a little too late in the third set. Midd was able to get on top briefly with a 10-9 lead, but ultimately fell 25-20 in the final period. Although the women have a bottom-heavy line up, it will be tough to see some seniors go. Gigi Alper ’20 may be hanging her jersey up for good, but in her four years she made a name for herself in Middlebury volleyball history. The senior captain rounded out her last hurrah by ending up with the third most digs in program history.  Chellsa Ferdinand ’20, an opinion editor for the Campus, will leave her final season tallying 146 kills, 1867 Assists, and 608 digs and Beth Neal ’20 will bow out with 110 digs to her name. The Panthers close out the 2019 season with a 15-10 record, going 6-4 in the NESCAC. They will look to the off-season to train for next year’s revenge with a young and hungry team. Women's soccer falls in NESCAC title match, earns NCAA bid BY HEATHER BOEHM This past weekend, the reigning NESCAC champion Panthers were looking to preserve their title. While the women moved past archrival Williams to reach the finals, they fell just short of their goal when fourth-ranked Amherst found its way to the back of the net for a 1-0 victory.   The heated rivalry between the Panthers and the Ephs is not new, but tensions were high this season after last year’s battles. Middlebury had previously tied Williams in regular season play and, with a chip on their shoulder, went back to the drawing board in preparation for another fight on Saturday, Nov. 9. There were opportunities on both sides early on. Finally, Olivia Miller ’20 set Gretchen McGrath ’21 up with a perfectly placed ball that she was able to slap past the Eph goalie. Throughout the rest of the first half Williams threatened the Middlebury defense, but nothing was able to sneak past Eva Shaw ’20.5. The Panthers remained offensive in the second period. Izzy Hartnett ’21 doubled her team’s tally with a remarkable header off a corner kick from Eliza Robinson ’21. The 2-0 score would hold until the last whistle, and the women would get another chance to pick up a conference title. The Panthers knew they would have to bring their best on Sunday, Nov. 10 as Amherst had been the only team to topple Middlebury in the regular season. The women did an impressive job denying Mammoth threats early on. But the Amherst offense did not let up and continued to apply intense pressure waiting for their chance to pounce. While the score was tied until the 53rd minute, there was a large disparity between the shots on goal per contender. Amherst rounded out the match with six shots on goal compared to Middlebury’s one from Ellie Greenberg ’20. The Amherst goal during the 53rd would be the only one scored throughout the contest and give the team its fifth conference title in program history. Due to the Panthers’ strong all-around play, Middlebury still received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, and will host the University of New England on Saturday, Nov. 16. 

Campus-2002-11-13-100-09-319x475

The Stone Mill’s grand opening attracts crowd

After months of anticipation, The Stone Mill had its grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 9. By 10 a.m., Stacey Rainey and Mary Cullinane, owners of The Stone Mill, were ready to welcome customers from Middlebury and nearby towns. According to the Community Barn Ventures website, the building now has five floors, featuring a public market with the Lost Monarch Coffee, a co-working space, four lodging units and The Mad Taco restaurant. Rainey was excited about the Stone Mill’s soft opening two weeks ago, and that the space is now ready to welcome more people from the community. “The co-working space upstairs is going well,” she said, “and the [AirBnB] rooms will be available starting Sunday.”  Lost Monarch Coffee was many people’s first stop as they entered the public market. Head Brewer Daniel Gutierrez ’23 has been in the coffee industry for over five years. As he began his academic life at Middlebury this year, he hoped to continue his passion for coffee nearby. Luckily, he was offered an opportunity by Aless and Matt Delia-Lôbo, owners of Royal Oak Coffee, the sister brand of Lost Monarch Coffee. He hopes that the coffee shop can become a community hub. “So many beautiful relationships and connections take place at a cafe,” Gutierrez said. “There is so much value to a common space in town.”  Residents welcomed this addition to Middlebury. “I love the idea of having a good coffee shop in town,” said Susan James, a Middlebury resident, “especially when it’s open on the weekends.” Dan Golstein, a Middlebury College exchange student from the UK, was very pleased with his latte. “The milk wasn’t overly fluffy and it was perfectly smooth,” he said. “The strength of the coffee hits just right.”  Nina Ng ’23 enjoyed her Gibraltar coffee, too. “It’s a smooth light blend,” she said. “The undertone of sourness freshens up the coffee.”  The public market is divided into individual spaces dedicated for Slate Home, Vermont Book Shop, The Stone Mill Collection and Dedalus Wine Shop. “We wanted to make the space flexible for everyone,” Rainey said. Cullinane envisioned the place to be a destination for the community. “Visitors can come to celebrate everything that is great about Vermont,” she said. Slate Home features a variety of beautiful products ranging from blankets, earrings to wallets. The Stone Mill Collection has a variety of Rainey and Cullinane’s favorite things that are made available now for community members or visitors to shop. Notably, the public market sells products of Skida, a brand created by Corinne Prevot ’13 in high school, which she expanded during her years at Middlebury College. Rainey intentionally chose to introduce the cashmere Skida line to decrease competition with other local businesses that sell the traditional line.  The Stone Mill terrace, although icy and bare on Saturday, was noticed by many. “It would be a great space for a cup of coffee with a book during spring time,” Rainey said. Many customers look forward to stepping outside and enjoying the view of Otter Creek once the weather gets warmer. Derek Fallon and Ali Dwienll from Vergennes, Vermont visited on Saturday. “We’ve been to Mad Taco a couple of times, it’s really good. We’re excited for this new place because it’s always nice to have more things that bring people into town.”  At 11 a.m., as more people filled the space, Ingrid gave customers a tour of the space upstairs. The co-working space is delicately decorated with wall art, and the view outside of the windows is simply breath-taking. There is an after-hour staircase and elevator designated for the co-working space as well as the lodge units. As of now, there are two private phone booths, two private offices, a conference room, a kitchen and an open working space. The rent is set at $125 per month, and the space has attracted 18 individuals to sign up so far.  The lodge area was put together by Slate Home. The decoration is thoughtful, consistent and elegant. With carefully chosen rugs to make the place home-like, many visitors expressed their wishes to spend special occasions there.  “This is totally exciting,” said Jolene Newton, academic coordinator of the French Department at Middlebury. “I think the mixed use of the space is very smart.”  Stepping out of the public market, many were attracted to The Mad Taco. By noon, the space was packed with eager customers. Nina Ng said the Yam taco was exceptionally good. “Layers of black beans, roasted yam, sweet potato, and shredded pickled cabbage create a very hearty taco,” she said. “The coriander adds an element of freshness to lighten up the entire taco with more richness.” Amina Matavia ’23 enjoyed an Al Pastor taco. She said, “I’m no food critic, but I really enjoyed the taco. The meat was shredded finely and it was very flavorful.”   The Old Stone Mill really has it all: a place to work, spend the night, drink coffee, shop Vermont products and enjoy tacos. Cullinane hopes that the multi-dimensional space will expand and grow to be another social hub for the local community and beyond.  “It’s a collection of wonderful people doing wonderful things,” she said.

Most students choose to remain in Chile despite continued civil unrest

Most students studying abroad in Chile chose to stay in the country despite civil unrest, after the college’s study abroad office gave them the option to leave. After protests started three weeks ago, the study abroad office first considered an evacuation of all students enrolled in Middlebury programs in Chile. On Oct. 24, it elected instead to give them several options. They could remain in Chile, relocate to Buenos Aires, Argentina or return to the United States, where they could earn partial academic credit through remote work or full credit by adding a summer language course. Students were asked to decide on a course of action by Monday, Nov. 4. Of the 23 students enrolled in Middlebury programs in six Chilean cities, three chose to return to the United States, one chose to relocate to Buenos Aires and the remaining 19 chose to stay in Chile, according to Assistant Director of International Programs Alessandra Capossela. Students were first asked to decide on one of the four options by Nov. 1. However, many became frustrated by what they saw as limitations in the options. To earn full credit if they went home, students would have had to complete Chilean coursework remotely, in addition to the additional course of summer language school, the cost of which would have been covered by the college. Relocating to Buenos Aires would have allowed students to earn a maximum of 3.5 credits, rather than the full four.  For many students, the easiest way  to earn full credit would be to remain in Chile, where credit wasn’t a guarantee either because many universities there remain closed. In response, students called and sent emails to the study abroad office requesting more flexible ways to earn credit. Capossela responded by sending students revised options in an email on Oct. 29, which included opportunities to earn more credits in Argentina and at home without taking a language school course. “We are hearing from some of you that you are feeling like you are forced to remain in Chile because you need to get four credits for this semester,” Capossela wrote in that email. “As I had mentioned in a previous message, it certainly was not our intention to preference staying in Chile over any of the other options.”  Capossela followed up with another email to students later that day, detailing courses organized by the study abroad office, independent of Chilean universities, that students remaining in Chile would be able to take  while host universities remained closed. The five-week long intensive course focuses on social movements in Latin America and is centered on Chile. [pullquote speaker="Mason Arndt '21" photo="" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"] A lot of the violence has continued. We’re limited in our movements and things feel really off.[/pullquote] “This was big for us because it means we aren’t relying on the universities to resume classes in order to get credit, something we thought was unlikely to happen,” Mason Arndt ’21 said. Arndt is living in Viña Del Mar and chose to remain there for the semester.  Along with the intensive course, students will earn half a credit for each university class they were taking (most took three or four), one letter-grade credit for internships or independent studies and one credit for a writing and culture class that was already part of the Middlebury program. With these options, students have the opportunity to earn the four credits they expected to receive at the start of the semester. Sidra Pierson ’21 was one of 11 students living in the sister cities of Viña Del Mar and Valparaíso who signed a petition asking to remain in Chile when the study abroad office considered an evacuation in October. The guarantees of credit for remaining in Chile only made her more sure of her decision, she said.  “There was a lot I could still get out of the semester even though we’re giving up a lot of your typical study abroad experiences,” Pierson said. “Getting another month and a half at the time with my Chilean host family and friends, and speaking Spanish, it all felt worth it.”  In Santiago, Mireille Becerra ’21 agreed, saying that staying in Chile is “easiest for me compared to all other options.” Because her semester in Chile is scheduled to end on Nov. 20, she said, leaving the country made little sense. Though Chilean president Sebastian Piñera lifted the national state of emergency on Oct. 28, protests and violent government response have continued. Students studying in the sister cities and Santiago have watched protests and police crackdowns in their neighborhoods in the past days.  “Marches with thousands of people take place both on the streets and in plazas, parks, or other commercial sectors,” Becerra wrote in an email to The Campus. “Various stores continue to be broken into or set on fire as well. Both to disperse the massive crowds and to stop the robbers, the police use tear gas and water pressure.”  In Viña Del Mar, Arndt said, protests did not ease much even after the state of emergency was lifted. On Nov. 12, Pierson watched smoke rise above the city as fires set by arsonists raged, and took video of police clashing with protesters several blocks from her homestay.  “A lot of the violence has continued,” Arndt said. “We’re limited in our movements and things feel really off. There might be an image of everything going back to normal for students who have stayed, but that’s not really the case.”  On Nov. 13, administrators in Valparaíso had to cancel a meeting of the intensive course for the second time in two weeks amid concerns about students moving between the sister cities “We’re all feeling like, ‘how the heck are we going to get this course done in the next four weeks?’,” Pierson said. Students scheduled to study in Chile in the spring said they have received mixed messages about whether they will be able to proceed with their semesters abroad as planned.  “I feel that things are really up in the air, and the abroad offices are not offering very clear or specific information,” said Ella Houlihan ’21, who was planning on studying in Valparaíso in the spring. Some students have filled out applications to study in other locations such as Uruguay, Argentina or Cuba.  “I opened up a second app to Buenos Aires and I’m even considering applying to an external program to Cuba last minute,” said Olivia O’Brien ’21. “I really hope to go to Santiago, though. If Middlebury runs the program in the spring, it is still my top choice.” According to Capossela, the study abroad office is in conversations with Chile program director Juan Pastene as to options going forward for students scheduled to spend the spring semester there.  “We are planning to let Spring 2020 students know what their options will be by the beginning of December,” she wrote in an email to The Campus. 

Screen-Shot-2019-09-18-at-12.14.13-PM

Screen-Shot-2019-09-18-at-12.14.13-PM

SARAH FAGAN

Milk with Dignity pushes for "leche justa"

“Hannaford, escucha. Estamos en la lucha. Leche justa, a mi me gusta.” Protesters chanted this  phrase — which loosely translates to “Hannaford, listen, we are fighting for fair trade milk” — as they gathered outside of the Middlebury branch of the Hannaford supermarket. Through their protests on Saturday, Nov. 2, they demanded that the chain only buy its milk from dairy farms that respect the human rights of their workers. Eighty to 100 farmworkers, organizers, Middlebury community members and Middlebury students attended the protest, which was organized by Middlebury students Olivia Pintair ’22.5 and Hannah Ennis ’22.5 and hosted by student organizations Juntos and Middlebury Refugee Outreach Club (MiddROC).  The protest was part of the Milk with Dignity Day of Action. Migrant Justice, a solidarity collective aimed at improving the economic and human rights of farmworkers in the northeast, organized the campaign with similar events at 21 Hannaford’s locations in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Eleuterio, a prominent member of the Migrant Justice Coordination Committee and an Addison County dairy worker, and Jose Ignacio, a dairy worker in Shoreham, spoke to those assembled about the alleged human rights violations they have experienced as dairy workers in Addison County. “I work on a farm in Addison county where . . . there are no raises. Where there are no vacations. Where we work 12, 13, 14 hours a day. Where we take only 30 to 40-minute breaks to eat. This is not just,” Euleterio said. The Milk with Dignity program started in 2014, and Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry’s signed the first Milk with Dignity contract in 2017. In June of 2019, Migrant Justice launched a campaign calling on Hannaford, a major dairy buyer with nearly 200 stores throughout the northeast, to join the Milk with Dignity Program.  Should the supermarket agree to join the program, it would only buy its milk from dairy farms that agree to follow the Milk With Dignity Code of Conduct, which includes “adequate breaks, time off, paid sick leave, humane and safe staffing and working conditions and fair housing.” These farms have to comply with Milk with Dignity Standards Council (MDSC) monitoring to ensure their adherence to the code. They must guarantee that their workers have unfettered access to MDSC complaint mechanisms and worker-to-worker education about their rights. In order to not place undue financial burden on the already-struggling Vermont dairy industry, Hannaford would pay an extra premium to farms to support wage increases. The supermarket would also “sign a legally-binding agreement that defines the program as an enforceable contract under law,” according to the Migrant Justice website. A 2014 survey of nearly 200 Vermont dairy workers conducted by Migrant Justice showed that 40% of workers receive less than the Vermont minimum wage, 40% have no days off and 20% have their pay illegally withheld. 

Sports Recap: October 31, 2019

CROSS COUNTRY BY JORDAN HOWELL Before having this past weekend to rest, the Middlebury cross country teams competed in the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 19. The women finished in sixth place, while the men took fifth place. The top finisher for the women was Cassie Kearney ’22 as she captured ninth place with a time of 21:41.7. Next up for the Panthers was Talia Ruxin ’20 whose time of 22:09.2 got her twenty-second place. Next for the Panthers was Meg Wilson ’20 who came in twenty-ninth place with a time of 22:18.9. For the men, Theo Henderson ’20 had a time of 24:50.0 which netted him seventh place. Henry Fleming ’20 was able to finish in twenty-ninth place as he ended with a time of 25:21.5. Another important finisher was Quin McGaugh ’22; a time of 25:40.8 got him fifty-first place. Up next for the Panthers are the championship meets. This starts with the NESCAC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2. FOOTBALL BY LAUREN BOYD Head Coach Bob Ritter attained his 100th career win this past Saturday at, as the Middlebury Panthers extended their undefeated run, improving their record to 7-0. Ritter had also recorded his first win at the same stadium against the Polar Bears in September 2001. Middlebury dominated for most of the contest, starting off the game with a 21-0 run in the first quarter. Ritter’s 100th win began with a 45-yard touchdown run from freshman Alex Maldjian to open the scoring for the game. QB Wil Jernigan quickly followed with his own rushing touchdown from 23-yards out, after the Polar Bears went 3 and out on their response. With less than a minute left in the first quarter, Jernigan connected with Maxim Bochman ’20 for a 21-0 lead. While Bowdoin was only able to put one touchdown on the board before half, the Panthers responded with another 7 points of their own, making the halftime score 28-7. By the end of the third quarter, the Panthers tagged on another unanswered 13 points. The Polar Bears found their groove at the end of the game, but could not put enough points to catch the Panthers. They decreased their deficit by 22 points, and by the end of the contest, the Panthers took home the victory, 47-29. Next weekend, Middlebury will play the Hamilton Continentals (4-3), who most recently defeated the Tufts Jumbos (3-4), Middlebury’s last competition for the season.  Looking forward, offensive lineman Kevin Woodring ‘20 says the team is focusing on improving the little things, in order to see big results at the end of the season.  “I said this back at the beginning of the season, but the main focus, still, is that we have to be able to do the little things right. It may sound simple, yet it makes or breaks a game. We’re not a team to blow our opponent off the field; we’re a gritty, mentally tough and hard working team that grinds out wins,” Wooddring said, “In order to keep going 1-0, we have to continue to do the little things right. Right now, Hamilton is the best team on our schedule adn we have to do everything we can this week to be extremely well-prepared so that we come out and play a great game on Saturday.” WOMEN'S SOCCER BY HEATHER BOEHM Women’s soccer wrapped up their regular season with strong NESCAC play against Tufts on Saturday, Oct. 26 and Williams on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The Panthers triumphed on the road against the Jumbos, sneaking the only goal in within the last few breaths of the contest. The women were able to hold off the Ephs 0-0 in a physical national championship rematch. Despite 10th-ranked Tufts’ home field advantage, Middlebury held its own. The women had their share of opportunities, finding six shots on goal to the Jumbo’s five.  The defense protected the net, with senior goalie Ursula Alwang refusing to give the hosts any hope. With just under two and a half minutes of play, it was senior captain Virginia Charman who led her team to victory, nailing a shot past the Tufts goalie off of a free kick from sophomore Ellie Bavier.  After a hard-fought game, the Panthers quickly regrouped for Tuesday’s hyped rematch. The women played a brutally physical game, that ultimately ended in silence.  Charman commented on the team’s season. “It was a very successful season and we are really excited to build on our success,” said Charman. “We are pumped to get another opportunity to face the same teams we have been competing against in the postseason.”  This nearly perfect regular season play will give the Panthers the second seed in the conference tournament next weekend. Middlebury missed the top seed by a half of a point to Tufts.  Charman discussed the team’s mantra and mindset going into the postseason. “Our motto is to go ‘1-0’ every game, so that we can focus on each game no matter who we are playing. We do this so we don’t overlook any opponent or get too far ahead of ourselves.” MEN'S TENNIS BY JACK KAGAN After making an impressive run to the finals in the International Tennis Association (ITA) New England regional tournament, Panther sophomore Stanley Morris punched a ticket to the ITA Cup that took place from Thursday, Oct. 17–19 at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga. The draw was packed with the regional finalists and champions hailing from top schools like Case Western Reserve, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), Emory College and Kenyon College.  Morris, unseeded, shined once again, breaking through to the finals after notching wins against four-star recruit first-year James Hopper of Case Western Reserve and former five-star Jack Katzman of CMS, who was seeded third in the contest.  The final saw Morris up against familiar NESCAC competition: Boris Sorkin, Tufts’ standout junior from Russia who has been causing trouble for the Panthers ever since his arrival in Medford in 2017. Sorkin finished last spring ranked ninth in all of Division III tennis, just two behind former Panthers star Lubomir Cuba ’19. Last spring, no other Panthers cracked the top 50 on this list.  Morris came up just short in the final, taking the fourth-seeded Sorkin to a third set. A tight loss a first set tiebreak led to some momentum as Morris notched a second set win before falling in the third. Morris and the Panthers have to be proud of such a run, which should bode well for the spring and the future of Middlebury tennis.  Back in New England, the rest of the team played in the Bryant Fall Invitational in Smithfield, R.I. in the last competition of the fall. David Vilys ’22, Zach Hilty ’22, and Aleks Samets ’20 all grabbed two wins in the singles contest and will hope to break into the new-look lineup come springtime.  WOMEN'S TENNIS BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA Women’s Tennis concluded the Fall portion of their season by hosting the Middlebury Invitational on Oct. 18-20. The invitational featured Amherst, Brandeis and Williams and took place at the outdoor and indoor tennis courts on campus. The invitational didn’t crown a champion since the format involved teams playing each other in either singles or doubles.  On Friday, all Panther pairs won their doubles matches against Williams. Katherine Hughes ’20 and Skylar Schossberger ’20 sealed victory with an 8-6 set, Catherine Blayze ’20 and Brinlea La Barge ’23 won 8-6, and Maddie Stow ’20 and Amanda Frank ’23 notched a win, scoring 8-4.  Saturday also proved to be a successful day. Against Brandeis, La Barge and Blayze captured a victory at 8-2 and Ruhi Kamdar ’22 and Caitlin Neal ’23 won 8-7. Hughes, La Barge, Schossberger and Frank each tallied wins in singles matches against Williams.  Finally, on Sunday, Stow and Heather Boehm ’20 grabbed an 8-2 doubles victory against Amherst.  The Panthers also won all five their singles against Brandeis.  VOLLEYBALL BY HEATHER BOEHM This past weekend women’s volleyball fought a tough battle for their seniors at home, but ultimately the women came up just short in their efforts, falling 3-0 to top-15 ranked Tufts. Despite the loss, Saturday was filled with teary-eyed celebrations of the three graduating seniors, Chellsa Ferdinand, Gigi Alper, and Beth Neal. Tufts came out with a fiery start, dominating the first set right from the first serve. Middlebury showed resilience as the set continued, with flashes of brilliance on defense from Alper, who has preserved her high-ranking number of digs per set. She rounded out the weekend with a solid mark of 5.64, landing her a second place slot in the conference. In the second set, the Panther offense began to find their stride. Sophomore Maggie Wise made her presence known with 10 kills, with her sophomore teammate Corley Doyle following close behind with 9. Wise, too, topped the conference leaderboards, finishing up the weekend with 3.10 kills per set, adding up to 220 on the season, earning her fourth place in each category. Tufts was able to overcome these impressive performances and steal the first set with a two-point margin. The Jumbos capitalized on their momentum and picked up the following set to close out the contest. The women still have time left in their season to avenge their NESCAC loss. The Panthers will look to pounce when they travel to Williams on Friday, Nov. 1 and Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 2 to close out their regular season play.  FIELD HOCKEY BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA First-ranked Field Hockey suffered its first loss of the season at sixth-ranked Tufts, 1-0, on Saturday, Oct. 26th.  The Panthers’ 20-game winning streak, which had been extended since last season, has ended. Middlebury’s overall record drops to 13-1 and is tied for first in the NESCAC with Bowdoin. Tufts, meanwhile, maintains the second-best overall record at 13-2 and is tied with Williams.  Middlebury also notched close victories against Trinity and St. John Fisher, 3-2 and 2-1, on Oct. 19th  and Oct. 20th, respectively. For their final regular season game on Tuesday, Oct. 29th, the Panthers downed Williams, 2-1. MEN'S SOCCER BY ERIK ARVIDSSON Men’s soccer lost at reigning national champion Tufts, 2-1, on Saturday, Oct. 26. The first score of the game came in the 63rd minute when Drew Goulart ’20 gave the Panthers the lead on a free kick. While the Panthers fought hard to keep Tufts out of the back of the net, Jumbos forward Gavin Tasker scored the equalizing goal with 10 minutes left in regulation, thus extending the match into overtime. Tufts scored the walkoff goal in the eight minute and gave Panthers their second loss of the season. Regardless of Tufts prowess on the national stage, the loss hurt for the Panthers. “Even though you’re going up against one of the top teams in the country, it was a back and forth fight, both teams had our chances, so it was a disappointing result,” said captain Aidan Robinson ’20. The Panthers hosted their final regular season game on Tuesday, October 29th against Williams and tied in double overtime. Middlebury’s conference record now stands at three wins, two losses and five ties.   

Vermont’s minimum wage to increase

Vermont’s minimum wage will increase by 18 cents on Jan. 1, 2020, bringing the hourly wage to $10.96. The tipped wage, for state employees that receive the majority of their earnings through tips, will increase up $5.48, an increase of 9 cents. In 2014, the state passed Act 176, which raised Vermont’s 2017 minimum wage to $10. Under this law, minimum wage increases by the rate of inflation as long as the percentage increase falls below 5%, which has not occurred since 1990. The state determines the rate of inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and assures the change in minimum wage complies with the cost of living adjustment. Yet, the real wage value is still less than it was 50 years ago. Michael Harrington, acting commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor, still believes the small pay boost will benefit workers. “Any time we see natural growth in the minimum wage, as we do now, is good,” Harrington said. “I think employees will certainly find value in this increase, even though it is a small amount.” Although the Vermont minimum wage has continuously increased over the last decade, the 2020 change is less than last year, when minimum wage rose by 28 cents. Furthermore, according to a study by the Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office, Vermont’s single-person livable wage is $15 – $18, and the average living wage is $13.34. According to Peter Matthews, Middlebury professor of economics, minimum wage has yet to satisfy the standard cost of living. “Even in the best-case scenario — a household with two full-time adult workers and no children – the current minimum wage falls well short of basic needs, as calculated by the Joint Fiscal Office of the Vermont legislature, and will continue to do so,” he said. Tied with Arizona, Vermont’s minimum wage is the sixth highest in the United States and is significantly higher than New Hampshire’s federal minimum wage of $7.25. However, the minimum wage does not necessarily correlate to the state’s cost of living.  Vermont resident Emily Klar ’21 spoke to the disparity between income and living expenses. Two summers ago, Klar was an employee at Dunkin Donuts where she worked lots of overtime hours. She says she also held a second job for a while.  “Some weeks, I was working about 60–70 hours,” she said. “I was still barely able to save any money, and all I was paying for were gas and minor expenses. The expenses while working that kind of job were impossible to meet.”  According to Matthews, more than half of minimum wage workers in Vermont are full-time. “The sectors in which the current minimum wage is most salient include service — food, education and health — and retail,” he said. In recent years, the Vermont House and Senate have considered several proposals to further increase minimum wage. House Bill 93/Senate Bill 40, the most supported bill thus far, would increase the minimum wage by $1 every Jan. 1 from 2018–2021, then by $1.5 in 2022 before maxing out at $15. If this bill was enacted, Vermont would tie with California for the highest minimum wage in the country. Advocates, such as state lawmakers and Vermonters, argue that a $15 wage would promote spending in local businesses and in turn boost the state  economy. Opponents point to the higher cost for labor and the inevitable cutback of existing employees. In an article published by the Ethan Allen Institute, the authors write that a drastic increase in minimum wage would negatively affect underrepresented, underprivileged demographics, leading to structural unemployment in low skilled workers. In addition to the decrease in labor demand, businesses, unable to meet higher labor costs, would fail altogether.  When asked how the economy would respond to a $15 minimum wage, Professor Matthews emphasized the importance of national cohestivity. “Under ideal circumstances, the federal minimum wage would increase to $15 or more, and all states would be brought along,” Matthews said. He also said that an estimated 40 million workers would benefit from increased living standards. As stated in Vermont’s Joint Fiscal Office’s April report, “pronounced and growing minimum wage rate differential with New Hampshire and other states at or near the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 represents a potential economic risk.” The differential between Vermont and New Hampshire’s minimum wage is “the largest historical spread on record.”  Most recently, Governor Phill Scott vetoed a bill backed by Vermont Senate to raise minimum wage to $15 by 2024. Democratic leaders of the Vermont House and Senate have been unable to find common ground on legislation regarding this prospect.

Contractors hired in response to custodial staff shortages

A team of four independent contractors began cleaning nearly all of the small residential spaces on campus on Oct. 14. This shift came as a result of ongoing custodial staff shortages. Associate Director of Facilities Services Missy Beckwith, who is in charge of processing resignations and new hires, said the number of vacancies has increased over the past few years. “I’ve been here for a long time and this is the first time that I remember having as many openings as we do,” said one custodian, who The Campus will refer to as Jane. All interviewed custodians requested anonymity, for fear of retribution from the college. Staff shortages have caused Custodial Services “to be inconsistent with the level of service we are able to provide,” according to an email Beckwith sent to employees in Facilities and Custodial Services, Public Safety and commons coordinators on Friday, Oct. 11. “We felt the need to fix this quickly in order to provide an acceptable level of service and to manage the workload and stress level for our staff,” she continued. The small residential spaces, mostly small houses owned by the college like Homestead and 97 Adirondack View, were selected to be cleaned by contractors to improve efficiency. So far, independent contractors Diego Silva and Justin Smith have had generally positive experiences at the college. They described the small houses as “pretty light upkeep” and “upscale.” A second custodian, who The Campus will refer to as Michael, felt positively about the addition of contracted workers.  “My team has been affected [by staff shortages]. For a while there, it was pretty bleak. Over time, you do notice the neglect. With the contracted workers, it’s given us more people,” he said. However, a third custodian, who The Campus will refer to as Sarah, was disappointed by the change. “We get close to our students in the small houses,” she said. “We miss that. We have relationships with our students in our dorms, but when you have little houses you can chat with students while you clean.”  Sarah felt her team’s workload was manageable even with the small residential spaces. Jane appreciates the help, but believes the contractors should be assigned to academic buildings rather than residence halls. “Custodians love to make connections with their students,” Michael said. “When students come back to visit, you always get a hug when they see you,” Sarah said. She said that some of the female custodians on campus call themselves “surrogate moms” and “grandmas” to their students. Having a permanent custodial staff that has relationships with commons staff members also helps create a network of people paying close attention to warning signs among students, like an abundance of alcohol in the trash or students regularly sleeping in common rooms, according to Sarah. She wondered if these aspects of the job would be lost with independent contractors, simply because they are less familiar with students and other staff members.  Unlivable wages The college currently has 16 vacancies and 85.74 staff members, a number the office uses to indicate the presence of part-time employees. This includes those working in Custodial Services, General Services, Bread Loaf Custodial Services and Waste Management. Beckwith includes all four sectors in her staff count “since we all help cover the work of the department.” Supervisors are not included in this number.  Only half of the vacancies are being filled by contractors right now. Four contractors from Michelle Nolan’s Cleaning Service are responsible for the small houses, and four additional contractors from Full Effects assist custodial teams wherever there is the greatest need. The college has been hiring Full Effects contractors whenever the need arises for the past year. Many believe that the staff shortages stem from the low pay custodians receive for their work. The hiring minimum for a custodian position at the college is $12.07 per hour, which falls under even the lowest estimates for a living wage in Addison County and Vermont. “I think it’s the wage causing staff shortages,” Michael said. “People making decisions [about our pay] don’t seem to know what it takes, financially, to live here.” A 2017 study conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found the Addison County living wage for one adult with no children to be $12.40 per hour. For a single parent of one child, it is $25.07. A 2018 study by the Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office set the Vermont living wage at $13.34 per hour. This amount is an average of the urban and rural rates for two adults with no children. However, the National Low Income Housing Coalition set the Addison County housing wage at $19.63 per hour — more than seven dollars over Middlebury’s hiring minimum. Previous Campus reporting shows ongoing staff discontent with low wages. “Middlebury is expensive. People paid OP1 or OP2 salaries can’t afford to live nearby,” Michael said, in reference to the college staff pay ranges. Custodians are categorized in the OP2 range, and custodial liaisons in the OP3 range. Approximately 15% of staff are paid at the OP1and OP2 levels, the lowest of the bands. “Custodial work is hard work,” Sarah said, “You can start at McDonald’s for $15 an hour, so if our starting pay is lower, you can say ‘I can find easier work and better pay elsewhere.’” The college is aware of discontent with wages and is looking into the problem, as reported in this week’s coverage of staff unionization efforts. Reaping the benefits One thing that sets the college apart from other local employers is the benefits package, it offers, which both Michael and Sarah said attracted them to apply for positions at the college. “I was attracted to this job because of the benefits. There are not a lot of places around here where you’ll see the benefits that we have. They are phenomenal,” Michael said. But both agreed good benefits do not make up for inadequate pay. “Even though we have good benefits, people can’t pay their mortgages, rent or insurance if they can’t make enough money,” Sara said. “The cost of living keeps going up. The wages aren’t keeping up with the increasing cost of living.” Sara has never gotten a raise greater than one dollar an hour at a time; her raises have varied between 25 and 50 cents an hour. When she began working at Middlebury, she took a paycut from her previous job and hasn’t made it up in the 18 years she has worked here. “If you have good, loyal, trustworthy help, you treat them the way they should be treated. You pay them the way they should be paid. Those qualities are worth something,” she said. “The college needs to make us feel like what we’re giving them, we’re getting back in return.”   Long hours, hard work A Middlebury custodian’s typical work day begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m., with an unpaid half-hour break in the middle of the day. Custodians who are working overtime can come in as early as 3:30 a.m. to start cleaning, and work up to 12-hour days. With staff shortages, some custodial teams that should have four members are down to only two or three. Fully-staffed teams have stepped in to help make up the work. Custodial work is physically demanding, and “it’s not always pretty,” Jane said. The custodial staff’s workload is especially heavy right after graduation, when custodians have to clean all the rooms for reunion and then again for summer school. Staff members work nine hour days for several weeks, doing very physical work. Student damages to college buildings also create an additional burden for the custodial staff. “Custodial work in higher education is different than other janitorial, housekeeping or custodial jobs,” Beckwith said. “There is so much that goes above and beyond normal custodial work that makes it, in my opinion, much more challenging than average custodial position.” She cited keeping track of furniture and constantly-changing schedules, as well as building relationships with students, as examples. Middlebury is not alone in this problem. Bowdoin housekeeping staff described the tolls of difficult workloads, and unlivable wages, in an article published by The Bowdoin Orient last year.   Facing a statewide dilemma With the Vermont unemployment rate at 2.2% as of Sept. 2019, employers throughout the state are struggling to find workers. The college is no exception. “We’re competing with other entry-level jobs for the same people,” Beckwith said.“We just hired two new staff and have another that’s in the post-offer, pre-employment screening process.” Despite new hires, Beckwith says the college may need to bring in more contractors if more vacancies pop up, although she said they “generally do get more applicants in the winter time.” The college will continue to try and fill the positions currently filled by the independent contractors with permanent staff, according to Beckwith. She also disputed that the shortage is related to the recent workforce planning initiative.  “What we are experiencing in our department has nothing to do with workforce planning,” Beckwith said. Although Custodial Services reduced the number of positions in the department because of workforce planning, Beckwith said this was “not the cause of our current situation.” “Our situation is due to the number of vacant positions and inability to get applicants,” she said. However, the combination of workforce planning and the new independent contractors has fostered concern amongst staff members over job security, according to Sarah.  Although her supervisor assured her that “independent contractors are not coming in to replace permanent staff,” she and others are worried. “People want job security,” she said.  Jane also expressed concern that permanent staff members would be phased out. “It feels like everyone is just waiting for the rest of the bomb to drop,” Sarah said. The college is working to alleviate stress for its custodial staff, with several solutions in the works in addition to the new independent contractors. Last summer, when staff was particularly short, management eliminated some services at the language schools, such as linen exchange and weekly in-room sweeping for faculty and directors, in order to lessen the custodians’ workload. Facilities Services has also created a student custodial helper position with flexible hours, to engage students in helping with basic tasks like removing trash and vacuuming their hallways. Two students have signed up so far, and Beckwith hopes to get more involved. She also urged all faculty, staff and students to take care of campus spaces — for example, rearranging any out-of-place furniture at the end of class and taking dishes back to dining halls. All three custodians expressed the importance of respect and appreciation for the custodial staff. “It would be nice to feel that upper management really did appreciate everything that everyone is doing, especially when people are down-staffed and the team is pulling together and not asking for help,” Sarah said. “Providing for your family and self preservation should not be a privilege, but that’s what’s expected as Middlebury College employees,” Jane said.  What is most important, according to Jane, is for administrators to ask what staff members need, and to really listen.

Screen-Shot-2019-09-18-at-12.14.13-PM

Screen-Shot-2019-09-18-at-12.14.13-PM

SARAH FAGAN

This week in sports

MEN'S SOCCER SETTLES FOR TIE AT HOMECOMING BY ERIK ARVIDSSON After a brutal double header in Maine, the Panthers drew with Colby this past Saturday in a Homecoming showdown. The Panthers managed to get on the board early as Drew Goulart ’20 connected on a header in the sixth minute to give Middlebury the early lead. Colby struck back quickly when Asa Berolzheimer evened the score at one in the 19th minute. The rest of the match was tense as both teams pushed hard to find the back of the net. Following regulation and two overtime periods, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. The Panthers are not fully pleased with the performance, but remain positive about what is to come from the team.  “It was disappointing for us this weekend to drop points,” said Goulart. “But, I think that we had periods of the game in which we imposed ourselves on the flow and maintained offensive pressure well.” Next up, the Panthers face Trinity at home on Saturday, Oct. 19. WOMEN'S SOCCER TOPS CONFERENCE RANKINGS BY HEATHER BOEHM Women’s Soccer rose to the occasion this past weekend and delivered a win to their enthusiastic alumni on the sidelines, easing past Colby with a dominant 4-0 victory at home on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Middlebury women remain undefeated in NESCAC play following a successful Homecoming Weekend as they replace Williams atop the conference rankings.  Eliza Van Voorhis ’21 got the ball rolling straight from the first whistle. Within the first three minutes, she finished off an assist by Ellie Bavier ’22 and netted a ball past the Colby goalie. About 15 minutes later, Simone Ameer ’21 followed her lead and picked up the first of her two goals with the help of Gretchen McGrath ’21. Captain Olivia Miller ’20 beat out Colby defenders for one last goal to round out the first half, bringing the tally to three.   In the second half, however, the Mules adjusted, and Ameer was held off until the 56th minute before adding to the total. Middlebury’s offense was dominant on the field, getting 15 shots on goal compared to Colby’s six. Eva Shaw ’20.5 protected the net, deflecting all six Mule attempts. “I feel like we’ve been building on each week’s performances and aiming to build and improve with each game we play,” said Miller. “We’ve been working on our team wide press to win the ball back and counter attack and it was an awesome collaborative effort to improve together.” The Panthers will look to prolong their winning streak when they face Trinity at Dragone Field on Saturday, Oct 19. MEN’S GOLF MISSES THE MARK IN SARATOGA BY JACK KAGAN The Men’s golf team continued a difficult stretch this past weekend, coming off of a 7th place finish at the Saratoga Invitational in Saratoga, N.Y. The Panthers finished just one stroke behind University of Rochester, and well behind familiar foes Trinity, Williams and Babson.  The depleted group, playing without standout Jordan Bessalel ’21, struggled to keep up with the pack for the third week in a row. With the fall season all but wrapped up, the Panthers are trying to keep their sights focused on righting the ship in the spring. “Those teams [in Saratoga] are just far better than we are. We are trying to prepare the best we can but right now they have a bit of a leg up on us” said Jeffrey Giguere ’20.  The team now begins the long wait until they return to the course for the spring season.  VOLLEYBALL SHOWS RESILIENCE IN SPLIT WEEKEND BY HEATHER BOEHM The Women’s Volleyball team split their conference games this weekend, falling to No. 24 Wesleyan 3-0 on Friday, Oct. 11 and rebounding with a 3-0 win over Connecticut College on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Pepin Gymnasium. Wesleyan opened the weekend’s play with a fiery start, dictating the first two sets with a strong performance by Mia Horgan. The Panthers found their stride in the third set, but not before Wesleyan capitalized on their momentum with a four-point victory. Panther Maggie Wise ’22 led the offense, tallying five kills throughout the contest, while Gigi Alper ’20 showed up on defense with 11 digs.  The Panthers brushed off Friday’s minor setback and were ready to face another NESCAC foe at home on Saturday.  The women jumped into gear as the first ball was tossed into play, at one point driving the first set with an 11-point spread. After getting a handle on the Camel offense, the Panthers proceeded to take the following sets 25-13 and 25-11. Wise contributed 10 kills to the Middlebury effort, while Chellsa Ferdinand ’20 found her teammates for 16 assists. The Panthers will make their way to MIT on Friday, Oct. 18 for the New England Challenge, where they will also take on Springfield and Babson.  WOMEN’S TENNIS FACES TOUGH COMPETITION AT NEWITT BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA Women’s Tennis competed in the prestigious New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) from Friday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 13, which was hosted by Mount Holyoke and Smith College.  The tournament involved “A,” “B”, and “C” brackets. To advance within a bracket, a team would need to win two of three matches against another team. The three matches included two singles matches, best of 3, and one doubles match, comprised of just one pro-set.  Ruhi Kamdar ’22 and Caitlin Neal ’23 earned the title for the “C” bracket, after having defeated duos from Western New England, Nichols, and Trinity. In the “B” bracket, Catherine Blayze ’20, Amanda Frank ’23, and Brinlea La Barge ‘23 reached the semifinals, but ultimately fell to Wesleyan, 2-1. For the “A” bracket, Maddi Stow ’20, Katherine Hughes ’20, and Skylar Schossberger ’20 swept Trinity in the first round, 3-0, but lost to a duo from Amherst in the second round, 2-1. FIELD HOCKEY RIDES THE WAVE BY MIGUEL ESPINOSA Top-ranked Field Hockey defeated Colby College, 4-1, at home on Saturday, Oct. 12th. Middlebury’s record now stands at 11-0 overall and 7-0 against conference opponents. Colby took the field ranked 17th in the nation and holds a record of 6-3 after the loss.  Erin Nicholas ’21 notched the first goal at the 1:21 mark of the second quarter, burying a shot into the left post. Colby tied the game at 4:48, but the Panthers immediately responded with another goal by Nicholas 36 seconds later. Middlebury would go on to score two more unanswered goals in the third and fourth quarters.   For the most part, offensive momentum appeared to stay with the home team. The Panthers attempted fifteen shots throughout the entire game compared to Mules’ five. Hopefully such momentum continues when they face off against Trinity College at home on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Football survives late comeback by Colby, remains atop NESCAC

Let’s face it — while Midd football has played solidly in recent years, powerhouses like Trinity, Tufts, and Amherst have stopped the team from claiming the NESCAC title. But considering how well this season has unfolded so far, it wouldn’t be crazy to think 2019 will be different. The Panthers brought this season’s record to 5-0, with a 27-26 win over the Colby Mules on Saturday, Oct. 12. Now halfway through the season, the Panthers and the Wesleyan Cardinals are the only undefeated teams in the NESCAC. Both will be put to the test next week, as they face off at Middlebury to see who will get to the 6-0 mark.  This past weekend, however, was a wake-up call for the Panthers, as they barely scraped by against the 0-4 Colby Mules.  The atmosphere at the game was electric. Alumni were back, the crowd was packed and the game was exciting at every turn for those looking to watch the Panthers go 5-0. The Mules pulled away during the first half, scoring 13 points compared to the Panthers’ six. The Panthers then switched the momentum post-halftime by scoring three unanswered touchdowns. Despite maintaining a cushy 27-13 lead, fumbles by Middlebury on two consecutive drives gave way to two Colby touchdowns. The Mules missed an extra point attempt on their last touchdown and the score was 27-26 Middlebury. A last-second missed field goal by the Mules brought Panther fans to their feet and sealed a Middlebury victory. Although this past weekend was an exciting turn for the Panther crowd, the team must look forward to maintaining their undefeated streak against a tough bout with Wesleyan.  Going into the game against Wesleyan, the Panthers know that this week will be an indicator of the rest of their season. After two close games (double OT win against Amherst and last-second, one-point win against Colby), the Panthers will have to put their best foot forward against a strong Wesleyan team.  Within the past five weeks, the Panthers have accumulated an average of 27.6 points per game, fewer than two points lower than the Cardinals. Although these numbers are not indicative of the team’s successes thus far, it is telling of the upcoming battle on Saturday. Will Jernigan ’21 has been a crucial piece to the Panther offense this season thanks to his solid passing ability. Jernigan has averaged 227.4 passing yards per game and has accumulated over 1137 passing yards in the past 5 games. The Panthers are third in the conference in this metric. Wesleyan, on the other hand, have not amassed this type of yardage yet this season. The Cardinals average 196.2 passing yards per game, accumulating 981 yards in total. Throughout the season, Jernigan has played an integral role leading the Middlebury offense. A combination of Middlebury players have accumulated receiving yards. Five different Panthers have notched over 100 receiving yards on the season so far: Maxwell Rye ’20 (345 yds), Greg Livingston ’22 (175 yds), Frank Cosolito ’20 (166 yds), Maxim Bochman ’20 (146 yds), and Aidan Power ’20 (127 yds).  First-year Alex Maldjian ’23 has dominated the Panther rushing game, with Jernigan not far behind. Maldjian has rushed for 448 yards thus far this season, scoring 3 touchdowns on the ground. Jernigan also ran for 396 yards, scoring 5 touchdowns for the Panthers. Defensively, the Middlebury squad’s depth has driven its 5-0 run. Jack Pistorius ’21, Pete Huggins ’21 and Wyllis McKissick ’20 have recorded over 30 tackles each (Pistorius 45, Huggins 42, McKissick 30). Four Panthers, Zander Bailey ’21, Kevin Hartley ’20, Michael Carr ’20, and Finn Muldoon ’23, have each accumulated two interceptions, respectively. Alex Norton ’20 leads the team in sacks, recording four sacks for a loss of 40 yards total. Carter Massengill ’20 and Rye have controlled the kicking and punting games for the Panthers. Massengill logged 28 points on the kicking game this season for the Panthers, with his longest bootcoming from 33 yards out. Rye has amassed 948 punting yards within the past five games. This year, I’ve felt an undeniable sense of energy — it’s not over the top, but this palpable recognition of our confidence to execute. -Carter Massengill ‘20 The difference between this year’s successes and last year’s season is heavily influenced by the energy of the team. “I have the honor of spotting the ball throughout practice, which gives me a close up feel of how we are doing as a team. This year, I’ve felt an undeniable sense of energy — it’s not over the top, but this palpable recognition of our confidence to execute,” Massengill said. “I remember making a remark to some other seniors during the preseason that the energy feels different this year. We’ve carried it throughout the season in all three phases of the game.” This season has been a testament to the Panthers’ strengths on all phases of the game. Jernigan runs the offense using his versatility in the rushing and passing games, with a strong offensive line leading the way. A combination of receivers, alongside Maldjian’s running game, have developed the Panther offensive game. Defensive depth has played a key role in the Panthers’ undefeated season as well, behind a stout defensive line and prepared backfield players. Looking forward, the Panthers will face a tough, undefeated Wesleyan team. Behind their successes so far, the team looks to come out of the game on top of the NESCAC, to best position themselves for the end-of-season rankings, and win the championship.  

Screen-Shot-2019-09-18-at-12.14.13-PM