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(10/04/17 11:41pm)
Those who have gotten to meet me probably know that I am a 21-year-old freshman, that I took part in two gap years before coming to Middlebury, and that I am running for first year senator. I noted throughout the application process that during my second gap year I enrolled in a computer science course, coded, worked, pursued my passion for bicycles, worked on college applications and spent time with family.
Yet I left behind details about my life that I did not feel comfortable sharing at the time. I left out the fact that most of that year was spent dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault, both in hospital beds and at meetings for an investigation that would culminate with the impunity of my perpetrator.
After having completed a highly rewarding gap year abroad in Leon, Nicaragua, working with renewable and energy efficiency initiatives, I returned home to partake in a summer program hosted at the university I was expecting to attend. But shortly before the program’s end, my life encountered the same predicament that too often affects young, college-bound men and women across the nation.
The story is all too familiar: a drunken night. A clouded mind. Unwanted touch. And finally, overwhelming confusion, anger, fear, sadness, powerlessness and even self-hatred and blame. I was unable to leave my dorm hall, eat in the dining halls or even sleep. I was forced to silently catch a train home and take a second gap year.
Fast-forwarding to my life here and now as a new Middlebury student I find myself running for first-year senate. I feel it is important to echo the words of Gregory Buckles, dean of admissions, during his convocation speech this past September: “We’re not looking for perfection, nor should you get wrapped up in finding perfection here at Middlebury,” he stated. “The truth is you’re not going to find it.”
While I do not expect Middlebury to be perfect, I do expect it to be better than what I encountered at the other college I was planning on attending (and thankfully never did). I expect it to be better than that place where I was told by an administrator to ‘learn my lesson,’ after painfully recounting my sexual assault. And thus far it has.
Over this past summer I contacted Sue Ritter (Title IX coordinator) asking for resources for survivors and received support. I recognize the complexity of the issues that permeate Middlebury’s campus, as well as my own personal lack of sufficient knowledge needed to form a fully educated and rational opinion. But I see that the college still has a long way to go when it comes to addressing sexual assault, health, transparency and accountability.
While I would like to refrain as much as possible from engaging in the gratuitous enumeration of the several positions that make up my platform, focusing on the source of the passion that drives this campaign instead, I feel it is important to discuss ways in which the school can more seriously tackle gender-based violence.
Health Care Access
To improve students’ access to their healthcare needs, the school should follow in the footsteps of colleges and install vending machines providing emergency contraception (Plan B), condoms, tampons, Advil and other medical products that students may need access to when Parton Health Centre is closed. This is particularly relevant for emergency contraception which research shows is most often needed during weekends.
Student Accountability
One of the main policies that I would like to pursue includes the creation of a student accountability office to facilitate avenues of cooperation between students and administrators, and provide productive criticism. This office would afford students the ability to report safely, comfortably and anonymously inappropriate behaviour by administrators and staff.
To improve students’ access to their healthcare needs, the school should follow in the footsteps of colleges and universities like Stanford, Pomona and UC Davis, among others, and install vending machines that provide Plan B, condoms, tampons, Advil and other medical products that students may need access to when Parton Health Centre is closed. This is particularly relevant for emergency contraception which research shows is most often needed during weekends.
Finally, but most importantly, a school that aims to seriously tackle gender-based violence should promote the following:
Climate Surveys
Performing a campus climate survey yearly to recognize the extent of this problem. Climate surveys allow students to anonymously and candidly describe their experiences on campus and evaluate the effectiveness and access to the resources that the college makes available to them. This tool is the first step to effectively addressing gender-based violence on campus, and is championed by national organizations like Know Your IX.
Data Transparency
The school should maintain easily accessible statistics of gender-based violence, extending beyond the limited Annual Security and Fire Safety Report mandated by the Department of Education under Title IX, which only go back three years. Furthermore, prints of such statistics and reports should be provided to incoming first-years during orientation.
Improving Bystander Training and Sexual Education
The sexual education offered to incoming freshmen is currently very cursory and brief. A more comprehensive sex-ed programme that addresses affirmative and enthusiastic consent, safe sex and healthy relationships (among other issues) more in depth is needed. The creation of said programme needs deep collaboration between students, faculty and staff but some of the points I would like to pursue include:
No first-year or incoming freshman should be allowed to receive ID or access to dorms without completing such a training course, and orientation should include more small group discussions on the issue sexual assault.
Group Therapy
Middlebury college, in partnership with the local organization WomenSafe, used to facilitate group therapy for survivors of gender-based violence. But this service was suspended due to “low-attendance.” As a SGA senator, I would like to pursue the reinstallation of this resource to better serve survivors.
Commit to Obama-era policies
Throughout this past summer, Betsy DeVoss’ Department of Education introduced significant changes to Title IX that reverse Obama era mandates — including the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter, which ordered universities to adjudicate sexual assault cases under the preponderance of the evidence standard. As a SGA senator I would urge the administration to commit to these Obama-era protections and standards, following in the footsteps of other colleges like Amherst.
Emergency Lights
Middlebury’s campus is spread out and can be quite dark at night. There should be more blue emergency phones located around campus to promote a more safe and comfortable environment.
(09/27/17 10:42pm)
The SGA sent students a survey via email on Wednesday, Sept. 20, seeking opinions about the changes to the dining system implemented at the start of this semester. SGA senators Maryam Mahboob ’18 and Hannah Pustejovsky ’18 sent students the survey in anticipation of a meeting between members of the SGA and food service director Dan Detora on Friday, Sept. 22.
According to the Mahboob and Pustejovsky’s email, the goal of the meeting was to discuss student responses to the recent changes and work to improve the system. Mahboob, Pustejovsky and other SGA members at the meeting wished to be informed about student opinions prior to the meeting.
The survey asked students which dining halls they attend most frequently, whether they engage in activities besides eating (such as socializing and studying) in the dining halls, and whether they have concerns or suggestions for improving the new swipe system. Responses were recorded in short-answer format. In response to the survey, students generally suggested that the swipe system either be made faster or eliminated altogether.
Short-answer responses to the survey generally included complaints revolving around the time students have to wait in line as their ID cards scan upon entering the dining halls. Many students wrote that they are bothered by the lines created as each person entering the dining hall has to pause to scan their card.
“Dining is something that I have been concerned about since last year when Dan Detora came in to the Senate to discuss his new ideas on a swipe system,” Pustejovsky said. “I have been deeply concerned with the possible ramifications these changes will have on campus life and how students have been shut out of the conversation.”
Some students objected to the logistical changes that came with the new plans, such as in Proctor, where students now have to enter and leave the dining hall through two separate sets of doors.
“I do think that it’s annoying that you have to walk all the way around by the plate clearing station in Proctor to get out if you want to sit outside or in [Proctor Lounge],” Jack Decker ’20.5 said. “I hope the system proves that it’s not necessary to institute a swipe plan and we can go back to the way things were last year.”
In an email sent to the student body on Thursday, Sept. 21, Dan Detora said that the dining team is working to make the swipe system faster.
“We are currently working on trying to speed up the swipe time,” Detora said in the email. “We are averaging 1.4 seconds per transaction, but would like to cut that in half.” Detora also noted that wait times are inevitable during busy meal hours, with or without a swipe system in place.
“Keep in mind, on Tuesday and Thursdays there is a common lunch hour with the current class schedule,” he said. “So when 800 students show up in the dining hall you will be waiting in line for food no matter how quickly you swipe.”
Mahboob pointed out that the new swipe system will bring positives in terms of reducing food waste, an issue she and Pustejovsky discussed with Detora during their Sept. 22 meeting.
On the plus side, the changes in Dining will reduce food wastage, and result in a financial surplus for Dining to spend elsewhere,” Mahboob said.
While many student responses to the survey generally included complaints, some students are satisfied with the new system.
“I’m not at all bothered by the changes,” Rose Adams ’18.5 said. “I read that the swipe system will lower food waste and allow the college to reassess the dining hall budget, which was apparently unreasonably high. It’s not too much to ask for students to swipe a card.”
Pustejovsky said that she will continue to communicate with Detora with regards to future changes in the dining system.
“I would like a conscious effort to be made to listen to the complaints and concerns of the students,” she said. “Dining is one of the most central things on campus. It is super important that we agree with the way things are being changed.”
(09/21/17 12:57am)
The men’s soccer team (4–1–0, 2–1–0) added two wins to their name in what was a doubleheader weekend last week with two big 1–0 victories over Nescac foes: No. 10 Amherst on Saturday, Sept. 16, and over Hamilton on Sunday, Sept. 17. As the Panthers extended their win streak to three games, coach David Saward surpassed the 350-win mark, moving his career record to 351–120–59. Jed Sass ’18 scored the lone goal in both games and goalkeeper Jeremy Yeager ’18 notched his first two shutouts of the season.
During their conference road match with Amherst (1–1–0, 1–1–0) on Saturday, the first 51 minutes were a defensive battle. Each team only managed two shots on goal. Eventually, however, Amherst slipped and issued a foul which resulted in a direct kick opportunity from the top of the penalty area for Sass. The senior captain ripped a left-bending shot into the corner past the hands of Amherst goalkeeper Lee Owen to notch what would prove to be the game winner.
In the 76th minute, Drew Goulart ’20 had an opportunity to cushion the lead with a close range shot, but was denied by Amherst goalie, Michael Stone, who had just been substituted in for Owen.
In an 89th minute attempt to match Middlebury’s goal, an Amherst throw in ended up in the Middlebury net, but was ruled invalid as the ball failed to touch another player before crossing the goal line.
Middlebury returned home on Sunday to meet Hamilton (3–2–1, 1–2–0). The previous time the teams had met was when the Continentals defeated the Panthers 2–1 in last season’s Nescac semifinals. But Sunday’s game went differently.
Another unassisted goal by Sass and four saves from Yeager led the team to redemption.
While quality shots were infrequent in the first half, Hamilton’s Aidan Wood nearly netted a goal in the 14th minute. Wood’s initial eight yard shot was knocked away by Yeager to his left, where Hamilton’s Jefri Schmidt gobbled up the rebound and sent a subsequent point blank shot into the hands of Yeager.
Five minutes into the second half, Wood would have another chance as he sent a right-side bending ball from 15 yards away, but was again denied by the diving Panther goalie, who was just able to punch the shot away.
In the 54th minute, Middlebury midfielder Sass one-touched a torching shot into the post off a bouncing ball in the Hamilton penalty area. He found the rebound at the six-yard line and tapped it in, pushing the Panthers ahead 1–0, where the score would remain.
“Losing our opening Nescac game to Connecticut College put us in a position where both matches against Amherst and Hamilton were essentially must-wins if we were realistically going to put ourselves in a position compete for the Nescac title,” Sass said. “The challenge for us now is to bring out the same fight every time we cross those white lines. These wins were two massive steps in the right direction and leave us hungry for more.”
Middlebury will continue on their journey to a Nescac title when they are back in action in Brunswick, Maine, on Saturday to take on Bowdoin (4–1–0, 2–1–0).
(09/21/17 12:13am)
As the leaves start to change and the school year kicks into full gear, students and locals alike have the opportunity to celebrate the fall at the many apple orchards that exist throughout the state of Vermont. Whether your forte is picking apples, shopping at farm stands or consuming ciders and donuts, Vermont apple orchards will not disappoint in the activities and products that they offer.
Not far from the college, Happy Valley Orchard in Middlebury grows about 50 varieties of apples in their 14-acre orchard. They have the basics, like Cortland and Macintosh, but they also have a number of heirloom apples and other varieties, all available for picking.
“We don’t limit where you can pick,” Mary Pratt, co-owner of Happy Valley Orchard told The Campus. “You can pick anywhere in the orchard you want, and we are unique in that every row of trees has more than one variety of apple in it since we’re a small orchard.”
The orchard also boasts a variety of trees that should fit the needs of all visitors to Happy Valley.
“We have a lot of big trees here,” Pratt explained. “We have some that are probably over 50 years old so they’re huge. We also have some small trees, but since we’re ‘pick your own,’ people do like the big trees.”
From September to November, Happy Valley Orchard is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In addition to picking your own apples, the business also has a farm stand on site, at which customers can purchase things like cider, pumpkins, gourds, mums and donuts.
“We are noted for cider donuts,” Pratt emphasized.
Pratt said that Happy Valley has a cider mill, where they make their own fresh cider. Because of this, customers can purchase untreated cider, meaning that “it’s raw and it hasn’t had anything done to it.” The orchard sells their cider elsewhere as well. Selling cider wholesale, outside of the business requires a UV light process, according to Pratt.
“Right now, we press all of the cider for a hard cider company up in Burlington called Citizen Cider, so that keeps us pretty busy,” Pratt added.
Happy Valley is planning a big event called Cider Fest on Oct. 7 that they will host right at the orchard from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“We combine with Citizen Cider and we have music, food trucks, we do apple tasting, we usually have fresh cider samples, and Drop-In Brewery will be here selling their cider and beer,” Pratt said.
Although owning an orchard is not an easy task, Pratt noted that she and her husband find joy in the challenges and successes.
“This is something that we really enjoy doing,” Pratt said.
A slightly longer drive from campus, Shelburne Orchards offers “pick your own” apples as well. They are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Their website advertises the McIntosh and Gala apples that they have for picking, and notes that Honey Crisps will be coming soon.
In addition to apples, the orchard also has a store with their own distilled apple brandy, non-alcoholic Ginger Jack, cider and fresh cider donuts. The orchard celebrates the season with a number of apple-related events as well. This Sunday, Sept. 24, Shelburne Orchards will host its 16th annual Pie Fest, which will consist of an apple pie baking contest, pie eating and live music. For Vermonters looking for apples and cider in large quantities, Shelburne Orchards will also host a Truckload and Hard Cider Weekend on Oct. 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. where attendees can pay to fill their cars and trucks up with apples.
Other orchards, such as Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, set themselves apart in that most of their work is done behind the scenes to create products that their consumers enjoy. Chris Hodges of Sunrise Orchards shared in an email to The Campus that their orchard is 200 acres and that they grew a number of different apples, such as McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, Honey Crisp, Paula Red, Macoun, Red Delicious and Granny Smith.
“The Vermont climate lends itself well to apple growing with hot summers and cool, sun-filled autumns that redden the fruit during its last stages of growth,” noted Hodges in her email.
Although customers cannot pick their own apples at Sunrise Orchards, they can enjoy them once the orchard begins the harvesting and selling season around mid-August. Sunrise Orchards sells its apples in stores all over Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. The orchard also ensures continued distribution throughout the year, as they refrigerate and store around half of their crop for just that purpose.
Sunrise Orchards prides itself on the quality of its fruit, land and growing practices. People at the orchard work with Red Tomato, which is a non-profit organization that focuses on ecological growing processes.
“We are part of a group of growers from around the New England region who adhere to strict growing practices that emphasize the health of our soils, waterways and workers, and encourages beneficial insect species in the control of pests,” Hodges emphasized.
For anyone interested in taking advantage of Vermont’s helpful apple-growing climate, these three orchards are a good place to start looking, but they are not the only apple growers in Vermont. For a more thorough listing of apple orchards, places to pick and apple events in Vermont, take a look at vermontapples.org. Happy picking!
(09/14/17 4:06am)
Members of the Class of 2021 were officially welcomed to Middlebury on Sep. 10 at the college’s annual Convocation.
The 638 first year students that filled Mead Chapel for the event were admitted from a field of 8,910 applicants, and comprise one of the largest classes in the college’s 217-year history. The Class of 2021 brings the total number of enrolled undergraduate students to 2,753.
At last Sunday’s ceremony Dean of Admissions Greg Buckles noted 13 percent of this year’s class are first-generation college students and 27 percent are people of color, the highest percentage in the college’s history.
Though he cited the achievements of many incoming students, Buckles reminded those in attendance that the admissions process is not a treasure hunt.
“We’re not looking for fully formed 18 year-olds. We’re not looking for perfection, nor should you get wrapped up in finding perfection here at Middlebury,” he said. “The truth is you’re not going to find it.”
Buckles advised the Class of 2021 to work hard, be resilient, take risks, and not be afraid of failure. In doing so, he said, students can and will find the best versions of themselves.
“Remember what it was about Middlebury that made you want to apply and come here,” he said. “Relish that as you set about your path and find your way.”
Student Government Association President Jin Sohn ’18 echoed Buckles’s advice, and told students to make the most of their time at Middlebury, and to think of ways they can improve the college for subsequent generations of students.
“Think about those who will come after you,” she said. “Do things that will leave Middlebury a better place than you found it.”
The event ended with a speech from College President Laurie Patton, who began her remarks by acknowledging that adjusting to life at Middlebury can be both exhilarating and disorienting, especially when everyone is “as talented as you are.”
“Maybe you’ve already met one of your new classmates who’s a published novelist and three-season varsity athlete, who started her own NGO and hike d the Appalachian trail solo. And the most annoying thing was, as you’ve probably already discovered, she was really nice, too,” Patton said. “That’s the Middlebury way.”
Patton advised students not to compare themselves to one another, and said the best way for one to leave their mark on Middlebury is to, simply, be oneself.
“We chose you because we sensed, and you did too, that there was something about you and this place that made a really wonderful match,” she said.
Patton told the incoming class that, at Middlebury, students are expected to be citizens of a “robust and inclusive public sphere, where you will likely be uncomfortable.”
Though she did not mention the Charles Murray protest by name, she emphasized the college’s commitment to freedom of expression and inclusivity, two issues that have been, and still are, at the forefront of campus-wide conversations in the aftermath of the protest.
“As members of [our] community, you have a particular obligation to that public space: make it more robust, and make it more inclusive. Don’t let others be silenced, and don’t let yourself be silenced, even if you are offended,” Patton said. “Always look around to see who is included, and how you could use your talent and wisdom to include others’ voices in the debate. And respect others’ wishes to learn and grow, even if you dislike their opinions. That is true wisdom.”
Patton ended her remarks by reiterating the need for students to be their best selves, and by reminding them that the wider Middlebury community is here to help.
“We will help you grow in your wisdom. We will help you bounce back. We will help you dream the world as it ought to be. And we will be here for you for the rest of your life,” she said. “As one student put it to me, Middlebury is really supportive wilderness training for the mind, heart, body, and soul.”
(09/14/17 4:04am)
The Middlebury men’s soccer team (2–1–0) pleased a large crowd during their first game since students returned to campus with a 2-1 win in double overtime against the visiting Colby-Sawyer Chargers (0–4–0) last Sunday, Sept. 10. Despite edging the Chargers in shots on goal 13–2, it took a late goal at the end of regulation for the Panthers to send the game into what would become a double overtime marathon in which Daniel O’Grady ’19 kicked in the game-winner in the 109th minute.
Colby-Sawyer notched their only goal of the day with 20 minutes left in the first half, taking a 1–0 lead. Denali Sexton pressed hard and fast on a pass from the backline, fading towards the left side and letting a low shot fly to the opposite corner, just beyond the hands of Middlebury goalkeeper Jeremy Yeager ’18. Yeager concluded his third full game with one save, bringing his season total to five.
Despite the fact that the Chargers maintained a 1–0 lead for most of regulation, Middlebury controlled the game throughout. In the 20th minute, Kye Moffat ’19 missed just wide left on a header. Twelve minutes later in the 32nd minute, the crossbar would deny O’Grady the game-tying goal on a 19-yard rip.
After controlling the ball for most of the second half, a scramble in the goal box in the 78th minute resulted in a shot from Goulart that threaded several defenders’ legs but bounced off the right side post, forcing the team into a furious up-tempo style of play with only 12 minutes remaining on the clock and the Chargers leading by one.
Then, in the 81st minute, Peter Davis ’19 headed in his first career goal following a scramble in the box on a corner kick. In the 87th minute, Middlebury nearly took the lead as O’Grady sent a header from six yards into the hands of Charger goalie Sean Babinski. The next opportunity didn’t arise until the second 10-minute overtime half, when Ben Potter ’20 was denied by Babinski on a one-on-one following a through ball.
With just 1:47 remaining in overtime, O’Grady collected a 70-yard pass from Henry Wilhelm ’20 just outside the penalty box and moved quickly in and to the left. He punched a fast, low shot off his left foot, beating the hands of Babinski and leaving the Panthers on top.
“We feel like we have a lot of depth this year, especially in the midfield,” Yeager said. “A lot of guys who are confident with the ball at their feet. We are hoping that we can use that to unlock opposing defenses and threaten in front of goal. We had a pretty big senior class graduate last year, so there are a lot of spots up for grabs. It’s an opportunity for guys to step up and take advantage of the opportunity.”
The non-conference win leaves the Panthers with a 2–1 record after defeating Norwich 3–1 on Wednesday, Sept. 6 and suffering a 2–1 loss to Connecticut College on Saturday, September 9. Middlebury heads to Massachusetts to face rival Amherst College (1–0–0) this Saturday, Sept. 16.
(09/14/17 4:01am)
On Tuesday, Sept. 5, the Justice Department announced that DACA, an Obama-era executive order also known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, would be terminated unless Congress could pass a bill in the next six months. As it stands, the program allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children by their parents to remain in the country. Currently, the program protects roughly 800,000 immigrants.
As Attorney General Jeff Sessions articulated in his announcement of this decision, the Trump administration would stop adding new applicants to the program, but would continue to recognize existing DACA authorizations until their two-year lifespans expire.
Elected officials and advocates across the country have come out strongly against the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA.
Vermonters Insert Their Voice
In Vermont, it is clear that those in power stand with the Dreamers.
According to Congressman Peter Welch (D), the impact of Trump’s DACA Decision would leave upwards of 42 Vermonters at risk. President Laurie L. Patton and Chief Diversity Officer and DACA point person, Miguel Fernández, released a joint statement that was sent to the entire Middlebury community extending their support to DACA recipients.
President Patton and Professor Fernández stated, “We are writing to state clearly that no matter what the Administration decides to do, we will stand by our students, protect their rights, and continue to provide them an outstanding education. We are proud of the accomplishments of our DACA students and will continue to support them in every way we can.”
The pair continued by saying, “Middlebury is and will remain unwaveringly committed to providing educational opportunities to students without regard to nationality, place of birth, immigration status, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or economic status. We evaluate applications from undocumented prospective students under our need-blind admissions policy with a commitment to meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need regardless of country of citizenship or immigration status.”
Senator Patrick Leahy (D) expressed his disgust with President Trump’s decision in a press release.
“After promising to show DACA recipients ‘great heart,’” Senator Leahy began, “the President has revealed he is as heartless as he is uninformed. We live in an unprecedented time when our President seeks to divide us, not to unite us. He rallies his dwindling supporters by exploiting fear and resentment, marginalizing those who are vulnerable and even those who risk their lives for our country and their communities. It is shameful and far beneath the office he holds.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (D) echoed the sentiments of his colleague by releasing a statement that said, “Trump’s decision on DACA is the ugliest and most cruel decision ever made by a president of the U.S. in the modern history of this country.”
Even Governor Phil Scott, a republican, released a statement that denounced Trump’s decision.
“It is my hope Congress will take action and continue this policy, which I believe provides long-term benefits to American culture, the economy and the prosperity of our country,” the governor said.
UVM Humanizes the Stakes
In response to the growing frustration and shock brewing amongst lawmakers, advocates and educators alike, University of Vermont president Tom Sullivan hosted a press conference on Monday at the Larner College of Medicine featuring House Representative Peter Welch (D) and Juan Conde, a first year medical student who is a DACA recipient, to emphasize why action must be taken.
President Sullivan began the press conference by reaffirming the university’s commitment to protecting its undocumented students.
“I want to reiterate here today at this gathering on our university campus that we take our students’ rights seriously,” President Sullivan said. He went on to say, “as members of our university community, we will work proactively together and in solidarity to ensure the safety, well-being , and educational success of all of our students.”
Congressman Welch went on to pledge his support to the DACA program.
“DACA is what is the best in America,” the congressman explained, going on to promise, “I am here to say to Juan, to say to the university community, that I am going to do every single thing that I can so that at the end of this six month period Juan and his fellow 800,000 DACA dreamers have continued legal status.”
Welch Clarifies his Position
Unlike his colleagues, Congressman Welch was not as quick to denounce President Trump; Congressman Welch believes that DACA should exist not as an executive order, but as an indisputable law, and that the six month time period that President Trump has given Congress serves as an opportunity take action.
“I agree that President Trump telling Congress to do our job is correct. We should do our job. We should pass by law legal protections for individuals like Juan who were brought here when they were young by their parents. So I think that’s a fair challenge by the President of the United States.”
As Congressman Welch explained, the challenge in getting a DACA bill passed is not convincing members of congress on both sides of the aisle to believe in the dreamers, but to make sure that politicians don’t use this vote as an opportunity to maneuver other contentious immigration issues, such as questions of border security and building a wall, into the conversation.
“What I am going to object to,” Congressman Welch explained,” is my republican colleagues using the Dreamers as a hostage so they can talk about the wall.”
He concluded by urging his fellow members of Congress to do the right thing by saying, “Let’s have a clean vote.”
Juan Conde’s Perspective
Standing in front of his peers and the press, Juan told his story. He shared how he came to Eagle Pass, Texas from Mexico when he was nine years old with his mother and brother. He explained how his mother instilled the American dream in him.
“My mother taught me that with hard work, dedication and grit you could accomplish anything that you dreamt,” Mr. Conde said.
Mr. Conde explained that his mother’s death from cancer in 2007 solidified his desire to become a doctor. At the time however, Juan was in college and could not apply to medical school because of his status as an undocumented resident. Instead, he pursued a masters degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
Then, in 2012, when the DACA program became a reality, Juan was able to apply to medical school, resulting in his matriculation at the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont.
Explaining his own perspective of the DACA program, Mr. Conde stated, “what DACA meant for me was my country believed in my dreams.”
When the Justice Department announced the decision to rescind the program, Mr. Conde had to make a choice of whether he wanted to stay in the shadows or come forward. He chose the latter.
“I am tired of being afraid,” Mr. Conde said. “This is my home. The American people are my people.”
Mr. Conde also did not shy away from giving advice to other dreamers who have not publicly taken a stand.
“I would tell them to hang on, to continue doing everything that they’ve done so far, and to believe that America will take care of them, will not forget their contributions, and just to have a trust that the American people will do the right thing.”
President Sullivan, Congressman Welch and even his classmates commended Mr. Conde for his bravery and his accomplishments.
Mr. Sullivan emphasized Mr. Conde’s exceptionality.
“He is a great example of the kind of young person we want to keep in the United States — one with character, demonstrated talent, high competence, persistence through success, and real accomplishments.”
Congressman Welch further applauded Mr. Conde by saying, “Juan, your comments about your life and what motivated you and your embrace of the American dream is inspiring to all of us.”
Reed Hausser, a classmate and friend of Juan’s stood up and stated, “I just wanted to let Juan and other students like him know that we as a community are behind you and continue to support you and fight for you as much as we can.”
Juan Conde’s story could only be possible in the United States. But it is up to Congress and the American people to see how a story like Juan’s ends.
(08/08/17 4:26am)
Faculty could not agree to a nonbinding resolution that would have condemned students who obstruct speech they disagree with, deciding to postpone it until the fall. Instead professors approved a separate plan to have a “deliberative dialogue” on free speech, ensuring the Charles Murray saga extends into another school year.
The votes came at a three-hour faculty meeting on May 16 in Wilson Hall. There the faculty established a working group that would meet this fall to devise policies that promote “every community member’s freedom and full participation.” The plan made no official policy changes to protest rules or judicial processes. It delegated that task to the working group.
Several faculty said that committing to a “deliberative dialogue” amounted to a four-month delay of pressing matters.
“I don’t believe it is the appropriate time to go to bed on this issue,” said Michael Olinick, the math professor who introduced the tabled proposal. “I believe we’re doing our students a disservice without coming up with a statement of some substance about freedom of expression and its limits.”
The college handbook currently encourages students to express their opinions publicly and privately as long as they are “orderly” and non-disruptive. It bars students from holding up banners or making noise that prevents the audience from seeing or hearing a speaker. This section of the handbook was the basis for last semester’s disciplinary crusade in which Middlebury hired an independent investigator to identify student protesters for punishment.
“If we’re really concerned about freedom of speech then the students are the ones we should start with,” said Linus Owens, a sociology professor. “To the extent that we can vote on this while students are still being disciplined for their exercise of speech, I think is very soon — too soon.”
The professors who spoke gave contrasting definitions of “freedom of speech.” Some said student protesters who shouted down Charles Murray were the ones silenced by the school’s investigation, which concluded on May 23. Others said the concept specifically protects controversial speech.
“I’ve talked to many of my colleagues who come from an international background and for us the meaning of freedom of speech is not really that ambiguous,” said religion professor Ata Anzali, who is an Iranian national. “For many of us this is about how the situation can be easily flipped around against us.”
Anzali was held in Iran for several days in January after President Trump issued Executive Order 13769, commonly known as the travel ban. He referenced an incident in which Fordham University banned a pro-Palestine student group because it was deemed too controversial.
“I don’t see how voting on this now is going to change the discussion because we haven’t had the discussion yet,” said Patricia Saldarriaga, a professor of Spanish. She said the working group scheduled to meet this fall will be the place for debate.
Jason Mittell of the film department said there was no chance the faculty could all agree on Olinick’s proposal by the end of the meeting. “I feel like you’re not going to let us go to bed for the summer,” he said directly to Olinick. “This motion is encouraging the divisiveness to return.”
The faculty quickly debated a housekeeping measure that standardizes professional titles for non-tenured teachers. It passed with little fanfare, although a few professors asked to clarify whether they would be evaluated on research, teaching or both. The bill’s sponsors said that professors could choose one of those factors.
The faculty also announced that the Crest Room in the student center would be converted into a faculty lounge from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be available to students in the evenings, they said. The proposal did not specify whether the room would need to be renovated.
A proposal to certify a double major in education passed later by a near-unanimous vote. The major would be for students seeking licensure as elementary or secondary teachers. The education department will still provide a minor for students who aren’t seeking a teacher’s license. The changes are effective this fall term.
The faculty then voted unanimously to move into “executive session,” where President Laurie L. Patton gave closed-door remarks that lasted half an hour. Reporters were forced to leave the room.
Faculty rules say that discussions and actions in the executive session “will be held in confidence until released by proper authority.” But David Dorman, the faculty moderator, refused to release any information.
“No notes were taken during the executive session and no information was or is being released,” he said.
(08/04/17 8:19pm)
Katy Smith Abbott will leave her position as vice president for student affairs and dean of the college at the end of this year, President Laurie L. Patton announced today. She will continue teaching as a full-time professor in the art history department.
“I am both saddened at the thought of not having her as a member of the senior administration and pleased that she is remaining at Middlebury and following her academic and personal interests,” Patton said in an email to students.
Baishakhi Taylor, the current dean of students, will become interim vice president for student affairs on Jan. 1, 2018.
Smith Abbott declined to comment, opting instead to talk with The Campus at the start of the academic year.
In her email Patton praised Smith Abbott for her commitment to the college. She cited Smith Abbott’s work to expand MiddView Trips, provide stipends for J-term courses and summer internships, and her role in the creation of First@Midd, a program for incoming first-generation students.
“Over the years Katy has led and inspired numerous initiatives to improve the experience of our undergraduate student,” Patton wrote. “Through it all, Katy has worked to enrich the experience for all of our students.”
Smith Abbott first arrived at Middlebury in 1996. From 2002 to 2008 she and her husband, Steve Abbott, a math professor, served as faculty co-heads of Ross Commons. She was then appointed associate dean of the college and later, in 2011, dean of students. In 2014 then-president Ronald D. Liebowitz appointed Smith Abbott to her current position. She originally served on an interim basis but was formally named to the post later that year.
Taylor came to Middlebury in 2015 from Duke University, where she worked under Patton in Duke’s Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. Like Smith Abbott, Taylor may eventually be named the official dean of the college despite being an interim appointment, although Smith Abbott had been employed by the college for 18 years when she was promoted.
Ethan Brady contributed reporting.
(05/11/17 3:57am)
On April 20, 2017, Professor Bert Johnson wrote in to this paper with an apology. This doesn’t happen frequently; we were surprised and moved. Professor Johnson, chair of the Political Science Department, wrote that he regretted the manner in which department co-sponsorship was issued to Charles Murray’s speech on campus. “The short amount of time between when the event became public and when it occurred gave all of us scant opportunity to listen to and understand alternative points of view. Most importantly, and to my deep regret, it contributed to a feeling of voicelessness that many already experience on this campus, and it contributed to the very real pain that many people – particularly people of color – have felt as a result of this event.”
Professor Johnson’s apology is, in many ways, the impetus for this week’s editorial. As an editorial board, we would like to thank Professor Johnson for his honesty, candor and courage not in retracting his decision, but in showing vulnerability and conceding that his actions may have caused pain in others. Professor Johnson didn’t base his apology in upholding lofty abstract principles, but rather in the fact that he hurt people on this campus. He represents an admirable desire to resist the urge to over-intellectualize issues and instead choose to recognize the pain one can cause, particularly in our small Middlebury community.
Unfortunately, we aren’t always very good at doing that. Why should we be? Many members of the Middlebury community got here by succeeding; by sounding smart, by developing transcripts that supposedly “prove” we know things. We argue to win, not to listen. As students, we’re pretty collectively insecure about admitting when we don’t know things, and we don’t make room for others to make mistakes. There’s pressure in classrooms, in forums and even in dining hall conversations to prove not only our intellectualism but also that we are “woke” in a kind of verbal posturing that places excessive value on certain kinds of speech, and excludes those who don’t have the vocabulary to discuss issues of race, gender, class and so on.
For this, we commend Professor Johnson’s humility and his ability to see that offering an apology does not discredit him; rather, it reveals his willingness to put the weight of a reconsidered issue above ego. It reveals not only his humanity but his ability to recognize the humanity in others. In the wake of contentious events like the March 2 protest and the election of Donald Trump, we’ve seen members of our community go on the defensive and assume the worst in others. We leave little room for nuance, and group people in categories of right or wrong, with us or against us. We misread ignorance as coming from a place of malevolence rather than lack of experience, and create spaces where people of other opinions do not feel safe to express themselves, make mistakes and, most importantly, learn. March 2 happened as it did largely as a result of a specific culture we have developed on this campus. It was a symptom of various issues here, and it will not go away unless we, collectively as a Middlebury community, decide to change the way in which we navigate our differences.
Conversations about the intersections of identity and free speech will continue. Professors: you have a responsibility to create fair spaces in which to address these issues if they come up, ones in which one set of ideas (or a means of expressing those ideas) is not inherently privileged. If you don’t know how to do that, admit that you don’t know how. We as a student body need our professors to demonstrate to us that it is okay, inevitable and necessary to be confused and even wrong. By doing so, you can uphold the lofty ideals of academic institutions espoused throughout the Charles Murray debate as more than an intellectual value, but a pedagogical practice. You can show us that college is a place for the airing of all views that need to be challenged. Administrators: you have a responsibility to create an environment in which students and faculty are not incentivized to put ego and title above listening. You set the institutional example. You, too, can embody the idea that apologies are examples of strength, not weakness.
Many students on our editorial board recalled their professors expressing a sense of loss or confusion after the 2016 presidential election, an inability to manage discussion or even process what was happening, whether in a classroom setting or otherwise. That kind of honesty and vulnerability is what can make the wounds of this community heal. This is a small college. For students, it’s more than a place of learning; it’s a 24-hour home. We all feel a sense of responsibility for what happens here. We’re going to need to have some hard conversations in the near future, conversations that will take immense emotional labor and vulnerability. These conversations can’t and won’t happen unless we, as committed members of the Middlebury community, are ready to listen, empathize and learn.
(05/11/17 3:10am)
One of the largest and highest quality telescopes in Vermont and its surrounding areas is on the roof of McCardell Bicentennial Hall. Luckily for Middlebury students, the telescope is made publicly available to students multiple times a semester. Observatory Night is a time for students and community members alike to come view the night sky through the large 24-inch telescope, through one of three smaller telescopes (one 8-inch, two 11-inch) or with the naked eye. During the event, telescope specialist Jonathan Kemp and the students who work with him are there to guide viewers around the sky and answer questions.
The Campus spoke with Mr. Kemp to talk about what Observatory Night is and its place in the college community.
“We have a really nice site here in the Champlain Valley,” Kemp said. “It’s quite dark … There are light pollution issues to consider in almost any site, but here in the Champlain Valley we’re at a pretty good dark site, we get some lovely clear nights.”
The telescope is one-of-a-kind in its architectural incorporation into the greater BiHall, Kemp said.
“One of the great things about the observatory here at McCardell Bicentennial Hall is that, when it was built, the observatory was designed as part of the building. In many science buildings, you’ll often find that the observatory is on the roof of the building but it’s often been an afterthought long after initial construction.”
The telescope is cared for in many unexpected ways; for example, the temperature in the dome is prudently regulated.
“What we like to do with an observatory dome is keep the temperature of the air in the dome itself as close as possible to the exterior temperature,” Kemp said. “A lot was done at construction and perhaps more importantly just after construction to minimize those thermal issues so that when we look through the telescope up there we get excellent image quality compared to some of our peer institutions that have similar large telescopes.”
The telescope and its controls were completely renovated and modernized in the summer of 2015. “It is now performing as well as it ever has,” Kemp said.
The combination of excellent technology and location allows students at Observatory Night to view celestial objects with remarkable clarity. When asked what his favorite thing is to look at in the night sky, Kemp could not pick just one. He highlighted the Orion Nebula in the winter sky and the Great Globular Cluster of Hercules (M13) in the summer sky as two of his favorites. He mentioned that Saturn and Jupiter are popular with students; the rings of Saturn are clearly visible through any of the telescopes. Additionally, it is possible to see the disk on the surface of Jupiter and its orbiting moons. Kemp even mentioned seeing the shadow of a moon on Jupiter’s surface.
These incredible sights tied into Kemp’s answer to my next question, in which he was asked what about Observatory Night would draw in a non-science major.
“I think the observatory can reach people on a variety of levels,” he said. “We find that people respond kind of viscerally to the night sky. When they look at [the night sky], especially when [they] look through a telescope for the first time at an object that [they have] never seen, that can be a very compelling thing. I think most importantly it kind of gives people an idea of their place within the universe. It makes them intellectually curious about the night sky, and, by extension, the universe, and the place of Man and the place of Earth within the universe.”
Kemp also mentioned that the team of students he works with includes history, economics and geology majors as well as physics majors.
“While [the Observatory] has physics at its core, it has threads that go through so many different disciplines. For someone who might be non-science major, it might satisfy their interest in the night sky or their interest in science if they don’t want to pursue a more formal curricular way.”
There are also opportunities for students who might be interested in working with him.
“I am always interested in students who have an interest in the observatory. I would always encourage students that have an interest to come talk to me.”
In all, Observatory Night offers a unique experience that should be on every student’s graduation bucket list. Towards the end of the conversation, Kemp spoke to the accessibility of the observatory.
“Since I arrived a little more than three years ago, we’ve been able to make the facility more available in a variety of ways on a variety of levels,” he said. “It’s been fantastic to see the interest in the observatory here. Learning about the night sky is something that I think we can stimulate here at the observatory, but by no means does that process of being engaged with the universe end here. Enjoying the night sky does not require a telescope. That process can continue once you leave the observatory”
For more information on and photographs taken by the telescope, visit go/observatory.
(05/11/17 1:56am)
Every Wednesday, Hunter Graham ’20 drives to the University of Vermont to attend a Military Science class as part of the Reserve Officers Training Core (ROTC) of the Army. ROTC offers college students a path into military service, in addition to offering financial assistance to help pay for college.
According to the Army website, ROTC prides itself on being a leadership program and providing job opportunities to college graduates in Active Duty jobs as well as in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves. Graham has been a part of ROTC since the beginning of this semester.
“ROTC, and serving in general, were always things I considered in high school, but I think I was too afraid to try. Once I had more information, because I started talking to people at UVM and the other cadets, it became clear that this is something that I could really do,” Graham said. “It has added a whole other element of my college life, another really big friend group that can understand you better than people at Middlebury in some ways.”
Graham explained that when she attends class at UVM, the cadets in the program are split up by year. “The one’s have a relatively easy, introductory course,” she said. “The two’s course is a bit more challenging. The third year is the most important — it is the year that determines what branch of the Army they will go into.” Graham has also attended some labs to gain more experience. “Sometimes instead of or in addition to class there is a longer ‘lab’ that gives more hands on experience,” she said. “The only labs that I have been to are at a military base in Burlington called Camp Johnson.”
In addition to the educational aspect of the program, the cadets must complete an intensive training regiment. Since Graham and fellow Middlebury ROTC member Steve Bissainthe ’18 do not live in Burlington, they stay in shape by attending a work-out class at Middlebury called CATS twice a week.
According to Graham, she decided to pursue the program as a way to be involved in something important. “I became interested in it when I saw the life I could have if I was willing to make sacrifices and put in the work,” she said. “There are so many opportunities that only the military can give you, and not all of them put you on the front lines. I could graduate and take an educational leave to go to medical school, or go into military intelligence. I joined because I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. The military is about as big as you can get.”
Graham also has a unique perspective, as a woman in the male-dominated program. She says there are five women in her class of 25, and that half of the women are in the nursing program. “I do not feel any different as a girl in the program,” she said. “Women wear the same uniform and keep their hair in a low bun. The upperclassmen in the program that I look up to are all women, except for Steve, of course. There are two seniors in charge of the group each year, one per semester, and they usually choose a woman as one of the leaders. There are some really badass women in the program who will do amazing things.”
Graham says her favorite part of the experience so far has been the people. “It is nice to get off campus and be around a new group of people. Everyone I have met has been so welcoming and so real,” she said. “The UVM cadets are all amazing. The Green Mountain Battalion is one of the best in the country and I am lucky to be a part of the family.”
The program has been challenging for Graham. “It’s been hard to do something so out of the ordinary,” she said. “I’m excited and nervous to see what it will be like to wear the uniform on campus, something that will happen every Wednesday.” Graham also said it was hard to join part way through the year and catch up on the content in the science class.
Another challenge has been how disconnected ROTC is from her experience at Middlebury. Graham made the decision to join ROTC without talking to any college administrators. “I have spoken to no college administration or the registrar about this,” she said. “We don’t get a class credit for taking another class, that has as much work and a huge time commitment. There is no college support other than our friends and the different articles written about it.”
Despite the challenges, Graham has found her friends to be very supportive of her participation. “I’ve really appreciated all of the love and support my friends have shown in this. I think a lot of people are confused about what it is, or think that it’s something foreign and unusual, when it’s unusual that there’s no program at Middlebury.”
According to Graham, if all goes according to plan, she intends to continue with the program for the rest of her time in college.
(05/11/17 1:56am)
At 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, the lights in Wilson Hall dimmed abruptly, leaving only the iridescent light of hundreds of glow sticks and a few phones waving wildly in the air above the crowd. So the much-anticipated inaugural Korean Culture Show, a night of passionate singing and dancing, opened to a full house.
Lydia Kim ’17, one of the leaders of the show, was inspired particularly by a K-pop performance in last semester’s International Students’ Organization (ISO) yearly global culture show. After seeing the popularity of the K-pop act in the ISO show, she decided she wanted to create a show that focused solely on Korean Culture.
“I was both surprised and amazed to find out that 1) not a single dancer was Korean, 2) there were so many non-Koreans who knew about K-pop and 3) such a wild crowd reaction was given to a cultural experience that I thought was so distant from Middlebury,” Kim said.
Indeed, Middlebury students appear to be extremely excited about Korean culture. As early as half an hour before the show began, a line already formed outside the doors of Wilson Social Space. Once the show started, the auditorium rang with near constant screams of approval from the audience.
The show featured more than 60 singers and dancers, 15 percent of whom are ethnically Korean, performing instrumental, K-pop and norebang (a type of Korean karaoke) songs. It was important to the show’s leaders that the show present a range of different aspects of Korean culture.
“There was traditional music, we had a bunch of norebang pieces (which don’t categorize as K-pop), the MCs dressed up in hanbok (traditional dress)," Kim said.
There was also a speech about the Sewol ferry incident, in which high school students passed away in the sinking of the Sewol ferry due to the corruption of the South Korean government. According to Kim, understanding this incident is crucial to understanding contemporary South Korean society and culture.
“We all came up with a list of songs together, choosing the most iconic dances and the most fun songs, and we tried to keep in mind the different eras of Korean pop music,” Shannia Fu ’17, another leader of the show, said.
“Honestly, we started with a list of maybe 30 songs or bands, and we tried to narrow it down to around 10, on top of the traditional instrumental music and the noraebang style singing.”
Some highlights included a dance to the newly-debuted K-pop girl group BLACKPINK’s Boombayah with Carissa Lee ’19, Nathan Nguyen ’19, Emily Han ’20 and Lia Yeh ’20; “Unconditional,” a norebang love song performed by Michelle Hwang ’19; and “Lovers,” performed instrumentally by Fu on piano, Jingchen Jiang ’18 on guzheng and Subin Cho ’19 on haegeum.
The show was wildly successful, opening to a full house, and received “a ton of positive feedback,” Kim said. But she stressed that it was not at all easy to organize.
“We literally put on the show without having had any affiliation to an official organization. None of us had much of any experience putting on a show, and we didn’t even know where to begin,” she said. “We had to persuade our sponsors to trust us. We had to put in an insane amount of time and effort to organize 20 acts and 60+ people for an event we didn’t even know was going to attract attention. We had to put our faith in something that had no precedence at this school, and just go for it.”
The leadership board also had difficulty finding support for the show because there is currently no Korean department at Middlebury. Kim hopes that will change in the near future.
“There is no undergraduate Korean department at Middlebury, there are no faculty who teach Korea-related topics, we don’t have much student organization support and we only have a nascent Korean alumni community,” she said. “This event, and the people who organized it, literally had to spring out of nowhere.”
The show received support from the Middlebury School of Korean, the Department of Chinese, the Department of Japanese, the Department of Music and the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs.
Kim and the rest of the show’s leadership board are very invested in widening the scope of influence of Korean culture on campus. The board is among those who recently initiated Korean language tables in Proctor, and they are hoping the college will start offering Korean classes. Fu hopes that the show has helped those efforts to bring more Korean influence onto campus.
“We want the Middlebury community to be aware of this culture that might not be as prevalent around campus,” Fu said. “A small but loud group has also been trying to get a Korean department installed here at Middlebury, so by having so many people show up and display interest in any kind of Korean culture, we wanted to show the administration that there is a genuine desire for a Korean language program.”
Though most of the leadership board for this year’s show will have graduated or will be abroad next year, Kim and Fu are confident the show will continue in the future, and perhaps become an annual event. Given the great success the show has enjoyed this year, it seems likely that interest for Korean culture will only continue to increase on campus.
Correction: an earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to the Sewol ferry incident as a Korean drama reference.
(05/11/17 1:13am)
On Saturday, May 6, Vermont residents gathered at busy intersections and the sides of railroad tracks in an effort to “green up” the state. The green trash bags doled out each year by the non-profit organization Green Up Vermont allowed communities to remove the trash that had accumulated in public spaces throughout the year.
Started in 1970 by former Governor Deane C. Davis, Green Up Day has evolved into a Vermont tradition. The annual initiative has grown to become a day when local businesses, families and school groups join together to clean up the creases of the state that silently fill up with unwanted trash.
In order to solidify Green Up Day’s place on the state’s calendar, former Governor Richard A. Snelling created a 501 (c)3 non-profit called Green Up Vermont to run and organize the event each year in 1979. The organization orchestrates the distribution of trash bags throughout the state, and the event is promoted on local television and radio shows.
“There’s something happening in every town — all 251,” Melinda Vieux, executive director of Green Up Vermont, said. “Bit by bit, Green Up Day has grown over the years, until in recent years; people in Vermont have started to call it a Vermont icon.”
In Middlebury, Charlotte Tate and Peg Martin serve as coordinators between Green Up Vermont and the town in facilitating the cleanup. In her final year as coordinator, Martin leaves behind a strong legacy. “A true force of nature,” Vieux said, referring to Martin, who has provided the spark for the town of Middlebury’s involvement since the 1970s.
Each year, Martin can be seen tending to her “pet spots,” including areas beneath the railroad overpass and along sections of Route 7, all while adorned in her staple Green Up Day regalia: a floppy straw hat decorated with flowers and trash.
Local businesses in Middlebury have encouraged residents to participate in Green Up Day and hosted cookouts for the event. This year, organizers of the Middlebury Maple Run have pledged discounts on the cost of participating in next year’s run for those who joined in Green Up Day. As proof, runners simply need to provide a photograph showing them with a green plastic bag filled with collected trash.
Tate, one of the town’s coordinators, said that she wished students from Middlebury College were more involved in Green Up Day. “I’ve tried to bring it up to students here at the College, but it’s a very busy time,” she said. “The easiest thing is for people to take responsibility for their own travel course. If everybody were to do that, it would make a big difference.”
Although the numbers are still being calculated from this year’s Green Up Day, about 22,000 people participated statewide last year.
“There’s all this emphasis on numbers, and that’s a huge challenge for us,” Vieux said. “That number came from town coordinators, and that 22,000 figure is conservative. Rather, it’s its aliveness that determines its success.”
In passing the baton to the next Green Up Day coordinator for Middlebury, Martin hopes that whoever succeeds her continues to encourage more individuals and groups to be involved.
“I think there’s the opportunity to get a lot more people organized,” she said. “If you get a group of people going, it goes pretty quickly. You can cover a lot of ground.”
(05/04/17 1:36am)
Last week we published an op-ed by Esme Valette ’16 illuminating “predatory pack behavior” on campus. She pointed to a “Hunters and Hunted Party” thrown by a group of senior boys in the spring of 2014 as an example of the perpetuation of a social culture on our campus that fosters predatory behavior. Similar behavior at other schools has recently received nationwide attention, such as when the Harvard men’s soccer team released “scouting reports” of the women’s soccer team, making sexual suggestions about players and rating their appearances.
Middlebury students who have not had direct experience with the negative effects of such a predatory environment might view the issue as existing only outside the Middlebury bubble. Yet events like It Happens Here, where students read aloud testimony about sexual violence on campus, remind us that our campus is not immune to the power imbalances implicit in our country’s culture.
In her op-ed, Valette shared an email written by a group of senior men inviting her to the “Hunters and Hunted” party. Lines include asking women attending to “leave their attitudes … and firm feminist ideals” at home, as well as explicit instructions that the women were to be the hunted while the men did the hunting. This gendered power dynamic is most obvious when a bunch of drunk students cram into crowded suites in search of a hookup, the love of their lives or just some great dancing. But it is also replicated in other aspects of campus life: the ways students talk about hooking up, the jokes students make and the judgements students pass on each other.
Valette’s example of Middlebury’s party culture is three years old — has Middlebury since become better at addressing this gendered power imbalance so prevalent in our campus party culture?
The Green Dot Violence Prevention Strategy program against power-based personal violence, which focuses on sexual and dating violence among students, has made some progress in teaching students how to combat predatory behavior. Their trainings, often targeted at athletes — members of teams where a pack mentality is inherent and can easily turn predatory, teach students how to proactively prevent dangerous situations. Many of the tools of Green Dot are simple and designed to have low social costs. One way a bystander can reduce the likelihood of violence is to check-in with someone who looks uncomfortable or too drunk to consent to a hookup, for example.
One challenge of the Green Dot trainings, however, as well as events like It Happens Here, is that attendees are likely to be those who already are aware of the sexism and predation present in the current social life on campus. Such trainings and events will be much more powerful if they can reach students who have been unaware or unthinking in their participation in this harmful culture. We highly recommend students attend a Green Dot training and the It Happens Here event — both groups also have Middlebury websites with informational material or stories you could read today.
The College’s faculty, coaches and administrative leaders can work on creating more systematic exposure to these issues, as they did by making basic Green Dot training mandatory for first-years during orientation two years ago. But the “adults” on campus do not have the power to change the norms of Middlebury’s social scene. Student leaders, especially upperclassmen and especially sports team captains and club leaders, must take that initiative. Some sports teams have organized team Green Dot trainings or have meetings at the beginning of the year about how they can create a healthy social environment within the team. If upperclassmen rejected the predatory norms assumed in party spaces on campus, it would set a powerful precedent for subsequent generations of Middkids. Let’s use the power of the pack to set a new, better standard for social interaction on campus.
The editorial represents the official opinion of the editorial board of The Middlebury Campus.
(05/04/17 1:33am)
A couple of weeks prior to Charles Murray’s much-discussed visit to Middlebury, I was asked to write a piece on student activism for a spread that the Campus had intended to put together on the topic. In the wake of Charles Murray’s visit, this plan — like many of our plans for the semester — went out the window. As I participated in hours upon hours of conversations last week about free speech, inclusivity and the “Phase 2” students’ ongoing disciplinary proceedings — a full two months after Murray’s visit — I couldn’t help but think that the broad conversations about campus-based activism that the Campus had intended to spark are more relevant now than ever.
Originally, I had planned to write about how I utilize engaged research as a principle part of my pedagogy, and the relationship of engaged research to activism. Students in my Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies courses often ask: “What do we do with this theory? How do we talk about these complicated academic ideas with people who aren’t in this class?” My students find ways to answer these questions through engaged research and related creative projects. Last semester, students in my Politics of Reproduction and Queer Critique courses produced zines, podcasts and art exhibits, organized a 5k run/walk and created ongoing journalistic columns, alongside writing developed analytical papers. Finding ways to discuss the academic ideas from our classes in alternative formats and with people beyond our classrooms demands a level of analytical sophistication that goes beyond what is required for even the most complex in-class discussions.
I thought I would write about these everyday forms of student activism, about the pedagogical possibilities of engaged research projects, about how students already utilize academic theory in their activism and how they might do so otherwise.
And then Charles Murray came to campus.
It has since become impossible to imagine reflecting on student activism without centering the discussions and protests spurred by Murray’s visit. On the one hand, I resent that my imagination has been constricted by racist, classist and sexist right-wing ideologues. I resent that the narratives that stick to these big ostensibly news-worthy moments function to overwrite ongoing and everyday forms of student activism, those that neither begin nor end with expressing resistance to someone like Charles Murray. On the other hand, as a new member of the Middlebury community, I am hopeful that we might use this moment to advance prior conversations regarding student and scholarly engagement in the public sphere—at Middlebury and beyond.
Doing so will require many things:
Reflecting critically on how we frame “protest.” At Middlebury, students’ rights to protest have been repeatedly affirmed. Largely missing from the discussion of the Murray event are the values and benefits associated with students’ engagement in the public sphere. Let’s move beyond discussing protest as a legal right, which positions it as something the institution must allow, and instead approach non-violent protest as a social good.
Recognizing that social critique takes many forms, and that the effectiveness of each is spatially and temporally contingent. In addition to protesting, students challenged the racist, classist, sexist and xenophobic ideologies upon which Murray has built his career by creating and circulating flyers and pamphlets through which they addressed specific points made by Murray as well as the broader cultural ideas that inform Murray’s work. These components of the students’ protest have been largely ignored. Conservative political commentator Andrew Sullivan, for example, critiqued students not for protesting per se, but for failing to “challenge the data or the arguments of the book.” Such alternative facts ignore that students did challenge the arguments of the book and that this was a part of their reasoned protest. (We’ll leave aside the demand that one responds with reason to that which is inherently unreasonable.)
Articulating where, when and how the College effectively supports the development of skills and analytics to counter racism, sexism, classism, ableism and homophobia — and also where we fall short, individually and collectively.
For students to learn to engage the world, as Middlebury’s mission states, we must not only re-affirm a commitment to protest, we must be willing to support students as they grapple with how to draw effectively from their course material when engaging in the public sphere. Put otherwise, we might discuss how the institution can better support students as they learn to engage the world.
The events surrounding Charles Murray’s visit to campus continue to raise questions for our community to address. One of these is about the relationship of protest to other forms of student and scholarly engagement in the public sphere. As we proceed, let’s recognize that social engagement is crucial to the life of the university. Let’s approach students’ engagement in the social sphere as that which can extend the boundaries of our classrooms, as a site for the development of new epistemologies, aspirations, and ways of relating to one another and our world. Let’s refuse the simplistic protest vs. respectable resistance and theory vs. activism binaries that make their way into classroom and activist discussions alike. Let’s support students as they grapple with how to do the difficult intellectual work of refusing these binaries by utilizing theory in the public sphere. Doing so will allow us to better understand what we mean by “protest,” “engagement,” “theory” and “the public,” in the first place.
Carly Thomsen, Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, writes in about the importance of social critique.
(04/27/17 3:39am)
Let me paint you a picture. The canvas is blank. The colors are pink, purple, yellow and black. The artist is in a particularly gay mood and has about an hour to paint butterflies, roses and all things good and happy.
It is the Midd Masti show, guys.
Last Saturday on April 22, Wilson Hall was caught up in a Bollywood song and dance bonanza as the hosts looked out to a packed audience and invited on the glittering stage the first performers of the night: Ayesha Ashgar ’19, Hamza Kiyani’19 and their Bhangra dance crew.
Dressed in black harem pants, tank tops and donning yellow “dupattas,” the dancers stepped onto the stage and flashed everyone the biggest smiles they could muster. They had hops, they had twirls and lots and lots of “thumkas.” They even had a (bearded) grandmother who seemed to be scolding them, before she joined in the dance and gave us a few “thumkas” herself.
This year’s show was titled “Baat-Cheet” (chit-chat) and a dialogue between the hosts preceded each performance. Each dialogue was based around the theme of identity and aspired to capture the spirit of the dance that followed. Many stories – most of which were happy, a few of which were sad – were shared by students who call both Vermont and the eclectic mix of colors that is the world of South Asia, home.
Over the last few years, Midd Masti has maintained a tradition of inviting guest performers for its annual showcase. This year saw INGOMA – Midd’s only African a capella group – took the stage. They sang two spiritual songs from Kenya and South Africa: “Kuliko Jana” (Swahili) and “Ndikhokele” (Xhosa). They were followed by the University of Vermont’s Bollywood dance group, JAZBA, who performed a fusion of pop, traditional Punjabi and Bollywood music. With a six-song medley and a substantial storyline, JAZBA’s performance was really a mini Bollywood musical, complete with love at first sight, a (not too) devastating heartbreak and eventual (ecstatic) union.
Varsha Vijayakumar ’20 wowed everyone with a vocal performance of classical Carnatic music, which the New Jersey first-year has been practicing since she was five years old. Her hymn to Lord Shiva, the Transformer and Destroyer, was both tremendously skillful and incredibly emotional.
Akhila Khanna ’17, who is bidding us all goodbye next month after four years of organizing the brilliant annual Midd Masti shows, choreographed on the magical rhythms of the iconic “Humma Song” for the senior piece. As she prepares to leave our College, she wants to leave her Midd Masti pals with a very special message.
“Keep spreading the energy joy and happiness that is so pure and inherent in your dance,” she said. “Always keep the Proc basement doors open for everyone and anyone and I am certain you will change lives like you have changed mine. Thank you for keeping me going, reminding me of home when Middlebury was not. I will miss you from the bottom of my heart.”
We will miss you too, Akhila. The “thumkas” won’t be the same without you.
The show ended with the performers taking their bows and heading over to Crossroads for the after-party, with more desi songs and many more “thumkas” in store.
(04/27/17 1:45am)
Donald Trump has proclaimed April as “National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month,” affirming his commitment to reducing and ultimately ending sexual violence in our Nation. Kind of ironic coming from the man who’s been accused of sexually assaulting more than fifteen women and caught on tape bragging about his right to “grab ‘em by the pussy.” While I do not support our country’s president, I am committed to raising awareness about sexual abuse and fighting against it. So in keeping with this month’s theme, let me tell you about some of the predatory pack behavior that I was privy to at Middlebury College.
(04/27/17 1:41am)
In “A Letter to the Well-Intentioned Liberal Professor” (April 12), Travis Sanderson states that Middlebury faculty whose “support of ‘free speech’ ... does not include protection of shut-downs and other methods of expression” are “on the wrong side of history.” Comparing us to the white moderate whom Dr. King chastised in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Sanderson concludes his letter with: “You are guilty.”
It’s a well-written letter, and Sanderson may be right. If shutdowns of selected speakers become the norm at Middlebury and other college campuses, the 114 faculty who signed the “Free Inquiry on Campus” statement will have been on the wrong side of history. And even if this is not the case — even if such shutdowns remain infrequent — Sanderson, along with many student, staff and faculty allies, may still say that we are guilty. Guilty, as he writes, of not “focusing on the actual concerns of marginalized students” and of doing “nothing to acknowledge the actual lived experiences that marginalized students articulated to argue for their free speech.”
Again, Sanderson may be right. It’s possible that we 114 Middlebury faculty (and faculty who signed a similar petition championed by Robert P. George and Cornel West) are not as focused as we should be on marginalized students. What’s in the hearts of professors Alvarez, Anzali, Gebarowski-Shafe, Kafumbe, Morsman and Yuen, just to list a few, who signed the statement? Are their actions on behalf of marginalized students enough?
More pointedly, can their actions ever be enough if they do not, as Sanderson insists they should, support the shutdown of some speakers? Is that the right criterion to judge the entirety of their commitment to social justice and marginalized students?
No one can say for sure. It’s possible that this particular stance — approving or disapproving of shutting down some speakers — is a perfect bellwether of such a commitment. But I hope that most members of our community will not come to this conclusion. For aren’t there many ways for us faculty to support students whom we admire with all of our hearts, even as we reserve the right to disagree with them on some contested issues? And can’t students challenge opinions of their faculty with vigor and insight, even as they honor their faculty’s lifelong (if imperfect) commitment to doing the right thing?
All told, let us hope that members of our community embrace the full spirit of Dr. King’s hallowed letter. For as angry as he was at his fellow clergymen in the spring of 1963, nowhere does he proclaim that they are “on the wrong side of history” or “guilty” of anything. Rather, he ends his letter with a call for faith and love, a sentiment that — following Sanderson’s effective lead — I modify here to address these trying times at Middlebury:
“I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for us to meet each other, not as a pro-free-speech or anti-free-speech person but as a fellow community member and an empathetic sister or brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our anger drenched community, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and sisterhood and brotherhood will shine over our great college with all their scintillating beauty.”
Jon Isham, Professor of Economics, writes about free speech at Middlebury.
(04/21/17 5:13pm)
We have all been part of our own Putnam County Spelling Bee, though we may not have realized it until the weekend of April 13-15. We may not have spelled the words or participated in the mass hilarity of the show itself, but we certainly connected with the awkward, uncomfortable, spastic and ultimately beautiful moments that come with growing up.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was put on by the Middlebury College Musical Players (MCMP) and was performed and directed entirely by Middlebury students. Olivia Christie ’19 directed, Ronnie Romano ’20 directed music, Sam Boudreau ’19 stage managed and Alex Williamson ’17 directed tech. It ran in the beautiful Town Hall Theatre in the heart of Middlebury. Unlike on-campus venues, Town Hall Theatre seemed to be far more accessible to members outside of the college community, and the audience was composed of a wonderful blend of people old and young.
The diversity of the crowd was also a mark of the power of the play to connect with everyone over the course of its two acts – we all grow up at some point, after all. The first act, which set the scene for the spelling bee and introduced us to the characters, unfolded like chaotic poetry with constant rhyme of humor. Each character revealed their own quirk, and in many scenes, all came together to sing beautiful songs with fluidly disjointed choreography. Much like the beginning of adolescence, the first act showed the characters to be incredibly awkward and passionate and, as many adults may forget, complex.
In fact, actress Emily Cipriani ’19.5, who played the adorable Leaf Coneybear, shrewdly noted that “the humor keeps the pace rolling and warms the audience up to the characters, making later, more serious themes more approachable.”
For example, the first act had songs like “My Friend the Dictionary,” “Pandemonium” and “I’m Not That Smart,” which, though humorous, served to highlight some of the more common trials of adulthood.
“Pandemonium,” which featured speller Chip Tolentino (Michael Koutelous ’20), focused on how life can be incredibly unfair. The cast performed the song twice, and in the reprise, Chip – a favorite to win the bee – spelled his word wrong, becoming the first contestant to get out. Though the song stimulated laughter and the choreography was endearing, for me – and I am sure for other audience members as well – the scene evoked memories of feeling that life could be unfair.
Leaf Coneybear’s “I’m Not That Smart” was easily relatable to anyone who has ever felt inadequately smart in comparison with those around them. According to Cipriani, the song was an example of how Leaf “did not believe in theirself.”
“My Friend the Dictionary,” sung by Olive Ostrovsky (Maria Bobbitt-Chertock ’20), was an ode to all the children who have ever felt alone in their lives. It was a sweet song, featuring disconnected rhymes and simple lines. Yet it held within it the power to leave smiles on our mouths and sadness in our eyes.
The show also featured various adult characters, such as Rona Lisa Peretti (Madeline Ciocci ’20), Doug Panch (David Fine ’17) and comfort counselor Mitch Mahoney (Tim Hansen ’18). Though adult, these characters were no less awkward than the spellers and had their own problems. There was also an appearance from Jesus (Amy Conaway ’20), who remarked that “gender is a social construct.”
When the curtains opened again for the second act, the lines between humor and intelligent reflection blurred to the point of invisibility. Koutelous sang about his “Unfortunate Erection” and we laughed heartily, but our hearts felt for him. What is more awkward than an erection in the very public setting of a spelling bee?
“It’s a funny show, but that doesn’t mean that these kids don’t deal with very real and very deep issues that make them so relatable,” said Jess Garner ’19.5 who played Logainne SchwarzandGrubiere. “Olive’s depression and loneliness, Marcy and Logainne’s controlling parents and extreme pressure to succeed, Logainne’s anxiety, Chip’s veneer of confidence, Leaf’s misunderstanding family and ostracization and Barfee’s frustrations with being talked down to are all aspects which really help to make a comedy a more layered and resounding show.”
When Sabine Poux ’20, who played the genius Marcy Park, sang about how she speaks six languages, we saw a smart girl reveal the layers of insecurity and doubts that any hard-working child has thought about at some point: Does everyone think I am boring? Do people think of me as anything more than a smarty-pants?
When Bobbit-Chertock, Miranda Seixas ’20, and Tim Hansen ’18 combined forces to sing “The I Love You Song,” we sat in rapture as the tangled emotions and expectations of family love were simplified into three notes harmonized perfectly into one. No family dynamic is the same, but the song found the right key to express the importance of those dynamics, touching every one of us listening.
When Logainne SchwarzandGrubiere had a meltdown because of the constant pressure put upon her by her two fathers (Christian Schmitt ’19 and Austin Kenny ’19), we remembered the pressure we endure from our parents and life. Hell, I was reminded of the pressures I was going through that day.
However, just like the first act, the emotional scenes were clothed in humor, and for this they were far more enjoyable for us than the scenes we experienced ourselves in years past.
By the end of the play, it was clear that the motley crew of lovable characters had all grown up in a way. Leaf discovered that they were pretty damn smart. William Barfee, played by the hysterical Sean Meagher ’20, discovered that he could be his weird self, spell words without his magic foot and find friendship and love with people as quirky as him. Logainne found her own confidence and blossomed outside of her fathers’ stern instruction. Marcy realized she could lose if she wanted to, even though she could have easily won. Finally, Olive finally found a friend in Barfee, as well as kindness in the form of Panch, who had been rather mean to the kids throughout the bee.
Within the chaos of “Spelling Bee,” the one constant was a smile on the faces of everyone in the audience. Though there were scenes that made us sad, the play’s consistent humor, wonderful acting and beautiful songs never once let us get down on the scenes or the lives they portrayed.
I think it was the ability to keep us all in good spirits that made this show as magical as it was. It reminded us of how hard adolescence could be, but it forced us into realizing just how damn beautiful and fun it was too.
Upon interviewing the cast, it seemed that another reason there was such joy in watching the show was that the cast and crew gelled so well.
“What was great about this show was that the cast just clicked, creatively and emotionally,” said Bobbitt-Chertock. “Everyone helped foster this welcoming, supportive environment, which is a real gem in theatre – an art form that infamously entails a lot of diva-tantrum-throwing.”
“The best thing about this play was the people involved,” Ciocci agreed.
Fine added that the dedication of the directors was crucial to the show’s success.
“Our cast and crew had no weak links at all, and Olivia and Ronnie did absolutely superb jobs as director and music director,” he said. “It was a privilege, and I am very proud of our performances.”
The glowing review from the cast illuminated the final, wonderful point to take from “Spelling Bee”: no matter who we are we all grow up with others, and it is with their unwavering support and presence that we all can find our way safely into adulthoo
