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(10/09/13 4:00am)
He quietly opened the door to my room and greeted me with a silent smile. I pulled him onto the bed and onto me and pushed my tongue into his mouth, blocking any semblance of sound that could sneak out. I took his hands and ran them over my eager body, baring my whole self to him and allowing him to search for all my hot spots without a word.
If my host parents knew that I had been having sex with their son for the past three months they would be forced to report it to my program, who would tell my parents. At age 17, sleeping with my 21 year old host brother, forbidden doesn’t quite cover it. Every creak of the bed was deafening, every sound from outside the door could be my host mother about to barge in. As we dug deeper under the covers, my face pressed into pillow in a futile attempt to hide my moans of pleasure, the secrecy and inappropriateness of the act made my blood boil that much hotter.
Forbidden desires are something we have all experienced. From the sexy coach, to your roommate’s ex, to vampires, we all have our fantasies. Should we deny them? Should we succumb to social norms and expectations? Or should we challenge them? Why can’t I want to bang my hot professor? Why can’t I seduce my brother’s best friend? Within reason, these forbidden lusts should be acted on, not only because they allow us to explore some of the rawest parts of our sexuality, but because it’s freaking hot. The fear of being caught, the knowledge that your acts would be condemned should anyone find out, pushes your body to new limits. The adrenaline surges associated with this anxiety makes every touch from your partner electric and every wave of pleasure deeper. Instead of condemning yourself to social normalcy, fight to embrace all your quirks and oddities.
We all want what we can’t have: another bowl of ice cream, a Ferrari, to time travel. Freshman year of college, I was experimenting with all kinds of limits – I drank more, studied longer, slept less, as sex became a constant in my life. As I began to discuss these choices with friends, I realized that I wasn’t the only one experimenting with the forbidden. Throughout the year I watched one friend connect with a guy on a truly deep level, only to watch him settle down with another girl. Through her feelings of rejection and confusion, she decided that she would not stop seeing him, wanting him all the more now that he was out of reach. One night they snuck into a music practice room and jammed a chair against the door, blocking out the outside world. Listening to her recount the story, it was evident that the secrecy of the situation turned her on. I understand this sentiment; the feeling of trust I feel with someone with whom I have a deep and sexy secret is in some ways more intimate than any relationship with a guy I’m allowed to have. The half-smirks in the dining hall, the seemingly anonymous brushes passed each other in public says it all: we’re evil, we’re sexy. Our terrible secret would make us outcasts at this school forever.
We all forge lives that can be depressingly predictable at times. We know when we will be in class, when we will be at practice, what assignments we will prepare this week, next week and until December. We know approximately when we will be studying, when we will be eating, and when we will finally be able to relax. So push back. Live a little, question the boundaries, take control. Go have sex in a naughty place and know that it is okay to feel your heart pump a little faster when a pinch of pain gets mixed in with pleasure. It’s okay to flirt with a silver fox or play the cougar at the bar. The arousal of danger and the intimacy of secrecy can send you to a place you’ve never before imagined. And as you and your partner explore every nook and cranny of your desires, feel the pride in being true to yourself, to saying yes to your cardinal sexual self. As long as your partner’s on board, it’s okay to follow your heart, and hormones, into the forbidden.
(10/03/13 3:04am)
You know that one person you’ve hooked up with so many times you can’t even count it on your fingers anymore? But you two are not, never have been and most certainly never will be anything serious. It’s the person you call at 1 a.m. when you’re in the mood and no one else is around. It’s the person who you sleep with in between relationships. You’re a boomerang and this person is the one you just keep coming back to.
But you’re not drawn to them. Because they’re somehow not the tragic love of your life that you can’t seem to let go of. In fact, chances are they’re the exact opposite. You don’t like this person — like, at all. Otherwise, you two probably would be together. The fact is, they probably don’t want to be with you either. No, this hook-up buddy of yours does not derive from a feeling of unrequited love or a lack of closure — it’s pure convenience, accessibility and maybe just a way to fend off boredom.
So, after you’ve gone through a tough break up, they’re the perfect no-emotions way to get over your old flame — by getting under this old lame. Or the party you’re at is starting to resemble Noah’s Arc and you’re the only one not paired off, so you give this person a call. Or, it would just take too much effort to flirt with and seduce someone else, and this one is a total layup.
Sure, all of those are valid reasons. But I think it’s more than that. The reason we’re so quick to revert back to an old hook up instead of to fool around with someone new is that, by doing so, we don’t have to increase our number. We don’t have to add another name to that list we keep in our iPhone notes. We go back to the same utterly vanilla hook up again and again because we get to have sex without having to add on another sexual partner.
I believe that there is still something inside of us that hates the idea of that number getting higher and higher. We want to say it doesn’t matter. But we can’t help that feeling we get when asked, “what’s your number” and the answer is more than we’d like to admit.
It’s a funny dichotomy, because at the same time we don’t want to rack up umpteenth partners, but we want to be having as much sex as we can. We want to walk into a hook up and totally wow in bed with all kinds of tricks, but we don’t want to admit (even to ourselves sometimes) that we’ve gotten our practice from a slightly large sampling of people.
As sexually liberal as we might think we are, sex is still a big deal. We may like to think that sex can be casual, and while in many ways it can be, it still means something. Think about it — isn’t it the first question you ask a friend when they tell you they hooked up with someone? “Did you guys have sex?” If they didn’t it’s kind of like, “oh no biggie,” but if they did, it’s monumental. The first time you have sex with someone, not only do you add one to your number, but your relationship to that person changes. For the rest of your life, even if you never see them again, they will always be a your sexual partner.
So, by having sex with someone you’ve already had sex with, you’re avoiding all of the inherent side effects of the hook up. Nothing changes. It’s the easiest way to satisfy one of our most basic desires without any of the residual feelings or changes. You’ve been there done that, literally, so what’s the harm in doing it again? Sometimes, we don’t want sex to mean as much as it does, and if you’ve done something once it’s less of an event to do it again.
We may not even realize it as we’re walking back to that person’s room again (and noticing that their wall decorations haven’t changed since freshman year). At that moment, we may be wondering why we are doing this again. But in the morning, when we wake up feeling pretty good from our night of pleasure and don’t have to worry about having another person on campus we feel slightly awkward running into at a meal, it makes perfect sense why we went back, why we’ll probably go back again and maybe even again.
(10/02/13 11:28pm)
I knew Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V had hooked me when, minutes after putting the game down for the first time, I began referring to people as “homie.”
The game takes place in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles called Los Santos, and it is hard to imagine a more perfect setting. The reality of the game is a heightened one where criminality is the norm. Almost everyone you meet in GTA V is a criminal in some respect. The three protagonists of the game — Michael, Franklin and Trevor — are no exception to this rule. They kill, they lie, they steal and they do it not so much out of necessity, but out of anger.
Los Santos is a sick city, and I do not mean that in a complimentary way. It is a city that chewed up and spat out the American Dream. The world the player sees is corrupt and morally bankrupt. Whether it is the up and coming pop star who chases Franklin and his paparazzi friend through the streets in her car after she catches them spying on a backyard sex romp, or the marijuana enthusiast who spikes Michael’s joint with a bit of something else, everyone in Los Santos seems out to get the protagonists.
As a result, their villainous and arguably evil deeds become almost laudable. As I played through the game I found myself laughing at the awful things these characters did and that I did while controlling them. These characters kill and steal not because they need the money, but because the world around them is so insane that they can either try and fight it, or go along for the ride.
While GTA V excels in both story and theming, it struggles a bit more with its gameplay. The GTA series has always been known for controlling a little strangely. The previous entry in the series put many people off — myself included — with its awkward lock-on shooting and boring, heavy driving controls. GTA V does take steps to address those control issues. The shooting and movement feel a bit snappier, and the driving is more manic and satisfying. The controls are still weighty, however. I once climbed a ledge on a roof and found Michael taking another five steps straight off the edge due to his apparently massive inertia. And while driving around dodging cops is fun, the learning curve on the driving physics is a bit steep.
While the controls still retain some of their old clunk, they do manage to work as intended. Rockstar’s games are much more like world engines, and the characters really do feel like they are placed in the world. Walking around Los Santos feels like walking around a city, and the fact that you can so easily spin out and get overwhelmed by cops makes the car chases all the more exciting.
As the game progresses you will eventually be able to switch between all three protagonists on the fly, dropping into their lives in progress. You might switch over to Franklin to find him picking up his prescription from the green clinic, or swap to Trevor to find him waking up in a gas station covered in blood and wearing a dress (as was said in one of the game’s trailers, the less that is said about Trevor, the better). This character swapping gives the world an organic, dynamic feel and makes the characters seem like they have their own lives going on outside of your control. The character swapping is also used during the game’s heist missions. These are multi-step affairs where each character will have a role to play. Sometimes you will switch control to a different character at set moments, and other times you will be able to switch between characters on the fly as they fight their way out of a tricky spot. These scenes were some of my favorite in the game, and pulling off a successful heist always left me feeling satisfied.
Visually and orally, GTA V excels. I could go into greater detail about how the game is bright and colorful while still maintaining a realistic aesthetic, or how the radio stations are tailored wonderfully to each character, but it’s a Rockstar game: it was always going to look and sound great. GTA V is a game about terrible people doing terrible things to a terrible world. It is not a happy game, but it made me laugh. The characters are despicable, but I cared about their lives, and wanted them to win. It plops the player down in a world that might make them sick, presents them three characters who are as disgusted by it as the player is, and then hands them guns, lots of guns. GTA V is a violent game, and it uses that violence to great effect to tell its sordid tale. It is a game that can get the player thinking, even while allowing them a rip roaring good time tearing apart Los Santos. If you like open world games, gangsters, cars, or thinking about how America has failed you, look no further than GTA V.
(09/26/13 1:14am)
The Middlebury Sexual Assault Oversight Committee (SAOC) received a $272,528 grant from the US Department of Justice’s Office (USDOJ) on Violence Against Women.
In the grant application submitted to the DOJ, the SAOC wrote that the funds will be used to “significantly strengthen student, faculty and staff understanding of the causes and consequences of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; the resources that exist to support survivors; and our ability to prevent and respond to these phenomena effectively.”
The USDOJ’s Campus Grant Program is dedicated to reducing sexual assault and harassment on college campuses. The grant, which is awarded annually, is distributed in a reimbursement structure over a three-year time period.
One of the cornerstones of the grant program is the collaboration between the college, community partners and local organizations such as WomenSafe, RU12?, and the Addison County Council against Domestic and Sexual Violence, who will work together in the months to come.
SAOC members will work with Associate Dean for Judicial Affairs and Student Life Karen Guttentag and the newly-appointed Health and Wellness Director Barbara McCall to make use of the funds on campus.
Most notably, the SAOC plans to continue revising and improving the college’s sexual misconduct policy. The current policy, which was developed in 2011 and has since been the primary focus of the SAOC, strives to create a judicial framework that reflects the mission of the college by “preventing sexual misconduct, eliminating any hostile environment, preventing its recurrence, and correcting its discriminatory effects” on the community.
Another main objective of the SAOC is to strengthen existing sexual assault programs on campus, including the mandatory first-year programming and residential life training. To do this, the SAOC plans to go through training with bystander intervention programs across the country, as well as to develop a survey through which it will be easier to determine levels of sexual assault and harassment in the community.
There are also plans to revamp the training programs required of the College’s sexual misconduct investigators and board members in order to guarantee that students and community members involved in sexual assault cases receive fair and impartial treatment according the sexual misconduct policy.
According to student members of the SAOC, the availability of money from the grant allows programs started last year to continue.
“The students of the SAOC are very excited to have the grant to fund projects [that] we were able to fund last year such as printing and mounting permanent versions of the Stand Up visual campaign around campus, as well as bringing in speakers to open up conversation around sex positivity and other related topics,” wrote SAOC student co-chair Olivia Case ’15 in email.
In addition to growing and improving existing programs, the SAOC plans to institute new programming in areas where they feel there has been a shortage of attention and resources. One example is seeking out educational resources to begin work on creating a stronger men’s movement in the area of sexual assault and harassment, as well as addressing the glaring shortage of local Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner’s (SANEs), an issue that should be greatly minimized by the financial support of the grant. There are also plans to develop workshops that will focus on topics ranging from healthy relationships and consent to defining masculinity and femininity.
While there are specific areas of the college’s sexual assault programming that require more attention than others, Guttentag said, “Ultimately, what we are after is deep-rooted cultural change.”
(09/26/13 12:37am)
An increasingly dominant strain of thought at American universities and colleges embraces a certain materialism. Materialism here refers not to a consumerist urge or to a Marxist ethic, although neither is wholly unrelated, but rather to a worldview that treats reality as no more than what can be observed through science. The Academy is filled with very smart students who flock to physical and social sciences. These students will learn important things. They will learn to apply statistical models to human behavior and natural phenomena, and they will learn how to use genetic modeling to study character. But they will not do—at least not very much—what students at liberal arts schools used to do. They will probably not read Plato or Shakespeare. And they will not learn about the dominant modes of religious and secular thought which define Western Civilization.
The so-called decline of the humanities is hardly a new phenomenon. It began in the 1980s with the advent of postmodernism, which replaced thought with ideology and thus obscured or outright denied the deeper meanings of literature. The irony that postmodernist interpretations were supposed to make literature more popular is rich. By reducing the human experience to a series of simplistic identity markers – race, gender, class, etc. – the movement limited the true power of literature: its ability to transcend identity politics and give a more complex account of the world.
Yet what the humanities face now is not merely confused attempts to limit the value of books, but an outright denial of their ability to teach us the most important things. This latest challenge does not claim, as postmodernist theorists did, that truth is a fiction. Rather, it claims that the way to finding truth is through science, both natural and social. Neuroscience and economics can teach us more about how we make decisions than can “Hamlet”. Biology teaches us more about happiness than do Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” or contemporary American fiction like David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” or Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom”.
In the face of such delegitimization, several notable commentators have stood up to defend the humanities. Responding to an article by Steven Pinker in The New Republic, literary critic Leon Wieseltier writes, “The question of the place of science in knowledge, and in society, and in life, is not a scientific question.”
The philosopher Thomas Nagel, formally a leading materialist, has been lambasted by several high-profile academics for going to the dark side. “It is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection,” Nagel writes in “Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False.” There is more to the world than what science can observe and study, Nagel argues. Religious readers will likely consider Nagel’s claims obvious. Nagel is not religious, but he is finding that there are certain things, like love and death, that science and materialism cannot explain. Scientists will claim that these things are not real, but are in fact what has been termed a “manifest image.” Nagel is unsatisfied with this answer.
The question before us, as an academic community, is whether we too are unsatisfied. The danger is that we will accept the materialist account without actually considering it. Judging by the popularity of biology, economics and political science, it may be too late. Political science is an excellent example because it traditionally has been taught as both philosophy and a glorified sort of applied statistics. The trend in political science is away from the philosophy – away from debating what governments should look like – and towards statistics. To be sure, the methods of natural science are being applied to social sciences with great success. But is there no room for normative thinking? Is political science or economics merely a study of what is? Or should it also consider what should be? Furthermore, can statistical analyses alone tell us how to organize the best governments or markets? Does an exploration of justice require what used to be called pure reason?
In the next few months, I intend on making a case for books. My columns will not always directly relate to this defense of the humanities but they will proceed from the contention that literature can teach us about things over which science has no jurisdiction. This is not to say that scientific methods have no value. They surely do. Indeed, science is quite helpful when addressing certain problems introduced by postmodernism. For instance, the popular claim that gender distinctions bear no relation to sex is demonstrably, scientifically false. But science has limits, and we ignore them at our peril. A brain scan can show a father’s brain light up when he gets excited, but it tells us nothing of the deep joy he feels when he sees his newborn daughter.
In a world where meaning and truth are elusive, to the extent students even believe in such notions at all, it is imperative that we read more literature. Ours is a generation without faith in everything from God to capitalism and democracy. Literature reminds us of our traditions and natures so as to restrain and thus enable progress. It is an exploration of who we are that allows for irony and humility. To subordinate it to science or ideology is to subordinate ourselves.
(09/25/13 7:50pm)
Introducing our new sex columnist, who will talk about all things sex on campus. Running biweekly and complementing Hooking Up Sober, Let’s Talk Sex will be answering the questions about sex you were too afraid to ask. How do we talk about sex? Is it ok to be a cougar? Curious about a threesome? For answers to these questions and more, look no further than our columnist named for the Greek goddess of love.
Sex has always been a mystery for me. Not the act itself – anyone can explore that – but the immense range of ideas, ideals and social constructs we associate with sex. For some, it is an act forbidden until marriage, for others it is a private act, for others still it is an act of conquest. This leaves me seemingly a minority, alone in feeling that sex is an amazing way to spend a Saturday night, an unabashed expression of lust and, above all, a natural act performed between two human beings who are not immoral, disgusting or slutty, but simply responding to their instincts.
From childhood, we are conditioned with the rhetoric and beliefs that our private parts (aptly named in reflection of our culture) should be hidden and protected at all times. Once we reach adolescence we are unable to shed this idea and oscillate between childish shame and the budding sexuality that our instincts beg us to explore.
This is an uncertain and insecure time, one plagued by insecurity whether or not you choose to pursue your sexuality. However, I have since come to understand and accept my attitude toward and love of sex, despite a socially common sentiment that condemns it as “slutty.” But I realize many of us have accepted this about ourselves. I will therefore strive in this column to share my ideas and experiences with the all of you and to challenge the conception of sex as taboo. With every reader, who may realize they feel the same way, it may be possible for more people to accept how they feel about sex.
Let’s start by acknowledging that our culture has made it extremely difficult to discuss sex in an open-minded manner. I hope that everyone who has experienced consensual sex can attest to it being a fun and positive part of life,. However, our socially practiced vocabularies tend to force us to discuss sexual encounters in a roundabout fashion.
“I slept with that girl last night,” “I want to hook up with that guy,” “s/he’s so hot.” All of these phrases can be heard in the dining halls, in the library cafe and in the locker rooms, but none of these common phrases explicitly describe the act or feeling of sex – they merely make vague references, saying very little.
This is astounding. Sex is the reason you and I are alive. Ultimately, sex is responsible for the survival of any species, including our own. So why are we unable to openly articulate it?
I, for one, have grown tired with this prude, false reality. For the rest of the year, every two weeks, I will discuss with you my innermost thoughts on the practice of sex, sex between different aged people, sex with multiple people, sex with forbidden groups of people, and everything in between. I have a lot to share, so I can only hope you stay tuned …
(09/19/13 12:22am)
In a Sept. 12 email to the student body, the College’s new Director of Health and Wellness Education, Barbara McCall, outlined her agenda for the year as she fills a position that had gone unfilled for two years.
McCall comes to Middlebury from Castleton State College in Castleton, VT, where she served as the Coordinator of Campus Wellness Education. She attended Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and holds a Masters degree in Public Health.
McCall plans to focus her energies on five areas: the establishment of an advocacy group for victims of sexual assault, implementation of recommendations from the 2011-2012 Task Force on Alcohol and Social Life, expansion of the PAWS (Pause, Assess, Worried?, Speak Up!) bystander intervention program, the “reinvigoration” of the Student Wellness Leader program, and the introduction of a Party Monitor program.
McCall is in the early stages of training an advocacy group for victims of sexual assault. The group, which does not have a name yet, includes students, faculty, and staff.
The 2011-2012 Task Force on Alcohol and Social Life, whose recommendations McCall plans to pursue, was created after the College received the results of a 2010 survey of students on drinking which brought to light high risk drinking behavior among many students. The Task Force’s report, dated May 4 2012, includes over 40 recommendations for changes to the regulations regarding alcohol consumption at the College. McCall said that she plans to facilitate a social norms campaign wherein her office will seek to educate the College community about both healthy behavior and behavioral norms at Middlebury in areas such as alcohol use and stress.
The College introduced the PAWS bystander intervention program last year when it briefed the class of 2016 and First-Year Counselors (FYCs) on the new program. McCall emphasized her interest in bystander intervention, stating that people with training in a program such as PAWS are far more likely to intervene in a risky situation than those without training. She hopes to expand the program, possibly during J-term, but conversations are ongoing with regard to the target audience of PAWS training. McCall stated that she plans to take a thoughtful approach “as I get to know Middlebury and Middlebury gets to know me.”
McCall also plans to “reinvigorate” the Student Wellness Leader program, which is meant to provide students with training in health issues related to alcohol use, sex, stress and sleep as well as public speaking and group facilitation. Participation in the program waned in the years during which the position of Director of Health and Wellness Education went unfilled. In an email, Student Wellness Leader Sierra Stites ’14 wrote, “since Jyoti Daniere [the former Director of Health and Wellness Education] left in the summer of 2011 and we were without a director, we have fallen off the map to a certain extent.”
McCall envisions a cohort of students who can provide informal yet well-informed advice to their peers on these sensitive topics. She said that “peer health really interests me as a vehicle for health and wellness education, and it is a good way to get reliable information into the community.”
McCall also plans to start a Party Monitor program based on initiatives at Dartmouth College, Haverford College, Swarthmore College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. These students would attend registered parties as assistants to the party host and provide support if a guest required medical attention or the venue appeared to be overcrowded. They could also serve as liaisons between the Department of Public Safety and party hosts. The program is still in the developmental phases – McCall is in the process of reaching out to colleges with similar programs and soliciting their advice – but she envisions a start to the program occurring in the middle of the Fall semester. The model program at Dartmouth, known as the Green Team, is relatively popular, “Green Team is not a panacea, but every additional set of eyes helps” said Chase Weidner, a senior at Dartmouth.
(09/12/13 1:13am)
Nothing says possibility like the first day of school. With each autumn, we lucky youth are given the opportunity to start from scratch. In third grade, it’s new crayons, in high school it’s new sneakers, and now, in college, it’s new everything. New classes, new dorms, new faces, new sushi bars in Crossroads. Not to mention the influx of 626 freshman, who are completely and utterly new to the rest of us.
And since we’re all overachieving Midd kids, we’ve just spent our summers doing amazing things, like saving orphans in Ghana, climbing Kilimanjaro, curing cancer at the Mayo Clinic, or writing about condoms and erectile dysfunction at Cosmopolitan. So, with three months full of new and amazing experiences, we’re all coming back a little bit new too.
But since this is a sex column, and since I’ve practiced writing about love and lust all summer, of course I’ll be focusing on one thing in particular: new hookups. The question is foremost in everyone’s mind: Who will you be locking lips with tonight on Atwater’s overcrowded and slimy dance floor? (R.I.P. ADP.)
Have you been thinking about it all summer? Or maybe you’re utterly surprised at your newfound attraction for So-and-So who looks really good with a tan. Or perhaps you’re reserving your judgment until you’ve gotten a chance to scope out the first-years.
So while that excitement is overwhelming, it’s not always rainbows and lollipops. What if the girl you’ve been dreaming about all summer has flown across the Atlantic with almost every other junior girl for a semester abroad? Or, maybe you fell head over heels for a senior last year, who’s graduated from the Middlebury bubble. (Sigh, been there.) Or perhaps all you can think about is that SOB ex who broke your heart last spring, who you’ve been trash talking and hate-texting all semester, but now that you’re back in Vermont you really want nothing but to kiss and make up.
Have you made a new school year’s resolution for hooking up? “This year, I’m only going to sleep with someone if we’ve hooked up sober.” “This year, I’ll only sex-ile my roommate if the guy is really, really hot.” “This year, I’m going to spend more time interpreting Shakespeare than his text messages.”
Whether you’re looking for your future spouse (we all know the Midd marriage stat) or just someone to pass a weekend with, everyone’s coming into this year with an expectation – a new expectation.
Freshmen, these first hook ups are your first firsts, unless maybe they already happened at orientation, but either way these are the most exciting. You are beginning the whirlwind that will be your lives as sexually-active college students.
Sophomores and juniors, you’re in the nebulous zone – not the new kids on the block, but still not the big kids. These first hook-ups are just another great way to punctuate the beginning of a brand new year.
And seniors, class of 2014, this is your last first hook up. Pretty scary, huh? Because when we graduate in 9 short months, we’ll be leaving behind us not only classrooms and dinning halls, but also the collegiate-styled hook up culture. Never again will we all be living in a one-mile radius of each other, consuming unhealthy amounts of alcohol, and living without supervision or responsibilities in the height of our sexual prime. When else can we be so reckless with our hearts and hard ons?
College hook ups are fun and exciting. They have the potential to lead to something huge, and they offer the possibility to lead to nothing. And never, never are they as highly anticipated or as thrilling as the first ones of the year. So enjoy it – and remember it. As it’s happening, catalogue it as your first first, the year’s first, or your last first. And even if you’re a bit black-out, ask your roommate to remember it for you, and then fill you in. Maybe it’s your first kiss with they guy you’ll marry, or maybe it’s your first and last kiss with that girl from your first year seminar. It doesn’t matter. It’s the year’s first hook up and it’s important. It’ll be Sunday morning’s brunch conversation, and it’ll also be how you remember the start to your freshman/sophomore/junior or senior (AHH!) year of college.
Brand new year. Right now, it’s a fresh slate. This weekend’s antics will be the first on the record. What will you do to kick it off?
(05/01/13 8:54pm)
Barbara McCall, currently the Campus Wellness Education Coordinator at Castleton State College, was hired as the new Director of Health and Wellness Education in March and will begin working at the College this fall. Though the position is not new to the College, the role has remained unfilled for two years.
“We took time to reflect on what we wanted in that role, what we needed in the College right now, whether we needed to reshape the position in any way, and then we launched into the search,” said Dean of Students Katy Smith Abbott. Given the importance of student outreach in the role of director of health and wellness, the position was changed slightly so the new director can work more closely with the Office of the Dean of Students.
Smith Abbott explained, “Before, the director of health and wellness reported within Parton, and now she will be located right in the Dean of Students’ Office.”
According to Smith Abbott, McCall’s background makes her well suited to Middlebury.
“She comes out of a rich background of experience, both as an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke and her graduate work at [the University of Massachusetts Amherst],” said Smith Abbott. “So I think she comes well equipped to match the needs and the conversations that are really afoot on our campus right now.”
The Campus contacted McCall to talk to her about her new position.
Middlebury Campus: What issues do you focus on at Castleton that you think will translate to your new role at Middlebury?
Barbara McCall: I am a generalist by trade which means I cover lots of different topics – alcohol, drugs, stress, sleep, sex, nutrition, cold and flu – you name it, I get to do it, which is really great. It means no day is the same here at Castleton or otherwise. And I think all of those topics are really going to have some relevance at Middlebury because I think they are all really pertinent to the ways that college students interact with their campus and interact with their emerging independent lives as they get ready to leave Middlebury when they graduate.
I think two of the topics that have been brought to my attention in my interview process and in my initial interactions with Middlebury folks are alcohol and social life and then sexual violence and sexual respect. And so I imagine I am going to be spending a fair amount of my time working on those two issues with a lot of the campus committees, coalitions and taskforces that have already been set up and have been primed to be having those conversations on campus. I’m excited to join in those conversations and hopefully get moving on some programming for responding to those concerns and those questions that the conversations have been bringing up.
MC: Do you have a favorite topic in college-based health education?
McCall: The thing that gets me really excited, that I’m passionate about, is talking about sexual health, women’s health and LGBTQ health. Those are my favorites to talk about.
MC: As a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, are there any issues pertinent to working in campus health and wellness at a small, highly selective and academically rigorous school like Mount Holyoke or Middlebury?
McCall: I think it’s a double-edged sword. What I think is so fabulous and wonderful about small, exclusive liberal arts colleges is that you are dealing with a student body that is incredibly informed, incredibly vocal and they are evolving all the time in knowledge and understanding. I think it’s such a special and inspiring place to work. What can be difficult about those same wonderful attributes of a place like Mount Holyoke or Middlebury is that sometimes you can find pockets of campus being on different pages of a book or pages of a conversation. So it can take some real time and effort to unite folks who may be just entering into a conversation with the folks who have been having that conversation for a while and are ready to move into action. So I think sometimes uniting all people in all of the places where they are in their knowledge and their behavior can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. As I’m sure you know, when folks get ready to go on an issue or a topic, it can take a little time for [others] to play catch-up, whether the catch-up is getting stakeholders involved or alerting the campus administration to student needs or alerting students to administrative needs. I love that fired-up energy and I think sometimes it can take a little finesse to get everybody together to move with that energy in a direction that actually gets us somewhere. It’s one thing I love and find equally as challenging about schools like that. And I’m really looking forward to returning to that high-energy, high-achieving environment at Middlebury.
MC: In this position, you will be working under the Dean of Students at Middlebury – how is your position at Middlebury going to be different from your role at Castleton?
McCall: We’re a pretty small staff here in wellness at Castleton. There are four of us who are full-time and that’s counseling and health services. We’re an integrated center, so it’s really small compared to what you all have going at Middlebury, which means that, essentially, it’s pretty similar to working under the Dean of Students at Middlebury. I’m part of the Student Life team here – my supervisor is supervised by the Dean of Students – and I interact daily with folks from student activities and career services. We’re highly integrated in student life. So I actually think that building those relationships here and understanding how to co-program and interact with those folks is really going to translate well to Middlebury, where I’ll still definitely get to interact with folks and will be working right alongside the folks from student life. So that won’t be that big of a change. It’s actually a model I really enjoy and it’s one of the things that drew me to the position at Middlebury – getting to really be integrated as a member of the student life team.
MC: What do you do in your free time and what else should the student body know about you?
McCall: I have really missed being able to go out to a coffee shop and read and just sort of people-watch – we don’t really have the setup for that in Castleton, I have to drive to Rutland to do that. And so I’m really excited to be able to do that in Middlebury. I have a dog (her name is Maddie, I call her my canine soul mate), so I imagine I will bring her to campus to go on walks. She loves students, she loves being on college campuses. I’m also a huge foodie, so I’m really looking forward to getting to explore some of the food culture at Middlebury on campus because I know you guys have great food service but also getting to poke around, eat at some local restaurants and check out the farmer’s market. I’m trying to be a locavore since I moved to Vermont two years ago and so I think that’s going to be really fun to expand my access to local foods and products by moving to Middlebury.
(04/23/13 5:23pm)
On Monday, April 22nd, students and faculty gathered in the McCullough Social Space. Student organization, It Happens Here, organized a reading of Middlebury student monologues detailing personal experiences with sexual violence. Of the twenty-three submissions, seventeen were read anonymously and five by actual sexual assault victims. The motto for the evening, "Let's talk about what we don't talk about," encouraged all to recognize that such violence happens on campus. The event coupled well with IHH's Map Project, which was on display in the Davis Family Library during the month of February. Over 100 cases of sexual assault in 60 locations across the college campus were identified.
How did students react to the monologues?
Jen Krakower '14 - Perspective.
Liza Herzog '14 - I found it powerful, it made me question my feeling of complete safety and comfort on this campus. It inspired reflections on the society and culture in which we live. what influences lead to distorted views on what constitutes/signals unwanted sexual encounters and why someone feels entitled to disrespect those wishes. Money? Societal power? Gender? Familial example and environment? Media? Intrinsic lack of self control?
Alyssa DiMaio '15 - Eye-opening.
Marris Hurwitz '13 - I thought tonight made it seem much more real that sexual assault happens on campus when you hear the words Winter Ball, Atwater, Tavern, and have your own memories and associations with each place.
Lauren Greer '13 - Tonight really made me conscious about the nature and density/or lack thereof of conversations among the Middlebury College community. Whether that be in a dorm room, social house, at a party, an athletic event, dining hall, but most especially in the bedroom or any place sex and sexuality exists. It really makes you question, how much do people listen when you talk, or when someone says "No"? I am amazed by the resilience of those individuals who spoke, and also to those that didn't. That was what strength looks like.
Sarah Ugalde '14 - Eye-opening. Hard to face the fact that people I know and are close to could be going through something that I have no idea about.
Ellie O'Brien '14 - Brave.
Hannah Deoul '14 - I was really struck by the mentions of Atwater or the Dungeon...as in how these events may have happened right in front of my eyes. I overall am more cognizant of what is qualified as sexual harassment.
Margaret Souther '13 - These stories show great courage. It was an eye-opening experience and I'm so glad I went.
Luke Elder '13 — I thought it was eye-opening to hear about Middlebury students' personal experiences with sexual assault. The event prompted my friends and I to start an on-going discussion about sexual assault on campus: what it is, how it is defined, and how to potentially avoid it. While the power of some of the stories resonated with many of us for a while after the event ended, other stories made us curious about what sexual assault really is: Is it just how the college defines it? Is there a definitive line that distinguishes assault from other types of interaction? Overall I thought the event was a great starting point for talking about sexual violence on campus, but I just hope the conversation continues.
Jay Saper '12.5 — The courage of survivors is astounding. They have illuminated the imperative of centering feminism now. It is time for our community to take meaningful action against this violence by dismantling the seeds of rape culture sown here.
Molly Shane '13.5 — I left feeling hopeful that "It Happens Here" could open the door for conversations about the ways in which we are ALL victims of a culture that promotes nonconsensual, damaging sexual interactions. This is not solely a "woman's issue," and I would love to see an event similar to "It Happens Here" in which we hear the voices of perpetrators (intentionally so, or not), bystanders, and victims, as we work together towards a more respectful sex culture.
(04/17/13 10:34pm)
I am almost 22 years old and last week at the Gensler Symposium I was shown, for the first time in my life, how to use a female condom. (And, for that matter, a male condom as well.) I have attended five different schools, three public and two private (including Middlebury), have open, supportive parents and have been involved in groups and workshops about sex and sexuality. But never before have I been exposed to a lesson that has taught me about proper condom-use. I am sure I am not the only one.
Since arriving at Middlebury three-and-a-half years ago I have been impressed with the College’s progression in confronting the issue of sexuality and sex on campus. However, as I have been loosely connected with the Sexual Assault Oversight Committee and other groups that cover sexual assault, I have found that Middlebury is vocal about the issue of sexual assault and rape, or more broadly, the problems that sex has created on this campus. By no means do I wish to speak ill of these programs; rather I wish to address what is still missing here: the presence of sex education programs. With such a strong emphasis on prevention, Middlebury is not recognizing how to encourage students to explore the enjoyment of sex.
Many of us arrive at Middlebury without having received health education — or if we have, it has not gone so far as to educate us about how to effectively use protection, much less how to explore ourselves and others. Middlebury is a place of firsts for many students: first time living away from home, first time getting a bad grade, first time having sex. We address other firsts by providing tutors, counselors, support groups and student leadership groups, but we don’t have any events where students can learn how to effectively use a condom, how to get oral contraceptives or ask about spermicide. We need to offer all students an opportunity to learn about safe sexual practices and how to attain sexual pleasure, both alone as well as with others.
In my first year I attended a sex-toy talk and presentation in the Chateau, but since then no other similar programs have been offered. My hope is that with the hiring of the new director of health and wellness this campus will see an increase in events such as this, which will promote further conversations about sex. I also hope that events will cover topics on which many of us have speculated, but rarely talked about such as what a female condom looks like and how it is used; or how one uses a diaphragm or dental dam. Many of these questions are not discussed and remain unanswered, but there are many students seeking answers and a space in which to discuss these topics. The College should be commended for providing spaces to increase awareness of the possible harms of sex; now it should do the same for the benefits of sex as well.
(04/17/13 4:16pm)
Last week, both France and Uruguay moved one step closer to legalizing marriage equality. The two countries will become the 12th and 13th in the world to grant the right for two people to marry regardless of gender.
The French Senate passed a bill last Friday to legalize same-sex marriage. The lower chamber of parliament, the National Assembly, passed legislation on the issue back in February. The Senate made several small changes to the bill, and both houses will now work to reconcile those differences before the bill becomes law.
During last year’s presidential campaign, Socialist Party candidate and current president Francois Hollande pledged to make same-sex marriage a reality in France. As of 1999, both gay and straight couples can enter into civil unions. Such unions do not grant all rights of marriage, however, most notably the right to adopt.
As in many countries around the world, the gay marriage debate in France has been contentious. Supporters and opponents of the bill have been extremely vocal in the last few months. In January, each side held massive rallies that drew hundreds of thousands into the streets.
Justice Minister Christine Taubira highlighted the emotional side of the issue when speaking with Senators after the bill was passed.
“These are children [of same-sex couples] that scrape their knees, eat too much candy, don’t like broccoli, drive you crazy … we protect them,” said Taubira.
In Uruguay, the lower house of Congress passed a bill to legalize gay marriage, with a strong majority of 71 of 92 members voting in favor. This vote all but guaranteed marriage equality in the country, as the Senate passed the bill a week earlier by a vote of 23-8. It now awaits the signature of President Jose Mujica, who has vowed to make marriage equality a reality in the country. Uruguay will become the second Latin American nation to legalize same-sex marriage after Argentina.
Similar to the 2010 debate on same-sex marriage in Argentina, as well as the current debate in France, the Roman Catholic Church in Uruguay spearheaded opposition efforts for the measure. The Church sought to protect what they view as a millennia-old traditional institution.
“Why make relative or devalue an institution that is already so injured, like the family, introducing deep modifications that are going to confuse more than clarify?” wrote Pablo Galimberti, bishop of Salto, on the website of the Uruguayan Bishops Council.
President Mujica responded to the Church, arguing that the legalization of same-sex marriages would only affect civil marriages. Uruguay already permits same-sex couples to adopt and enter into civil unions. Interestingly, the same-sex marriage bill also raised the age of consent in the country to 16. Currently, the age of consent in Uruguay is 12 and 14, for women and men, respectively.
Uruguay’s move towards marriage equality has been part of a progressive trend across the Americas in recent years. In 2009, same-sex marriage was legalized in Mexico City. In Brazil, several state courts established same-sex marriage rights in 2011. In the United States, nine states and the District of Columbia permit same sex marriages. In 2005, Canada became the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage.
Back across the Atlantic, Britain’s House of Commons passed a marriage equality bill in early February by a margin of 400-175. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has been an outspoken supporter of marriage equality. The bill is awaiting a Third Reading in the House and approval from the House of Lords and the Queen, all of which are anticipated to transpire this summer.
(04/17/13 4:13pm)
As I sauntered through the seemingly endless aisles of the grocery store today, a Faith Hill song blared from the loudspeaker. In the United States, Faith Hill might seem like a strange choice, but in Brazil it goes unnoticed. I even overheard someone saying “Eu adoro Faith Hill,” [I love Faith Hill]. In Brazil the constant reminders of American culture are inescapable. In fact, I walk by a billboard-size advertisement for an all-inclusive Disneyworld trip every day.
On the university campus I see at least 10 people dressed in clearly labeled Abercrombie or Hollister shirts every day. American brand names are buzzwords in Brazilian small talk. They just sound a little different with a Portuguese accent.
I came to Brazil expecting to watch dramatic daytime Brazilian television with my roommates and hear the sounds of samba in the street. Instead, I’ve watched dubbed Sex and the City with my roommates and heard Rihanna played at almost every club I’ve been to. I ask my classmates what music they listen to and they tell me they love Florence and the Machine or the Black Eyed Peas.
Even though a Brazilian classmate of mine might be wearing a Pink Floyd shirt and talking to me about “Game of Thrones,” the Brazil mindset is almost incomprehensible to an American liberal arts college student. What Brazil, Florianópolis in particular, does best is relax, a laughable word for many Middlebury students. There is no rat race; there is no rush to do anything. Many college students decide to complete one major and then complete another one for four more years.
In Brazil everything closes at two p.m. on Saturdays because Brazilians all go home to have churrasco with their family. For those who don’t know, churrasco is grilled Brazilian meat usually on a stick and always well seasoned. A Brazilian “churrascaria” typically lasts six to eight hours. Proctor isn’t even open for that many consecutive hours.
My initial reaction to everything being closed in Brazil from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning was that the Brazilians are sacrificing great business hours; they would make so much more money if they stayed open for just a few hours more. Yet, I realized that my reaction perfectly explained the difference between the American and Brazilian mindset.
Why would the Brazilian want to work two more hours on a Saturday when they could be eating freshly grilled meat and drinking beer with family and friends? My capitalistic conditioning associates making more money with a better quality of life, but a Brazilian would tell me I’m wrong to think that way. Leisure isn’t a negative concept here.
It took me a month to understand that lying in a hammock watching the sun set on the ocean’s horizon with a beer in hand isn’t a reward for a long week of work, it’s a part of life. Middlebury students work hard all week to “deserve” a couple of Keystones on the weekends. In Brazil what you deserve is the choice between working and relaxing.
Aproveitar is a verb that loosely translates to “take advantage of” in English. I’m constantly being told that I need to “aproveitar” my time in Brazil because life here is better, or, more objectively speaking, slower.
While I was initially put off by the amount of American culture in Brazil, I’ve come to realize that it signifies something completely different here. It reminds me that I’m immersed in a culture with similar taste, but different values.
Brazil has taught me that although we live in an era of cultural globalization, it is not one of a global culture.
Written by Stephanie Roush '14 from FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil
(04/10/13 1:44pm)
From the conversations I have had with students on campus, STI testing services seem to be underutilized, underappreciated and misunderstood. After seeing the results of the Student Government Association’s all-campus survey and the shockingly low proportion of the student body that has utilized Parton’s testing services, it is time for Middlebury to have frank conversations about sexual health.
Thinking back on the last four years of conversations I have had about the testing services on campus, the morale to get tested is — to put it lightly — low.
Perhaps testing services were mentioned during your new student orientation. During my first year, the director of health and wellness seemed to focus more attention on the free condoms all around campus than on the sound recommendation that students get tested with every new partner. Given the fact that there hasn’t been a director of health and wellness for the past two years, all sexual health discussions and activities have taken a steep decline — a shame since it doesn’t seem that sex on campus has taken a similar dip.
Perhaps testing services were mentioned in casual conversations with friends about sexual norms and healthy communication in the bedroom. During my sophomore year, a conversation with friends turned to the way that they talk about sexual health before hooking up with a new partner. Their answers varied from consistent communication before any kind of sexual contact to outright lying to a partner about having been tested to avoid further discussion on the subject. The range in responses, coming from a group of people that I knew to be well informed and responsible in their daily lives, was a shocking revelation.
Perhaps testing services were mentioned when a friend had questions about the accessibility of what is offered on campus. During my junior year, more than a few friends who wanted to be tested were turned away from doing so after finding out that, without insurance, they would have to pay a hefty fee for the services. When I went to Parton to be tested, the nurse was kind and thoughtful but failed to mention that I could submit the information to my insurance provider rather than paying out-of-pocket. Given the variety of insurance providers students have, coverage will vary significantly. However, paying out-of-pocket or foregoing being tested are not a student’s only two options.
All of these conversations have left me feeling frustrated with the campus culture around getting tested and the lack of accurate public information available about testing options on campus. Let me take one moment to clarify the latter: STI testing is available at Parton. You may submit your insurance information. If you are under a guardian’s insurance, it is possible that they may see a statement showing you received testing services. If you choose to pay out-of-pocket, tests range greatly in price. If you cannot pay out-of-pocket and cannot submit your insurance information, an open line of communication with the Parton staff is encouraged. They are there to support you in exploring your options.
Fostering an open campus culture about getting tested may take some time. However, it is imperative that we take active steps in this direction. Many campuses do a fantastic job of promoting their testing services and destigmatizing what can be a frightening and vulnerable process for some students. Williams College, for instance, provides chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV testing for students free of charge. Bowdoin and Colby have similar services. Other campuses, like Wesleyan, are beginning strong student campaigns demanding free testing services. There is no reason for Middlebury to lag behind when our peer institutions are leading the charge toward greater equity and accessibility of testing services. However, we must address the complex concerns of sexual health with our friends, peers and the College to make it happen. We must be willing to speak openly and honestly about the barriers to testing services, and we must support all students in this process. If you wish to join a group of dedicated students in this process, please reach out to me at acunniff@middlebury.edu to get involved.
Written by ADDIE CUNNIFF '13 of Tucson, Ariz.
(04/10/13 1:32pm)
Sexual assault: sketchy guy at a party starts grinding on a random drunk girl, brings her more drinks and leads her back to his dorm. This is the picture we use to protect ourselves when we go out on Friday nights. But it is a false image. Sexual predators don’t grow out of the heavy beats of Madonna or the spilled beer on the floor of KDR, only to dissolve again in the morning. Approximately 78 percent of rapes nationally are committed by a person the victim knows, and this percentage is even higher at small schools like ours. “The sketchy guys” are us. We coerce, we manipulate and we take advantage of each other’s drunkenness or uncertainty, because we’ve never learned how to choose not to. Sexual assault is never as black and white as we want it to be, and frequently the difference between harassment and an awkward encounter is communication and understanding. Between two acquaintances there is space to exchange narrative — space that must be used to learn about one another and understand each other’s stories. From this understanding we can perceive how our actions will affect our peers and partners, negatively or positively.
These are difficult conversations to have, and we need the support of the administration to create the space. Middlebury’s current policy operates based on the image of the sketchy guy at a party and the drunk girl, and therefore it deals with sexual assault and harassment the same way one deals with the flu: get the shot, wash your hands and hope you don’t get sick. Have a buddy system, don’t drink too much and hope you don’t get sexually assaulted. This message tells the victims of sexual assault how to act, making it their responsibility to protect themselves instead of making it the predator’s responsibility to not assault his or her peers. When we make it the victim’s responsibility to protect him or herself from sexual assault, we also make it the victim’s fault if he or she is assaulted. We’ve all heard of this before — it’s called blaming the victim, and it is one of the most damaging and least effective ways to tackle issues of rape and harassment. It suggests that sexual predators cannot prevent themselves from raping. This is simply not true. The flu virus doesn’t get to choose whether or not it will spread from person to person, but we as Middlebury students can, if given the tools, choose not to assault and harass our classmates. We can do this by looking at sexual predators and asking the question, “why?” Through the answers to this question we can learn how not to be “that sketchy guy.”
We need the administration’s aid to answer these questions. The current “sexual assault and harassment training” should be replaced with an in-depth training that incorporates seminars and panels led by students, professors and outsiders who understand the complexities of college life and can help us have open conversations throughout our college career. The training must focus on ending the oversimplification of consent. Consent is not simple: students have to learn how to give and understand it. They have to learn how to make it work for their relationships. If we can illuminate what consent means, we will hopefully lessen the frequency of these stories: “She didn’t say no. They were both really drunk. They didn’t even have sex. And now he’s been suspended for two weeks. Isn’t that kind of extreme?” Everyone takes a different side to this, and open discussions about different interpretations of consent and the histories behind this single story will prevent us from naming the victim manipulative, flaky or mean-spirited, or from naming the perpetrator horny, sexist or simply evil.
The training can provide the space to talk about social pressures that cause us to hurt ourselves and others. We need to reconcile the mixed messages from the media, our parents, religion and peers that have led us to a very complicated, contradictory and problematic relationship with sex by naming these messages and recognizing where they have influenced our behaviors. We need to talk about the pressure to “score.” We need to resolve the tension between practicing sexual freedom and objectifying our own bodies. We need to come to terms with the contradictory stigmas of being a virgin or a slut/player. These conversations can help us understand what our sexuality means to us and what others’ sexuality means to them, and thereby help us illuminate our and our partner’s sexual desires and needs. This communication will lessen the frequency of misunderstandings that lead to sexual assault or harassment.
I’ve been a Midd Kid for six weeks, and already I’ve heard stories about Delta, the Bunker, Battell; about terrible nights and awkward days; and I’ve heard guys and girls chatting freely about whether or not they think that kid is a virgin or how they “got lucky” the night before. This doesn’t have to be just the way things are. Let’s be honest to each other and to ourselves about what we really want. Let’s question the social norms and pressures that cause our destructive behaviors to reccur. Let’s find a place and a time and together, let’s really talk about sex.
Written by REBECCA COATES-FINKE '16.5 of Northampton, Mass.
(03/21/13 4:00am)
The cheerful, vivacious Alexander Twilight Artist-in-Residence Francois Clemmons — decked out in Irish green tamed by his sparkling kaleidoscopic blazer — came out on stage toting a gold purse, pulling out all the stops as he opened the curtains for his last and 10th annual St. Patrick’s Day Concert.
Crowned in a gold tiara, Clemmons announced his plans to retire after this semester to a crowd of students, faculty and loyal Vermonters who have come from near and far every year to the concert.
“I came to Middlebury because I love the students and the intense, wonderful, stimulating experience of talking to the students,” Clemmons reassured the audience, tears welling up.
“When I tell you I love you, I can’t pretend. I care about the Fridays and Saturdays, the liquor and sex — the process of growing up. I simply say, ‘You’re alright just the way you are.’ The students are an important part of why I sing.”
On Sunday evening in the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts, the concert presented every instrument from skirling highland bagpipes, penny whistles, pleated accordions and stringing harps. Guest artists included Affiliate Artist Timothy Cummings, Director of Jazz Activities Dick Forman, local artists Margie Bekoff, Jeremiah McLane and Pete Sutherland.
The guest artists frontloaded so much tradition and excitement for instruments new to the audience that it was entrancing.
First, Clemmons sang “Lough Erin Shore,” a song with the sad theme of farewell to the mountains of Ireland that Clemmons uses to impart his farewell to the rolling hills of Middlebury College.
Student Ben Harris ’16, alum Andy Collin ’12, and Cummings followed with “Amazing Grace” on the highland bagpipes, a familiar song Clemmons described as the “perfect of the infusion of Irish music and the music of Black people” — a song many suggest to have Irish origins. With bagpipes strapped around their kilts, the three bagpipers illuminated the room with Celtic spirit, their feet-stomping reverberating across the floor so loud that you couldn’t help but tap your shoes matching every beat.
Bekoff’s harp solo took the audience to sweet-sad melodies as audience members closed their eyes and allowed themselves to drift off into air of traditional Irish, Scottish and Welsh songs.
Cummings on the penny whistle then rejoined the stage with Sutherland on fiddle and McLane on piano and accordion, playing a set of traditional dance tunes that drew from various outlets from Ireland to Brittany in France. While the concert hall stadium didn’t give you much room to dance, it made your hearing focus on the vivacious songs and react by wiggling in your seat.
These traditional dance tunes triggered a sudden dynamic shift from sad melodies to a lively celebration that led up to the climactic sing-along.
With lyrics at hand, the audience and Clemmons mashed together on choruses of Irish classics like “Peg of My Heart,” “My Wilde Irish Rose” and “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” creating a huge, charismatic crescendo to the concert.
The gradual shift from sadness and seriousness to fun and celebration hammered home variations of one, single theme: through the thick and thin, preserve your spirit and identity — both personally and culturally.
Clemmons managed to strike a balance between the two parts of the concert by bringing light and humor to serious issues.
He opened the concert with heavy subjects, discussing the two teenagers founded guilty of rape in Ohio, the Catholic church, rape and sexuality in the military, theology and spirituality.
“I’ve been mindful of today’s issues: state, national, world issues, global warming,” Clemmons reflected. “I like the warm, but I don’t want to be burnt to a crisp.”
His last concert was a reminder of human spirit and survival. Clemmons paid tribute to those with hearts strong enough to fight for what they believe is right and deserved.
“There has been a lot of war and the Irish write beautifully about it,” he said. “I’d like to dedicate this song [“Foggy Dew”] to these warriors. I do not care for violence and I am the unlikeliest of warriors, but if we didn’t have warriors like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi, we would not have civil rights. Never think the job is complete or finished — it’s not.”
(03/06/13 11:12pm)
After Nathan Weil’s piece, “A Call for a More Inclusive Movement,” came out in last week’s issue of the Campus, I heard responses that generally fell into one of two camps. The first sort praised Nathan’s article for finally giving voice to a long harbored but scantly spoken sentiment. These responses were from men. The second sort of response expressed frustration at the broad generalizations and simplifications rampant in the piece. These were from women.
I sit on the fence between these groups, and in this article, I hope to weave the salient points from each “side” into an argument more conducive to encouraging the “inclusive movement” of which Nathan speaks than any galvanizing but polarizing article ever could.
I agree with Nathan’s central point, which I have identified as the necessity of male inclusion in feminist practices. If the women’s rights movement of the ’60s didn’t illustrate the imperative for male and female partnership, I don’t know what could have. I see women’s empowerment not as a “women’s issue” but as a human issue. When women are safer, the world is safer; when women are economically independent, the world market grows; when women are educated, the world takes strides towards more democratic, peaceful politics. Since everyone benefits by women’s advancement, everyone should be encouraged to push for it.
If you believe in this advancement towards equality (which is different from sameness), you are a feminist. I have not fingers enough to tabulate the number of conversations I have had with young men and women who in one breath express support for equality and in the next make the urgent disclaimer that they are not “like, a feminist or anything.” Why is this? Well, the word “feminism” conjures a picture that looks something like this: a woman who never shaves, hates men and cares nothing for sex. Since I cannot give the concept of gender equality a new name, I have waged a grassroots battle against this misperception because it has repelled scores from embracing a movement working for basic human rights.
Unfortunately, the name is not the only thing that has discouraged many from considering themselves feminists; there is also the issue of tactics. Nathan speaks in his article about one woman, Sam Kaufman, and her actions. He cites her “radical” feminism as representative of the entire climate of gender work at Middlebury, and identifies her use of buzzwords such as “bro,” “econ” and “ADP” as alienating for a white, privileged male like himself. It is this alienation that has led him to opt-out of both feminism at Middlebury and feminism writ large.
Though I cannot dispute Nathan and others’ feelings of alienation, in the same way that he cannot argue that the perception of discrimination in the economics department is “false and manufactured,” I would question the productivity of disassociation. If one “believe[s] in equal rights for all,” and merely disagrees with the manner in which identity politics are being treated at Middlebury, would it not be more constructive to enter the dialogue and reshape it to be more inclusive? The beautiful thing about student groups here is that they are highly responsive to the needs of their target audience: us. If any student — especially a white, male and privileged one — were to approach the leaders of FAM (Feminist Action) with an idea for a gender inclusion campaign, I strongly suspect the idea would be well received.
If one believes in the principle (i.e. gender equity) but disagrees with specific manner of mobilization around that principle (i.e. perceived anti-male at Middlebury), engaging the movers and shakers in said movement is infinitely more productive than leaving a farewell note, which is essentially what Nathan’s article represents. Though he calls for “a more inclusive movement,” he suggests he is not willing to help build one by calling himself a feminist and entering the trenches to shape the dialogue; signing out of a conversation cannot be mistaken for participating in one. I view Nathan’s feelings of alienation not as motivation to quit the movement, but to join it, because like him, I know feminism can’t continue without supportive men and women pushing forward.
That said, I encourage men who were galvanized by Nathan’s article to consider experimenting with self-identification as a feminist or attending a FAM meeting and presenting a proposal for a male-inclusion campaign. I would also encourage these students to play the feminist field, so to speak; like everything else in life, feminists cannot be lumped together without qualification, and they do not all behave and think like Nathan’s “radical” Middlebury feminist archetype (hint: the author of this article is one). I challenge you to find individuals you can relate to and see how you can lean in instead of opt out.
Similarly, I press upon the women of this community the necessity and desirability of inclusion. Though historically white males have been largely responsible for repressive gender policies, there is no reason to blame white male students at Middlebury for errors they didn’t commit. Instead, they should be accepted as allies.
My hope is that if both sides engage in debates about feminism and its practice at Middlebury, the stark line between “us” and “them” will begin to blur, and one day, feminism will be a word embraced by most and needed urgently by none.
Written by BREE BACCAGLINI '15 of San Francisco, Calif.
(02/27/13 11:11pm)
Pope Benedict XVI, formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, officially leaves his post as the Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church at 2 p.m. EST today, beginning a tumultuous transition in the Vatican during a period of scandal, factionalism and religious decline in modern life.
The Pope announced his surprising resignation on Monday, Feb. 11. He is the first pope to step down from his post since 1415, when Gregory XII abdicated the papacy after the Council of Constance met to resolve the Western Schism, ending a 40-year period of two simultaneous papal claimants in Rome and Avignon.
“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to the adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” read the 85-year-old pope’s statement of resignation.
He added that “both strength of mind and body” are necessary for papal leadership and that he “[has] had to recognize [his] incapacity” to fulfill his responsibilities. After today, the pope is expected to lead a more secluded life of “prayer and meditation” in a special Vatican monastery.
At his last Sunday blessing last weekend, more than 100,000 people crowded into St. Peter’s Square to catch a glimpse of the outgoing pontiff. Even though thick grey clouds and a cold drizzle hung over Rome during the morning, patches of blue sky peered through when the pope addressed the crowd. He thanked them for their warm love and support and asked for prayer for the next pope. In an effort to defend his abdication, Benedict vowed to serve the Church “in a way more suitable” to his advanced age and physical condition.
In the crowd on Sunday were flags from all over the world. Pilgrims chanted, “Long live the Pope” and brought banners that read “Thank You,” both in various languages. Benedict made his last public papal appearance yesterday in St. Peter’s Square.
In the last couple of weeks, Italian media networks have been publishing fiery reports of what they claim to be intense internal struggles prior to the upcoming conclave, touching on scandalous topics of child sex abuse within the church and the much-criticized operations of the Vatican Bank.
The reports, mostly based on unnamed sources and, in some cases, pure speculation, have been rebuked forcefully by the Vatican. They accused the news networks of targeting certain figures within the church and trying to influence the papal election, just as cardinals are beginning to gather in Rome for the much-anticipated conclave.
As is the custom with papal conclaves, any cardinal under 80 will be allowed to vote in the election. They will be sequestered in the famous Sistine Chapel until one cardinal obtains a two-thirds majority of all the secret ballots cast. After each round of voting, the ballots are burned and smoke rises out of the chapel. White smoke signals that a new pope has been selected. No official dates have been set yet for the upcoming papal conclave.
A number of cardinals are widely considered strong contenders for the pontiff’s chair, including several non-European cardinals. Among them are Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, the 64-year-old president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace who speaks six languages and is from a region of the world where the Catholic Church is still expanding; and, Cardinal Marc Ouelett of Canada, who served as the former Archbishop of Quebec and heads the powerful Vatican department in charge of bishop appointments. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola is another strong candidate considering the undeniable strength of the Italian wing in the Vatican. Two Latin American cardinals, Oscar Maradiaga of Honduras and Leonardo Sandri, are also in the running, given the strength of the Catholic Church in that increasingly influential region of the world.
(02/20/13 9:37pm)
On Wednesday, Feb. 13 from 10 p.m. to midnight, the College celebrated Middlebury Rises, one of many events worldwide dedicated to ending violence against women through the One Billion Rising movement.
The vision of the Feb. 13 dance parties, which took place in over 197 countries, was created by Eve Ensler, a 1975 Middlebury graduate and writer of “The Vagina Monologues,” a 1966 play that deals with issues such as sex, love, rape and other aspects of the female experience.
The College has been putting on “The Vagina Monologues” for several years to raise money for WomenSafe, an organization founded to help stop domestic and sexual violence in Addison Country.
Karin Hanta, director of Chellis House has been at the forefront of organizing Middlebury Rises, and described “The Vagina Monologues” as “a play that has spawned global movement.”
This became especially apparent in 1998 when out of the momentum created by “The Vagina Monologues,” Ensler and others created V-Day, a non-profit organization that has raised over $75 million to end violence against women worldwide.
“This year, [Ensler] is asking one billion people around the globe to stomp out violence against women by getting together in giant dance parties on Feb. 13,” explained Hanta. Middlebury joined in that one billion.
The event featured DJ Mariam; Poor Form poets Cheswayo Mphanza ’16, Debanjan Roychoudury ’16, Anna Stevens ’13.5; and the a capella group the Bobolinks. “The Vagina Monologues” were read, rap-sung and poetry-recited.
Light refreshments of red velvet cupcakes and sweet potato fries were served.
To prepare for the event, groups that are close to this issue on campus such as the Sexual Assault Oversight Committee, It Happens Here, Feminist Action at Middlebury, Women of Color, Sister-to-Sister, VOX and Amnesty International lent helping hands.
Rabeya Jawaid’s ’16 role in the process involved making a video about the event, depicted different people holding signs that read, “I RISE BECAUSE...” Some of the reasons given in the movie are “because my body is mine, and mine only” or “because one billion dancing is a revolution.”
“It brought me up close to the reality of this matter: that a lot of people were in fact afraid to take any action and speak against violence inflicted on women,” said Jawaid.
Because of their passion for the cause, many people were willing and enthusiastic about participating in the video, but others, Jawaid noticed, remained shy and in denial.
“Some of the comments I got to hear were ‘Are we supposed to be doing this? Is this allowed?’ but other brave ones replied, ‘We live in the USA, we have freedom of speech right?’” Jawaid said.
What especially struck Jawaid was the reaction to the signs by Middlebury students. “The reality may be quite removed from them, and violence may be going on in countries other than theirs,” said Jawaid. “But I think everyone should realize that this is a global concern, and inevitably does affect each and every one of us.”
Alexandra Strott ’15, a monitor at the Chellis House, also helped to organize the event.
“One Billion Rising is so crucial because so often we dance around the issues of rape, assault and other forms of sexual violence,” she said. “We need more events like this that expose these problems, put them out in the open and invite everyone of every gender and sex to face the facts and learn how to deal with them.”
The event took place at Crossroads Café, and an enthusiastic audience gathered to watch the many student groups perform to support this movement.
Attendees enjoyed hearing about this important message.
“They were effective in communicating and supporting their cause, an important cause, through poignant performances,” said Carly Andersen ’16.
(02/20/13 9:35pm)
I do not enjoy giving head. I find the sensation of jamming a phallus against my gag reflex generally unpleasant, and, in my eyes, the activity fails to forge an emotional connection. I find fellatio physically intimate, I can smell the mustiness of his nether region, but I struggle to achieve emotional intimacy on my knees. Certainly, not everyone shares my opinion of blowjobs; roughly a third of women enjoy performing fellatio. Talking to my fellow blowjob administrators, I always discover controversy regarding technique and enjoyment. Varying opinions concerning the topic began long before the current era. The first record of oral sex dates back to Ancient Egypt. With the development of Christianity, oral sex acquired a sinful reputation. The modern age and pornography promoted fellatio as a kinky sexual option, and it eventually became a tool to spice up the conjugal bed. In the last few decades, however, attitudes towards oral sex have inverted. Oral sex has developed into a precursor for vaginal intercourse. Our generation administers blowjobs younger and more casually than any group of Americans before us, beginning as early as middle school. Many psychologists and psychiatrists fear that 11, 12, and 13 year-olds are not mentally developed enough for the activity. They predict that those who prematurely explore oral sex will fail to learn how to create emotional intimacy in conjunction with sexual intimacy.
Although I don’t feel my capacity to love has been stunted, my sexual exploration runs congruent with this trend. I gave my first blowjob years before I lost my virginity. I feel more comfortable administering fellatio casually than having sex casually. However, I take issue with my own opinion. Why should oral sex be casual? It is not physically safer than vaginal intercourse; it can spread sexually transmitted diseases. A lack of eye contact during oral sex enables emotional distance, but hiding during a sexual encounter is defeatist. If you want privacy, just stay clothed and keep your tongue in your own mouth. Although vaginal sex offers intimacy through shared pleasure, 69-ing can provide the same effect. By demoting oral to the world of one-night-stands, we discredit its capacity for pleasure and intimacy.
Additionally, I believe that the growing acceptance of fellatio has left “cunnilingus” in the dust. While writing this column, I’ve discussed oral sex a great deal recently, and many people have never heard the word cunnilingus. Cunnilingus, for those of you in the dark, is the practice of using one’s tongue and mouth to pleasure a vagina. This vocabulary failure is evidence of my opinion. While I feel expected to offer my mouth as a receptacle for penis during a casual hook up, guys seem to only consider eating out a serious girlfriend. I hear men express their reluctance to learn how to perform cunnilingus, whereas past partners assumed I would instantly understand how to expertly tongue their penis. Clearly, an imbalance exists: we label cunnilingus as disgusting and relegate it to the sphere of committed relationships, while fellatio has attained acceptance and ubiquity. In a world where only 40-percent of women have G-spot orgasms, we ladies should utilize all the extra appendages we can muster to achieve climax! Why limit our pleasurable options to fingers and grinding when the tongue works so well?
Meanwhile, although several orifices besides the mouth offer a snugger, more pleasurable fit for penises, blowjobs have attained widespread acceptance. I find this paradox frustrating, and I encourage you to rectify it! Do not be afraid to dislike or refuse oral sex, but do acknowledge its potential! Remember that oral sex spreads STD’s, and act accordingly. Consider how you use oral sex, and question the legitimacy of your habits. Learn your way around your preferred genitalia, and don’t be afraid to use a little tongue.
