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(02/20/13 9:34pm)
I interned at a Hong Kong-based weekly news magazine in winter term, and I made some observations on fragmentation of information by reading news everyday from news outlets in China and in the U.S.
If I only have 10 minutes before I go to work and need to skim some news, I’ll choose the New York Times over the People’s Daily, Nanfang Daily or any other Chinese media website.
The homepage of Chinese media tends to be the front-page layout of their paper. There is no selected news under different sections, and no active links that directs readers to the text of any article; only the PDF version of the paper is available.
I always find interesting reports on China, the Middle East and all parts of the world on the New York Times homepage, but world news rarely becomes the headline of any Chinese newspaper.
The narrow view is not the most unbearable part – the fragmented information is. Chinese news media only provide the least information you need to know about any pieces — most of the articles online are under 400 words, while western media offers in-depth stories. Most of the news on the New York Times is over two pages, and some fascinating feature reports can be over seven pages.
It is not hard to see how different styles of reporting in the West and in China affects the ways of speaking out in public.
I read comments before purchasing an item on Amazon, both in the U.S. and in China. The average quantity and quality of comments on amazon.cn are lower than those on amazon.com. Take One Hundred Years of Solitude as an example: most of the comments on amazon.cn focus on the quality of packing and mention nothing about the book itself. On amazon.com, however, all the comments sound like book critiques, and a lot of them are over 800 words. For a kettle, the comments on amazon.cn tend to be under two sentences; even when people are complaining about a kettle, they give no detail. But on amazon.com, users tend to be more responsible and will come back and edit their comments after using the kettle for several months, and the information can be very useful for potential buyers.
Similar things also happen on social media. In college, most of my friends don’t have Twitter accounts, and they barely post anything on Facebook. They value face-to-face communication. But in China, when I meet with my high school friends, the scene is totally different: everyone is on Weibo (Chinese version of Twitter) or Renren (Chinese version of Facebook) at the get together. My college friends share links of news reports and long critiques of events on Facebook, while my high school friends in China spend tons of time lingering on Weibo but only repost other’s short comments without creating any original post. One hundred and forty characters can be an efficient way to communicate, but it should not be the only way.
Fragmentation also limits our judgments. A 400-word news report can only include the basic who, where, when, what and how, and leaves no room for analysis. Even when analysis is present in those short reports, it will not be comprehensive and becomes biased.
I guess it is hard to avoid being fragmented in this era. News reporting is competing with short judgment, persuasive photos and self-explaining graphics. We, however, need to consciously avoid becoming impatient and shallow.
(02/20/13 6:07pm)
On Tuesday, Feb. 26 the Sustainability Integration Office is launching Be Bright, a pilot program to raise awareness and educate students about energy consumption on campus in a semester-long energy literacy campaign. The Sustainability Integration Office hopes the project will inform students and push them to be more conscientious of their own energy consumption while involving the campus in reaching carbon neutrality. The campaign’s events will include an exhibit in Davis Family Library on March 11, a “pledge ride” event on March 6, a series of community dinners and the launch of a new Tumblr site which can be found at go/BeBright.
“The goal of this whole campaign is to educate students about energy use at Middlebury and why their actions are important and how they effect campus-wide energy usage,” said Sustainability Communication and Outreach Coordinator Avery McNiff ’12. “It’s important to think about the consequences of one’s own energy use in the world outside of Middlebury with the understanding that the use of energy effects the environment, economics and politics at personal, local, global scales.”
The Be Bright campaign distributed surveys to the student body in January in order to collect data on what students already know and would like to know about energy consumption on campus.
“The survey was designed to gauge both students perceptions of energy consumption and current practices of energy conservation,” said Luke Elder ’13, a student involved in the campaign.
The survey generated several inquiries among the student body, such as “Will we reach our goal of carbon neutrality?” and “How much energy do the solar panels near the organic garden generate?” Answers to these questions will be posted on the Be Bright tumblr site throughout the semester.
The Feb. 26 launch dinner, to be held in Atwater Dining Hall, will serve local food and will feature a speech by Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben. After dinner, students will have the opportunity to be photographed with their energy pledge, which will then be posted on the Tumblr page.
“We’re hoping that this [will create] a record of the pledges made,” explained McNiff. “They can be creative, even something very simple such as to turn off their lights every time they leave their room. We want people to be able to adapt it to their own lifestyle.”
In the days following the dinner, pledge stations will be set up around campus so students can write their pledge on a whiteboard, take a picture with it and post it on the Tumblr page.
The site already features a photo of McKibben holding his pledge, which reads, “to keep campaigning for a clean future”.
“We’ve found a lot of students want to know about carbon neutrality, and where we are on the path to carbon neutrality and so we’re trying to tie this into the energy literacy campaign,” said McNiff. “They want to know about our energy sources, where they come from, how the biomass [plant] works, what will we do to get to carbon neutrality, what we count in our carbon footprint. We need to make the answers to these questions available to students if we want to foster an energy literate community at Middlebury. We hope that in the effort to educate students we can also increase a sense of awareness and involvement. The idea for carbon neutrality initially came from students and it is crucial for students to continue to play a role in getting there.”
While the student body is often considered to already be environmentally conscious due to the College’s organized attempts to reach carbon neutrality, the energy literacy campaign seeks to educate students about the environmental effects of their behavior on a more individual level.
“I think energy literacy is important because energy consumption is one of the main ways that the average student contributes to the college’s greenhouse gas emissions on a daily basis,” said Elder. “Learning more about how seemingly small, daily decisions can impact the College’s energy use can collectively have a large impact on campus.”
Additionally, the campaign will incorporate different departments and elements of campus life that may not have been previously involved with energy issues on campus. For example, an exhibit of silkscreen pieces created by Ali Andrew ’12.5 titled “Energy Imprints” has been installed in McCullough as a part of the project.
“What I would like to see happen most is for students to discover a greater sense of connection with the college environment,” said Julian Macrone ’14, who is involved in the campaign and interned for Director of Sustainability Integration Jack Byrne this summer.
“As much as the campaign aims to reduce energy usage, I think the long-term goal for the campaign is to really foster a greater understanding regarding how campus functions, and how our own actions shape the workings of that environment. If this can help construct a greater sense of ownership of their environment in students, then hopefully this will set the groundwork for an enduring sense of responsibility and a lifetime of stewardship in whatever environment students may find themselves in.”
(02/20/13 6:05pm)
On Feb. 10 Public Safety announced an increase in parking ticket fines from $10 to $50, a change that has been applied to weekday and night winter ban and faculty and staff lot parking violations.
To decrease the number of tows required and increase compliance with the parking regulations, the fines were raised to magnify the “deterrence factor” of receiving a ticket, said Associate Dean of the College and Director of Public Safety Elizabeth Burchard.
“This change is necessary to reduce the gap between the previous ticket fines and the cost of a tow for the same violations,” wrote Burchard in an email to the student body. “Parking enforcement continues to be necessary, and consistency and equity are an important part of this process.”
Burchard said that Public Safety has received a number of complaints that the discrepancy between a $10 parking violation fine and the $125 charge for the first tow is too great.
Public Safety often tows cars that are parked overnight in winter ban and faculty/staff spaces in order to free up the spaces for snow removal and use in the morning, although they are “trying to continue to reduce the need to tow,” said Burchard.
Burchard acknowledged a “grace period” for those using college facilities such as The Grille or the library after midnight, but cautioned against pushing this limit.
“At a certain point we do realize that the night is over and now faculty and staff are going to start arriving in the morning,” said Burchard.
Burchard pointed out that Public Safety contracts to a tow service. Public Safety will occasionally waive the high tow fee for students who appeal the charge, and in these cases, the cost of the tow is absorbed by the College.
“That doesn’t really seem right,” said Burchard.
Dan Vatnick ’15 said the new fines are too high and that the current system of charging tickets to students’ accounts is ineffective as a deterrent.
Vatnick suggests that Public Safety fine the students directly instead of billing their parents, or preventing students from registering for classes until all fines are paid.
“Then, kids would have to actually deal with the consequences of a ticket instead of just letting their parents pay for it,” he said.
Burchard added that the number of tickets and tows has decreased significantly since she began working at Public Safety in 2001. She noted that while 5,773 tickets were issued in the 2001-2002 academic year, that number is now down to 3,549 tickets last school year.
A common complaint from students is that faculty and staff lots take the most convenient locations.
“A parking spot in Kenyon doesn’t count for real parking because it provides no utilitarian purposes,” said McKay Sheftall ’14.
Faculty and staff are given priority for the spots most proximate to classrooms and buildings.
“[Students spots are] more at the peripheral of the campus,” said Burchard, “so students are usually putting their cars [in these spots] and leaving them there. Unfortunately students don’t always like where the available spaces are located.”
In addition, students often note that the ratio of student spaces to faculty and staff spaces does not seem to reflect the population and the need for spaces.
“The faculty and staff lots are never full,” said Hannah Dietrich ’14.5.
Burchard described the system of parking regulations as a “strategic process” because there is a limit to the number of spaces and “we need to control how they are used.”
An idea that has been brought up among those responsible for parking regulations is to find a way to better associate parking spaces with housing assignments, said Burchard.
In order to make parking available for every permit holder, Public Safety must take into account external factors such as the current construction that has closed much of the Kenyon lot, said Burchard. The first-year spots that were once in that lot have now been moved to the lot behind the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts, with a number of news spaces added to the Ridgeline lot.
Most students have little to no experience with parking violations, but Burchard said that a small group of students have trouble with adhering to the regulations for a number of reasons.
Burchard emphasized that Public Safety is open to feedback.
“We are looking at the fact that there have been changes to parking … We are trying to figure out if we did it right,” said Burchard.
Written by JEREMY KALLAN '14
(02/13/13 10:39pm)
On Tuesday, Feb. 12, international freelance journalist and Middlebury alumnus Dimiter Kenarov ’03.5 spoke to students and community members in a lecture titled “Shale Gas: from Poland to Pennsylvania.” Recently, Kenarov spent six weeks traveling Eastern Europe and the United States researching fracking as a global phenomenon — the first report of this scale on fracking.
Kenarov particularly focused on Pennsylvania and Poland, where mineral rights to approximately one-third of the country have been sold to gas companies that use fracking. He started his project seeking to explore the social, environmental and economic costs of fracking.
Kenarov explained how today’s energy crisis and fracking are some of the most controversial issues in the public sphere today.
“It’s so polarizing,” said Kenarov. “It’s a real madness. A real war actually.”
Kenarov became interested in the issue in January 2012, after the arrival of fracking caused thousands of people in 12 cities to take to the streets in protest in his native country of Bulgaria.
“My first interest […] had to do mainly with the growth of environmental movements in Eastern Europe and how they were revitalizing civil society,” explained Kenarov. “After the end of the Cold War, people became politically apathetic […] and it seems like in the last couple of years that common space has become important once again.”
The issue of fracking has caused environmentalists around the global to protest. Fracking requires the use of thousands of gallons of fresh water in order to create the pressure to break the rock that separates the underground gas reserves from wells. This water will later flow back out of the wells as waste but contaminated with gas and chemicals that often make it radioactive. Additionally, six percent of the casings — intended to contain oil and chemicals within the well — of all new wells fail, resulting in contaminated groundwater for the area.
Other issues resulting from fracking wells include occasional methane emissions, which dangerously pollute the air, and the disruption of natural habitats — an inevitable side effect of the large clusters of wells and immense pipelines necessary to make fracking lucrative.
Economic arguments often favor fracking. Farmers in Pennsylvania can sell the mineral rights to their land to interested gas companies often for significant profits. Yet Kenarov is hesitant to place too much emphasis on fracking’s economic benefits.
“On one hand, there is no doubt that this has really given an economic boost to [regions of Pennsylvania],” said Kenarov. “Fossil fuels are a fluctuating commodity: it goes through booms and busts,” he said. “It is very dangerous, I think, to build up an economy around a commodity, a resource, that is so unstable.”
Kenarov does not believe, however, that fracking is the solution to countries’ energy and economic problems. He explained that the industry does provide revenue, but is already declining. Companies are leaving Pennsylvania in search of other gas sources. Additionally, no one knows when the supply of gas will be used up.
“Some people say 100 years of supply, some say seven years,” Kenarov noted.
Charlie Koch ’13, an environmental studies major who attended the lecture, was surprised by the instability inherent in the fracking industry.
“I had not previously considered the vulnerability of many of the new businesses and communities reliant on fracking to price fluctuations,” said Koch.
Both the economic instability and destructive environmental impact of fossil fuels have been influential factors in the College’s recent considerations of divesting its endowment from fossil fuel companies.
Kenarov, though hesitant to state an opinion on a would-be divestment initiative, said he did not think divestment would be effective in stopping a large-scale issue such as fracking. Rather, Kenarov advocates pushing large gas companies to improve their green divisions in order to develop alternate energy options. Students, however, are moving forward with their promotion of divestment — several student groups are set to pitch divestment initiatives to the College’s Board of Trustees this Saturday, Feb. 16.
(02/13/13 3:50pm)
Today is Valentine’s Day. No matter how you feel about this “holiday” — whether you love it, hate it or try to forget about it — Feb. 14 usually makes us think about love. And, even though the two are not necessarily or always related, love often makes us think about sex.
Most college students, however, do not confine their sex-related thoughts to this single day in February. Sex is a part of college — whether you’re having it or not. You may be waiting until marriage, but your roommate may not even wait until you leave the room. Sex is an inevitable part of our four years here.
It is important, therefore, that we are conscious of and educated about not just sex, but our sexual health in general. A recent survey on the topic of student life conducted by the SGA found that 58.3 percent of respondents had never thought about getting tested for STIs. Testing is available at Parton Health Center, but only 5.64 percent of respondents had taken advantage of this option.
There are various explanations for these somewhat jarring statistics. Some students may not be aware of the resources that Parton has to offer or may be dissatisfied with care they have received at Parton in the past. Other students may find the idea of getting tested embarrassing. Some students are also concerned about cost of the tests themselves, which range from just $6 to test for syphilis to $25 to test for gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Yet another possible explanation may be the “Middlebury Bubble.” Middlebury allows its students the opportunity to pursue intellectual enlightenment with little distraction of the problems of the “outside” world. We read about catastrophes and violence in the news, but at Middlebury, it can sometimes feel like these problems do not affect us — that we are invincible.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. Middlebury students are not invincible. And as a campus charged with sexually active 18 to 22 year olds, Middlebury is especially not invincible to STIs.
Middlebury is not invulnerable to violence, either. While the fact that 89 percent of respondents to the SGA’s survey claimed to “feel very safe on campus and never think about safety as a problem,” can be construed as a positive indicator of life at the College, it also may demonstrate a lack of awareness of certain aspects of campus life.
For example, the above statistic may overshadow the harsh fact that sexual assaults do occur on our campus. While most students here feel very safe, this is not the case for all students. Given this situation, it is alarming that 35 percent of survey respondents had little knowledge of the on-campus resources available to victims of sexual assault. As a community, it is important that we remain aware of and sensitive to the issues — both physical and mental — that are a reality for some of our friends and peers, if not for ourselves. As students on a campus where sexual assault exists, we are all responsible for educating ourselves.
Clearly, we are primarily responsible for our own sexual health. Part of that responsibility includes taking advantage of the resources the College has to offer beyond just the health center. Educate yourself on the newly enhanced Sexual Assault policy, which expands the definitions of consent and substantial impairment. Reflect on the message of yesterday’s One Billion Rising event. Talk to members of the Student Wellness Committee about initiatives you would like to see on campus. Pay attention to the “It Happens Here” display in the Davis Family Library.
While it is important that students take advantage of these resources in order to be accountable for their own sexual health, we also urge the College to place greater importance on this issue. It has been a year and a half since the resignation of Jyoti Daniere, and we are still without a director of health and wellness. Forums and lectures on the topic of safe sex and sexual assault are largely nonexistent or reach limited audiences past first-year orientation. What kind of message is the College communicating in terms of valuing the sexual health of its students?
Our sexuality is inseparable from our whole being. Therefore, our sexual health cannot be ignored. STIs and sexual assault exist on campus. Increased sexual health programming, along with greater student accountability and responsibility, will ensure that the College and its students give sexual health the attention it deserves.
(02/13/13 3:48pm)
Are you addicted to your phone? Think about it for a second. How much of your day do you spend glued to your smartphone, checking emails, texting friends and reading articles? I know that when all is said and done, I am guilty of spending a good chunk of every single day on my phone. Before this winter term, I had never really thought of the effects that this obsession might have on my relationships with other people.
The majority of tables at Proctor sport iPhones carefully placed next to peoples’ meals. This technology stares up at the diners, tempting, distracting and reassuring all at the same time. In fact, I cannot remember the last time when I enjoyed a dinner in Proctor and did not look at my phone once. Snapchat, texting and the newest trend of Tinder have become intertwined in our socialization. Now we don’t even have to look up from our phones to talk about cute boys. We can just use Tinder to scan through boys in our area!
Don’t get me wrong, it is really fun and I can’t imagine life without my phone. Yet, after taking “Community and Connectedness” this past winter term, I have begun to think about the possibility that while my phone allows me to maintain old friendships across the country, I may be stopping myself short when it comes to true deep connections I could be making with the people sitting right across from me in the “real world.” In other words, is checking my Facebook in the middle of dinner to stay connected with old friends taking away from building stronger connections with those seated in front of me?
Throughout the winter term class I had a deep-seated belief that things were not as bad as they seem; our generation can still have deep relationships and connections like the generations before us. Surely, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and texting only add to our relationships instead of necessarily defining them?
As the course went on, I began to think more and more about the place of technology in my own life and the effect it has on my relationships. Whenever I’m alone or in an uncomfortable position, I feel a tug to my phone — it offers a sort of protective shield that I can hide behind. What if I were to leave it in my room and actually have to learn how to deal with uncomfortable situations that I will certainly come across in my day-to-day life? My guess is that I would actually have to interact with fellow students and thereby meet new people.
While we certainly become connected and stay connected using electronic devices, it is important to make sure that they do not disrupt the human interchange. I can organize a lunch with friends, but what good is that when I am on my phone talking to other friends while at lunch? I should instead be engaging with my fellow lunchers in order to foster those “real time” relationships.
But I do have hope for our generation. We are not at the point where we are so addicted to technology that we rely on it to completely fulfill our social lives. I think that when used properly, the technology in electronic devices provides us with the opportunity to do great things and to improve our lives. It is amazing and awe-inspiring, but we must be cautiously aware of our reliance on it.
In Proctor, try not picking up your phone for a whole dinner and you will realize how bizarre this seems. Or, just look around and take note of how many people are consistently on theirs. It is impractical and foolish to advocate a decrease or a halt in new technology and its usage, but being aware of how it affects my own relationships has forced me to learn how to strike a balance. I have made amazing connections with great people here in college and I want to ensure that I make the most of the time I have with these people — the people right in front of me.
(01/25/13 10:57pm)
Last week the College and the surrounding community mourned the passing of esteemed Professor Emeritus Ana Martínez-Lage who died after battling cancer for many years. Although Martínez-Lage retired last fall to spend more time with her family, her death has deeply affected members of the college community where she was highly respected and deeply loved.
Born in Pamplona, Spain, Martínez-Lage completed her higher education in France and received her Ph.D. in the United States from Penn State University. In 1996 Martínez-Lage joined the College as a member of the Spanish and Portuguese Department.
President Liebowitz described her as “a pioneer in the use of digital courseware materials” and noted that her development of the Spanish immersion program for Middlebury Interactive Languages “may well have a lasting influence on language education far beyond Middlebury.”
Professor of Spanish Patricia Saldarriaga also noted Martínez-Lage’s great contributions to the digitalization of language teaching, but stressed that she leaves a lasting impression beyond the classroom.
“Beyond academics, her greatest legacy to all of us will be her example of courage in adversity, of sheer grit in the face of terrible odds,” said Saldarriaga in an email.
Saldarriaga echoed Liebowitz’s remarks in emphasizing Martínez-Lage’s truly innovative teaching techniques with the use of technology.
“Again, using technology as a launching pad, she has helped prepare some excellent, truly innovative programs that use the latest theories of language acquisition and gives them a practical application through the latest technology,” said Saldarriaga.
Laura Reid ’04.5 worked closely with Martínez-Lage on her senior thesis and post-graduation collaborated with her on the development of her language immersion program. Reid described Martínez-Lage as a linguist without parallel and held deep admiration for her patience with language students.
“Ana was a linguist par excellence, cerebrally and soulfully,” wrote Reid.
“She truly embraced the idea of native-like linguistic capacity on a fundamental level; never judgmental, she accepted a non-native's ability to master her mother tongue as easily as she accepted her fellow native speakers' capacity for linguistic finesse and creativity,” Reid added.
Although Reid praised Martínez-Lage’s academic accomplishments, what she found more impressive was her incredible spirit and positive disposition.
“Enduring, graceful, selfless and strong are some adjectives that immediately come to mind to describe Ana, but the truth is, her character goes far beyond the limits of what language can effectively describe,” said Reid.
The College held a memorial service to commemorate Martínez-Lage’s life last Saturday, Jan.19 in Mead Memorial Chapel. The service’s attendance spoke volumes to the impact she had on both the College and the community.
In the words of Reid, “she was and is a unifying force of elegance.”
(01/24/13 2:30am)
Last Friday and Saturday evenings, The Rude Mechanicals (The Rude Mechs) performed their original play The Method Gun at the Seeler Studio Theater. The performance by the Austin, Tex.-based ensemble occurred alongside a week-long residency at the College, in which they provided workshops for and gave feedback to students. After seeing the performance, I must admit to being keenly jealous I wasn’t invited to sit in on one of these classes.
The performance began in a rather unorthodox manner, as the troupe had already been on stage walking around beforehand, greeting members of the audience and making slight adjustments to the set. When the flow of people into the theater finally tapered, it was a member of the troupe who took on the role of usher, announcing — in a tongue in cheek way, of course — to the audience to turn off all cell phones and abstain from taking photos.
The play itself traced the nine year training process of Stella Burden’s acting troupe as it prepared Tennessee Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire, although without any of the main characters. Burden, an acting guru who left the troupe early on in the process (she does not appear in the play), was the mastermind of “The Approach,” a dangerous acting method that combines “risk-based rituals” and Western acting methods. The narrative structure of the play is disjointed, and the troupe often broke character to further muddle the line between drama and real life. The fact that Stella Burden is a “truly fictional” character, as the troupe so equivocally put it in a discussion after the performance, adds only another layer to the performance. Indeed, the troupe’s unique ability to infuse traditional elements of story with a heightened sense of self-reflexivity made the performance a one of a kind experience.
I do not think I have ever seen a play that posed lofty, interesting questions in such a farcical, often vulgar way. Aside from the recurring question of what is real within the performance, the play explored the powerful influence certain individuals have in people’s lives and perhaps the distorted images that are then projected onto them. Or I could be totally wrong. That’s the kind of performance this was. The whole production was so open-ended that people will likely read into it in many different ways. What most people will agree to, however, was the absurdity of some scenes, such as when the actors started the performance by practicing crying, or the various scenes in which a vulgar tiger appeared randomly and commented on tangential topics. And of course who could forget the scene in which two male actors walked across the stage completely nude, save a string connected to helium-filled balloons wrapped around their penises.
If I haven’t conveyed this fact in a clear way yet, the play was extremely entertaining from start to finish. Most of the fun came from trying to figure out what was going on in addition to anticipating the next ludicrous thing that would happen. In the end I think it is difficult to convey with words what happens in The Method Gun. While some people might be bothered by this, I believe it is what makes the play interesting and the ensemble exceptional.
(01/24/13 12:53am)
Winter term is wonderful for so many reasons: more fun with friends, homework for only one class and ample time to plan elaborately themed parties, make a kickass broomball team or construct an igloo outside your dorm. These are the parts of winter term that we like to remember — the memories that give us those warm fuzzy feelings about college. However, there’s a darker, more sinister side to winter term that we conveniently forget. It strikes in the first two weeks, silently and painfully creeping its way through every nook and cranny on campus. It keeps people up at night, makes them scared to leave their dorms or enter the crowded dining hall. All we can do is sit by and watch, crossing our fingers that our immune system will hold its ground as our community turns into a scene from the movie Contagion. Trade your skis and hot cocoa for tissues and chicken noodle soup. The Middlebury epidemic has struck again.
Of my four years on campus, I have seen three of these unfortunate events. First, it was the swine flu. During its wrath, one-third of my freshman dorm was quarantined. My good friend and hallmate was left to wallow in an oppressively hot room with a broken heater that was stuck on high. She couldn’t come out and facilities couldn’t go in — an uncomfortable experience for everyone. There were rumors that a building was going to transform into an infirmary. While that never came to fruition, the swine flu was a solid introduction to the Middlebury epidemic’s potential.
Next came gastro. Swift departures from class, pale faces and crowded bathrooms — gastro is a fresh memory for many of us. Last J-term was as much about vomit and diarrhea as it was about, well, J-term. With everyone eating in the same dining halls and living in close quarters, gastro’s epic proportions were hardly a surprise.
This year, it is the flu. Only one week into winter term and it had already reared its ugly head. Half of my friends are out of commission. Events have been cancelled. The health center’s supply of flu vaccines is a hot commodity. We wash our hands more than usual, keep our water bottles close by and are grateful for the extra hours of sleep winter term affords. But we cannot get away from the inevitable reality that when you live with 2,400 friends — eating the same food, hugging, maybe kissing — things are bound to get messy. For many of us, that will mean getting sick.
If you happen to fall victim to this year’s small-scale epidemic, follow the usual protocol: drink plenty of liquids, sleep as much as you can, monitor your temperature, take it easy and limit your contact with others. The health center is there if you need it. Shamelessly ask for favors from your friends and use Hulu for all it is worth. The flu is uncomfortable and it is gross, and there is little you can do to avoid that reality.
While there are plenty of very valid reasons to dread the Middlebury epidemic’s arrival, it would be disingenuous for me to pretend that I hate all of it. I could certainly do without the fever, chills, headache, congestion and contagious friends. But in a strange way, it is during these most miserable times that we come together. There’s something profound about sharing a dismal experience with another person. We stockpile oranges for emergency consumption, bring ibuprofen and Gatorade to our friends’ bedside and make bets about who will drop next. Especially during my first year at Middlebury, it was the swine flu that brought me closer to my new friends than any Bunker dance party. Every year around this time, I get a refresher course in the positive effects the Middlebury epidemic has on our little community. The silver lining may not be apparent at first, but it is certainly there.
The flu hasn’t reached me yet this year. I am treating every moderately scratchy throat as a sign of its imminent arrival. I wake up and assess how my body feels. I eat oranges like it’s my job. I’m ready to take it on if I must. And though I am hoping to be spared from this bout of the Middlebury epidemic, I know that, regardless of my immune system’s heartiness, we will all get through it, together, one more time.
Written by ADDIE CUNNIFF '13 of Tucson, Ariz.
(01/24/13 12:47am)
On July 1, 2013 Former Provost and Executive Vice President Alison Byerly will leave the College after 23 years of service to begin her term as the first female president of Lafayette College in Easton, Penn.
“People want to see [Lafayette] balance a need to innovate and change and move into the 21st century, with a desire to still have it be the place they love,” said Byerly of one of her main challenges ahead as president. Many colleges face the demand of integrating the past and the future, and Byerly is ready to conquer that challenge at Lafayette. “I feel ready for a new challenge at this stage in my career,” she continued.
She will also face the additional challenge of learning the ins and outs of a new community. Although Lafayette and Middlebury are both small, residential colleges, they are very different in terms of location, specialization and character. After spending the entirety of her career at Middlebury, this will be the first time Byerly will have to completely integrate herself into a new community.
Byerely’s move to Lafayette is a return to her roots. She grew up in Pennsylvania and completed her degree in Victorian literature at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at Middlebury. Although Byerly was not initially searching for a post in administration, she became drawn to it by leading faculty committee work at the College, eventually securing a post as provost. She has also served as executive vice president, amongst other positions.
This past academic year, Byerly has been on leave, serving as a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her work there has involved setting up and participating on panels about digital scholarship. Her work at MIT, in addition to her liberal arts background at Middlebury, helped set her apart from the other presidential candidates during the six-month vetting process.
“As president you have to lead an institution that consists of many parts that are not your specialization,” said Byerly. “You have to be a generalist. You have to understand enough to support the people that do know the details that you don’t.”
Although she has no degree in engineering, the exposure through work at MIT will help her administer to the needs of Lafayette’s engineering school that accompanies its traditional liberal arts college.
“A thoughtful, energetic explorer of the many new possibilities technology offered to teachers, researchers and students in our colleges and universities, [Byerly] is widely recognized in American higher education as an important voice for forward-looking change and effective consensus-building,” said Philip E. Lewis, vice president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in Lafayette College’s press release.
Although excited to start her new post at Lafayette, Byerly admits that she is sad to leave Middlebury, a place she has called home for over two decades.
“What I’ve loved most about Middlebury is that it is an ambitious place,” said Byerly, adding that this quality is shared with Lafayette.
“Whether as professor or provost, I never lost sight of the feeling I had when I came here my first interview,” added Byerly. “I walk across campus and say, ‘I would be lucky to be a professor here.’ I thought that the day I first stepped on campus, and I think that now.”
(01/22/13 11:59pm)
Following Sunday evening's discussion on divestment by Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben, the Campus Current is back with another liveblog from McCullough Social Space, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tonight will feature a "wide-ranging panel [discussing] the ongoing debate over whether environmental and social concerns should influence investment policies of college and university endowments." The panel will include Charlie Arnowitz ’13, Ralph Earle, Alice Handy, Mark Kritzman, Vice President for Finance Patrick Norton, and McKibben. The event will be moderated by David Salem '78. Additional information on the panelists is available on a website devoted to the discussion.
According to the press release, "It will focus on two questions: what factors should the college’s board of trustees consider in determining whether to place restrictions on how Middlebury’s endowment is invested, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of using divestment as a means of addressing climate-related concerns?"
The Campus Current will provide a liveblog below, but a live stream is also available online. Additionally, the Campus will be providing detailed analysis of the panel in Thursday's issue.
With Additional Reporting and Photography by KATHRYN DESUTTER and CHARLOTTE GARDINER
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9:33 - Salem thanks the audience, and smooth jazz begins playing as the audience continue the discussion amongst one another. Signing off from the McCullough Social Space. Thanks for reading!
9:32 - Salem concludes the panel, reminding the audience that he has done his best to maintain neutrality. Salem admits that he has heard things that “don’t ring true to me.” He encourages audience members to use the website to continue to investigate the facts.
9:30 - As McKibben speaks, there is snapping in agreement from the audience. Salem gives Earle the final word, who confirms McKibben’s assertion the investment field “is an exercise in masochism.” He continues, “The missing piece — not just in the US, but globally — is government [action] against climate change.” McKibben then jumps in and confirms the need for action at the governmental level.
9:28 - McKibben continues, “There is no $420 million cost at stake here. We’ve found out tonight that less than 1% of our endowment is invested in the top 200 companies we’re targeting here.” Handy interrupts and asks McKibben to remember that due to the commingled investment, more than just Middlebury’s 1%, or $9 million dollars, is at stake. After a brief interjection from Kritzman to support Handy’s argument, McKibben again takes the mic to quote the “Middlebury Divestment Reader” that was distributed by student volunteers at the start of the forum, and available for download below.
9:24 - A student asks what solutions would be more effective than divestment, and if it’s feasible for Middlebury to spend the amount currently invested in fossil fuels and arms manufacturers “directly on its values.” Kritzman fields the question: “I apologize for trying to interject some of the science and rationality into the conversation.” He continues by elaborating based on the historical example of tobacco.
9:20 - This is followed by a request for Handy and McKibben to address the differentiation between divesting from fossil fuel companies and arms manufacturers. McKibben begins by thanking Liebowitz for providing numbers on the College’s endowment and highlighting that less than 1% of our endowment is invested in arms manufacturers, and in combination with investment in fossil fuels, the amount in question remains less than 5%. Handy emphasizes that investment is in commingled managers, which presents broader implications of the issue before McKibben injects that there are other places to find $900 million. "That's the beautiful thing about Capitalism."
9:17 - Another student then asks Norton about the potential effect of divestment on need-blind admissions. Norton echoes Kritzman’s findings that the loss that would come as a result of SRI would have a “devastating” impact on the College from a long-term perspective.
9:15 - Teddy Smith '15 askes Handy if she would be willing to work with students to better understand the endowment. Handy’s reply is short: “Absolutely.”
9:14 - "That was about three and a half minutes," Salem says before moving onto the next question.
9:13 - Jay Saper ’13 asks the panelists and the audience to recognize that those most affected by climate change and violence are not present. Saper walks along the first row of chairs, naming parties and individuals not present — ranging from the Palestinian people to a student from Sandy Hook elementary — and highlights their absence at the forum. "There is a cost to death. The cost is unimaginable."
9:11 - Fernando Sandoval Jimenez '15 asks how many clients need to support a move to SRI in order to enact the policy completely? Handy responds by saying it would take an agreement by all clients.
9:07 - Earle responds first and confirms Kagan’s assertion of the risk of opportunity cost. According to Earle, if divestment turns out to be an ineffective strategy, then there is an enormous opportunity cost of the money and energy expended on divestment campaigns. McKibben follows Earle, stating: "It's by no means a silver bullet, it's one thing we need to do!" McKibben, citing Professor of Economics Jon Isham’s research, laments the lack of a price on carbon to motivate investors.
9:00 - Max Kagan ’14 directs a question toward McKibben and Earle, asking about potential downsides to divestment, primarily within the framework of opportunity costs and the historical record of divestment in the tobacco industry, Sudan and South Africa. He released an op-ed in the Campus with similar points in November.
8:59 - Salem then solicits questions from the audience and requests that the questions be limited to approximately one minute. He also encourages audience members to consult online College materials for answers, and also to share remaining questions on the forum’s website.
8:57 - Kritzman then presses McKibben for the “scientific outcomes” of divestment. McKibben again uses the historical anecdote of South Africa to draw a parallel.
8:54 - Salem quiets the audience before moving the panel onto questions, which will be posed among one another before being posed by the audience. For the first question, Arnowitz presses Handy to elaborate on the aforementioned “creative solutions” that Investure could employ in a divestment strategy. When Handy answers in somewhat vague terms about Investure’s model, Arnowitz presses for specific solutions. Handy’s response: “I don’t have an answer for that.”
8:52 -"It's hard to imagine how we could live with ourselves otherwise," he concludes. McKibben receives a standing ovation by approximately one-third of the audience. A letter from Steyer is distributed to members of the audience.
8:51 - McKibben, in citing personal friend Tom Steyer, manager of a hedge fund of over $20 billion, argues that “this [divestment] can be done, is a good investment strategy, and that divestment is a way to make yourselves heard."
8:47 - McKibben emphasizes that “endowment return is not the only financial indicator to worry about” when considering the funding source of the College. McKibben cites donations as one of several other sources of revenue. He continues in discussing his pride in the College’s pledge to carbon neutrality, but argues that “it makes no sense to green the campus without also greening the portfolio.”
8:44 - "My car gets more than 50 mpg, and the Arctic melted last summer.”
8:42 - “Our hope is not that we can bankrupt Exxon … but we do believe that history shows that divestment can change the course!” McKibben cites the liberation of South Africa, which fell victim to a strong divestment movement in the 1980s, and eventually repealed apartheid.
8:41 - McKibben reiterates many of his points from Sunday evening: “These industries are different — the flaw is the business plan.” A few students snap throughout the many of McKibben's remarks.
8:40 - McKibben proposes that the College pledge, in the course of the spring semester, not to invest new money in fossil fuel companies, and over the next five years, taper the investment to zero. He proposes that the same policy be adopted for arms manufacturers. McKibben acknowledges Norton’s reference to “inter-generational equity” and explains his view that it is “morally wrong” to invest in companies whose missions “ensure that students will not have a planet” to inherit.
8:37 - McKibben begins by explaining that he is nervous. When he remarks about his own “low net worth,” several members of the audience chuckle and snap. McKibben then thanks Arnowitz, to more applause, before requesting that the audience not applaud or interrupt so he can remain within his time limit.
8:35 - Salem now introduces McKibben, the sixth and final panelist. He challenges McKibben to propose a process that the board of trustees could employ if the board chose to embrace divestment.
8:34 - Earle concludes by urging critical thinking. “This is a multi-generational problem that will not be solved overnight,” says Earle.
8:33 - Earle then proposes steps that colleges and universities might take: 1) Encourage proxy voting that would require environmental expertise on the board of energy companies. Earle warns, “you [currently] can’t vote if you’re not a shareholder.” 2) Encourage collaborative research and use of resources to develop sustainable technologies. 3) “What can students do?” He suggests a pledge to never buy a vehicle that consumes less than 50 mpg. He then suggests that students shift their own consumption from coal to renewables. “Find out how your utility generates electricity. If it’s from coal — fire them!”
8:30 - 'It’s my view that the entire fossil fuel industry is too large a target, and I advocate a more specific strategy directed primarily at the greatest [firms] that impact climate change, namely coal.'
8:29 - Earle advocates for the use of funds toward purchasing “vast supplies of inexpensive natural gas,” which has half the warming potential of coal.
8:27 - Earle announces that he is “in complete agreement with 350.org’s goals.” However, he immediately clarifies that “I don’t think that divestiture from fossil fuel stocks will be effective in reducing climate change.” Earle cities divestment from the tobacco industry and the Sudan as not having a large impact. He further argues that the world's largest fossil fuel companies aren’t publically traded.
8:25 - Salem then introduces Ralph Earle, asking for his reactions to what he has heard thus far; in particular, he highlighting Arnowitz’s opinions of the importance of student input.
8:23 - Kritzman closes with the advice that “well-intentioned investors should measure these two approaches and decide which they believe to be most effective."
8:21 - Kritzman then shows a slide that assumes a $1 billion portfolio invested in the S&P 500, EAFE, the Developed World and the entire world over a period of 5, 10 and 20 years. A table of these factors demonstrates the cost of socially responsible investing, culminating in a $420 million loss if the $1 billion was invested worldwide over 20 years.
8:18 - "I hope you're following. I know it's hard to concentrate when it's so exciting."
8:15 - "An inarguable mathematical truth that socially responsible investment is costly." Kritzman follows his statement that “it’s pretty simple to estimate the costs,” and introduces a (very) text-heavy slide which utilizes a “Monte Carlo simulation."
8:14 - Kritzman explains the channels through which socially responsible investing has an economic impact. Socially responsible investing can raise a bad company’s cost of capital, draw attention to a "bad" company’s "bad" behavior, and in drawing attention to this company, may persuade it to reform.
8:11 - “At the outset, let me just say that I do not have a view as to whether you should restrict your investment universe or not, but I have a view that you should at least understand the consequences of these two choices when you make that decision."
8:10 - Salem then introduces Mark Kritzman, who loads a visual PowerPoint presentation to accompany his response. Kritzman explains that he will outline the cost of socially responsible investing.
8:09 - Arnowitz urges students to remember that "every student's voice is legitimate" and "not [to] demonize other community members." Rather, student must focus on "the most effective way to steer this debate." Arnowitz concludes to an enthusiastic applause.
8:07 - Arnowitz cites the SGA student survey, which has surveyed almost 50% of the student body. According to collected data, 40% of respondents thought divestment was a “very or extremely important issue.” Arnowitz cites several other stats that demonstrate student commitment to the issue of divestment. Here is the full breakdown of numbers provided by Arnowitz following the panel:
Based on the SGA’s recent survey, which as of 3:00 this afternoon had 1,031 respondents, around 45% of the student body: 63% of respondents think the College should apply the principles of socially responsible investing to its endowment. 14% are opposed and 23% have no opinion. In terms of prioritizing SRI, 28% think it’s not particularly important, 32% think it’s somewhat important, 40% think it’s very or extremely important. In terms of divestment, students favor a diversity of approaches. 38% support divestment from arms and the top 200 fossil fuel manufacturers. 10% prioritize fossil fuels. 12% prioritize arms manufacturers. So total of 60% support some kind of divestment, 15% don’t support divestment, 25% have no opinion.
8:05 - Salem introduces Arnowitz. He thanks the organizers for including a student on the panel and acknowledges that many parties affected by these decisions are not present at the forum, to which a few audience members snap in agreement. Arnowitz continues, “We insist that student views be at the table and that students’ views be taken into account.”
8:03 - Handy discusses constraints, such as the required 8 percent return (5 percent to cover spending and 3 percent to cover inflation). She then acknowledges the added pressure of Middlebury’s duty to its students, faculty and staff, as well as its desire to be “a perpetual institution.” Handy concludes, “our number one priority is to support all of our clients to work together to make the world a better place.”
7:58 - Handy states that Middlebury has about $6 million invested in explicitly sustainable companies, and another $20 million in a manager that uses ESG criteria.
7:58 - “Divestment would require a buy-in by all of our group.”
7:57 - Handy explains that Investure strives “to provide a service level comparable to that of any individually-managed investment office.” She tells the audience that “we [Investure], like everyone here, want to leave the world a better place, and believe that we can provide our clients with the resources to continue their missions.”
7:55 - Handy will speak next, discussing why Investure relies on commingled funds to meet clients’ needs, what constraints govern the management of Middlebury’s endowments, and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria that Investure employs.
7:54 - Norton adds that his financial role is to provide for the education opportunity of both current and future Middlebury students. He concludes by asking the trustees to consider the implications of divesting from fossil fuels, as the energy companies occupy a “large portion of the investment space.”
7:51 - Norton continues in explaining that since 2005, Middlebury has contracted with Investure to manage the College’s portfolio. He states that the College decided to contract with Investure for the promise of “access to investment opportunity comparable to large endowments.”
7:50 - Norton explains that the role of the College endowment is two-fold: 1) It is used to support the education of current Middlebury students, which was $50 million for FY 2013. 2) It is used to support the education of future Middlebury students. This is done by creating future generational equity, which aims to maximize returns, with a return objective of at least 5% plus inflation to ensure preservation if not positive gain.
7:47 - Salem begins the panel by asking Norton four questions: “Why does the Colelge have an endowment? Who decides how much is spent and on what basis? Why does the College delegate to Investure? What are the key elements of Investure’s mandate to the College?”
7:45 - Salem announces that the forum will last for approximately 100 minutes. The first half will be a series of questions posed by the moderator to each panelist in turn. Each panelist will answer in approximately 5-7 minutes. The panelists are then encouraged to “cross-examine” each other.
7:44 - Salem acknowledges that the “tools of my trade [are] tedious at best and maddening at worst — including many of us that manage money for a living.” He urges the audience to “base your views on primary sources, search aggressively and endlessly for facts contrary to your evolving thesis and defend at all costs ‘the illimitable freedom of the human mind.’”
7:41 - Salem takes the podium and thanks Liebowitz, the panelists and the audience. He jokes that the recording of the forum should contain the warning, “viewer discretion advised.” Salem requests that the panelists and the audience “leave for another day the scientific challenges that lie at the heart of the global debate about climate change … to important to be taken up — yet alone resolved — by tonight’s panel.”
7:38 - Liebowitz discusses decorum, and asks that “no one does anything to interfere with anyone’s ability to see or hear this discussion.” He then welcomes the moderator, David Salem ’78.
7:36 - Liebowitz welcomes and thanks the audience for attending. He explains that this is the first of a series of discussions about divestment, an issue of “great interest and importance,” and he expresses his pleasure that “the College is taking a leadership role.” Liebowtiz cites other examples of student involvement in the creation of institutional policy, such as the establishment of study abroad sites and the retention of winter term. He mentions that “several student groups raised questions regarding Middlebury’s endowment” throughout the fall.
7:33 - McCullough has continued to fill, but there are still many open seats throughout the auditorium. All panelists are on stage, conversing. Various seats throughout the auditorium are reserved for displaced peoples, a silent protest of sorts. The crowd quiets as the panelists sit down and President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz takes the podium.
7:18 - McCullough Social Space is slowly filling up. Ushers are checking IDs at the door if you're planning on coming. Some individuals are wearing "DIVEST MIDD" shirts. Upon entering, many attendees were given a pamphlet entitled "The Middlebury Divestment Reader," compiled by 350.org.
[A Note About Liveblogs: Although we do our best to accurately present events and quotes, the instant nature of liveblogging sometimes leads to errors in our reporting. If you feel like you have been misrepresented or misquoted in our coverage above, please do not hesitate to contact the Campus.]
(01/21/13 12:15am)
The Campus Current will be liveblogging "Midd Does the Math" beginning at 7:30 p.m. from Mead Memorial Chapel. The event, which is sponsored by Divest for Our Future, will feature Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben. Middlebury is the latest of many stops for McKibben, who traveled around the country on his Do the Math tour throughout the fall of 2012.
"Come join us for a night of education AND fun (in the true spirit of J-term)," Divest for Our Future writes. "We can promise that there will be a LOT of energy!"
The event comes only two days before Tuesday's panel on the College's endowment; the Campus will provide a subsequent liveblog at that event, beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
With Additional Reporting and Photography by KATHRYN DESUTTER and CHARLOTTE GARDINER
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11:40 - For additional coverage and photographs from "Midd Does the Math", MiddBlog's Luke Whelan just posted about the event.
9:48 - Signing off from the Mead Memorial Chapel, but we'll be back on Tuesday evening for what will certainly be an interesting discussion. Additional coverage and analysis will be available in this Thursday's issue. Thanks for reading!
9:46 - After discussing the nature he has witnessed in each state on his Do The Math tour, McKibben stresses that community will be essential in winning this fight at Middlebury. "We will do what needs to happen ... Middlebury will show the rest of the country and the rest of the world a path forward from a very difficult place." This conclusion prompts a standing ovation from a majority of the audience.
9:41 - He continues, "When you come to get arrested, will you wear a necktie or dress?" McKibben wants to make a strong point, and remove the "radical" nature that is associated with the divestment movement. “There is nothing — and I mean nothing — radical in what we’re talking about here."
9:38 - McKibben speaks about the tools of influencing people to change through the political message sent by divestment. “Our goal is to find the other currencies — the currencies of movements, passions, experience, creativity.”
9:36 - McKibben asks students to complete the post cards, which were placed in the pews throughout Mead Chapel prior to the event. The postcards are pre-addressed to the board of trustees, and simply say "DIVEST MIDDLEBURY" on the front.
9:35 - He introduces a final video message from Jason Scores, economics professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. “We’re very proud that students have taken the lead to demand this change, and we’re very proud that many faculty are standing with them, too,” says Scores.
9:32 - McKibben asks for a freeze on new fossil fuel investments and to wind down existing fossil fuel investments in five years. "I think Middlebury will provide leadership." He continues, "If you’re going to green your campus you’ve got to green your portfolio."
9:30 - McKibben introduces a video from Desmond Tutu, who speaks about divestment's impact in ending South African apartheid. Tutu mentions the suffering of the African people due to climate change “even though they’ve done nothing to cause the situation.” He says, "Once again we can join together as a world and put on pressure" in solving climate change.
9:28 - "I think it would be a big mistake not to do this," Steyer concludes.
9:27 - McKibben introduces Tom Steyer, a friend and professional investo, to the stage. He speaks about his belief in climate change, and emphasizes its urgency. "We’re going to hit a nonlinear progression where things are going to get much worse, much faster," Steyer states. Steyer admits that he quit his job at the end of 2012 to become a "pain in the ass." He stresses urgency and openness: “It’s about dealing with the issue openly and confronting it. We’re actually going to have to accept the problem. I have been an investor for 30 years – I know that this will be very difficult for the institutions ... and [I know] that they can do it."
9:19 - Elder expresses gratitude to President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz for organizing Tuesday’s panel on the College’s endowment. Audience members snap in agreement. As the program approaches the 1.5 hour mark, some students begin to leave.
9:17 - Elder reflects on flipping through the physical archives of the Campus in the special collections of the Davis Family Library. “In 1978, the College faculty voted to divest from all companies involved in South Africa. And then for 8 years, nothing happened,” says Elder. He speaks about the history of the divestment campaign during the 1980s at the College. Elder describes how members of the group “Students Against Apartheid” met with the Board of Trustees, and finally, they voted to divest from South Africa in July of 1986. (Three months prior, in the Campus' annual April Fools' issue, the headline quipped that the college had divested from the South Africa; perhaps, we'll revisit the idea in this year's April Fools' issue.)
9:12 - McKibben introduces Professor Emeritus John Elder, who states that “nothing could be more important” than the ongoing discussion. McKibben drinks one of the Otter Creek beers used in the analogy described below.
9:10 - We're moving onto what the audience can do: dinvestment. McKibben explains that 'we can't avoid using a certain amount of carbon in the way our society is set up, but it is wrong to profit from it.' He makes a similar statement about assault rifles.
9:07 - McKibben sets up an active analogy between the 2 degrees Celsius limit and the 0.08 limit on Blood Alcohol Content. As students pass bottles of Otter Creek Brewery ale onto the stage, McKibben describes how he could probably drink three or four and still remain below the legal limit. “The problem is that the fossil fuel industry are absolute party animals,” says McKibben. "Even with all this beer ... the fossil fuel industry continues looking for more." Three cases of Keystone Light, with 30 cans in each, are loaded onto the stage. McKibben explains that the fossil fuel industry is analogous to the copious amount of Keystone.
9:04 - McKibben speaks in between words from a video of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson. The crowd laughs as McKibben pokes fun at Tillerson’s claim that the effects of climate change can be softened if we “move around crop production areas.”
9:01 - "They’ve stifled every rational effort … to put a price on carbon.” McKibben describes BP’s development of the slogan “Beyond Petroleum” and their subsequent decision to sell off the sustainable divisions of the company.
8:59 - McKibben explains that major progress in renewable energy is inhibited by “the basic fact that the fossil fuel industry cheats.” While Middlebury cannot dump its trash in the middle of Rt. 125, the fossil fuel industry can "pour their waste out for free."
8:55 - The good news: "There's plenty we can do ... and it's by no means impossible." McKibben discusses recent improvements in Germany and China as great examples (i.e. solar panels and hot water heaters on top of buildings in Chinese cities). "They have exerted more political will."
8:53 - “I want you to get a sense of who your brothers and sisters are in this fight,” says McKibben. He shows pictures submitted to 350.org from citizens around the globe who have been affected by climate change. One picture shows citizens of Haiti affected by a flood holding a sign stating, “Your actions affect me." Additional photos are available on 350.org's Flickr.
8:49 - Following Klein's film, McKibben introduces another special video from Canadian indigenous activist Clayton Thomas-Muller. He praises Middlebury's efforts, but the video cuts out about midway through.
8:45 - McKibben pays tribute to author and activist Naomi Klein, who is currently working on her movement titled “Idle No More” in Canada. McKibben introduces a video recorded by Klein, a board member of 350.org, filmed specifically for "Midd Does the Math". Klein challenges students to take action: "We need you to provide a strong, coherent message. There is no doubt in my mind that others will follow."
8:40 - McKibben introduces three numbers: 2°C, 565 gigatons of carbon and 2795 gigatons of coal, oil and gas. Do the Math provides explanation: "We can burn less than 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide and stay below 2°C of warming — anything more than that risks catastrophe for life on earth. The only problem? Fossil fuel corporations now have 2,795 gigatons in their reserves, five times the safe amount. And they’re planning to burn it all — unless we rise up to stop them." McKibben continues in saying, "These companies are a road force. They're outlaws against the laws of physics. If they carry out their business plan, the planet tanks."
8:37 - “What we have to talk about tonight is how to keep things from getting totally out of control. All we’re talking about tonight is avoiding calamity — complete calamity.”
8:35 - "You guys are on the front lines ... so let's get to work." McKibben mentions his popular article from Rolling Stone, which gained ten times more likes on Facebook than an article about "hot, ready and legal" Justin Bieber from the same issue. He jokes that it may have been due to his own "soulful stare."
8:33 - McKibben continues by showing photos of community members arrested during the aforementioned protests in Washington D.C. In an adjoining cell block was 72-year-old Gus Speth; McKibben recalls him stating, "I've been in a lot of important positions in this town, but none of them seem as important as the one that I'm in now."
8:28 - “I’m way more nervous than I’ve been … here I am with my neighbors and friends. I’m in a place where I am so deeply hopeful we can maange to get the right thing done, because it’s our community.” He continues, “None of us should have to be here tonight — not on a rational planet.”
8:26 - McKibben takes the stage to large applause.
8:25 - Isham introduces a video from environmental activist Van Jones. He speaks about the history of 350.org, its impact around the world, and the actions taken by the organization to promote awareness of climate change, including the 2011 protests regarding the Keystone Pipeline.
8:21 - Professor of Economics and Chair of the Environmental Science Department Jon Isham comes onto the stage. "How are you Middlebury? Are you ready to do the math?" Isham, who is currently teaching a winter term course titled “Social Entreprenuership in the Liberal Arts,” speaks to the crowd about the complexities of building a world of social justice. “It’s time to carve out our own piece of history,” declares Isham.
8:20 - Neubauer introduces Ellie, a student from the University of Vermont. She speaks to the crowd about the divestment movement at UVM: “We feel responsible to keep the culture at UVM as pure as we can.” After Ellie concludes, Stuart leads the audience in a 'mic-check,' earning loud applause and snaps from the crowd.
8:18 - Greta Neubauer ’14.5 of Divest for Our Future and Molly Stuart ’15.5 of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee take the stage. After a moment of silence for the Abenaki people, each student discusses her reason for divestment: Neubauer would like to divest in order to prevent climate change, while Stuart were like to divest in order to stop violence. “Now is the time to take this powerful step,” Neubauer says.
8:13 - May Boeve ’06.5, executive director and co-founder of 350.org, and Phil Aroneanu ’07, U.S. campaign manager and co-founder of 350.org, introduce the event; they tell the story of starting 350.org at the College. “We left a couple things undone — one of them was divesting,” says Aroneau. "Middlebury needs to divest.” Boeve reminds the audience that tonight is the eighth anniversary of the founding of the Sunday Night Group.
8:07 - Musician Max Godfrey '14 has joined Alpenglow on stage. Together, they sing an original song entitled “Susquehana Drill Town,” based on their collective experiences in Cooperstown, N.Y. Cooperstown is located on the Marcellus Shale, a region rich in methane deposits and ripe for hydraulic fracking.
8:00 - Alpenglow thanks the audience and improves their usually lackluster audience banter with a joke from violinist Elori Kramer ’13.5: “We were told if we played here, Bill McKibben would tweet about us.” Will you be tweeting about Alpenglow, @billmckibben?
7:54 - Community members have begun to file into Mead. While the center pews are largely full, plenty of space remains available on the sides and upstairs at the Chapel. Alpenglow’s stripped-down performance has set a calm, reverent mood.
7:47 - As promised, Alpenglow has taken the stage to warm up the crowd for McKibben. This is there second time the band is on stage in as many nights, having performed on Saturday evening as well. The stream of students has slowed; most listen quietly to Alpenglow.
7:36 - Doors have opened and Mead Chapel is slowly filling up. The Chapel is dimly lit with a large sign behind the stage reading 'DIVEST MIDD.' So far only students have been allowed in; community members will be permitted beginning at 7:45.
(01/17/13 6:49am)
On Monday, Jan. 14, a solo performance titled MYethiOPIA ran in the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts. The performance was written and performed by Burlington-born David Schein.
It was based on his experiences forming and directing the Awassa AIDS Education Circus (now called One Love HIV/AIDS Awareness Theater) with a troupe of street kids in Southern Ethiopia.
These children use gymnastics to deliver messages about HIV/AIDS awareness, and promote the idea of safe sex and information about how HIV/AIDS spreads. MYethiOPIA revolved around the events leading up to Schein’s meeting the troupe as well as a “condom riot” that threatens the company.
Schein started out by singing a song about children begging for money in Ethiopia.
As part of the song, the children noted that the cost of his safari boots could buy three months of food. Schein would later bookend his performance with a reprise of this song.
Afterward, Schein painted a picture of one of his circus performances. He was trying to hold off an audience riot when one of his partners threw a handful of condoms into the crowd, causing even more chaos. Schein imagined the horrors of Ethiopian jail should he be convicted of inciting the riot.
In order to give some backstory to the riot, Schein then launched into his story of how he arrived in Ethiopia in the first place.
A theater teacher in the Chicago projects, Schein was offered the Ethiopia gig in 2002 through a circuitous series of events. On his way to Ethiopia, he met up with an old friend in Frankfurt, Germany.
Schein described an odd, almost dreamlike experience where they went to a whorehouse, but nothing came of it.
They then go to Nuremberg and visit the old stadium where Hitler gave his famous speech. Finally, after all this travel, Schein and his German friend head off to Ethiopia.
Upon meeting his troupe, Schein immediately hits it off with the kids, who range in age from five to 18 years old.
They create a show to promote AIDS awareness, complete with karate and flips and a giant puppet called Mr. AIDS.
The children defeat Mr. AIDS by throwing condoms at him, representative of how safe sex and access to testing can help prevent the spread of the disease.
After a couple weeks of rehearsals, the troupe sets off for a large marketplace where they will perform three shows.
The first show turns into the riot mentioned at the beginning of the performance. But after a fortuitous stroke of inspiration, Schein is able to save the show and calm down the audience.
The troupe then moves on to perform the other two shows, and Schein returns to America a few days later. Ever since, Schein has been tied to his troupe and stills stays in communication.
He has seen it undergo changes as old members leave and new members join.
Schein’s performance was earnest and unique. The one-man show combined song, prose and Schein’s own personality.
Though Schein didn’t act out every little detail, it was this vagueness that allowed the imagination to roam. It was easy to imagine Schein holding back rioting audience members, and he made it so easy to visualize his troupe flipping and punching and vanquishing Mr. AIDS.
Schein has performed MYethiOPIA in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Vermont and Chicago. His performance at the College was sponsored by the Department of Theater.
(01/17/13 2:45am)
While most students have a distant relationship with the housing department, limited only to the ups and downs of the annual housing lottery, Melissa Childs ’14 has a different perspective. As a ResLife intern this past summer, Childs worked closely with Residential Systems Coordinator Karin Hall-Kolts to make changes to the website as part of an effort to make information about the housing process more easily accessible.
Previously, the housing website only consisted of floor plans. Major updates now include a host of information, from rules for hosting parties to housing options based on student status. Childs explains that all of this information was available before, but now it is streamlined and available in one place.
Childs explained that this change was prompted by Hall-Kolts. She had received a number of complaints from students who did not fully understand how the housing process worked. She believes that an update to the main website will result in less confusion and complaints during the process each year.
Childs understands the frustration with the housing process, but also believes that students should better understand how the procedure works to reduce overall anger.
“Obviously, people like to take out their bad housing situations on [Hall-Kolts],” said Childs. “I think that in general at Middlebury, it’s difficult because all students are required to live on campus, and you can live off campus but there are not really a lot of options. I think that because good housing is so dictated by the lottery, [Hall-Kolts] is constantly trying to make it better for students by making it easier and as fair as possible.”
After working in the office over the summer, Childs believes she now truly understands the difficult undertaking of assigning rooms to students. Even over the summer, the housing department works to run housing for language school students and on-campus workers, a process made harder due to the language pledge.
“For one, I have much more respect for what [Hall-Kolts] does,” said Childs. “I also didn’t realize how different Middlebury’s process is from other colleges. [Because there is limited off-campus housing] it almost puts [Hall-Kolts] in a position of high responsibility for what happens to students and the housing department’s decisions.”
Despite the existing problems that plague the housing process, Childs believes that the way housing is operated at the College functions well and that the housing department works to accommodate every student.
“My advice to people would be to remind them that they are lucky because [we] are guaranteed housing and the options are not bad compared to other colleges,” said Childs. “Maybe its not always what you want but the housing here is pretty good overall.”
Residential Systems Coordinator Karin Hall-Kolts ensures that all 2,430 beds on campus are filled each semester.
As much as possible, the housing system tries to cater to student needs and therefore offers many different options.
“This year we introduced the quiet house […] based on student indications that they wanted this opportunity,” said Hall-Kolts.
For first-years and sophomores the housing process is simple and streamlined. Housing placements are based on commons and done separately from the junior-senior online draw.
“We’re trying to thin out the number of people that participate in the online draw,” said Hall-Kolts.
By offering housing options such as ResLife positions, social houses, interest houses, super blocks and off-campus living, the College tries to house as many students based on extra-curricular interests as possible.
Hall-Kolts tries to fill the ResLife positions as quickly as possible so that she can cross those students off her list and move on to filling the social houses which can be trickier. She explained that the members of a social house have an obligation to fill the beds in their house before looking at other housing options. Once social houses submit final rosters, she moves on to the interest houses.
Interest houses include the language houses as well as the Outdoor Interest house, PALANA, Weybridge, and the Queer Studies house. Once the interest houses fill, Super Block applications can be assessed.
“We don’t want groups of social house members applying for super blocks and then leaving their social houses short of people,” said Hall-Kolts, explaining why the process occurs in such a specific order.
Super Blocks are groups of students awarded housing for one year based on a common interest, life-style or hobby. Hall-Kolts takes into consideration many factors when deciding where to place Super Blocks.
“I would not put a group of students known to be excessively rowdy in a place next to neighbors because that’s just asking for trouble,” she said.
Once Super Blocks are filled, then off-campus applications are considered. Hall-Kolts noted that one caveat to applying to live off-campus is that if a student is a member of a social house that does not yet have all of its beds filled that student won’t be permitted to live off-campus.
“You have an obligation to that house,” said Hall-Kolts.
The online draw is the final part of the housing process, and the one that often causes the most stress for participating students. Hall-Kolts explained that every student gets a number even if they are already committed to another housing option. The students already committed to other housing will never get to see their number, but this way Hall-Kolts always can use their number as a back-up if their other housing falls through.
“Students want to plan everything out and calculate it, but you can’t calculate it,” said Hall-Kolts.
The numbers are assigned randomly and given to students based on their graduation year. The lower the graduation year, the higher the number. Hall-Kolts explained that the housing process can sometimes be a stressful one because not all students will get the housing they want.
“Number one is the only number that I can promise that I can give them whatever they want,” she said.
Most students will not receive their first choice in housing, but despite the frustration that inevitably ensues, the housing system is greeted with relative satisaction from the student body.
“People always say ‘oh you have the worst job’, but to be honest with you I don’t think I do. I hear from very few dissatisfied students,” she said. “You have to tread carefully in the housing world, but I think that most students are content with what they have.”
Additional Reporting by LAUREN DAVIDSON and Design by OLIVIA ALLEN
(01/17/13 2:37am)
Last year, 2012, marked the 21st anniversary of the program in women and gender studies (WAGS). In 2013, the May Belle Chellis Women’s Resource Center, commonly known as the Chellis House, will celebrate its 20th anniversary.
To mark these special occasions, the WAGS program and Chellis House held a commemorative dinner on Monday, Dec. 10 in Atwater Dining Hall.
Over 60 staff, faculty, current students and alumni came together to celebrate the progress of women and gender studies at the College from its conception in the early 1980s to a full-fledged program in 1991.
Professors across several departments and programs recalled the WAGS and Chellis history, including Professor of Geography and Director of Rohatyn Center Tamar Mayer, Jean Thompson Fulton Professor of Modern Language & Literature Kevin Moss, A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Sociology Peggy Nelson and many more.
The dinner also featured a presentation compiled by WAGS students Caroline Kahlenberg ’14, Jackie Park ’15 and Allie Weinstein ’13.5. Over several months leading up to the dinner in December, Kahlenberg and Weinstein collected an oral history archive featuring past and current professors and their own accounts of sexism, the College’s ambivalence towards WAGS and the positive changes they saw on campus.
Park interviewed alumni and other supporters of the program to find out how WAGS and the Chellis House enhanced their lives at the College and beyond. She also gathered information about the history of May Belle Chellis, the first woman to graduate from the College. The stories these students captured throughout their research will be available online in the near future.
Mayer recounted some of her early experiences as an advocate for a women’s studies program when the campus culture was less than friendly towards females in general, let alone feminists.
In 1986, she, along with colleagues Nelson, Professor Emeritus Diana Henderson and several other professors, organized a women’s studies faculty seminar featuring professors from Smith College, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and other colleges to talk about how to bring a women’s studies related major to the college. Later that year, women’s studies became a concentration offered by the sociology department. In 1989, the administration approved a major in women’s studies and by 1991 WAGS had graduated its first two majors.
In 1993, Chellis House opened with the support and financial backing of Drue Cortell Gensler ’57 and became the home to various organizations such as the Women’s Union, Artemis magazine, Middlebury Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Alliance, Feminist Action at Middlebury and Women of Color.
Jan Albers, the first director of the Chellis House from 1995-1997 discussed her experience working on the Task Force on the Status of Women, a 1996 report designed to assess the College’s progress in creating a hospitable environment for female students, faculty and staff. The report applauded the women’s studies program, Chellis House, the development of sexual harassment policies and the elimination of fraternities.
In 1988, fraternities were abolished after several accounts of hostility involving Greek life were reported. In May of 1988, during the annual Delta Upsilon toga party, a female mannequin splattered with red paint and the epithet “Random Hole” had been suspended from the house’s balcony, where it remained for several days until then-Dean of the Faculty Maggie O’Brien asked for it to be taken down.
“The report got a lot of discussion going on campus, and I hope that it served as a call to action,” said Albers.
The beginning of the 21st century also saw new advancements in the program in Women’s Studies. In 1999, the College instituted parental leave for faculty, allowing them to take one term off from teaching with full pay when giving birth or adopting a child. By 2000, the program’s name became women and gender studies and the introductory course on gay and lesbian studies was offered. In 2001, Amy Ellman became the first full-time hire in the program.
Three years later, female professors held three of the top nine administrative positions, thus fulfilling one of the recommendations of the 1996 Task Force report, which highlighted the lack of women in the upper echelons of the college administration. In 2005, Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies Sujata Moorti was hired as the first tenured professor in the program.
In March of 2008, the task force on the status of women reassessed policies and attitudes on campus revolving around women. They largely approved of the new parental leave and child-care policies, in addition to the expansion of the WAGS program. However, the report found that sexism still persisted in student social life and that many of the challenges for female students noted in past reports remained.
In a survey, female professors expressed their frustration with having to work harder in order to be perceived as “professorial.” The report also emphasized “the burden of representation and invisibility” felt by female faculty of color and the fear of LGBT students of being perceived as “too out.” A common theme determined by the report was the pressure on some students to be representative of their gender, color, sexuality, etc.
This year, the program and major will go through another transformation with more of an emphasis on gender and sexuality studies. These shifts in the curriculum highlight changes in the field and illustrate the new concerns around gender and sexuality that have emerged over the last four decades.
Today, there are over 20 cross-listed classes in the program for the 2012-2013 school year. While it is clear that the WAGS program and Chellis House have contributed to much positive action over the last few decades, the general sentiment at the December commemorative dinner was that no one would be completely satisfied until Middlebury is an entirely safe place for everyone.
In the words of Albers, “still, there is always more to do.”
With Additional Reporting by JACKIE PARK.
(12/08/12 9:10pm)
Middlebury College employs several in-residence professionals. Whether it’s a scholar-in-residence or an artist-in-residence, these people function as resources for the students and other faculty. Writer-in-Residence Julia Alvarez, described these professionals as people with their feet in two worlds, one in the professional world and one in the academic world. These professionals offer their expertise in their fields to students and also help put Middlebury on the non-academic map. Francois Clemmons greatly contributes to the College’s programs in the arts. Jeffrey Lunstead, a long-time diplomat in South Asia, brings real experience to the classroom setting. Sue Halpern, a writer in narrative journalism, spearheads the College’s journalism fellowships and offers her real world experience in an ever-important field. These professionals “in-residence” work both on and off campus to help the College offer the resources necessary to be an institution of the highest caliber.
Jeffrey Lunstead:
Jeffrey Lunstead brings a different element to the international and global studies department — years of experience in the Foreign service.
Before coming to the College to teach a winter term course in January of 2008, Lunstead spent 29 years as a dedicated Foreign Service officer, living and working in
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Additionally, Lunstead acted as the ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives from 2003 to 2006.
After many years abroad, Lunstead decided it was time to return to his original career plan and work as an educator.
“I had actually thought I was going to go into teaching, but I didn’t have a job right [when I graduated],” said Lunstead. “I got a job offer from the Foreign Services right at that moment, so I thought I’d try that for a while. And 29 years later, I thought maybe I would go back to my Plan A.”
Lunstead now teaches one course per semester in the international studies and political science departments, and most of his courses deal with his specialty — South Asia. In addition to teaching, Lunstead also advises students who are interested in careers in international relations and others who are working to set up seminars or symposiums. He also works with the Career Service Office, giving talks on international careers to students interested in working overseas or in international affairs in the United States.
Lunstead was originally attracted to the position at Middlebury for his familiarity with the area. His family has vacationed in the Adirondacks for many years. Other than Middlebury’s ideal location, Lunstead was interested in the importance that the College places on global perspectives.
“Middlebury is a funny place,” said Lunstead. “We have this small liberal arts college in rural Vermont with this very strong international emphasis, in terms of international students, students who study languages and students who study abroad.”
To expand upon his experiences, Lunstead connects his classes to the real world using simulations and role-playing exercises. For example, students can play out different scenarios during class by taking on the role of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Through these kinds of hands on learning experiences, Lunstead believes that his experience can bring a new frame of mind to the classroom.
“Both enjoy it because it’s a different perspective on the thing that they’re studying,” said Lunstead.
As a diplomat-in-residence, Lunstead’s position is based on “term appointment,” which means that his length of stay is an agreement between him and the College. Currently, Lunstead is scheduled to remain at Middlebury for another three years. Lunstead wants to continue teaching down the road in hopes of sharing his interests and experience with future students.
“I love interacting with the students here because I find them not only smart, because everyone knows that Middlebury students are smart, but [additionally] students are also extremely engaged and interested in finding out about the world,” said Lunstead. “I love South Asia … and the opportunity to [educate] other people so that they can also be interested is a great opportunity.”
Francois Clemmons:
Francois Clemmons first came to Middlebury in 1980, and observed “the leaves were so beautiful. The weather was so beautiful, and I walked and I thought this is like a magic kingdom. I just love it.”
In the 15 years that Clemmons has been artist-in-residence, he has been given generally free reign to define his position.
“The College really doesn’t tell me what to do,” explained Clemmons. “I make a chronology of what I’ve done throughout the year. And I’ll never forget Robert Shine was the Dean of the Faculty and I had a meeting with him and he said [upon seeing the chronology] ‘if it aint broke, we’re not going to fix it.’”
Clemmons has been prolific with his involvement in the school. Some of his long-standing contributions include teaching a winter term course titled “American Negro Spirituals,” popular among a less-likely musical crowd of first-years and athletes. Another project of his is the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir, which developed out of the American Negro Spirituals course.
“I’ve got this rag-tag group choir,” said Clemmons, “… through [which] I like to encourage people who are not musicians to have a musical experience before they graduate from Middlebury College. Ninety percent of the kids who sing with me don’t read music, they’re introverts … and they come and I encourage them, I nurture them … to try and help them to contact that deep emotional part of themselves that will allow them to sing.”
The flexibility of Clemmons’s position allows him to move among major departments and share his expertise across various fields of study — from the dance department to literature programs.
“[The College has] just been so receptive, I’ve explored parts of my personality that I don’t think I would have done in New York City.”
Clemmons is also responsible for the conception of the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which he delights in, as a lover of Irish music and musicians such as world-renowned Irish-tenor John McCormack.
“I don’t think if I lived in New York they would tolerate an openly-gay black man doing a St. Patrick’s Day celebration,” said Clemmons. “They wouldn’t! … But here in Vermont they let me do it. And I think that’s a huge honor that no one is saying you couldn’t do that because you’re not Irish and you’re black. …They understand that I’m doing it because I love Irish music.”
One of Clemmons favorite undertakings has been singing the national anthem at basketball games.
“I am so patriotic and a lot of the boys are in my class,” said Clemmons. “I have a legacy that goes back 10 to 12 years of [supporting] basketball players.”
However, after years of dedication to the school and community, Clemmons has made the decision to retire at they end of the academic year — to slow down, finish his autobiography (already at an unedited 700+ pages) and of course, continue enjoying a life of music.
“The College has been very generous to me all the years that I’ve been here,” said Clemmons. “I hope to continue when I retire to be a part of the College.”
Sue Halpern:
Sue Halpern came to Middlebury seeking a balance between her career as a writer and her life as an academic.
Halpern is a published writer who focuses on “narratives of all forms.” Her most recent book, Can’t Remember What I Forgot, came out in 2012. The book chronicles Halpern’s exploration of the world of modern memory science and neurology.
At the College, Halpern is a member of the department of English and American literatures.
“I was an academic in an earlier life. I realized that I wanted to focus on writing and not so much on being an academic. Then for a while I didn’t do any teaching and I wasn’t affiliated with any academic institution,” she said.
Since coming to Middlebury, Halpern has been very active in promoting narrative journalism at the College. In 2003, Halpern helped to create Meet the Press, a program which invites journalists to give lectures at the College.
“[Meet the Press] brings journalists into our midst and lets us have a go at them to help us understand what they’re doing in the world,” Halpern said.
Halpern also helped create the Middlebury Fellowships in Narrative Journalism in 2008 along with Matt Jennings, editor of Middlebury Magazine. This program produces the “How did you get here?” audio slideshow series, which recounts students’ pre-Middlebury histories.
Halpern mentioned that she enjoys collaborating with students on this and other projects.
She said that she thinks Middlebury students are “very adventurous both intellectually and academically. They’re really willing to try new stuff; they want to be entrepreneurial and be out in the world. I find that really refreshing.”
Halpern frequently engages with students, providing students interested in narrative journalism and storytelling in general with an outlet for their interest.
“Right now I’m working with a group of students on ... producing podcasts for a project that I’m working on for the New York Review of Books,” she said. “We read books together and talk about them and do background work on them and then we interview the authors. We then do digital editing and make audio slideshows.”
Halpern also mentors students participating in independent study projects.
Halpern’s husband is Bill McKibben, an environmental author and activist who also works as a scholar-in-residence. Halpern said that while she and her husband both enjoy working at Middlebury, the divergent nature of their work doesn’t allow for many opportunities to collaborate academically.
Overall, Halpern said that her experience working at the College has been immensely positive.
“It’s a great place to be for all sorts of reasons,” Halpern said.
“The facilities are unparalleled, [and] the faculty is really welcoming. People here are doing interesting work, and they’re working collaboratively as well,” she said.
“Then you’ve got this incredible student energy as well, which I think is just remarkable.”
Julia Alvarez:
Julia Alvarez first set her eyes on the green mountain state when she came here in the summer of 1969 to attend the Breadloaf Writer’s Conference after winning a poetry prize at Connecticut College for Women.
“I came up to Breadloaf and fell in love with the place,” said Alvarez. After attending the conference Alzarez decided that she had to transfer to the College.
“I walked into the admissions office and I said I have to come here,” she said.
Her enthusiasm threw the admissions officer at the time for a loop. He tried to tell her there was a whole process to which she had to apply to transfer.
After hearing this, Alvarez responded, “I’ll just move to town and work until I can get in.”
With her persistent attitude, Alvarez received a call a week later and enrolled in the College. Alvarez explained that she loved every minute of her time at the College, but that the teachers were really what made the difference in her undergraduate education.
“Excellent teachers really nurtured what I called my calling,” said Alvarez. The calling to which she refers is writing, especially poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction.
“I call myself a migrant poet,” said Alvarez, who earlier in her career worked as a teacher, travelling from place to place teaching whenever she could and always writing. When Alvarez got a call from the College asking about whether she would want to have a temporary teaching position at the College for one year she immediately said yes. Her one-year gig quickly turned into a 10-year commitment, and soon after that she was being considered for tenure.
The one problem with granting Alvarez tenure was that she needed to have published work in order to be considered. Alvarez quickly compiled her writing and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents was published in 1991.
“I got tenure and I thought of this as my tenure book,” she said. Yet, with the great success of Garcia Girls, Alvarez became overwhelmed with the great task of both teaching and writing.
“I gave up tenure to be a full-time writer,” she said, but I had also fallen in love with the classroom.” Wanting to remain involved with the College, Alvarez worked with the administration to create a role for her on campus. The College’s only writer-in-residence, Alvarez expressed how grateful she is to the College for being so accommodating.
“I really get a lot out of it because it gives me a community that keeps me thinking and learning and growing,” she sad. Alvarez just finished her first creative non-fiction book, A Wedding in Haiti.
“I’m really interest in creative non-fiction. The older I get, the world becomes more and more baffling,” said Alvarez.
Alvarez enjoys remaining connected to the College and acts as the adviser to the Alianza student group and is also a thesis adviser as well. Alvarez credits the College with keeping her constantly engaged and continues to ask questions about the nature of her work.
“The quandary now for me as a writer is, what is the role of the storyteller in the circle of transformative change?”
LAUREN DAVIDSON, MICHELLE SMOLER, and JOSH KRUSKAL contributed to this report.
(12/05/12 11:45pm)
From Nov. 29 through Dec. 1, The Vanek Trilogy, a collection of three, interconnected one-act plays, ran in the Hepburn Zoo. The performance was directed by Paula Bogutyn ’13.5, whose direction counted towards 700-level senior work.
The play was written by Vaclav Havel, an influential playwright during the time of the Soviet regime and the first president of the Czech Republic. The three one-acts each have the strength and depth to stand alone as separate pieces but are best enjoyed in the manner put on by Middlebury College’s theatre department this past weekend; consecutively, as a single, three-scene piece. One character Vanek, the play’s namesake and a playwright recently hired at a brewery (played by Adam Milano ’15) is featured in all three scenes. Noah Berman ’13 and Isabel Shill ’12.5, who both received 500-level junior work credit for the production, played the other characters in the piece, changing between scene.
Milano’s performance proved his strength as a rising actor within the College’s theatre department. While the other characters throughout the piece seemed to dance chaotically about, anxious to earn Vanek’s approval — or lure him into something sinister — Vanek remained largely silent, offering short words and strong insight. Milano did a beautiful job of highlighting his character’s paradoxical passive activism. In the final scene, as the audience put together the final pieces of the play’s backstory and after two scenes of Vanek’s apparent inactivity, he presents an already-written protest just as quickly as fellow-writer Stankova suggests it.
In all regards, the acting on stage was incredibly strong. While the second scene did, at times, feel a bit over-acted (and in a lot of ways, that may have been the point), I was impressed with both Berman and Shill’s ability to switch between such drastically different characters. In the first scene, Berman portrayed the drunken foreman of the brewery, practically begging Vanek for his approval. The audience could pity his character as well as criticize his attentions, ever attentive of his oft-repeated phrase, “Vanek, don’t be depressed.” And in the second scene, while the attempt to project his own insecurities onto Vanek remained the same, the overall demeanor of Berman’s character shifted drastically, running about the stage frantically, from couch to fireplace back to couch over to Vanek back to the fireplace.
The play’s slow process of revealing the backstories of the characters at first was a bit off-putting. In the first scene, we see Vanek speaking with the foreman of the brewery where he has been recently hired. The audience is thrown into the middle of this conversation, with references to the goings-on of the world without any real explanation. I struggled as I watched, trying to put together Vanek’s story while still paying attention to what was happeneng on stage. However, as the production continued more and more was revealed, both explicitly and implicitly.
This slow reveal of the backstory was the highlight of the play’s directing. Not only did the dialogue of the characters hint at Vanek’s story, but it also highlighted what was happening in the world and how he fit into it all. Bogutyn did a fantastic job at using subtle hints in the characters’ actions that showed us so much more of the world. As the stage-hands changed the props on stage between scenes, brief actions on the part of characters revealed more about the characters. Between the first and second scene, Shill’s character followed the stage-hands frantically, making sure everything was pristine and in the right place, a strong hint at the hectic caricature to come.
And before the third scene, anonymous men in suits placed bugs throughout the room, the first explicit hint at the tyrannical regime against which Vanek and his contemporaries were quietly fighting.
Another unique feature of the production with which I struggled was the use of repetition, especially in the first two scenes. At times, the repetition was an incredibly strong enhancement to the piece, emphasizing points and offering a common thread that ran between the first two scenes which otherwise, seemed a bit disjointed until it was all brought together in the third scene.
However, by the end of each scene, especially the second, the repetition moved from a matter of artistic design to feeling like the actors and author were simply trying to sledgehammer the message into the minds of the audience. Sometimes subtlety can be a play’s best friend.
With a minimally designed set that hinted at Vanek’s secrets while leaving a lot to the imagination, artful acting on part of the whole cast and some wonderful decisions by the director, The Vanek Trilogy proved to be a phenomenal production. Shifting wildly from humor (though I must admit, the rest of the audience seemed to find the jokes much funnier than I did) to powerful dialogue of emotion and depth, The Vanek Trilogy is theater I won’t soon forget. Depressed, it certainly was not.
(12/05/12 11:40pm)
5) Gravity Rush
The Playstation Vita (PSV) is Sony’s newest handheld and the successor to the Playstation Portable. It is an incredibly powerful piece of hardware that gives a very close simulation to home console-quality games on the go. However, the PSV has started out somewhat weak due to an expensive price tag and even pricier proprietary memory cards. But luckily it has not been held back by a lack of quality games. Gravity Rush is one of those games. Gravity Rush tells the story of Kat, a girl in a strange city in the sky who discovers she has the super power of controlling her personal field of gravity (and anything else close to her). This is directly tied into the gameplay as the player can change the direction of Kat’s gravity with a few simple button presses. With her powers, Kat can fly, walk on walls, walk upside down and even pick things up to throw them at enemies. Along the way Kat meets various other citizens that help her out on her quest to discovering who she is as well as the mysterious creatures that seem to be attacking her fair city. Kat also partakes in other random challenges scattered throughout the game.
Gravity Rush’s biggest strength is Kat herself. She is a female protagonist, and while she has some questionable outfit choices (besides her super-heroine outfit, you have some awkward choices such as a school uniform, a maid uniform and a slick secret agent suit), she’s a legitimately kind-hearted individual who only wishes to do good and feels the pain of those she tries to protect when collateral damage becomes an issue. However, I feel that sometimes she is almost too nice, almost to a fault, and is often manipulated because of it. With a great plot, fun characters and great gameplay, it’s a shame that Gravity Rush can only be enjoyed by those who shelled the hard-earned cash for the PSV.
4) Mass Effect 3
The conclusion to BioWare’s trilogy of space role-playing games finally comes to a close in the third installment. Every major decision you have made since Mass Effect 1 will have some sort of repercussion in the third game. The Reapers, a Lovecraftian army of sentinent robots based on eliminating all organic life have made it to Earth. As Commander Shepard, your last mission is to collect allies from all across the galaxy to push the Reapers back once and for all. Mass Effect 3 gives you a significantly smaller squad than the other games, consisting of characters both old and new. Everyone you knew and loved (assuming they are still alive in your playthrough) make at least one important cameo and significantly facilitate things. The strange thing about this game is that it is nearly flawless, as the story is littered with heart wrenching plot developments and fascinating interactions between all the side characters, something that has always been the Mass Effect series’ greatest strength, in my opinion. In this third game you will mostly be fighting the various forms of the Reapers, as they harvest corpses of other species and rework them to their own needs — basically, space zombies with powers and/or guns. But you will also be facing your allies from the second game, Cerberus, the human-interest group bent on exerting humans’ rule over every other species. Mass Effect’s third person combat was tight but as soon as things got close, things got incredibly awkward if you weren’t playing a combat-specific class such as the soldier or vanguard. Mass Effect 3’s other biggest fault was its ending, as the Reaper’s motivations are explained and a final decision is presented in front of you. One can’t help to shake that following this seven year trilogy was, in the end, really all for nothing. It just created a feeling of emptiness inside. But despite that, Mass Effect 3 is an authentic gaming experience with an incredible cast of diverse and interesting characters who go through some tangible growth. Long after the game is finished, one will never forget the likes of Tali, Mordin, Wrex and any other of Shepard’s lovable bunch.
3) Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the first game, Borderlands. While the first game introduced a lot of novel ideas, such as a role-playing style of character progression, stat-based weapon and shield systems, as well as scaling enemies in what was essentially a twitch shooter, the game was often boring, and offered very little in terms of plot and replay-ability. Borderlands 2 is on this list because the sequel directly addressed every single one of the complaints of the first game and remedies them in an incredible way. Borderlands 2 introduces a fascinating new villain, Handsome Jack. While sly and treacherous on the outside, Handsome Jack slowly reveals himself to be an understanding, almost tragic character. As you play the game, Jack will often come over your radio to mock you and generally undermine your attempts at surviving Pandora’s plethora of horrible things waiting to kill you. Bandits, pirates, soldiers, robots and animals of all sorts are just waiting to take you down. But luckily, you don’t have to go alone. The multiplayer of Borderlands 2 has significantly improved as the game runs much more smoothly thanks to a much more stable netcode. Its RPG elements remained in tact as Borderlands 2 introduces five new classes of characters , each with three unique branches. While that doesn’t sound like much on paper, there really are differences in the character builds. My friend and I were both playing the Siren, but he had built his in a way that was much more support-oriented — he would often be healing everyone else while usually providing cover fire. My character was built to inflict the various types of status ailments that exist in the game. While I was busy lighting enemies on fire (or acid, or electricity), my friend was keeping tabs on our health making sure none of us would die suddenly.
The game is made for some great fun with plenty of interesting and challenging side quests to take up once the story is over. The only major problem I see with Borderlands 2 was the time it was released, with Halo 4 and the new Call of Duty releasing shortly after, I’m afraid it didn’t have much of a lifespan. Speaking of Halo…
2) Halo 4
Yet another first person shooter makes the list. The only game on this list that I chose not based on plot or characters, Halo 4 is fun, and perfectly encapsulates that primal urge to just shoot things. Lots of doubts were had during the time that Halo 4 was developed because newcomers 343 Stdios were taking the helm of Bungie’s legendary franchise, and they nailed it. Halo 4 throws you back in the seat of Master Chief, doing something or other. The only thing that really stood out to me in the campaign were the new enemies, the Forerunners, who were an incredible breath of fresh air. After six or so games it was boring to just see the same mix-and-match stylings of just a few enemy types.
The game’s true strength lies in its easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master multiplayer. The large variation of maps, game modes and cosmetic customization options always keep the game fresh. It’s also one of those rare modern games that has also included split-screen multiplayer as well as online, so everyone has some method of actually playing the game. While I was at first hesitant as the multiplayer followed the Call of Duty model of receiving item drops after a certain number of kills, it strangely works better than Halo’s old model of having a specific set of weapons in specific places on specific maps. It keeps the game more random, and in many ways, much more dangerous. Halo 4 is a game that my Xbox will be chewing on for a very long time and easily the best value for your money in terms of replay-ability on this list.
1) Virtue's Last Reward
Virtue’s Last Reward (VLR) is a direct sequel to the Nintendo DS game 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors (999). When it was first released, 999 was my favorite game of 2010, and it continues to be one of my favorite games of all time. When I heard that it had sold well enough to consider bringing the sequel overseas, I was quite excited. But after all the twists and turns the first game brought about, including a final plot twist that would make M Night Shamalyan blush, how was there anyway that VLR could surpass it? But as it turns out, my expectations were passed yet again. VLR places you in the role of Sigma, a college student who is abducted from the local library on Christmas and wakes up to find himself in a room with a mysterious white-haired girl named Phi. Just like in the last game, you and eight other strangers are forced to play the Nonary game, but this one is focused in the idea of the “prisoner’s dilemma.” The game consists of two major portions: novel and escape. The novel sections are just that — novels. These are the sections that move the plot along. There’s a lot of text and reading, so if words are not your thing, stay away. When you’re not reading, you will be presented with the escape rooms: rooms filled with puzzles with the end goal to find the key and escape the room. Just like the last game these puzzles range from “fun” to “oh God, what?” levels of difficulty. But there’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction when you open that final safe on your own without the use of any guides or help. Another thing about this game is that there are 24 different endings. You don’t have to start from the beginning every time, since there’s a handy flow chart in the game that allows you to jump to any section of the game that you want. You can also skip over text you’ve already seen, and the skip function is designed in such a way that it will not let you accidentally skip text you have not seen yet. Genius!
The various characters you meet are all fascinating and delightful to talk to, such as the interestingly-dressed secret agent Alice, the armor-wielding amnesiac K and the circus leader Dio. The character that steals the show, in my opinion, is Zero Jr., an AI who takes the shape of a rabbit and often taunts you and the other participants of the Nonary game. While playing 999 is not necessary to enjoy VLR, you will be missing out on a lot of important plot details that had a major impact on me, only because I had the context of the previous game to guide my judgment of what was going on. Kurt Vonnegut, theories of quantum physics, math and astronomy are just an example of the various topics the game presents within its story. This is something that will keep you gripped until the very end. I know I’ve lost some sleep over it. The only disappointment is that the game leaves you with yet another cliff hanger, but that can only mean one thing: the third installment is imminent.
VLR, with its fascinating plot, great twists and truly devious puzzles is a game that further shows games as a medium of story telling. When I finished the game I had to lie down for a bit to just take in everything that had just happened. Any game that can give me that kind of emotional response is something special in my book, and I highly recommend that, if you can, you give the game a chance. Virtue’s Last Reward is my game of the year.
(12/05/12 6:53pm)
Have you ever wished to relive the glory of your middle school years? Whether you were a confident kid or one who kept your eyes cast downward while walking in the hallway between classes, middle school was a difficult time. Sister-to-Sister (STS) mentors, however, revel in the opportunity to be 13 again.
Sister-to-Sister is a club that invites girls from the immediate Middlebury area for monthly fun activities and exposes them to new experiences, such as log-rolling, zumba and international cooking. The College Sisters focus on discussing topics that are pertinent to the girls including body issues, relationships and self-defense. The grins and laughter of the girls are priceless.
Ninja + pumpkin carving + apple cider = October STS Event! On the warm Saturday in October when the event was held, the middle school students dug their hands deep into pumpkin guts on the back porch of Chellis House. The Sisters and girls just chatted. Sister-to-Sister emphasizes a comfortable, open environment for the girls to talk and be themselves.
Just before Thanksgiving break, Sister-to-Sister had its keystone activity of the year: the Summit. The Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts was teeming with young girls and college mentors, and energy levels were high. The day was filled with workshops, discussions, food and friendship bracelets.
In the morning, I joined a few girls at the Poor Form Poetry workshop. As we sat on top of the conference table in the middle of a CFA classroom, the girls and I were entranced by the beat of the performed poems. When it was our turn to write down our thoughts, I was impressed by the girls’ confidence and willingness to share personal stories with people that they had just met.
Other girls cooked up delectable sustainable treats at Self-Reliance, made beautiful melodies with the Mischords or “zenned out” with yoga. Later, Professor of Dance Christal Brown had us jiggling, hopping and stepping across the dance studio. While many girls felt uncomfortable at first, everyone participated with smiles.
In more serious discussions with the students, the college mentors talked about the pressures of friendships and self-empowerment as we sat cross-legged in a circle. It was humbling to see these young women take these conversations seriously and share about their tribulations at home and at school.
My favorite part of the Summit was the warm and fuzzies wall. Throughout the day, everyone writes Post-It notes to others that they met and sticks them on a wall. The white wall was covered in yellow, hot pink and blue notes by the afternoon. This year, the college mentors received a special note saying: “Dear college students: Thank you. It was fun!” These notes warm our hearts and make all of the planning worthwhile.
The end of the day was bittersweet as we watched a slideshow of the day’s happenings. Two girls arrived as strangers in the morning and became best friends by 4 PM. Each girl leaves with a CD of “girl power” music and hopefully a bit more confidence.
I stumbled across Sister-to-Sister when one of the faculty advisors encouraged me to attend a meeting. I am forever thankful for my experiences. Not only have I enjoyed spending time with young girls, who are going to accomplish great things, I have met many inspirational people on this campus. The Sisters are my family.
Written by KELLY SURALIK '13
(12/05/12 4:18pm)
[The following regards conversations on campus surrounding divestment, activism and diversity, which all directly relate to corporatization. It links newspaper reporting, silencing of oppressed voices and investing in unethical companies, while advocating for free and just existence on earth, an aim achieved through de-corporatizing our means and methods.]
The Campus is preoccupied playing referee in a public debate between legitimate voices, assuming anyone attempting to disrupt public order to get their message in the paper is by definition illegitimate. Accordingly, when an audience member calls out a transnational corporate executive for supporting the execution of activists (the indigenous Ogoni 9 who refused displacement of their communities in the name of oil addiction and increasing returns for Shell), the Campus reported the corporate representative was interrupted “with accusations against Shell of human rights violations.” It didn’t report the activist’s actual words.
The paper drowns the voices of activists with those of their critics. The defense of corporate crimes is forefronted, further marginalizing those most affected. The job of the corporate public relations office is done for them, without ever having to pass along a check to the paper. As anthropologist David Graeber describes in Direct Action, the reigning editorial logic is that to reproduce the hecklers’ actual words would allow them to “hijack” the media; it would make the newspaper partially responsible if anyone acted similarly in the future.
Also, our established media has lightened the activist toolbox to corporately approved means: educational panels, screenings, appeals to figures of authority. When there is a dispute between contested authority and protesters, Graeber explains most newspapers do what they always do in such contexts — try to appear even-handed by staking out an editorial position somewhere in the middle. Consequently, challenging an unjust status quo is authoritatively de-legitimized.
Last March, we learned that the College invests in arms manufacturing and big oil, but, as a community, we did not act. The formation of SRI, as a sub-group of Student Investment Committee (SIC) six years ago, demonstrates this knowledge was nothing new.
As Olav Ljosne so successfully taught us, “transparency” is a PR tactic, used to either vanish or sustain insurgency under corporate supervision. Indeed, [President of the College Ronald D.] Leibowitz recently confirmed in an all-campus email – Investure has revealed that some $32 million and $6 million of our endowment are directly invested in fossil fuels and arms manufacturing respectively. One percent invested in death is one percent too many. In a press release, 350.org ignored the information [President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz] revealed and disregarded the percentage invested in weaponry, encouraging us to go “fossil free” while leaving us more to invest in war.
So, why do students keep propagating corporate interests? Our very own SIC voted last week to invest in BP Oil. SIC has also invested in Exxon Mobil, which, by the way, “recruited, paid, supplied and managed sections of the Nigerian military and police.” This phenomenon is so warped it’s worth closer examination.
The Board of Trustees founded SIC as an educational project in 1987, relinquishing $100,000 of the endowment for play. SIC’s portfolio has performed very well. One needn’t studymacroeconomics to know the rule(s) of finance — maximum returns by all means necessary. SIC states in its mission: “‘The only reason you should play poker is to make money.’ The same rule applies to investing.”
Today, SIC has approximately $325,000 of the endowment to play with. Having learned how to “play poker” by successfully investing in arms manufacturing and environmental degradation, SIC alumni go on to top Wall Street jobs. It’s like giving children guns to play with before they get drones, F16s and cluster bombs in the “real” world.
This is not a personal attack. I see these atrocities as collective responsibilities. I remember the words of a friend of mine who is in the Israeli military. He confessed he doesn’t want to talk about politics because it destabilizes him; it makes him question decisions he’s struggling to be happy about. He is not alone.
Many Israeli Defense Force soldiers, corporate reporters and finance managers display sympathy to activist causes. Analogously, the corporate behavior exemplified by our student body is not entirely due to personal bias — it is structural. So long as SIC reproduces actual investment portfolios and the Campus emulates the structure of corporate newspapers, we will see corporate trends regardless of members’ opinions: “Individual opinions are not really that important [...] within an institutional structure that renders their opinions irrelevant (Graeber).”
During the talk on socioeconomic diversity last week, a student asked our Associate Director of Admissions whether we admit students based on the likelihood of them donating after graduation, which can be modeled while remaining “need blind.” She both confirmed this practice of the College and explicitly denounced it as unfair. Little action is possible within the structure she submits to in that office.
These are sad prospects for the College and the world. But all hope is not lost. This is not the end of history. Capitalism was preceded by feudalism. It will be succeeded. As active actors within capitalist order, we must ask ourselves how to subvert our authoritative positions in order to build the egalitarian foundations of the new society, within the crumbling structures of the old.
Education or corporation? Liebowitz’s response is a result of our collective actions, indicating that we can re-imagine the world as we want to see it, without making concessions. I can’t quote Desmond Tutu enough. It’s time to stand up to our values. Remaining neutral is taking the side of the oppressor. Let’s start with a 100 percent ethically invested endowment.
Written by AMITAI BEN-ABBA '15.5 of Jerusalem
[EDITOR'S NOTE: When quoting the Campus, Ben-Abba originally wrote that an article stated that the corporate representative was "interrupted for alleged human rights violations." This quote was inaccurate: in the editorial which Ben-Abba is referencing, "The Nuances of Free Speech on Campus," the Campus reported that the corporate representative was interrupted "with accusations against Shell of human rights violations." The correction has been added above, and the Campus regrets this error.]
