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(09/25/03 12:00am)
Author: Lanford Beard This weekend when "Everybody Loves Raymond" snatched the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series from shows like "Sex and the City," "Friends" and "Will and Grace," I thought to myself, Where is pop culture going?Are the stodgy really going to inherit the earth?What about the overpaid, the quippy and the irreverent?For me, a certifiable television junkie, Sunday's Emmy Awards were a total wash. When any venture (whether it be the Branson Cowpoke Festival or the nationally televised Emmy Awards) opens a celebration of comedy with Gary Shandling, we know the night is effectively over.I like my television like I like my men: trashy, dramatic and quick with the one-liners, so an immediate slap-in-the-face came when Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall both lost the Supporting (Comedy) Actress Emmy to Doris Roberts.The night ultimately played out like a celebration of whitebread, low-brow America. "Raymond" flexed its completely unfunny muscles and won nearly every category for which it was nominated.The show's executive producer Philip Rosenthal even pointed out how hip it is to be square nowadays, explaining that the network executives had pushed the creators of "Raymond" to make the show hipper and edgier and thanking his "hot, young cast" and "all the hipsters out there who have supported us over the years."(It goes without saying that I don't know anyone that watches "Raymond" while being hip, young or hot.)The night played out like an extended inside joke between the geriatrics in the crowd. One after one Tyne Daly, Maggie Smith, Ben Gazzara, Gena Rowlands and Doris Roberts were tapped as the best in their category. Notably, most of the aforementioned winners were not there, leaving the losers to bask in the shadows of their defeat without so much as one typical "I can't believe I'm even in a category with the rest of these wonderful actors" speech. Nope, dame Maggie Smith has better things to do than to dignify the Emmys with her presence, and that, my friends, is precisely the problem.While non-network shows like "Six Feet Under," "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" (and even some network shows like "24" and "Alias") are designated the night's losers for their young, hip, edgy appeal, they still make money and earn respect for the men on top who are handing the trophies back over to their more mainstream ventures.Of course, there were highlights, such as Tony Shalhoub's and Joe "Joey Pants" Pantoliano's tearful, humble acceptance speeches, Conan O'Brien in a white and silver tuxedo and a beautiful memorial speech for John Ritter by Henry Winkler.Another highlight of the evening was Bill Cosby's acceptance speech for the annually given Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The speech was nothing new, a remembrance of Fred Rogers, of his son Ennis and of all things that used to be good. Cosby's speech, standing in stark opposition to the more sardonic portrayals of today's network news by Dennis Miller and John Stewart, confirmed that the night was not a celebration of the bright future of television (especially with most of the best shows on television ending after this season), but a remembrance of things past.So where is pop culture going? Apparently back, way back in time.
(09/18/03 12:00am)
Author: Megan Michelson When the U.S. Episcopal House of Bishops voted to appoint the first ever openly homosexual bishop on August 5, 2003, it spawned a conflict between religious establishments and their opinions of gay and lesbian communities worldwide. The House of Bishops voted 62-45 to select the Rev. Gene Robinson as bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of New Hampshire. Since Robinson's nomination, protests have been voiced everywhere from the United States to the conservative Anglican dioceses of the Episcopal Church in Asia and Africa. In Vermont, however, Episcopal churches have taken a more liberal and accepting view of Robinson and other gay and lesbian issues in the news.For a state that has experienced its fair share of controversy surrounding gay and lesbian rights, it may come as a surprise that Vermont's Episcopal Churches remain so supportive. During the extensive debates following the civil union bill of April 2000, which granted the right to a civil union to same-sex couples within the state of Vermont, many religious leaders and organizations stepped up to voice their opinions. Rev. David Stertzbach, leader of the Vermont Defense of Marriage Committee, may have been one of the most outspoken against civil unions. Sterzbach contributed to a letter writing effort to the state's Republican House and Senate members aimed at repealing the civil union law. The attempt ultimately failed to gain support. He was quoted in the media as calling civil unions "a moral Sept. 11 for both major [political] parties." Religious organizations such as the National Christian Coalition continued to claim an anti-civil union stance even years following the legislation. In an interview with The Middlebury Campus, Keith Mauck, the national youth director of the Christian Coalition, stated, "We are still opposed to civil unions. Realistically, now what we're focusing on is getting conservative candidates who oppose civil union elected in the state." Despite conflicting sentiment in the past, there are currently religious institutions, particularly some Episcopal churches, which maintain an accommodating relationship with gays and lesbians and offer a progressive stance on the more recent controversial issue of Rev. Robinson's appointment. Beth Robinson, founder of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Taskforce, explained her understanding of Vermont's Episcopal churches and their support of gay and lesbian communities. "In Burlington and in other areas of the state, there are Episcopal churches that have been not only supportive of gay and lesbian people but have been at the vanguard of the Freedom to Marry movement in Vermont. We've seen, up in Burlington, more than one lesbian priest at the Episcopal Cathedral, even here in Middlebury, Rev. Nichols at St. Stephen's Church has been quite supportive. I think that these are issues that the Episcopal community in Vermont has addressed in a big way already, so I think that the Gene Robinson issue may not have been as much new news. By and large, the Episcopalian community in Vermont has been supportive of including gay and lesbian people, although I'm sure that that's not universal."The Episcopal Church has 2.3 million members and belongs to the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion of churches in over 160 countries and with over 77 million members. With such an extensive membership, universal opinions are difficult to find. But here in Vermont, a fairly overarching opinion toward an obviously sensitive subject seems to be applicable. Rev. Bob Macauley, the priest-in-charge at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Vergennes, is eager to claim his support of the appointment of Rev. Gene Robinson in New Hampshire as well as his approval of the legalization of civil unions. The topic of homosexuality in general has been discussed at great lengths within Macauley's congregation. "We recently had a long three-hour discussion in the parish in which we discussed the relevant biblical passages that conservatives take as condemning same-sex relationships. We found most of them to be either ambivalent or even in support of such relationships," said Macauley. St. Paul's Church follows a resolution passed in 1998 that states, "We recognize that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation...We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ." Macauley was quick to state that there is certainly no universal agreement concerning these notoriously controversial issues. "There are Episcopal churches in other states that are very much against the issues related to gays and lesbians. But in Vermont, the majority of our lay and clergy priests voted in favor of Gene Robinson," he said. The American Anglican Council is a national network of individual, parishes, ministries and Episcopal Bishops that works to affirm Biblical authority and Anglican orthodoxy within the Episcopal Church. They are one such organization that has been actively striving to reduce support for Gene Robinson's appointment. They have asked members to cut off donation payments and protest in response to an issue they claim goes against the teachings of the Episcopal Church. Macauley, however, reminds those fighting against the appointment of a gay bishop that the issue was brought to vote in a fair and egalitarian manner. "We are a democracy. Our elected officials voted in an overwhelming majority for the appointment of this bishop. So conservatives can't say that this issue doesn't represent majority opinion," said Macauley, he said.Rev. Nichols commented in an e-mail interview with The Campus, "The Episcopal Chuch has people who are totally opposed to gay and lesbian ordination and people like me, who are totally in favor or gay and lesbian ordination. I am thrilled that my friend Gene Robinson will be the next bishop of New Hampshire, the first out gay bishop in the Episcopal Church."
(09/18/03 12:00am)
Author: Lanford Beard Who was the Father of the "Bling?"No, it was not P. Diddy - not even Run DMC or Fab Five Freddy before them. It was Liberace. There's a new Fab Five in town. They're here, they're queer and they're running the show.Generally I'm not a slave to the corporate hype factory. In fact, I thoroughly despise it, but this summer's focus on all things fey gives me hope for the direction in which the world is turning. Or at least pop culture.Just over a decade ago, Matt Fielding (called DoorMatt by his loyal followers) was fighting an uphill battle for same-sex, non-platonic handholding on "Melrose Place."Now NBC has "Will and Grace," Bravo fills a night of primetime with gay-themed shows and Sundance advertises gay movies every day of the month of June (Gay Pride Month).As an honorary member of the Velvet Mafia, I hold the issue of gay visibility near and dear to my heart. And, yes, perhaps Carson from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," Brian from "Queer As Folk" or James and Wes from "Boy Meets Boy" are not the gay icons that many of today's political, intellectual queers would have me hold up as icons of the gay world proper, but, in the simplest terms, they are proof that the mainstream is slowly reaching an area of acceptance, representation and (thank God) good fashion sense! Chris Nutter, in an article for "The Village Voice," termed this phenomenon the "Chelsea Effect," referring to the primarily gay (and unanimously studly) neighborhood of Manhattan. Sure, the Heartland may not yet have a large population of Metrosexuals or even recognize the virtues of a little well-applied hair product, but when NBC and VH1 are admitting that gay men really do call the shots, the people eventually must listen. As one of Nutter's interviewees says, gay men have "raised the bar."I make no scruples in taking this moment to stand proudly on my lavendar soapbox and say to the men and women of Middlebury College that we can all learn a few things from the M4Ms of the world.First tip: Recognize that women are goddesses."Girls love gay guys," said Joe Carrino, a 24-year-old trainer who interviewed for Nutter's article. "Why is that? Because gay guys understand them."In "Boy Meets Boy," the most controversial television series of the summer, the leading man had to choose from 15 men ‡ la "The Bachelor." The difference with this show? Seven of those men were straight because Bravo TV wanted to "counteract gay stereotypes."Somehow they didn't notice the irony that they sandwiched this program in between two hours of the screaming queens of "Queer Eye" and angered gays and straights alike by this unparalleled discrimination. I firmly believe that if Trista unknowingly had seven gay men amongst her suitors on "The Bachelorette," she and Andrew would not be the world's happiest couple right now. Gay guys have what girls want and need - an open ear and an ability to pull off words like "fierce" and "faaaaabulous," more specifically when referring to us.Second tip: Show some skin! Think of your average McCullough sketchfest. What is the highlight of the night? "Like a Virgin," of course.Before the disco age - what Nutter calls "the first real gay turf" - the idea of dancing around shirtless and belting out words like "When you call my name it's like a little prayer" would simply have never occurred to any self-respecting straight man. Now such an action (and your gym-chiseled chest) will get you some game.Final tip: Women's Lib doesn't equate to Straight Man's vacation. Although it has caused some flack in the straight community, gay men's very direct courting style works. Bitter about Middlebury's dating scene? My suggestion: make it for yourself!In conclusion, don't blame this girl for the gay man's rise to power. I just report the trends, I don't create them - that's MTV's job.
(09/18/03 12:00am)
Author: Greg Duggan Whether or not Vermonters agree or disagree with civil unions on moral grounds, they would have a difficult time disputing the practice on an economic basis. Since Vermont became the first and only state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples, yet another group of visitors has a reason to travel to the Green Mountains. In addition to already established draws such as hiking and camping, fall foliage and skiing, civil unions have allowed for the already-important tourism sector of the state's economy to grow even larger. For both residents and out-of-staters, Vermont's many inns and bed-and-breakfasts serve as ideal locations for same-sex couples to spend a romantic weekend while obtaining and celebrating a civil union.In the two and a half years since civil unions were legalized, over 5,600 ceremonies have been performed, the large majority for non-residents. Inns and bed and breakfasts throughout the state took advantage of the Internet to advertise civil union packages on gay-oriented Web sites and travel Web sites, reaching a large population that would be interested in seeking civil unions. Some inns report hosting 300 civil unions over the past three years, often by offering packages that can include anything from massages to daily ski passes.Addison County has not established itself as a hotbed for couples seeking civil unions, but local innkeepers have nonetheless taken steps to welcome same-sex couples. Neither Tracey Getty, owner of Middlebury's Waybury Inn, nor Joyce Henderson, owner of Ripton's Chipman Inn, has noticed a significant increase in business since the creation of civil unions. Getty estimated that the Waybury Inn sees between three and five couples a year coming for civil unions, while Henderson has had just three civil unions that she is aware of since the creation of the law. As Henderson added, however, "There has been no negative side" to the unions. This attitude has given both innkeepers motivation to reach out to the gay community and offer themselves as a place for same-sex couples to stay when visiting Vermont. While the Waybury Inn does not provide specific packages to civil union-seekers - Getty said, "We treat civil unions the same way we treat a wedding" - it does have links on its Web site that provide gay couples with all the necessary information and paperwork regarding civil unions. Like the Waybury Inn, the Chipman Inn does not offer any special packages, but it does advertise itself on several gay-oriented Web sites.Other areas of the state have received more beneficial economic gains as a result of civil unions. Brattleboro, for instance, has hosted close to 300 civil unions during each of the three full years since the unions came into being. Because the majority of these ceremonies have been held for non-Vermonters, it can be assumed that at least a portion of the visitors have made use of local businesses. In addition to inns and bed-and-breakfasts, photographers, florists and restaurants all receive some of the money spent by couples in civil union ceremonies. While other states across the country debate whether or not to open themselves to gay marriages or civil unions, Vermont has and continues to take advantage of the benefits it affords itself by being the sole provider of the practice.
(05/07/03 12:00am)
Author: Pascal LaFountain Everyone knows that sex sells, but who knew that sex could win a German theater competition? The German play "Twist," written by Arthur Schnitzler and performed on campus three weeks ago, went on to win the annual German National Theater Festival and Competition at Mount Holyoke College. "Twist" is the second production that Arthur Schnitzler specialist and Assistant Professor of German Bettina Matthias has directed at Middlebury College. Assistant Director Carina Beyer '99 and actors Adam Rahal '05 and Alex Rhinehart '05 are veterans of the national theater festival, which Middlebury also won with a Schnitzler play last year. German Teaching Assistant Yasmin Rabiyan and Visiting Lecturer in German Christina Wegel also seved as assistant directors. The cast consisted of seven German students: aside from Rahal and Rhinehart, Richard Lutjens '03, Elif Kiratli '03, Colin Ashby-Kuhlman '05, Ryan Gamble '06 and Katherine Peters '06 acted in the risquÈ play. What gave the Middlebury theater troupe the upper hand? "The sex," said Gamble. Kiratli claimed it was the play's humor, the "action" on stage and the fact that the play included several scenes written by Ashby-Kuhlman. Matthias praised the group's communal feeling and found that the bond between her and the actors represented the entire German "posse" at Middlebury. She counted the trip to Mount Holyoke as one of her "best personal college-related experiences of this semester" and gave credit to "both the talents and the commitment of our students." Matthias emphasized that the play was "infused" with energy throughout its preparation, "to the point where Christina and I both felt goose bumps during one scene on stage." "Twist," with its intense sexual innuendo its biting commentary on relationships in turn-of-the-century Vienna, and its added scenes on homosexuality, snatches the attention of any German-speaking audience. In the Middlebury language immersion spirit, the outing to Mt. Holyoke was a completely German experience. Kiratli said she had some of the most fun "saying our lines back and forth to each other during the ride," and Gamble added that the students spoke German "at the theater watching other plays and getting ready." Middlebury students took advantage of the meeting to show off their talent and make connections with other germanophiles. Gamble noted the friendly rapport with University of Vermont and Connecticut College students. Kiratli said of meeting other competitors, "because we were speaking German to each other most of the time, they asked if we were all Germans." "Twist" underwent several changes after its well-attended performance on campus. Cutting the time of the play was a challenge, since the circularity of the plot is an essential element of its structure. Matthias' solution involved reducing the first and last scenes to pantomimes. With a few tweaks since its campus success, "Twist" became a winner at the national level. The German department is looking to continue its winning streak during Matthias' absence next year.
(04/30/03 12:00am)
Author: Simon Isaacs The Middlebury College Handbook states that graduates are expected to be "thoughtful, ethical leaders able to meet the challenges of informed citizenship." It is certainly in pursuit of this goal that curricula and syllabi are planned and taught. I am writing on behalf of the Middlebury chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign, because we are deeply concerned that the College curriculum fails to address one of the most important issues facing humanity, namely the HIV/AIDS epidemic. AIDS is the most important issue facing our generation. Over 40 million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS. Fifteen thousand new infections occur daily. The disease has orphaned 15 million children. In some countries, such as Botswana, over 35 percent of the population is infected. The cultural, economic, political and social impact of this disease is undeniable. AIDS may shape the economic and political world order in ways that no single war has ever done.Despite the many implications of these horrific statistics, the College seems content to keep its classrooms mostly focused upon past paradigms and theories. In doing so, the College commits a double disservice to its graduates by allowing them to remain ignorant of this crisis, and by propagating the myth that upon graduation, students are armed with requisite knowledge and skills to confront future academic, career and life pursuits.The College is directly responsible for the awareness of large numbers of very bright young people who are opinion-formers in their own right and in their own environments. As opinion formers, whether or not directly affected themselves, College students need to be equipped to handle the potential impact and implications of HIV/AIDS on their own lives and on society as a whole.Most importantly, Middlebury has an ethical and intellectual responsibility to create an open forum for debate on these issues and to play a role in finding a creative response to the threat that HIV/AIDS poses to the world. Middlebury is an essential vehicle for the provision of a united and effective response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Through collaboration with other institutions and organizations, the College is in a uniquely privileged position to be a powerful influence regionally, nationally and internationally.How should the College integrate the pandemic into its current curriculum? First, it is clear that the College's response must begin with clearly defined leadership at Old Chapel and be disseminated to every level of the institution: to the deans, heads of departments or librarians. Second, we must re-educate faculty, in every academic discipline, about the pandemic through lecture series as well as hire new faculty with expertise and experience in this discipline. Third, Middlebury should offer classes, beginning with Winter Term, on the global AIDS pandemic. Finally, a Public Health major similar to the proposed African Studies track in the International Studies major must be offered. HIV/AIDS has exploded in Sub-Saharan Africa and is now threatening Eastern Europe and Asia as well because governments and academic institutions fail to address taboo subjects such as sex and drugs openly. Ultimately, the price of their silence will be measured by the decline in life expectancy, the number of orphaned children or the drop in GDP. Will Middlebury College follow this trend of omission, or will it create a strong academic forum on HIV/AIDS and potentially contribute to the solution?We invite the Middlebury community to learn more about these issues at the Middlebury AIDS Forum May 2 through 4. On Friday at 7 p.m., Congressman Bernie Sanders will be speaking on fighting AIDS from Capitol Hill. Saturday at 5 p.m., there is a theatrical performance outside on Proctor Terrace, and on Sunday there is a student/faculty roundtable at 2 p.m. and a screening of the documentary, "A Closer Walk" at 8 p.m. in Bicentennial Hall 220. We hope to see you all there.Simon Isaacs is a political science major from Norwich, Vermont.
(04/30/03 12:00am)
Author: Campus Editor in Chief The anniversary of Vermont's landmark civil unions bill passed almost unnoticed last week. The debate that three years ago polarized the electorate has since faded into the mainstream, with even the most vocal opponents accepting its place in Vermont's law books. Vermont remains the sole state in the union to grant loving, committed gay and lesbian relationships the legitimacy of law.Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) reminded us of how much remains to be done.In an interview with the Associated Press last week, Santorum said, "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything." The senator was commenting on the U.S. Supreme Court case that weighs Texas residents' right to engage in homosexual relations in their own homes."All those things are antithetical to a stable, healthy family," he concluded.Santorum's remarks showcase his ignorance, but also display contempt for equal rights. His status as the Republican Party's number-three man also lends credence to a view that should have withered long ago - that homosexuality is somehow equated with socially deviant behavior such as incest.Intolerance breeds intolerance. The prominent Pennsylvania senator belittled his office by using it to trumpet such archaic views. And he delivered a forceful and frightening reminder of the bias that still lurks in this country.You needn't look far to find it. Just ask Vermonters who witnessed the civil unions drama unfold here three years ago.To make matters worse, the Bush White House raced to Santorum's defense, labeling his politics "inclusive." The administration thereby called into question just how far America's equitable rhetoric extends. At least Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean - who signed the civil unions bill into law - had the political nerve to respond. He called on Santorum to resign from the Senate leadership, and added, "The deafening silence of President Bush and his party has become inexcusable."The Middlebury College community must not succumb to silence. We must hold up the civil unions bill as a model for other states to follow. And we must shun the dated logic embedded in Santorum's words. The anniversary of civil unions legislation may have passed without incident. Santorum's bigotry should not.
(04/30/03 12:00am)
Author: Andrea Gissing Harvard Professor to Lead First War Crimes TribunalVisiting Professor at Harvard Law School Luis Moreno Ocampo was unanimously chosen to be the chief prosecutor of the newly established International Criminal Court (ICC), the first permanent international war crimes tribunal.The ICC was designed to be a permanent replacement for the ad hoc agencies that have prosecuted past war crimes. The ICC is run under the authority of the United Nations (UN). In his role as chief prosecutor, Ocampo, who is an Argentine national, will lead investigations and prosecute cases against suspected war criminals after national judicial systems are determined to be unable or unwilling to tackle the case. Already, over 200 complaints have been filed with the tribunal. The jurisdiction of the ICC is limited to 89 signatory nations, however neither Iraq nor the United States are accountable to the ICC because neither nation has ratified its establishment.Ocampo has a full background in criminal and human rights law, including several successful crusades against corruption and war crimes and the prosecution of several of the Argentinean military junta members in the 1980s. He has also taken cases in order to curb corporate corruption and promote ethical business practices. Ocampo serves as president of Transparency International for Latin America, an organization that seeks to pinpoint and reform corrupted governments and corporations. Source: U-WireTufts Re-examines Religion CurriculumReligion experts at Tufts University are adjusting their comparative religion courses to include and address the current state of the Catholic Church. The university's move is a part of a nationwide trend sweeping colleges and universities that arose out of the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal.According to Rev. David O'Leary, a lecturer in comparative religion and the first Catholic priest to serve as University Chaplain at Tufts, "educators have an obligation to discuss the issues related to the recent scandal in their courses." As well as addressing the sex abuse scandal, O'Leary is now addressing other modern issues such as women's ordination, authority and dissent and homosexuality and the priesthood in his class, "Catholicism in Crisis."Student interest in this change is strong since the issues affect not only the Catholic Church, but also the role of the church in individual lives.O'Leary said, "I don't think you can teach Catholicism any more without addressing these subjects. If you teach Catholicism without talking about sexual abuse, you're whitewashing."Source: Tufts E-News University Could Close Student Newspaper A decision by the University of Missouri-St. Louis student government could close The Current, the campus' weekly student-run newspaper. The future of the paper is currently in doubt as UMSL's student activities budget committee decided on April 11 to eliminate the subsidy it usually provides The Current. Without the subsidy, the paper might not publish next year. Speculation among current staffers shows that they suspect the dispute is the result of the paper's reporting. According to Anne Bauer, the managing editor of the paper, the staff has e-mails that suggest that funding cuts were in retaliation for the newspaper's coverage. Representatives of the student government maintain that the decision to cut the paper's subsidy arose from concern about the size of the salaries some of the student employees were receiving. Editors of The Current appealed the funding decision Thursday. They expect to hear back from the student activities budget committee next week. If funding is not restored during the appeals process, staffers say that they may go to court, though they are hopeful that a compromise will be reached. Source: U-Wire.com
(04/23/03 12:00am)
Author: Andrea Gissing Bowdoin Awarded Grant for Ecological StudyThe Henry Luce Foundation's Environment and Public Policy Program has awarded Bowdoin College $365,000 to set up a long-term ecological study of Maine's Merrymeeting Bay. The bay is a large freshwater tidal ecosystem located close to Bowdoin's campus. The Environmental Studies faculty at Bowdoin pay particular attention to Merrymeeting Bay because "it is a living laboratory ideal for participatory learning and teaching."The Luce funds will go towards establishing a fundamental scientific study of the hydrology, biogeochemistry and aquatic ecology of Merrymeeting Bay and the lower Kennebec River. Right now, the plan is to collect water and plankton samples weekly from key locations during the ice-free season, and quantify seasonal variation in water properties and chemistry, and plankton abundance and composition. The data will provide baseline information about the health of the ecosystem. Additionally, studies will be done to understand the dynamics of the plant communities in the area, as well as research to reconstruct the environmental history of the bay.Bowdoin students working in independent study and honors projects, as well as summer research fellowships, will do much of the research. Source: The Bowdoin SunUC Professors to Vote on RelationshipsThis spring, faculty at the University of California campuses are scheduled to vote on rules regarding faculty-student relationships, completing a process that started a while before the dean of UC's top law school departed amidst a sex scandal last fall. Though UC does not have a formal no-dating decree, there has always been an unwritten rule against getting involved with students. Faculty recommended drafting a policy in 1983, but it was not made official. Recently, work has been done on a dating policy since late 2001. The proposed policy would make having a romantic relationship with a student a breach of the code of conduct for faculty members. Some UC campuses already have guidelines on dating students. The proposed system wide policy is more strongly worded. The policy would make UC the latest school to ban faculty-student relationships, along with such schools as the University of Iowa, University of Michigan, the College of William and Mary and Yale University. Source: CNN.com13-year-old to Receive College DegreeGregory Robert Smith, a 13-year-old, will receive his bachelor's degree in mathematics on May 31 from Randolph-Macon College, a private Methodist school located outside of Richmond, Va. Smith was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and will graduate cum laude. Smith started college in September 1999, after completing 10 grades of school in three years. He graduated with honors from high school when he was nine yeas old and has been twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. At this time, he has not announced where he will attend graduate school, though he plans to earn PhDs in math, aerospace engineering, political science and biomedical engineering. While Smith could have entered practically any college in the country, his parents, Janet and Bob Smith liked the size of Randolph-Macon and felt that it would be the best environment for their young son.Along with his schoolwork, Smith founded International Youth Advocates, an organization that champions nonviolence and human rights.Source: CNN.com Tribal Colleges Popular Among StudentsThe 58 tribal colleges in the United States are drawing more students than ever before. Established in the late 1960s to provide poverty-ridden residents of Native American reservations with skills for the U.S. job market, today the colleges are educating more than 30,000 full and part time students each semester. The majority of the campuses are located in the Great Plains states and the Southwest. Along with nearly doubling their enrollment in the past decade, these specialized community colleges have also sparked interest among students in courses teaching about Native American culture, language and art. Seven of the institutions have expanded into four-year degree granting colleges recently and several now offer master's degrees. Twenty percent of the students at colleges are non-Native American, and although many college administrators say that their primary focus is helping Native Americans recover their cultural past, others say they are determined to build rigorous academic programs for students of all ethnic backgrounds. Source: The Washington Post
(04/23/03 12:00am)
Author: Alex Rossmiller In his April 16 article, "Dines' Message Alienates Rather Than Convinces Audience," Bryan Goldberg '05 demonstrated what is either total ignorance of the point of Gail Dines' lecture, or worse, purposeful distortion of the facts and its message. The contrast between the informed clarity of "Porn Perpetuates Sexual Violence" by Gillian Wood '03 and Goldberg's calamity of misinformation was stunning and should be addressed.Goldberg claimed that Dines used "problematic rhetoric" that "alienated many of the people she was trying to convince." Her lecture may have alienated a few, but I observed an audience that was primarily engaged.Goldberg tried to dismiss the entire lecture because "images of this nature have been relatively widespread for nearly a century, meaning that her presentation did not touch upon anything new." Surely Goldberg is not suggesting that the mere prolonged existence of something validates its appropriateness. The idea that a problem must be new in order to be addressed is horrifically illogical.Goldberg furthered his assault on rationality when he scoffed at the images presented, suggesting, "Dines' ability to locate two dozen photos hardly qualifies her as a sleuth." One of the most important points of the lecture was that such images are omnipresent, and one need not be a detective to find them. Dines simply took mainstream images of sex intertwined with violence and put them in the context of the increasing sexual violence in society. She certainly did not, as Goldberg asserts, condemn sexuality, and for Goldberg to euphemize pornography as "alternative forms of erotica" is simply laughable.If Goldberg wants to pretend that a Hustler photograph of a naked woman hanging from a tree is an "alternative form of erotica," that is his business, but such a view lacks basic reason and should not be foist upon readers as anything approaching reality. Goldberg introduced bondage and sadomasochism, an issue over which he and Dines shared marked conflict during the lecture. Contrary to Goldberg's assertion, bondage and sadomasochism are male fantasies, and male sexual subservience is just that: a fantasy. Pornographic images of these behaviors play on an inversion of the clear superiority of males in many or most sexual relationships, and it is a ridiculous argument to say that S&M pornography represents a victory against violence and the objectification of women. I found the Dines' lecture to be poignant and disquieting. I did not agree with the entire presentation, and I do feel that Dines may have hurt her own cause by making strong anti-capitalist statements within the context of addressing pornography. But while I do not endorse the entire lecture, neither do I condone obfuscation of its facts. It would be a grave mistake to dismiss the very real and valid points that she made just because one does not agree with all her statements or perspectives. Finally, I wanted to write about this issue in part because there were three articles about it in last week's Campus, and the two written by women, Wood and Chelsea Coffin '05, were generally balanced and accurately representative of the lecture, while Goldberg's piece, in my view, was neither. I hope that no one gets the impression that this is an issue that divides men and women. Rather, it is one that should unite the sexes. No man wants to think of sexualized violence (or violence-ualized sex) with regards to our own sisters or daughters, but the statistics are stark. If there are things that I, as a man, can do to change that situation, I want to know about it, so I appreciate Dines' efforts to combat violence and objectification, despite our differences.Alex Rossmiller is a political science/psychology double major from Harrison, N.Y.
(04/16/03 12:00am)
Author: Venessa Wong On Sunday, April 13 the Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously approved a motion to add an amendment to the Middlebury College Non-Discrimination Statement and Harassment/Discrimination Policy Statement to include "gender identity and expression." The proposal, authored by Kevin Moss, professor of Russian, aims to protect the rights of "transgender or transsexual people or those who are perceived to be of a different gender from that assigned to them at birth" and encourages the College to adopt the policy before required to by Vermont state law. "[We want to] send a signal out that we are indeed interested in promoting diversity," said Moss. The current policy in the College Handbook prohibits "discrimination in employment, or in admission or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities, on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, place of birth, Vietnam veteran status, or against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability." Said Moss, "Inclusion of gender identity and expression is about the future. There are bound to be trans students and staff in the future. People who identify as trans are becoming more open and more evident in society at large." The proposal points out that although Vermont's non-discrimination laws do not protect "gender identity and expression," Minnesota and Rhode Island state laws, as well as a number of municipal jurisdictions, 10 colleges and universities and about 15 Fortune 500 companies do so. In 1990-1991, the College added protection against sexual discrimination to the Non-Discrimination Statement. The authors of the bill believe the College should act again before the state does. Although the proposal mentions diversity as part of its rationale, Moss said, "We shouldn't always ask members of minorities to contribute to a diverse campus. Trans people's contribution may not necessarily be as trans, just as people of color may contribute to the community not just as people of color." Moss is "more interested in educating people about trans issues so that everyone can be a full member of the community. If trans people are harassed or discriminated against they will not be able to participate fully."On the issue of diversity, Bindery Supervisor Joseph Watson, a participant in GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Employees at Middlebury), said, "certainly transgender people would contribute to a more diverse campus, but I think of that potential contribution as a positive side effect of including the language in our policy, not the reason to do it."However, Gabrielle Fonseca '04, a member of the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance upholds the importance of diversity. "I think transexual/transgendered members of the community can contribute much to the diversity of this campus. I view a diverse student body and wide range of opinions as a positive thing and an asset to a small college like Middlebury." David Edleson, dean of Cook Commons, another participant in GLEAM, points out other benefits of diversity. "People on the margins of what we conveniently call mainstream, bring a fresh (and often ignored) perspective to our campus, our classrooms and our social lives." The College's Board of Trustees will meet in May to vote on this amendment after consultation with the College's legal counsel.
(04/16/03 12:00am)
Author: Gillian Wood We live in a culture in which being raped and murdered is women's biggest fear and every four days a woman is beaten to death by a man she knows. The celebration of the sexual exploitation of women is the biggest entertainment industry in the nation."The very heartbeat of violence against women is pornography," claimed feminist scholar Gail Dines last Wednesday in a packed Dana Auditorium. Pornography represents the text of a social construction of a hegemonic masculinity. It presents images of women that many men, average men, devour sexually. Pornography is more than just images: it is a rhetoric that fuels a prevailing, dominant ideology in our American culture. The ideology is hatred towards women. The rhetoric is violenced sex and sexualized violence. Words and images do more than just exist. They reflect, teach, reinforce, demean and degrade and normalize. "Pornography causes attitudes and behaviors of violence and discrimination that define the treatment and status of half of the population," stated feminist and legal scholar Catherine A. MacKinnon. Pornography subordinates women in many ways: overtly, covertly, directly, indirectly, individually collectively, physically, and psychologically. Whether by force, coercion, threat, violence, poverty, abuse or any other power dynamic that disadvantages women, a pro-pornography argument based on the concept of consent of women in the industry immediately loses merit. "The illusion of freedom coming together with the reality of force is central to pornography's working," said MacKinnon. Dines discussed how "capitalism and free speech are mutually exclusive." Freedom of speech means the freedom to be heard, which means access to the media. Pornography constructs an illusion of consent because we are only given one side of the story-the man's. Here is the woman's story, as presented by MacKinnon's statistics. Forty-four percent of American women will be raped or will experience attempted rape at some point in their lives. Eighty-five-percent of all women will experience sexual harassment by men in workplaces and educational institutions. Between 25 and 50 percent of women are battered in their homes by men. Thirty-eight percent of girls are sexually molested inside or outside of their families.Violence against women cannot be denied in our society. Its overwhelming presence reminds us that we are all affected, whether it occurs to us or to someone we care about. Pornography is not the direct cause of all acts of violence against women, but there is overwhelming evidence to show that it can and does influence many acts of them. The number of women raped in America is increasing rapidly, and according to the FBI one in three women is raped. Dines warned, "What kind of world are we going to bring our daughters into? One in which each girl will get raped maybe only once or twice or one in which enough is enough! ... Your time is over." It's time for a new world order. Dines encouraged women and men, survivors and supporters. "If you have a voice that was not taken from you, you have an obligation to speak for those of us who cannot. But you must speak with dignity, kindness and fairness. Go out there and scream as loud as you can." Enough is enough.Gillian Wood is a joint psychology and women's and gender studies major from Tacoma, Wash.
(04/16/03 12:00am)
Author: Bryan Goldberg The idea of taking one month out of each year to recognize a specific group of people or a specific cause is growing in popularity, and this month's decision to reflect upon issues concerning violence against women has been met with great success. Unfortunately, one of the sponsored events that received the most attention was a speech by media critic Gail Dines, whose problematic rhetoric alienated many of the people she was trying to convince. While Dines' speech was not enough to spoil this successful awareness month, it certainly did nothing to change the minds of future "corporate fat cats."The core of Dines' presentation revolved around the showing of media images, most of which featured women in either submissive or masochistic poses, followed by witty comments in which she denounced the images as either offensive, absurd or both. The problem is that images of this nature have been relatively widespread for nearly a century, meaning that her presentation did not touch upon anything new. Many people around the world enjoy bondage or masochistic sexual acts, and this sub-industry generates substantial annual revenue. So Dines' ability to locate two dozen photos hardly qualifies her as a sleuth. Her denunciation of people who enjoy alternative forms of erotica is also questionable in and of itself, since the condemnation of sexuality opens a floodgate of other close-minded forms of hatred. Dines' presentation was also flawed since she completely ignored the existence of the plethora of pornographic images that feature heterosexual men in bondage or masochistic positions. If it had been her intent to deliver a credible speech, then she should have at least mentioned their existence. When this point was brought up to her, she tried to explain that men are to blame when women perform submissive sex, and that men are also the guilty party when they themselves engage in submissive sex. She argued that women are forced by men to assume the role of "dominatrix." Close analysis of that last statement illustrates exactly how oxymoronic her arguments were. One would have thought that a liberal speaker discussing social issues of gender and race would be above the fallacy of broad generalizations. Surprisingly, Dines made many of them. Perhaps the most noteworthy was her comment that business school students are "vile" and "slimy." Generalizing and insulting business students is no worse than dismissing all gender studies students as "man haters" or "femi-nazis." She also claimed that if we were to have a "heterosexual awareness week" that "Monday would be incest day, Tuesday would be rape day, Wednesday would be pedophilia day, etc." The only reason this statement was not entirely offensive was because it was so outrageous and unsubstantiated that it instantaneously discredited the speaker. Dines claims to be an activist for women and minorities, but she proved to be nothing more than a charlatan. A real activist can achieve his or her goal without childishly insulting the supposed opposition. Dines' questionable rhetoric would have been more tolerable had she limited her speech to her supposed area of expertise. Unfortunately, she chose to break the single most important rule of argument by broaching topics in which she clearly had very little understanding. During the course of her argument, she lashed out against capitalism, the Academy Awards, corporations and our nation's foreign policy - rarely did she succeed in tying these off-topic ramblings to her ambiguous thesis. Her hatred of capitalism was tied to the fact that it allows pornography to exist. Perhaps Ms. Dines would have preferred to live in Moscow during the 1950s, or better still, she might have enjoyed Iraq under the leadership of Saddam Hussein considering that she was so fervently anti-war. Both regimes restricted the production of pornography. Bryan Goldberg is an economics major from Los Altos, Calif.
(04/16/03 12:00am)
Author: Claire Bourne, Nicholas Emery, and Andrea Gissing Mass Sickness at BU Leaves Some Skeptical of FoodBoston University's Student Health Services reportedly found itself filled with hundreds of students complaining of similar symptoms this weekend. Several students were hospitalized. Many of the students all reported eating at The Towers Dining Hall Friday and Saturday. Affected students were mostly Towers residents, as large portions of many floors came down with the illness. The Towers Dining Hall and BU Dining Services officials refused to comment. Shared symptoms included intense vomiting, fever, body aches and high to extreme dehydration. One diagnosis of the illness, made at the Boston Medical Institute, was viral gastroenteritis. Dianna Lawrence, a BU freshman, said many girls on her floor got sick after eating in the dining hall over the weekend. She said she is "unsure of what happened" because the sickness seemed to spread among floors. "Saturday morning, the first girl on my floor started feeling sick, and throughout the day my roommate and others also started to feel sick," she said. "By dinnertime Saturday night, at least three girls on my floor were constantly in the bathroom."However, she said that she ate in the dining hall on Friday night and she did not get sick. Also, people who ate different meals all got sick. As well, people who did not eat at The Towers got sick, some because they had been taking care of their sick friends. Though the illness seems to have passed for many of the students, those who did get sick are still wary about eating in the dining hall. Source: U-wireMd. Public U. Students Required to Pay Full TuitionMaryland public university students filed a class-action lawsuit challenging a January tuition increase for the spring semester. It was, however recently dismissed by a Baltimore City Circuit judge.The increase in question was 5 percent, which the state university system leaders passed in order to make up for a $67 million reduction in state appropriations this academic year. The seven plaintiffs from the University of Maryland at Baltimore and the University of Baltimore in the class-action suit argued that the increased tuition violated the contract that they signed with their universities when the tuition was announced for the 2002-2003 academic year. They also argued that the increase violated consumer-protection law since they had chosen their universities based in part on cost.Maryland state university officials acknowledged that more tuition increases are likely on the way for the next academic year as additional cuts in their budgets are expected.Judge Stuart R. Berger, however, ruled that the plaintiffs had no written contract which specified a set tuition rate with their universities. The students are strongly considering appealing the ruling.Representatives of the state university system declined to comment on the ruling.Source: WashingtonPost.comStetson's Newspaper Shut DownFlorida-based Stetson University's student newspaper, The Reporter, was shut down and its editorial board fired last Wednesday following the publication of an April Fools' Day edition that contained profanity, racist jokes and a sex column promoting rape and domestic violence. Staff members were given 15 minutes to vacate the paper's office before the locks were changed. The Reporter traditionally makes fun of faculty, students and itself in the edition in its April Fools' edition renamed The Distorter. Nevertheless, school officials said they believed the publication went too far this year. The staff's decision to run the weekly sex column written in Ebonics was among the University's grievances. Sex columnist August Brown admitted, "We pushed some buttons that may not have needed to be pushed."The newspaper had been under fire in recent weeks to tone down its content. The April Fools' issue proved to be the last straw after upset alumni, faculty and students contacted school officials to express concern.The school will work to build a new student newspaper next year. Source: CNN.com
(04/16/03 12:00am)
Author: Pascale LaFountain "We would just like to note that no birth control was used in this performance." Although Richard Lutjens' '03 statement was shocking, it was in no way out of line given the themes of the German Department's play about sexuality and relationships in 1900 Vienna and today. Lutjens' comment to the audience followed a smashing performance of "Twist," directed by Assistant Professor of German Bettina Matthias and German Teaching Assistant Yasmin Rabiyan. The play went up in the Chateau on Saturday evening with the help of alumna Carina Beyer '00. "Twist" is Matthias' adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's play "Reigen," written and first performed in turn of the century Vienna. The actors in the play were all students of German: Lutjens, Elif Kiratli '03, Alexander Rhinehart '05, Adam Rahal '05, Colin Ashby-Kuhlman '05, Ryan Gamble '06 and Katherine Peters '06. The original 10-act play is based on a dance in which partners change regularly, with each scene announcing the arrival of a new partner for the character from the previous scene. This constructs a "Round Dance" of sex, love and death. Matthias preserved the general structure of the play. Ashby-Kuhlman provided the twists, namely in the form of an additional gay scene and several entr'actes written as a 500-project this semester. Loosely based on excerpts from another Schnitzler play, "Anatol," the intervening dialogues between a handsome dandy called Anatol, played by Gamble, and his rational friend, Max, played by Ashby-Kuhlman, take a bit of critical distance from the play. Ashby-Kuhlman says of his insertions, "While I was writing them, I had a hard time imagining how they'd work with the rest of the play, but after rehearsing and performing the play with them there, I think both parts fed off of each other."The Grand Salon was overflowing with supporters, as students sat on the floor and stood in front of the doors to see the production. The audience's most energetic response was directed toward the added gay scene in which Rhinehart asks his secretary, played by Lutjens, to step a little closer to look at his "long, slender wrist," until he is standing behind the secretary and the two faces are only inches away. Lutjens said of the scene, "This is an aspect of sexual life that, although not talked about back then, did exist, and I think that this scene succeeded in 'outing' a very real, although hidden, aspect of the times."The play explores sex roles and stereotypes 1900 Vienna, but the questions it asks are still relevant today. Why do people desire prostitutes? What is marriage for? Is your partner telling the truth? Is your innocent-seeming wife telling the truth? Is homosexuality "unholy?" Almost all of the rehearsal for the play was done in German. Gamble commented, "Sometimes we would go to dinner and keep talking German without even realizing it."The German theatre troupe will depart on April 30 to participate in a competition at Mount Holyoke, a competition Middlebury won last year.
(04/09/03 12:00am)
Author: Venessa Wong The usual quietness resting heavily in the Abernethy Room in Starr Library melted as photographer Linda Hollingdale genially greeted and thanked contributors, supporters and spectators at the opening reception and book signing of her photo/essay exhibit, "Creating Civil Union: Opening Hearts and Minds," on Monday, April 7, where 11 pieces from the entire exhibit, chosen for their affiliation with the Middlebury community, will be on display for the next three weeks. The book, published in October 2002 by Hollingdale's own publishing company (that she established for the purposes of printing this book), features 90 people in 47 photographs. Each subject offers a personal perspective on the creation of Vermont's civil union law through autobiographic essays, anecdotes, letters, articles and other writings. Hollingdale wrote in the book's introduction, "It is my hope that these images will put a human face on a controversial issue...similar thoughts, emotions and values are at the core of each participant's belief in equal rights for all citizens." The photos are all black and white environmental portraits, portraying the subjects in their natural space and environment. Hollingdale said, "I wanted to capture their essence...and capture in ease the reflection of the person."She used only natural light and worked with the subjects individually to portray what they wanted.Hollingdale hopes to use the book as "an educational tool for groups. Its about people wanting to get to know one another. Its about family, marriage, love and life. It goes beyond the sex issue to an issue of people getting together." Furthermore, Hollingdale said, "Whatever fires you up, makes you get up in the morning, inspires you, find it. Don't let others put you down. As improbable as it may seem at times, you can make a difference. We face hard times right now. You just need to keep in mind that there are still good things to follow."The exhibit already went up in Vermont Law School, the University of Vermont, Unitarian Universalist Church and Ohio State University. Hollingdale said that so far, all the feedback is positive. "It's heartwarming. People are grateful that there are such efforts being made. I have received calls from readers and their relatives thanking me." Many contributors to the project attended Monday's reception. David Weinstock, who with his wife Ann Jones Weinstock worked as editor of the book. "Think about the civil rights movement of the 60's," said Weinstock, "This may be [another] one of those movements. The book celebrates the people involved in the movement. It provides primary materials so that people won't have to dig it up fifty years later." Concurringly, Starr Library Bindery Supervisor Joseph Watson with his partner Michael Warner, who is the subject of one of the pieces in the exhibit, said, "It is important to do this [write the book] as events occur. Fifty years from now [this issue] will be more important. The book gives perspectives on the time and place [of these events]. It is important work because of its usefulness for the future." The photo portrays Watson and Warner in an intimate embrace, for which Watson said he was "willing" to pose. "I think it is important for people to know that gay people do touch each other...although it is weird to have [the photo] hanging at our work place." Susan Murray, a lawyer in the Baker v. State of Vermont (1999) lawsuit that established civil unions in Vermont said, "The book is a wonderful, eloquent memory of the events [that transgressed] and testimony to the courage of many people." David Moats, editorial page editor for the Rutland Herald who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his series of editorials on civil unions, is also feature in the exhibit. Said Moats, "The photos are the strong part of the book. [They] capture something about people. For me to see these people this way is eye opening." The prize winner then said humbly, "I sent a copy to my mom, she was proud." Hollingdale began working with photography informally while in college and is for the most part self-taught, having taken only one photography class in her entire career. In 1993 she converted her basement into a darkroom and has worked intensely there since. She created this project as a means of commemorating her 30 years as a photographer, hoping to challenge herself and celebrate her work as an artist. Mary Hurlie, senior advisor for organizational effectiveness, said that she originally wanted the exhibit to go up in Johnson but needed to arrange otherwise because that spaced had already been booked. The exhibit, relocated in a smaller area, could therefore not be displayed entirely. "The photos are just so powerful when you get to see them all together." The exhibit, sponsored by GLEAM, Office of Institutional Diversity, moqa and Women's & Gender Studies, will be up in the Abernethy Room through Friday, April 25.
(04/02/03 12:00am)
Author: Andrea Gissing Air Force General Apologizes to StudentsLt. Gen. John R. Dallager, the departing superintendent of the Air Force Academy, met with the cadet corps in Colorado Springs on Monday, March 31, to apologize for the effects the recent scandal involving the sexual assault of female cadets has had on the academy. Air Force officials announced last week that four top leaders of the academy, including Dallager, were being replaced or reassigned. These changes followed three military investigations resulting from reports made by dozens of women that described incidents of sexual abuse or rapes occurring in recent years at the academy. The reports have also resulted in a new procedure set up at the academy to protect women who have been sexually attacked and file complaints with officers at the Academy. These changes includes "blanket amnesty" which hopes to encourage people who have been sexually assaulted to report it without fear of being punished for other infractions such as drinking. James G. Roche, Air Force secretary, said that the problems predated the current leadership, which "did not have the authority to carry out new rules that might have encouraged women to come forward."Dallager will remain at his post until he retires in June. He will be replaced by Maj. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr., the deputy director of current operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Source: The New York TimesSARS Fears Bring Syracuse Students HomeSyracuse University, responding to health concerns about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), has shortened its spring semester program in Hong Kong. Additionally, it has canceled two upcoming programs in the People's Republic of China. There have been over 600 reported cases of SARS in Hong Kong, including 15 deaths attributed to the respiratory disease. More than 1,600 cases worldwide have been confirmed. There were 31 students, 15 of whom were from SU, studying in Hong Kong through SU's Division of International Programs Abroad (DIPA). The program is based at the City University of Hong Kong. The closure was prompted by a suspected case of SARS detected at the university last month. Students, who are unlikely to return to SU for the remainder of the semester, will complete the course by correspondence with DIPA staff and professors still in Hong Kong. SU's decision to cancel the program was based on information from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, SU Health Services, the New York State Department of Health and medical officials in Hong Kong, as well as a March 28 travel advisory put out by the CDC urging those planning nonessential travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam to postpone their trips until further notice. Source: Syracuse University NewsKansas Senate Threatens University Funds Because of Sex ClassThe Kansas Senate passed a bill that would withhold $3 million in funding to the University of Kansas after a professor showed "upsetting" videos in a sexuality class.The bill, passed on Wednesday on a 24-13 vote, requiring public universities to ban the purchase of "obscene" material or lose funding for the offending department, targets a popular class taught by Dennis Dailey. Dailey, an award-winning professor, has been teaching the class for 20 years. The bill was put forward by Republican Senator Susan Wagle, after learning about the class from a student. She said that during class Dailey used material, pictures and videos, that she considered obscene and she "[wanted] to make this type of activity not funded by the taxpayer."Dailey declined to comment on the vote or Wagle's description of his class, but maintained that the materials he used were designed for classroom use. "These are educational films. They are made by educational organizations and used as part of the educational process," he said.The class has consistently been fully enrolled. Dailey also leads a weekly seminar for some of the campus' religious groups, including the Ecumenical Christian Ministries.Source: CNN.com
(04/02/03 12:00am)
Author: Leyla Kattan Essays written by two Middlebury College students were presented at the Seventh Annual Women's Studies Symposium, held in Castleton on March 22. Rebecca Adams '03 and Jena Siegel '04 were chosen along with 10 other students from Vermont to present their papers to a panel at this year's symposium entitled "Feminism for the Post-Viagra Age." The papers were placed in one of four sections. The authors then read their works and fielded questions posed by the panelists. At the conclusion of the readings, three papers were selected and given special recognition as the top three of the symposium. Adams and Siegel took two of these awards, and the other was given to Anne Moore of the University of Vermont for her paper entitled "It's in the Blood: Dark Doubles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer."Siegel's paper, entitled "What Do You Mean By 'No?' Pornography and the Game of Sex," was written for a class. According to Siegel, who is a philosophy major, "It was an attempt to evaluate the claim that pornography subordinates and silences women." Although some philosophers say this claim is indefensible because pornography itself cannot have the power to subordinate silence, Siegel concluded that it did indeed have this power.Adams' paper was titled "Defining Male and Female: Intersex as a Window to Understanding the Cultural Construction of Sex." The paper presented some of the major ideas from her senior thesis. Within the essay, Adams examined the reasons for and the subsequent implications of surgical alterations to hermaphrodites. Since it is the doctor who decides the sex of a child, Adams argued that sex is a cultural construct. She focused upon the need to "end the surgical paradigm" in order to ensure a "shift of society's focus from biological sex to gender, thereby shifting the emphasis from biology to how the individual chooses to present his or her gender."
(03/19/03 12:00am)
Author: Kelsey Rinehart Vying with well-known senators for the Democratic nomination in 2004, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, M.D., has taken his presidential campaign from the Green Mountain State to the neighboring Granite State and beyond. Chatting with constituents over coffee and addressing eager listeners gathered on town greens, Dean has been a visible presence all over the United States. But to whom is he campaigning? Experts assess that, though Dean tours the nation and appears in the national media, he is playing more to a liberal audience, using his anti-war stance, for example, to attract support at the caucuses in Iowa and New Hampshire.Dean, who declares on his campaign Web site that he is "here to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party!" has pushed this liberal identity by highlighting his stances on the environment, balancing the budget and civil unions. Secretary of the College and Professor of Political Science Eric Davis said of the Democratic candidates, "What they need to do is go far enough to the left to win the nomination, but not so far to the left that things are going to come back and hurt them later on, and that they can't tack to the center in the general election campaign, and make President Bush out to be conservative, insensitive and out of touch with the needs and desires of the average American."The national media has picked up on Dean's strategy, and noted that it tends to discredit his competitors for the Democratic nomination. Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post echoed this sentiment in his evaluation of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), saying, "He's a great general election candidate, but his centrist approach doesn't provide much red meat for party carnivores." In a recent article in The Rutland Herald, University of Southern California political scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe was quoted as saying, "Clearly Howard Dean gave this crowd red meat [at the Democratic National Convention]. Edwards did not.". Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) had just been booed by a crowd of 1,800 after declaring his support for the use of military force in Iraq. Seizing this moment of outrage, Dean electrified the crowd as he declared that he did not support the armed conflict.Voters nationwide are getting fired up over "The Doctor," but what do Vermonters think of their governor of 10 plus years? Many laud his performance, citing his achievements in health care and education and his fiscal responsibility. Dean declares on his campaign website, "We cannot have social justice without a sound fiscal foundation. We must balance the federal budget...Fiscal responsibility would be a hallmark of a Dean presidency, as it has been a guiding principal in my tenure as governor. As governor, I was able to cut the income tax twice, remove sales tax on most clothing, reduce the state's long-term debt and still maintain a balanced budget. In a Dean Administration, the Democratic Party would reclaim the mantle of fiscal responsibility." Rick Ridder, Dean's campaign manager, agreed, saying the former Governor, "was opposed to Bush's tax cuts at the beginning of the first term. Tax cuts will even further cut into the budget deficit."Some Vermonters, however, wonder how fiscal conservatism fits into Dean's liberal identity. "Around Montpelier, you will find that many of the liberal Democrats and Progressives in Vermont didn't like Howard Dean's budgetary policies," Davis said. "He told the Democrats in the State Senate one year that their budget was written in 'la-la land.'" While Dean's anti-war rhetoric may stir Democrats nationwide, they should, as Davis said, "see if some of his priorities, especially during his early years as Governor when he faced a budget crisis, are what they want to see in Washington." Whether Dean's fiscal responsibility will attract Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire remains to be seen.Another view that Dean propounds is his support of civil unions. In 2000, in response to the Vermont Supreme Court ruling that its marriage laws were unconstitutional, the Vermont state legislature gave same-sex couples the right to a legal union. Dean said, "I worked with leaders from both parties in our legislature to create civil unions. In some ways, this was a defining moment in my political career. You can always compromise when you are fighting over money, but there can never be a compromise when it comes to basic human rights. I never had the discussion with myself about whether or not this was a good idea for my political career." Others say, however, that Dean has overemphasized his role in the civil unions debate. Davis commented, "The real heavy lifting on that bill was done by legislators and interest groups, not by the governor. Dean went down and staged a big, elaborate ceremony to sign Act 60. What did he do when he signed the civil union bill? He signed it in his office, and there was nobody there. Some of the advocates would say that maybe Dean's taken a little bit more credit on the national campaign than events in Montpelier would show was really the case." Although many agree with Davis, no one is denying Dean's accomplishment in actually signing the bill. Dean has, after all, granted to same-sex couples what no other governor in the country has granted, which many agree is a noteworthy achievement.A third aspect of Dean's liberal character is his commitment to environmental protection. Dean joins the vast majority of the Democratic Party in criticizing the Bush administration's environmental policies. "We need houses, jobs and opportunities for growth. But we don't need to poison ourselves and our heritage in order to have that growth. I think it is fair to say that the record of the Bush administration on environmental matters is fatally flawed." Dean stressed the need to recognize the universal nature of environmental problems, saying, "The U.S. must work harder to be a better global neighbor. That is why we must take another look at the Kyoto Protocol to find ways to cooperate with other countries instead of opposing them on issues as monumentally important to the earth's future as global warming."Is Dean a true representative of "the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party"? Some Vermonters ask Democrats around the country to look at the details of Dean's stint as governor of the Green Mountain State and then decide whether they will vote Dean in 2004. Dean's staunch defense of a balanced budget, civil unions and environmental protection, however, proves to many Democrats that he does stand for their beliefs.
(03/19/03 12:00am)
Author: Tom Drescher On March 7, the Women's and Gender Studies Department awarded the Alison Fraker Prize to Margot Simpson '03 for her paper "Sex and the City: A Cultural Forum on Gender Dynamics."The Fraker prize is presented annually to a Middlebury student for the best work, excluding theses and senior projects, on a topic related to Women's and Gender Studies, said Chellis House Director Deborah Grant. The Prize is named for Allison Gwen Fraker, who died during her final semester at Middlebury in 1989 while pursuing a concentration in Women's Studies. The Gensler Prize is also awarded annually for best thesis or senior project related to Women's and Gender Studies. Simpson, a senior from West Hartford, Conn, is an English major with a minor in American Civilization. In her paper, Simpson argues that the television program Sex and the City stimulates discussion of gender and relationship dynamics. "The focus of the program is to raise questions instead of provide answers," asserts Simpson in her introductory paragraph. "Sex and the City challenges, questions and redefines societal norms," she writes later in the paper."It was a great honor to be nominated," said Simpson, "an especially to have my piece selected as the winner. Women's rights and issues of gender roles are important to me -- whether the issues are involved in politics or in popular culture -- and this paper was a great opportunity to take a fun element of popular culture and examine it with a critical eye." The Fraker Prize Reception is held annually on March 7 to honor International Women's Day. "Hopefully in the future, Middlebury will do more to showcase and celebrate the significance of the occasion," said Simpson. "The purpose of the Day is to emphasize the effect that ordinary women can have (and have had) on history. It's not only important to recognize individual achievements, but also to question the roles and boundaries that are currently ascribed to women." That is exactly what Simpson did in her award-winning paper. Next year, the senior English major is planning to move to North Carolina, take a year off, and eventually attend graduate school in either English or American Studies. Currently, Simpson is involved in a number of organizations on campus, including Operation Smile and FAM. She is also a research assistant for Professor Jason Mittell in the American Civilizations Department and a head mentor for the Foundation for Excellent Schools.Other nominees for the Fraker Prize were Allyson Burke '05 for "Hush," Alexandra Castillo-Kesper '05 for the web project "Sophie Calle totally WIGS out," Rebecca Evans '06 for "The Controversial Brett Ashley: A Hemingway Heroine," Erin Kunkel '03 for "Sarah Kane" and "Crave," Miranda Lantagne '05 for " A week in the Life of Margherita Datini" and Hannah Osier '04 for "Pulcheria and Theotokos: Reflections of the Female Divine." In addition to the award, there is also a reading room at Chellis house named for Alison Fraker.
