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(04/22/20 12:00pm)
We interviewed seven Middlebury couples for another story this week and we were so pleased with all the wonderful anecdotes they shared with us. But unfortunately, we had a word limit.
So here’s an addendum, of questions we asked in every interview and then each couple’s answers. Interviews were all conducted separately, and we condensed responses for brevity.
Check out the companion story first to learn more about the interviewees.
Middlebury Campus: How would you describe the dating scene at Middlebury during your time as a student?
Grace Vedock ’20: I think the queer dating scene is a totally different beast than the straight dating scene. It’s smaller, and it can feel competitive … It feels like there’s always people taking sides. If straight people think that [dating at Middlebury] is hard, I think they would be surprised or humbled by the queer experience at Middlebury.
Julie Parker ’54: Very controlled. There were rules, confines, parietal hours. But any couple that was passionate had plenty of occasions to “mess up,” especially with a car. Sex was feared because pregnancy was such a taboo. Still, a few couples were known to be sexually active, and there were undoubtedly a few pregnancies hastily terminated, or sudden marriages.
Dula Dulanto ’20: A lot of people don’t know how to navigate relationships. It’s easy to brush something off, to disregard others and their feelings. It’s an environment where you don’t have to engage with someone if you don’t want to. It creates this repertoire of mess up and move on to the next person.
Pete Johnson ’62: Archaic.
Janie Johnson ’63: [Laughs.] Archaic is right.
Pete Johnson ’62: I mean, it was different then. The women were very closely monitored and chaperoned. The men, not so much. We pretty much had free run of the campus at the time.
Mary Clermont ’54: The dating scene at Middlebury was very important. It was the social life, really. I always felt bad for the girls who sat alone in the dorm on a Saturday night. You wouldn’t really have big groups of [female and male students] mixed. There was nothing to do [if you weren’t dating someone].
Nancy Hunt ’93: I think there were a lot of people who dated long-term at Middlebury. That's not to say that people weren't also "hooking up" at fraternity and social house parties. That happened all of the time, too.
Don Hunt ’92: The social scene was very much focused around social houses, most of which were fraternities at the time. It was definitely a drinking and hook up scene.
MC: Do you think anything about Middlebury specifically has contributed positively to your relationship?
Pete Johnson ’62: We both moved around. My family moved all over New England. Hers moved because her dad was a professor at several different universities. And so, we never had a longstanding hometown. Middlebury has kind of become that for us, because that’s where the friends that we both know [are from], who knew us when we were in our twenties or younger. That’s sort of our hometown.
Dulanto ’20: Midd brings all these students from diverse backgrounds and equalizes all of them, so Midd provided a platform for us to interact … I immigrated to New York when I was young. My parents don’t speak English. My family has 10 to 15 different aunts and uncles. There are cultural, language and socioeconomic differences [between Melanie and me].
Julie Parker ’54: It has given us shared memories and background and friends that have known us both, cementing the bonds.
MC: Conversely, have there been challenges that you think are specific to Middlebury?
Cece Wheeler ’19: It’s sort of hard to measure a given relationship at Midd, because you’re likely not living together and your time is spread between classes, homework, sports, friends, clubs etc., so that you can “date” someone for a year and in reality not spend that much time together. That’s probably one of the bigger challenges at Midd — just making time for everyone in your life.
Nancy Hunt ’93: I think the challenge with a college like Middlebury, at least at the time we were there, was the lack of diversity. Additionally, there is a challenge that goes with any small school in a rural area and that is the lack of people.
Vedock ’20: I think visibility is a double-edged sword. We’re very visible because we’ve been together for a long time, but that’s not something everyone in a queer relationship necessarily wants or has the luxury of having. That’s something I struggled with at the very beginning, because I was not out when I came to Midd, and not out to my family when we started dating. Feeling very visible in that way was intimidating. Now I don’t feel any pressure or feel scared when I walk around on campus.
MC: What does love mean to you?
Taite Shomo ’20.5: I think love is about knowing that Grace is going to be there for me and I’m going to be there for Grace, and having that constant in my life.
Melanie Chow ’22: I think it just means feeling completely comfortable in your own skin, not having to hide anything. Knowing that no matter what you do or say, that person is still going to be there and want to be with you.
Dulanto ’20: I think of it as an active choice. You don’t make it once, you make it every single day. You’re always wanting to choose the other person for everything they are.
Wheeler ’19: It means that John still hasn’t commented on the cat I brought home six months ago but [he] wakes up at six every morning to feed her.
Parker ’54: I feel an almost mystical connection to Peter, as if cosmic forces operated to bring us together. So Middlebury was the “mise en scène” for one couple's drama.
Pete Johnson ’62: There’s sort of a comfort zone where you can say what you think and be who you are and know it’s going to be okay.
Janie Johnson ’63: Pete was in the military during the Vietnam War. And again, there was no communication, this was way before there were cellphones. He wrote me a letter every single day for 365 days.
Clermont ’54: I don't think I have ever sat around thinking about the meaning of love. It has so many facets and degrees. I remember my mother telling me not to use the word "love" unless whatever you were referring to could return love, so you couldn't love "pizza." So I guess love means, “listen to what your mother said.”
(04/22/20 9:54am)
I went through a breakup, right after Feb break. I promise I don’t intend to use The Campus opinion section as Tinder. I just want to share some reflections from my experience dealing with sadness at this insanely busy place (now, figuratively).
The break up happened on a Tuesday night. My agenda for the night included finishing newspaper layout, conjugating Arabic verbs and converting Cartesian coordinates. Dealing with grief was not included. Rather than feel sad, I intended to drown myself with work as a distraction.
It worked. Well, kind of. Wednesday through Friday, my friends and I chatted about stupid TV shows, upcoming primary elections and the weather — typical topics. (Looking back now, I miss in-person communications so much.) Whenever my friends checked in with me about the breakup, I said, “I’m over it.” Still, they seemed concerned, wanting to know if I were truly alright and offering to talk if I needed to. In response, I simply waved my hands and joked about being a strong and independent woman.
I thought I would be able to pretend nothing was wrong forever. Fake it ’till you make it, as people say.
And yet, unfortunately and fortunately, my body finally gave out that weekend, exhausted. It was not the kind of exhaustion which follows a 10k run, but rather emotional vanity. I could barely feel anything. When I tried to talk, a mixture of Chinese and English nonsense would come out, something that tends to happen when I am extremely upset. The more I tried to pretend I wasn’t sad, the more my sorrow festered inside until eventually, while I was trying to print readings for class, the pages fell from my hands scattered everywhere on the Davis floor. I started crying right there, in front of the printer. The person behind me was shocked. Still, they quietly helped me gather the reading and whispered, “It gets better.” (Even though I never learned your name, kind printer person, I’d like to thank you.)
That’s when I was forced to come face-to-face with my feelings. I recognized how unhealthy my coping mechanisms up until that point had been. I mean, I wasn’t even coping, I was only feigning being okay.
And so I decided to spend some time alone. Even knowing it would be helpful in the long run, I felt guilty canceling plans with friends. Would they be disappointed if I told them I needed more time to figure out my emotions about my past relationship? What if they thought I was dramatic and weak? No one did. Instead, I got hugs and sweet texts containing words of comfort.
That was the hardest, most rewarding weekend I have ever had. I tried new things: I spent hours listening to podcasts, attended my first ever spin class and went on an aimless, spontaneous walk. Scariest of all, I did all of these activities solo. As I watched “Criminal Minds” alone on Saturday night, I wondered if I was missing out on what could’ve been the best night of the week. And then I realized, I was having the best time. Solitude is not shameful. In fact, often it is enjoyable. (Thanks to that experience, self-quarantine for 14 days at a medical facility upon my return home a month ago became a lot easier).
The following night, I attended an editorial meeting in which we discussed how some people don’t enjoy J-Term as much for a variety of reasons. I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was obsessed over the thought of being engaged in a variety of activities and to be constantly busy. That night, I learned that other Middlebury students also had those wishes which led to more pressure and stress. It seems that I finally found the reason behind my stubborn determination to hide my pain. I mistakenly felt that I should have been ashamed of my misery since I was supposed to be enjoying myself like everyone else around me. But then, I thought, what if that’s why people around me are only showing happy and smiley faces instead of those of stress and worry?
As cliche as it sounds, I think sometimes we all need a reminder that we are entitled to our feelings. In the wake of my breakup, I felt anger, shame and guilt. I was too afraid to confront these emotions because I didn’t want to admit to others that I was an emotional wreck. It took an awkward encounter with a stranger to shatter my facade; still, the facade didn’t have to be put on in the first place.
I’m not suggesting that there is a linear healing process to sadness, because there isn’t. As my math professor has told me on several occasions, linear things are nice, but they rarely exist. I still feel doleful every so often. But, when I do, I stand up to those feelings with strength gained from a mixture of company and solitude. By allocating time for myself, I allow others to help me. By allowing myself to feel bad, I allow myself to feel better.
Rain Ji ’23 is one of The Campus’s Arts & Academics editors.
(04/16/20 10:01am)
In a normal year, over half of Middlebury’s junior class studies abroad. Next year will likely be different. As students look to the fall semester, many who had planned to study abroad are reconsidering due to Covid-19-related travel and safety concerns, with questions over whether the Middlebury Summer Language Schools will run, and disappointment about the loss of the current semester on-campus.
The decline in students studying abroad will affect housing and course registration in the upcoming semester, and will have academic implications for students whose majors require a semester abroad — such as International and Global Studies (IGS) and International Politics and Economics (IP&E).
“We have seen a higher percentage of students than usual withdrawing their study abroad applications between the application deadline and now,” said Liz Ross, associate dean for international programs and off-campus study. Students who applied to study abroad this fall have until June 15 to seek readmission to the college.
At this time, it is uncertain how many juniors will choose to remain on the Vermont campus, or will ultimately be forced to stay as a result of cancellation of programs abroad. Some schools, like Binghamton University, have already canceled their study abroad programs for fall 2020. Ross said that all Middlebury programs are proceeding as planned at the moment, but said that her office is paying “especially close attention” to what’s going on in areas like the southern hemisphere and India, where programs have early start dates in July and August.
In a worst-case scenario, in which no students are able to go abroad this fall, the college anticipates having roughly 200 more students on campus than during a typical semester, according to Senior Associate Dean of Students Derek Doucet.
Many students attend Language Schools the summer before studying abroad in a non-English-speaking country to attain the necessary level of proficiency to meet Middlebury’s requirements for studying abroad. Uncertainty about the fate of these programs has also contributed to doubts and anxieties for students in this situation.
The college has not yet announced a decision about summer programming, which includes Language Schools. The announcement is set to come sometime in mid-April. Other northeast colleges, such as Harvard and Wesleyan, have already canceled on-campus summer programming or moved programs online.
The Registrar’s Office announced on April 15 that course registration for the fall semester would be pushed to mid-summer, as the office is currently unable to estimate how many students will be on campus next semester. The office also requested that students planning to study abroad register for classes as a fall back option.
Opting for a semester in Vermont
Many students pin study abroad as a cornerstone of the Middlebury experience. Choosing not to go, on the eve of that semester, has been a challenging decision. Some have reconsidered pursuing their travels because of the disappointment associated with the premature departure from campus this spring.
“My primary motivation to reconsider study abroad was because I felt like I, like all other students, was ripped away from my life at Midd too early and abruptly,” said Massimo Sassi ’22, who was planning to study in Florence, Italy in the fall.
Maia Sauer ’22 was planning to study in Paris, France, but has changed her mind since the college’s transition to remote learning.
“I think the study abroad decision is difficult, because I have to weigh both the short- and long-term consequences. Do I prioritize what could be the experience of a lifetime, and miss out on a semester at Midd with people to whom I’ve already had to say premature goodbyes?” Sauer said. “Or, do I forgo study abroad and regret my decision later, when it becomes harder and harder to plan a similar experience?”
Sauer also expressed that being away from campus prompted her to reconsider her priorities for the upcoming semester, and helped her realize that she is not interested in the lonely adjustment to life abroad, especially now.
Anna Wood ’22 had planned to study in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the fall — one of those programs with an early July start date — and is not confident that her program will happen.
“I figure that the program will most likely be canceled,” Wood said. “I also don’t want to spend more than one semester away from the campus and community that make Midd so special.”
Caroline Ritter ’22 was planning to study in Germany, but if Language Schools do not occur, she won’t be able to.
“Even if I could, though, losing the last half of our spring semester has made going abroad seem much less desirable,” she said. “I think it is probably a short-sighted decision to stay just because I miss my friends, but ultimately that is kind of the way I am leaning.”
All of the students interviewed noted having conversations with friends, peers and teammates who were also preemptively reconsidering studying abroad.
Academic implications
Several majors at Middlebury, including International and Global Studies (IGS), International Politics and Economics (IP&E) and some language majors, have a study abroad requirement. Although department-by-department decisions have not been made yet, these programs are aware that they may need to adapt to the crisis situation.
“Given the fact that we are dealing with a global pandemic and travel will certainly not be possible for a while, IGS will amend the requirements as needed,” said Tamar Mayer, the director of IGS.
Mayer says that after the programs in China were canceled before they even began this January, the IGS program amended their requirements and replaced the abroad experience with more language courses for those students. A similar process may occur in future situations, as language proficiency is also a requirement for the major.
Associate Political Science Professor Amy Yuen, the director of IP&E, reached out to students on April 7 to let them know that the department would make accommodations for the situation.
“If the college begins canceling study abroad programs, then the IP&E program will consult with administrators and faculty on how to accommodate students who have not fulfilled study abroad,” Yuen said. “There are many options to consider if this becomes an issue, but we will not leave students in the lurch. We will make some kind of accommodation.”
But for some students, the situation has caused a total reconsideration of academic priority.
“As I grappled with [study abroad], I began to think about if the IGS major was really something I wanted to do,” said Sassi, the student who was scheduled to study in Florence. With time at home to step back from academics and think about his trajectory at Middlebury, Sassi began to rethink his plans. “I started thinking about life after college, and to be honest, I didn’t really see a future for myself in the IGS field.”
Sassi has since taken steps toward becoming a joint music and anthropology major.
Correction: A previous version of this article said that Boston University, not Binghamton University, had canceled its programs abroad. The error has since been corrected.
(04/09/20 10:00am)
This is likely my favorite work I’ve encountered over the last two years. Its humorous and satirical writing tells the story of Jason T. Fitger, professor of Creative Writing at the fictitious “Payne University.” Fitger is tasked with writing letters of recommendation (“LoRs”) for his students and colleagues for a variety of reasons: jobs, fellowships, promotions and the like. He’s weighed down by the busyness of tending to all things related to teaching and regrets that his mundane work precludes him from doing his preferred work: tending to his much graying writing career. Fitger’s irascibility and aggression are thinly veiled in his missives. The recipients of his sardonic epistles are frequently people he has wronged in the past —including two ex-wives — and he is convinced that they are still nursing grudges against him. Despite his eloquence, his talent for securing personal favors from his former peers is wantingly successful.
Fitger is a lovable fool. With his LoRs, he often goes out of his way to support bright students and aims to be authentic in letter after letter, resisting systems that ask him to rate his students with numerical scores. As he writes, the story of his career, too, is told between the lines: he published an early and successful novel that drew a good deal of attention, likely for the scintillating scandal represented within its pages, and it was followed by works that were more disappointing as they were wanting in popularity. So now he is confined to a Midwestern university where funding for basic supports — like functional toilets and windows — is precarious for the English department while the Economics professors are treated like gods. He’s livid. His intellect is understimulated. And his efforts feel Sisyphean.
Having spent more than 5 years at public institutions of higher education in the Midwest, I find this work hilarious and spot on. I liked it so much, I’ve listened to it twice on OverDrive. Author Schumacher makes many poignant critiques on the state of academia through the voice of her misanthropic Fitger. She questions the link between those who graduate with English degrees and the jobs the market allows them to apply for. She underscores the heartbreaking loss of talent surrounding students and professors who are mentally sharp, but for a variety of reasons — financial aid, time, politics, distraction, etc. — are unable to nurture their talents or produce writing that reflects their brilliance. And she eviscerates the incestuous landscape of academia in which everybody knows everybody and old wounds fester on for decades following injury
Schumacher’s "Dear Committee Members" is a scathing, all-knowing love-hate letter to academia that I would recommend to any faculty member who has minimally spent 5 years as a teaching professional in higher ed or any student who aspires to join these ranks. An exegesis and tour de force, might I recommend you listen to this one as an audiobook on go.middlebury.edu/overdrive/? Robertson Dean’s vocal interpretation acumen is extraordinary. (Pro tip: Familiarize yourself with Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener” upon reading or listening to this work.) For more like this, see the novel’s sequel "The Shakespeare Requirement" or anything by David Sedaris.
(03/05/20 11:01am)
The Campus reported last week that the college was collaborating with a local committee to ensure a complete headcount for the 2020 Census. The Middlebury/Addison Complete Count Committee, established last spring to directly aid the U.S. Census Bureau, is conducting similar efforts across all of Addison County.
Dana Hart, director at the Ilsley Public Library and representative on the committee, said that the committee has been meeting monthly with a Census Bureau representative.
“[The group] is sort of organized into subgroups, so we’ve all been working within our own sector to reach out to people and educate them about the census,” Hart said. “We’ve sort of taken a divide and conquer approach and then we get back together, report what we’ve been doing and brainstorm.” Vermont also has a Complete Count Committee that focuses on state-wide outreach to complete the census count.
The Census Bureau usually starts counting rural populations in Alaska at the end of January. By mid-March of the census year, most U.S. households will have received invitations to participate in the census, with information on how to do so. Each household completes one form, which includes questions about all individuals who live in the house, on April 1, Census Day. In April, trained census enumerators perform quality check interviews and — from May to July — visit houses that have not yet responded to perform in person interviews to finalize the count.
There are other processes in place for people living in U.S. territories, group quarters such as colleges and military barracks, and people living in transitory housing such as RV parks and hotels.
All staff at the Ilsley Public Library have attended census trainings, equipping them with the tools to respond to common questions from library visitors. The library will also have a computer reserved in the computer lab this month for people to fill out the questionnaire — the census is being offered online for the first time this year.
Social service organizations in the area are also coordinating to diffuse helpful info. The Counseling Services of Addison County has worked with partners including Charter House and the Addison County Community Trust to provide support in the process.
“I’m reaching out to agencies who are involved with housing […] just trying to spread the word so people see information about the census and have lots of possibilities to complete the census or get help if they need to,” said Ingrid Pixley, the housing coordinator for Counseling Services of Addison County and a representative on the Complete Count Committee. She said she sometimes finds participants mistakenly think they must share a great deal of information about themselves on the census, in part due to the thickness of the paperwork.
Distrust of the government also poses challenges to census enumeration.
“It can be difficult to persuade individuals to participate in a count of the population and to offer up information about their homes and family members if they feel suspicious about how that information could be used,” said Chris English, the assistant town manager of Middlebury and chair of the Middlebury/Addison Complete Count Committee. “By law, the Commerce Department cannot share census data with any other government agency, but mistrust can be a significant barrier to getting an accurate count.”
English mentioned that the U.S. Census Bureau has built safeguards to protect the collection process, storage of and the ability to access census data.
The government uses census data at a macro level to determine where to direct federal funding resources. The library receives federal funding based on census data through the Vermont Department of Libraries, according to Hart. Other government initiatives, including Medicare, infrastructure spending, housing assistance programs, Pell Grants, the National School Lunch Program and dozens of others use census data to allocate funds. “The census is an important, mandatory questionnaire that all Vermonters should feel safe filling out. Their data is protected and kept private,” Hart said. “Anyone who has questions can certainly stop by the library.”
(03/05/20 11:00am)
Mafia movies have a unique reputation. On one hand, you may think of popular films directed by Coppola and Scorsese like “The Godfather” trilogy and “Goodfellas.” On the other, you might recall the wide assortment of parodied mafia tropes; everything from crude accents to dramatic chase scenes. Corneliu Porumboiu brings “The Whistlers,” a modern take on the genre, to the Hirschfield series. Packed with undertones of comedy and social commentary, “The Whistlers” delivers a curiously self-aware film with a dynamic cast and captivating set design and cinematography.
Set in Romania, the movie centers around Cristi (Vlad Ivanov), a police officer who also serves as a whistleblower for the mafia, providing them with police intelligence. Eying a hidden stash of 30 million euros that only fellow mafia member Zsolt knows the location of, Cristi and the mobsters work to free Zsolt from prison. To learn the mafia’s ancient language of whistling, Cristi goes to La Gomera, part of the Canary Islands. Under the tutelage of Paco (Augustí Villaronga), with much difficulty, Cristi learns to whistle with — and for — the gang.
The whistling language is seamlessly interwoven with a plethora of other languages in the film — English, Spanish and Romanian — to dramatize the different relationships between Cristi, the mob and their surrounding world. The blend of languages is particularly clever as characters in his orbit adopt different languages to convey different tones and emotions. For instance, while bird calls and whistles are wistful and bright, English is tense and jerky. Linguistically nuanced, “The Whistlers” provides viewers with a new approach to audio-visual storytelling.
Throughout the film, tension builds as Cristi’s fellow police officers grow increasingly suspicious of him, and he begins to crack under the pressure of looming interrogations. They set up cameras in his home, following him around through hidden lenses. Even at the start of the movie, Cristi has an inkling that his fellow police officers are suspicious of him. In a meetup outside his apartment, he informs Gilda (Catrinel Marlon), a fellow member of the gang, of his suspicions and the two take measures to be inconspicuous. Rather comically, Porumboiu sets up a scene in which Gilda demands Cristi to play along and act as if she were a “high-end prostitute” he hired, tauntingly staring into the hidden cameras as the cinematography allows the audience to dance along with the two. Integral to concealing their mafia connections, both are remarkably good actors, something even Cristi’s employer at the police department remarks.
A rather fascinating part of the movie is its set design and cinematography. Split into various acts, the film cuts between scenes with bright headers announcing the names of characters from whose perspective the scene is told (think Wes Anderson). From “Paco” and “Gilda” to “Mama,” the list goes on. These vignettes weave into one grand heist, eventually leading into Cristi’s story.
As interesting as the divisions were, they were used at the cost of effectiveness. Bright, neon colors, like those used in the character title cards, typically hint at a more upbeat film. Albeit occasionally humorous and tongue-in-cheek, the film was not quite dramatic enough to warrant the choice, disrupting its visual consistency. Between sparse humor and traditional thriller traits, the movie falls a bit short of balance.
Apart from these cutscenes, the film is gorgeous. “The Whistlers” employs an impressive array of scenery and contrasts it with the harsh reality of a police chase. The sound design is beautifully incorporated. By the seaside, in gardens and around plenty of nature, the language of the mob is almost beautiful as it blends into its natural surroundings. Bird calls bring a melodious and complex undertone to the relationships between mafia members, highlighting their complex group dynamics and showcasing a different side of the harsh tropes we’re used to seeing. With numbers such as Offenbach’s Barcarolle and Can-Can, the film’s deliberate musical decisions soften the image of our main characters. Especially within this genre, the push to create a new, offbeat tale is understandable. Despite compromising its consistency with experimentation, “The Whistlers” presents a commendable effort with a dramatic take on crime.
(03/05/20 10:57am)
Two Middlebury alumni, Kris McGuffie ’97 and Alex Newhouse ’17, spoke last Thursday about the dangerous role of artificial intelligence in online extremism. They connected the growth of the Internet to the creation of large extremist communities online, challenging the conventional notion that extremists act as lone wolves and arguing instead that such online communities sometimes inspire real-world attacks.
The Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) sponsored the lecture, titled “The Language of Terror: How Online Extremism and Artificial Intelligence Deepfakes Threaten Our Future.” McGuffie and Newhouse, both English majors who studied at MIIS, now work with the CTEC.
McGuffie began by analyzing the language that extremists use online, explaining that extremists often speak in group — “us versus them” — language and create memes to attract followers. They adapt the language they use to avoid moderation or takedown on major online platforms, often making obscure and codified references to several ideologies in a short phrase. This highly-compressed language is difficult to comprehend for outsiders, but easy for those in extremist networks who are familiar with these ideologies.
“Funny how you’ve been conditioned to react that way,” read one tweet from a right-wing Twitter account, responding to another user with antisemitic criticism of the Israeli state. It accused Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, of controlling large portions of the U.S. government and involving in conspiracies.
“Too bad the Mossad pedophile blackmail network has infiltrated every aspect of American government. They control huge portion of U.S Congress, ran Epstein and Maxwell, ran false flag ops on us, they sell US secret intelligence.”
Such phrases suggest that information is being intentionally withheld from the reader.
“Notice the placement of [the first sentence],” McGuffie said. “That’s at the beginning, right? As a second person, ‘Funny how you’ve been conditioned to react that way. So the implication is you don’t have all the information; you’re a pawn of somebody. And then what follows is some of that information you’re missing. Like, let me fill you in, you’re really missing out on — the implication is — the truth.”
One project of the CTEC is to dissect such tweets to understand which ideologies influence different phrases. The organizations behind many Twitter accounts have skilled teams that use bots to amplify their message — one account posted 50,000 times in 12 hours.
McGuffie stressed the urgent need for both public and private sector policy in this area of research, but she also encouraged audience members to take individual action by voting, assembling and petitioning their governments.
“We all are consumers of technology, we’re all online,” she said. “Policy is important, but setting cultural and social norms is even more important.”
Faculty from multiple disciplines are involved in this project, including professors of linguistics and political science.
Bea Lee ‘20.5, who attended the lecture, said it helped her better understand the risks associated with artificial intelligence.
“[The lecture] was a really important reminder that technological innovation (machine learning specifically) has the potential to be weaponized,” Lee wrote in a message to The Campus. “Just because it has the potential to benefit society doesn’t mean it can go unregulated.”
(02/27/20 11:57am)
The U.S. Census Bureau will conduct the 2020 Census in the coming months, a decennial count of every person currently residing in the United States. Households throughout the country will receive mail from the federal government beginning March 12 containing information on how to complete the census.
Residents are recorded in the census according to where they live as of April 1, the day of the census, meaning Middlebury students who are on campus this spring count as Vermont residents and should not be included on their families’ census questionnaires. Students can expect an email in the coming weeks with instructions on how to do the census.
The census will be offered online this year for the first time ever. Previously, it was only conducted via questionnaires sent to households and mailed back to the government. Census enumerators would make follow-up visits to residences that did not submit filled-out questionnaires.
The Census Bureau approached the town last spring about forming a Complete Count Committee. According to Chris English, the assistant town manager of Middlebury and chair of the Middlebury/Addison Complete Count Committee, the role of a Complete Count Committee is “ to conduct public outreach — especially to vulnerable communities that often don’t self-respond to the census — regarding the importance of the census and what getting an accurate count of the population means to Vermonters.”
According to English, people experiencing homelessness or lacking a permanent address, households with non-traditional or extended family structures, migrant workers, and people living in remote areas are typically considered “hard-to-count” communities and are the focus of the town’s committee.
Ashley Laux, program director for the Center for Community Engagement, and Kady Shea, assistant director of residential life for housing operations, serve on the Complete Count Committee as representatives from Middlebury College.
Students living off-campus are the focus of the college’s census outreach, according to Laux, because they will be receiving questionnaires directly mailed to their addresses and are responsible for completing the forms as households. Census enumerators will visit students who do not fill out the census form but choose to do the census in person. Middlebury students who are currently studying abroad will not be counted in the census.
Counting students within the college will differ from the general census process. Many students will be counted as part of group quarters enumeration, a classification that also includes hospitals, nursing homes, correctional facilities and other communal living spaces. In the college, residential life staff serve as the administrative contacts for the Census Bureau and will complete this part of the process for students.
Census data is necessary for the state and federal government to allocate funding to communities and track population changes which affect representation in Congress. Middlebury students are counted in Vermont because they are often beneficiaries of federally funded services such as transportation and health care.
“I think for me, building understanding and participation in a process that only happens once every ten years is the biggest challenge,” Laux said. “This is one of the largest peacetime mobilizations that the U.S. government does, so we’re not wanting to barrage students and faculty and staff with information. But we do want people to be informed about the process that has real-world impacts on funding and resources allocated to Vermont.”
Sociology Professor Matt Lawrence a class on the census over J-Term. The class covered the history of the census, its impact, recent controversies and the use of census data for research.
“I think the census is super important — Its stated purpose is to count every citizen, every person in the country and then use that to not only reapportion the House of Representatives, but also to give services and money to where it’s needed,” said Cooper Kelley ’22, who took the J-Term class.
(02/27/20 11:04am)
Founded in the long shadow of the 2008 economic crisis and the anxieties surrounding employment which ensued, humanities programs across the country continue to seek ways to fight declining enrollments. The college’s new Center for the Humanities, housed in the Axinn Center, focuses on promoting cohesion, collaboration and scholarship between departments and other New England institutions. While the Center involves no new physical facilities, its leadership promises new approaches to teaching and cross-campus projects that will connect the myriad of humanities departments already at the college.
The Center is the product of a decade of conversations. According to Marion Wells, the Center’s co-director and a professor of English and American Literatures, the process began in 2010 when James Davis, a professor of Religion, called together a group of humanities faculty. Their informal meetings eventually produced the Humanities Steering Committee in 2011.
The creation of the Center was motivated by the recognition that the humanities had taken “a backseat” at the college and its peer institutions since 2008.
The Campus wrote about the state of humanities this October in an editorial, which highlighted the fallacy of many assumptions surrounding humanities majors – including, but not limited to, their perceived low salaries and poor employability. The editorial cited data from the Center for Careers and Internships, which showed that “arts and communication formed the largest employer for the Middlebury Class of 2018, while financial services came in second.”
The unemployment rates of 25–29-year-olds with Bachelor’s degrees in English and STEM fields were approximately the same, at 3.4 and 3.3% respectively, a 2019 report by the National Center for Education Statistics found. Similarly, the unemployment rates of Economics and Fine Arts majors both hovered around 4%.
Faculty members felt a growing need for a more concrete vision of the humanities at the college, according to the center’s co-directors Wells and Febe Armanios, professor of History. In the early stages of the process, they consulted humanities directors from Colby, Dartmouth and Yale, who provided data and inspired the creation of their collaborative co-directorship. A similar collaborative leadership model is reportedly used at Franklin and Marshall College.
Though Wells and Armanios assumed their positions in September 2019, the center has deliberately kept a low profile so as to focus on building a robust foundation.
“When we brought in these colleagues from Colby and Dartmouth and Yale, we were told, ‘Take your time in this initial building period, take your time getting things set up and get them set up in the right way, make sure you have the support of faculty,’” Armanios said. “It’s a consultative process.”
As part of this, the center appointed two humanities student fellows, Laura Friedrich ’20.5 and Molly Burnett ’22. Burnett was actively involved in helping build the center’s new website, which launched in early February.
One of the center’s main objectives is to establish the Axinn Center as the formal location of the humanities on campus, similar to the relationship of the sciences to Bicentennial Hall, or the arts and Mahaney Center.
[pullquote speaker="Molly Burnett '22" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Having a central home will increase the visibility of humanities on campus.[/pullquote]
“When it was originally opened as a building, [Axinn] was more or less envisioned to be a place of gathering and coalescing over the humanities on campus, but it didn’t end up quite formalizing as such,” Armanios said. The co-directors hope that this formal locus can promote cohesion and collaboration in humanities curricula and among the faculty teaching them.
Burnett echoed Armanios’ views, and added that having a central home will increase the visibility of humanities on campus.
“In a sense [the identity] isn’t there,” Wells said. “People would say ‘I do humanistic work,’ but whether they see themselves as belonging to a community of humanists on campus is a really different question up until this point.”
This sentiment persists in spite of the vast network of resources the college has invested in the humanities, including the over 40 Middlebury C.V. Schools Abroad, the New England Review, the CMRS-Oxford program and the Bread Loaf School of English. “There’s a lot of talk about those individual entities, but not about how they’re all the humanities,” Wells said.
Plans for the center include “Public Humanities courses,” which would connect the college’s humanities program to the Middlebury community. Public Humanities classes, which are reportedly standard practice at the college’s peer institutions, would include a “Humanities lab” that encompasses subjects such as manuscript workshops and paleography, which Wells and Armanios say the college has not been able to offer before. A grant proposal for the project has already been written, according to Wells.
The planners hope this collaboration could involve other colleges. Wells says that the center has sought to connect with other humanities centers in Vermont, and have received permission to join the New England Humanities Consortium (NEHC) with institutions including Amherst, Colby, Smith, Brown and the University of Connecticut. This membership gives the center access to new grant money available within the consortium.
Without a steady increase of new students majoring in the humanities, Wells expressed concern that some humanities departments may become so-called “service departments” – departments whose courses students only enroll in to fulfill distribution requirements. This in turn would negatively affect humanities departments’ ability to get new tenure-track positions.
Without the influx of young professors and new ideas, departments also risk looking dated and unattractive in the eyes of students. A vicious cycle forms.
“We need to show how absolutely central the core humanities skills and concerns are to creating responsible, ethical and vibrant lives after graduation,” the co-directors said in an email to The Campus.
The center’s inaugural event, writer Emily Bernard’s lecture titled “Black is the Body: Writing about Race in America,” will take place in Wilson Hall on Thursday, March 5. Bernard is a Professor of English at the University of Vermont and the author of several titles, including “Some of My Best Friends: Writings on Interracial Friendships.”
(02/20/20 10:55am)
I love working at Middlebury. I’ve been here 26 years, and have seen a lot of changes over that time. I was involved in the original creation of what was then the International Studies major in the mid-1990s, and have always appreciated Middlebury’s global reach. Now, as Middlebury’s chief academic officer, I occupy a unique position from which to observe and appreciate Middlebury’s vast array of academic offerings that span the globe. I also have the good fortune to be charged with transforming the Envisioning Middlebury strategic framework into action.
Through the Envisioning Middlebury process, we clearly articulated our mission and vision to guide us in developing the institution’s direction and priorities. The world is evolving, demographics are shifting and students and their learning styles are changing. The Envisioning Middlebury strategic framework acknowledges those changes and provides the guideposts for Middlebury to sit at the forefront of innovation in the liberal arts.
As an institution, we discovered (or, perhaps more accurately, rediscovered) that Middlebury has an incredible variety of pedagogies, of ways of learning, and ways of knowing. Our exceptional faculty at the undergraduate college, the Language Schools, our institute in Monterey, the Bread Loaf School of English, the School of the Environment and the Schools Abroad provide this diversity of pedagogies. Among liberal arts colleges, we are unique in the opportunities we offer our students.
In particular, the Envisioning Middlebury process highlighted our unique global network, a network that I experience and appreciate every day. One of our major goals is to open pathways throughout this very network, so that students can experience firsthand the diversity of our pedagogy, the benefits of place-based learning and the value of intercultural competence. We already know how this works for students at our Schools Abroad, who encounter different cultures and educational systems around the world with the guidance of faculty and staff colleagues at our various sites. But this can expand even further. We can treat our institute in Monterey as, in effect, another site for our students to study and take full advantage of the many areas where the Institute excels.
To this end, last fall, we started a program in non-proliferation and terrorism studies at the institute that a number of undergraduates have taken advantage of. We are also now in the early planning phase to create a semester away in Monterey for undergraduates that focuses on environmental issues specific to the Monterey peninsula and California. Students will learn from the expert faculty at the institute, and the knowledge and skills they learn from this semester will help prepare them to address one of the world’s most challenging problems: climate change. Addressing such global challenges is core to Middlebury’s mission.
[pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Middlebury has an incredible variety of pedagogies, of ways of learning, and ways of knowing.[/pullquote]
In addition to using our impressive variety of places and expertise, we can also cross-pollinate our pedagogies to enhance student learning. The Beyond the Page project represents an example of such cross-pollination. For years, theater arts have been a significant component of teaching and learning at the Bread Loaf School of English. Theater arts promote intellectual risk-taking and help build trust in our learning community at Bread Loaf. The Beyond the Page project will bring the Bread Loaf pedagogy to the undergraduate college through a partnership with college faculty and students. We know that this particular kind of teaching and learning is effective at Bread Loaf, and if pedagogy works well in one place, we should build on this throughout the institution.
To accomplish these and other goals, I work closely with my colleagues on the Provost’s Academic Council: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Sujata Moorti , Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute Jeff Dayton-Johnson, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Language Schools Steve Snyder, and Dean of International Programs Carlos Velez. Together, we form the core academic leadership of Middlebury, and are currently working to further the goals of Envisioning Middlebury. In my office’s recent call for special funding proposals, we outlined our priorities as: strengthening the global network of Middlebury programs through collaboration and partnership, enhancing digital fluency and critical engagement, building learning communities of faculty and students, and promoting our Energy 2028 goals. Each of these priorities reflects our strategic framework. We are enthused and energized by the submissions we have received thus far and we look forward to watching and guiding these projects to advance Middlebury’s strategic vision.
This is exciting work. It’s why I love doing what I do.
Jeff Cason is the Provost and Edward C. Knox Professor of International Studies and Political Science.
(02/20/20 10:54am)
When the Middlebury College Bookstore stopped stocking physical books in 2018 — some say the ensuing collective groan still echoes in the hills — a large part of its rationale was students’ increasing use of Amazon. As a result, the bookstore replaced its concrete, in-person services with an online supplier called MBS Direct; Amazon orders swelled. While students have always scrambled to get their school books in time for the start of classes each semester, the Middlebury College Bookstore once provided the most convenient on-the-spot option that guaranteed timely access. By removing this source, the college has created space for Amazon’s fast delivery and low prices to occupy an even greater portion of schoolbook sales than it once did. Whereas students once used Amazon in take-as-needed doses, the college has now essentially written the campus an open prescription to mainline it, leaving the hazardous side effects to fall on the book industry.
Many already revile Amazon for its laundry list of legal and ethical vices, though few are aware that the company had its not-so-humble beginning in book sales. CEO Jeff Bezos chose books as a jumping-off point because they were a uniquely exploitable commodity due to vast variety, worldwide demand and low unit price. The company has been dealing despotic blows to publishing houses and their authors ever since. After significantly expanding its merchandise, Amazon now relies on book sales for just a sliver of its revenue. However, the website is responsible for more than half of all books sold worldwide. So, while Amazon doesn’t rely on books, the company enjoys unparalleled leverage over book sales, including the ability to manipulate publishing houses and authors and abuse supply chains.
An example might help. As a student studying English and American literature and political science, I was required to order a total of 16 books for the spring semester — mostly novels and nonfiction titles published by single authors through conventional publishing houses. One item on my list is “Caucasia” by Danzy Senna, a phenomenal contemporary novel published in 1999 by Riverhead books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. A used copy, ordered through MBS Direct, costs $12; a brand-new copy of the same edition costs $5.88 from Amazon via a third-party supplier.
On paper, ordering “Caucasia” in better condition for half the price may seem like a no-brainer. But what does “third-party supplier” mean? Amazon intentionally leaves the answer murky. Oftentimes, these books are promotional copies circulated without permission; others are simply counterfeited. One thing that every purchase of a book from a third-party supplier has in common is that the publisher and author do not see a single penny of profit. Despite countless complaints, Amazon has excused itself from the responsibility of vetting these sources for such infractions, claiming that it is the suppliers’ responsibility to “ensure that [their] content doesn’t violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights.”
[pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Whereas students once used Amazon in take-as-needed doses, the college has now essentially written the campus an open prescription to mainline it, leaving the hazardous side effects to fall on the book industry. [/pullquote]
Beyond the problem of third-party suppliers, the scope of Amazon’s business model allows it to routinely take intentional losses in book sales, often pricing books lower than the wholesale price it paid the publisher and making up for the profits elsewhere. The company then uses the sheer quantity of customers to strongarm publishing companies into agreeing to disadvantageous wholesale and royalty contracts. A notable example is a dispute between Amazon and major publishing house Hachette that occurred in 2014, during which Amazon raised listed prices of Hachette books and delayed delivery times by weeks — all the while advertising cheaper and faster-shipping books from other houses — to injure Hachette’s sales until the house was willing to renegotiate.
Publishing houses rely on the revenue generated by big-selling titles. In turn, these revenues provide publishers room to experiment with content, diversify their repertoires, take on new authors and publish the higher-quality, medium-to-low-selling content. These are the works that often win prestigious awards like the Pulitzer, Booker and Nobel Prize in Literature (and that we are often assigned at Middlebury). When Amazon uses its leverage to skimp publishing houses on profits or sells new copies from third-party suppliers, not only are these houses less able to produce high-quality, wide-ranging content, but new and diverse authors are dissuaded from entering the field at all due to lower financial rewards.
I am aware that, for many students, the cheapest option is the only viable option. Whether the bookstore is online or on campus, Amazon often fills this role, and I do not intend to shame students who use it for this purpose in any way. The problem is that, though the old Middlebury College Bookstore was not necessarily the most affordable, it was frequently the most convenient. By transitioning to an online supplier, the college makes room for Amazon to occupy this role as well. Thus, in the wake of the bookstore’s digitization, the student pivot to Amazon is unfortunately reasonable, as it is often the only service that can deliver books as quickly and cheaply as required by Middlebury’s quick-moving academic calendar and rigorous homework schedule — in one of my literature classes, for instance, my professor told students not to bother attending class until they have the book in hand.
By clearing the bookstore’s shelves and ushering students to the internet, Middlebury has raised a de facto white flag to Amazon’s literary abuses, inviting the company into our classrooms at the expense of the very books we study.
Hattie LeFavour ’21 is a Local editor for The Campus.
(02/13/20 11:04am)
“Happiness can also scar,” warns Franca, a central character in this year’s J-Term Musical, “The Light in the Piazza.” For all its intense romanticism, the musical unflinchingly presented the perils of young love and the challenges of such a relationship across a wide cultural divide. The daring performance charts the rocky love story of a vulnerable American woman, Clara, and Fabrizio, an Italian man she meets while on vacation. Complicating the story, however, is the equally turbulent relationship between Clara and her protective mother, Margaret, whose charming Southern twang hides a tragic secret.
Director Douglas Anderson, Musical Director Carol Christensen and Orchestra Leader Mary Jane Austin harnessed the talents of an immensely skilled cast, crew and orchestra. The production, which ran from Jan. 24 to 27, also received guidance from the musical’s composer, Adam Guettel. The resulting show filled the stage with imagination, wit and grace. While the set itself was beautifully spare — its central figures an unreadable clock face and a coy, silent cherub statue — the performance was rather the opposite, dedicated to vivid displays of joy and despair, often in rapid succession. A play described by the New York Times as having “the most intensely romantic score since ‘West Side Story,’” the musical had Middlebury audience members swooning in their seats. Michael Koutelos ’20 gave a standout performance as Fabrizio, wrenching hearts as he declares his eternal love for Clara (Charlotte Katz ’21) in song after song, line after line. Over half the cast, including Koutelos, delivered their lines in Italian, drawing the audience across the Atlantic and into the heart of Italy. Student actor Antonio Antonelli ’23, a native speaker of Italian, found the experience “freeing and fun” considering the “musicality” of the language. Most impressive was the cast’s immense ability to convey truths through the universal language of emotion.
According to Anderson, the musical’s score is “one of the most complex ever written for the Broadway stage,” thus making it “an enormous challenge for student singers.” Still, every singer on stage, not to mention the full orchestra, rose to the challenge, each contributing a heartfelt and meaningful performance. Madison Middleton ’22 delivered an incredibly nuanced bid as Margaret, capable of conveying both the bulk of the musical’s witty quips and the anguish of a protective mother. The main conflict of the musical, in fact, arises from Margaret’s disapproval of her daughter’s relationship with Fabrizio due to some unnamed but immense worry. Eventually, Margaret reveals the source of her anxiety: as a child, Clara experienced a tragic accident that left her mentally handicapped, and, as Margaret believes, forever incapable of loving or being truly loved. To make matters worse, Fabrizio’s long-suffering sister-in-law Franca (Sofie Leathers ’22) demonstrates the dangers of marriage as she watches her adulterous husband, played wonderfully by Antonelli, betray her again and again. Despite the inauspicious signs, Fabrizio and Clara are undaunted by the warnings of Margaret and Franca, their hearts drawn ever closer until, chastened, Margaret concedes to the marriage.
Now in its fifteenth year, the J-Term collaboration between Town Hall Theater and Middlebury College extends beyond the stage and into the far reaches of the town. “The heart of the J-Term show is the interaction between college students and people from the local community and the audience is very much a part of that,” Anderson said. Indeed, the musical resonated well with audience member Anita Borlak ’23, who remarked that it was “truly a charming love story.” Ultimately, “The Light in the Piazza” is a powerful confirmation of love and everyone’s right to experience it.
(02/13/20 11:02am)
At the Oscars last Sunday night, “Parasite” became the first non-English foreign movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. In addition, South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho won the Oscars for Best International Feature Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for his work on the film.
The film’s quadruple victory was unexpected. Awards prediction website Gold Derby projected that “1917” would take the ceremony’s top prize. I estimated that the Academy’s narcissistic wing would sway towards the new Quentin Tarantino movie, “Once Upon A Time... in Hollywood.” Aging mafiosos probably placed their bets on “The Irishman.”
In the end, though,“Parasite” won big, making history for international films.
There is even more for “Parasite” to celebrate: Joon-ho’s thriller is the most entertaining film to win Best Picture in quite some time. Consider the award’s recent winners, including “Spotlight,” “Moonlight” and “The Shape of Water.” These movies have incredible acting, display beautiful shots and deal with serious themes. However, if the above qualities are the only components of great cinema, then “The Notebook” (2004) is a masterpiece.
“Parasite,” unlike the recent Best Picture winners, has spunk to boot. The most violent scenes in “Parasite” owe as much to the Marx Brothers as the Coen Brothers, while the film’s slap-stick sequences still play out in a strangely elegiac key. “Parasite” exudes the same moodiness that makes David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” (1986) so fun: You feel as if the filmmakers are taking actual risks.
[pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Joon-ho’s thriller is the most entertaining film to win Best Picture in quite some time.[/pullquote]
Below are some of my other notes on the Academy Awards. Before I proceed, though, I must point out that I haven’t seen the following Oscar-nominated films: “Pain and Glory,” “Harriet,” “A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Little Women” and “Ford v Ferrari.” I will not pass judgement on these movies, with the exception of “Ford v. Ferrari”: does the world really need a grittier, somber, longer version of “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006)?
The nominees for Best Actress had my two favorite performances of the year. Charlize Theron impeccably mimics Meghan Kelly’s voice and mannerisms in “Bombshell,” but, more importantly, she conveys her character’s complexity with aplomb. Theron’s finest performance to date is still her Academy Award-winning role as Ailleen Wuornos in the serial-killer drama “Monster” (2003), but her take on Kelly is a close second. I walked out of “Bombshell” with a feeling most of us experience just once or twice in our lives: genuine sympathy for a Fox News anchor. All things considered, Renée Zellwegger truly did deserve an Oscar for her performance in “Judy,” which tells the story of Judy Garland’s late-career London performances in 1969. Half the scenes in “Judy” involve the protagonist popping pills and sipping spirits, and Zellwegger never pulls punches. Near the film’s end, a doctor asks Garland: “do you take anything for depression?” She replies, “four husbands…. it didn’t work.” Uff da, Judy. On top of it all, Zellwegger sings beautifully.
I only saw two nominated performances for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Margot Robbie in “Bombshell” and Laura Dern in “Marriage Story.” In “Bombshell,” Robbie portrays a news analyst who is sexually harassed by Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. Especially impressive is how the 29-year old Australian actress quietly conveys her character’s grief without much verbal expression.
Laura Dern plays a divorce attorney in “Marriage Story.” It’s a showier performance than Robbie’s, and one sees why the Academy gave her the award.
[pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]I walked out of 'Bombshell' with a feeling most of us experience just once or twice in our lives: genuine sympathy for a Fox News anchor.[/pullquote]
What gives Robbie’s performance my endorsement is that “Bombshell” tells a more enjoyable narrative than “Marriage Story.” My general issue with the latter film is that it’s so uncompromisingly sad. The action of “Marriage Story” centers around a playwright (Adam Driver) divorcing an actress (Scarlett Johannson). The culminating scene involves one spouse telling another, “every morning I wake up and I wish you were dead.” Eeyore The Blue Donkey did not receive a co-writing credit for “Marriage Story,” but one can certainly see his gloomy hoofprints all over the film’s script.
Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker” was a shoe-in for the Best Actor Oscar. Phoenix’s performance reminded me of Forest Whittaker’s take on Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland’’ (2006), which is about as scary as things get.
Brad Pitt’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood” surprised me. For most of my life, I’ve considered Pitt a so-so leading man. Consider “Troy” (2004), wherein Pitt’s ambiguously accented Achilles looks as if he’d rather go surfing than lay waste the hills of Illium (“Let no mahn foeget hah menahcing we ah; we are lions!”)
But that same laid-back attitude is perhaps why the 56-year-old actor works so well in “Once Upon a Time.. in Hollywood”: Pitt’s portrayal of a chilled-out stuntman trucks along effortlessly. Take the scene where a bare-chested Pitt fixes a TV antenna while enjoying a cigarette. Pitt stops and takes a swig of beer. He smiles at the clouds. Life, one imagines, is quite nice when your six-pack abs are soaking up the California sun.
Meanwhile in the theater, I was seriously regretting my purchase of an extra large popcorn and Junior Mints. Any performance that gets me to hit the gym deserves an Oscar in my book.
(02/13/20 11:01am)
Picture eighteen-year-old Serena van der Woodsen and place her in a cold Northern city with a severely depressed boyfriend. Now, give her a shotgun.
These are the rough outlines of Malin Persson Giolito’s 2016 novel “Quicksand” (“Störst av allt”). It is just as clumsy as it sounds.
We fall into protagonist Maja Norberg’s narration in medias res, as she paints us a bloody picture of her dead boyfriend lying in her lap after the two opened fire in their high school classroom in Djursholm, a wealthy Stockholm suburb. Persson Giolito expands the well-established genre of Scandinavian crime novels and shows off her legal education in her description of Maja’s interrogations and eventual trial.
In many ways, the novel trips on its own narration. As Maja is asked to recall the shooting and the events leading up to it in excruciating detail over and over again, the narrative begs to play with the issue of memory. Persson Giolito fails to harness it. Despite the hours that Maja spends in solitary confinement, we at no point see her falling into the traps of her own mind: Am I making this all up? What if the prosecutor is right, what if I did actually intend to kill all of them? Maja ends up as a remarkably flat character with seemingly little capacity for introspection.
Parts of this can admittedly be blamed on translation. In between the lines of Maja’s narrative, I could hear the echo of the Swedish original and its habitual quip of cynicism that the English language simply cannot carry. To “Quicksand”’s detriment, the edge of Maja’s words just comes off as baseless anger.
Persson Giolito’s portrayal of class in Stockholm is unimaginative at best, and much of the novel’s stacity derives it. Her narration codes wealth almost exclusively through clothes, jewellery and other material items, and brushes over the many other dimensions of class culture as if by choice. This description reaches its highest level of nuance when we find out that Maja is marginally less privileged than her best friend, as her dress was second hand while Amanda’s was bought off the rack. It seems Persson Giolito is so eager to show off the material possessions of her characters that the incisive findings about class in her blurb become an afterthought.
Maja’s boyfriend, Sebastian Fagerman, is arguably the most interesting of the characters that the novel has to offer. The son of Sweden’s fictional richest man, other characters’ behavior around his family makes for interesting observations about the performativity of wealth. Maja mentions on several occasions how anxious her father is about his new money status, and when Sebastian invites Maja to join him on his father’s yacht, she makes a point of saying that her mother is probably out buying the most expensive suitcase she can possibly find. Objective socioeconomic status does not mean much when there is a much more affluent person to appease to. It is scenes like this that give Persson Giolito’s narrative the hues of humanity that she too often sacrifices for material.
Sweden’s low Gini coefficient is a lazy excuse for such oversight. If Persson Giolito can dedicate ample space to a lagging description of a business dinner off the Italian coast that adds little to the plot, why is there such a sense of urgency when we finally get on the train to Tensta and have a chance to look beyond the villas of Djursholm? The novel’s relentless focus on materialism smells not of a genuine desire to explore and understand the meaning of class in Sweden, but of precisely the opposite.
Persson Giolito’s attempt at introducing diverse perspectives through the character of Samir cements this impression. Standing in the assembly hall surrounded by his affluent classmates, Samir challenges a visiting economist on her neoliberalist views while Sebastian predictably heckles him. An awkward exchange about corporate tax rates ensues. Samir’s character has the potential for depth and dimension written all over it, but instead the novel resorts to the not-at-all tired trope that, wow, the immigrant kid in cheap trousers can actually be smarter than the rest of them! It does not take a sociologist to see how anticlimactic this setting is.
“Quicksand” is not a horrible book, nor do I regret reading it. It just is not as good as it thinks it is. The question that lingered when I put the book down was not one about inequality or class culture, but why I was reading it in the first place. For style? Hardly. Because the courtroom scenes fed my law school fantasies? Perhaps. In some backward way, the novel reads like an extended metaphor for the things its own characters try so hard to criticise. Even if this is intentional, Persson Giolito’s flat narrative style is unable to carry it to term. “Quicksand” lends itself as yet another reminder of the work that stands between Nordic literature and a sophisticated understanding of the changing meaning of class, race and social status in the region.
(02/13/20 10:58am)
“If people are determined to be offended — if they will climb up on the ladder, balancing it precariously on their own toilet system to be upset by what they see through the neighbor’s bathroom window — there is nothing you can do about that.” — Christopher Hitchens
In 1755, the lexicographer Samuel Johnson published his famous dictionary of the English language. Shortly after his work was distributed, many people in London sought him out to praise him for his work. As the story goes, one group of ladies congratulated Johnson on excluding any inappropriate or indecent words from his dictionary. “Ladies,” Johnson replied, “I congratulate you on your diligence in searching for them.”
It’s easy to hear this story and connect it to contemporary occasions in which individuals go out of their way to find offense with a given author or speaker. Despite my best efforts, I cannot grasp the inner workings of the minds of those who embark upon these kinds of searches.
In some cases, the sought-for offense is more easily found than in others. “The Bell Curve” by the re-invited Charles Murray arguably represents a more obviously controversial publication (as is the case with his newest book). However, the actions of those at the 2017 protest who found offense in Murray’s work were far more serious than those of the ladies of London. They were so extreme that, when I was the treasurer of the American Enterprise Institute Club and co-president of the College Republicans in 2017, I could not have envisioned the outrage his presence generated on campus, which culminated in protests governed by a mob mentality the afternoon of his talk.
Would you return to a place that greeted you with, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Charles Murray go away?” Perhaps the hundreds of student and non-Middlebury protesters should have been more diligent in the search to be offended — as the ladies in London were with Johnson — because they didn’t appear to be relying on accurate information. For example, one could choose to counter their chants by pointing out that Murray was one of the most forthright conservative intellectuals in favor of the Republican Party modifying its platform to support both gay marriage and abortion. Or by pointing out that Murray’s calls for a more socially liberal stance on those issues were made in 2013, when gay marriage and abortion were even more unpopular among Republicans than they are today, within just months of President Obama’s own 180-degree switch on the issue of marriage equality. But I suppose the protest chant had a nice jingle to it and seriously engaging in a dialogue with “sexist and anti-gay” Murray was much less convenient than reading a half-page summary of Murray’s work on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website.
Can I understand why some people were offended by Murray’s visit? Certainly. I came to Middlebury with a worldview that was challenged, shattered, built up and shattered again multiple times throughout my time there. But I sought out guest lectures on race, equity, religion; worldviews that often made me uncomfortable in my own skin, clothes and head. My time at Middlebury popped the bubble in which I was raised and forced me to encounter issues on my own through the free expression and engagement of ideas. Patting myself on the back through conversations with ideologically identical friends whose views echoed my own was of no interest or value to me.
Yet, despite running towards these challenges, I not only found the Murray protesters uninterested in engaging with any contrary viewpoints (or even understanding what they were really opposing), but found myself running away from the event. Literally. I still recall that evening in vivid detail, when my brisk pace turned to a full-on sprint as a masked protester (who I assume was not a student) holding a large sign chased me back to my dorm room from the event. I was wearing a suit and tie; I had to be with the bad guy, they figured.
If you didn’t feel that the protesters’ response — effectively shutting down the Murray event, as well as the events which occurred immediately afterwards — was an embarrassing moment for the college prior to reading this op-ed, I doubt I’ve convinced you. But for those who are on the fence, having Murray back provides an opportunity to engage without shutting down and redeem the college’s stained image in the eyes of many alumni, donors and the general public. Rarely do such second chances present themselves.
If you don’t agree with me, I want to leave you with this thought: Consider what would have happened if, instead of attending those lectures to challenge my viewpoints and gain more information, I had simply taken offense to paragraphs posted on Facebook. Imagine if I had organized a group of dozens, or even hundreds, of students to shut down that event. Or pulled the fire alarm three times. Or stood in front of a car carrying Murray and college staff. Or protested with outside professionals on campus, culminating in the concussion of a professor. Imagine if my gut reaction was not to engage, but to resist forcefully something which I hadn’t read about and based on my opinion of a speaker whom I heard third-hand. Now, imagine if this was done again. And again. And again. Would that be helpful to anyone? Would it further the college’s mission? Would it reflect well on my own (and my peers’) cause? Most importantly, would it right the supposed wrong embodied in the offense that was taken?
The views you cherish and express today might be offensive to someone else tomorrow. And if a precedent is set that offense justifies the cancellation of the exchange of ideas on the basis of offense, then you’ve cut off the very branch upon which you sit. My advice: Be careful not to make yourself a victim of your own actions.
Hayden Dublois '17 helped organize Charles Murray's 2017 visit to Middlebury. Dublois currently works at the Foundation for Government Accountability.
(02/13/20 10:53am)
“WE ARE CALLING ON THE STUDENTS OF WILLIAMS COLLEGE TO BOYCOTT THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT,” reads the front page of a Google Website put together by a group of Williams students in early November. Dump the structurally racist and whitewashed English program at our liberal arts school, these pro-boycotters plead, for they are “receiving an inadequate education” that “hinders [their] learning.”
Oh boy. Here we go. Before I address Williams directly, let’s talk about books for a moment. Those long, almost lost, beautiful blocks with words, ideas, longings, thoughts, and so on. Yes, books. Sweet, sweet books.
More specifically, actually, I’m going to talk about the "literary canon." That is — those works of which are deemed superb and worthy of being taught as tools to educate. They are hard and complex by their nature, and they stretch the mind. In effect, they teach one how to think clearly (granted our idea of education still stands).
To start I might claim that all books are not created equal. (Their authors, yes I agree, are, but that isn’t the topic of discussion). Some books, most books actually, are simply inadequate when compared to those texts that have, or are expected to, "stand the test of time." And this test, you may have guessed, is a difficult one: In order to pass, the text must transcend place, trend and era. No small feat for a fictional tale. Nonetheless, this is the criteria, and writers throughout history have set the bar high. And in the English language, as it so happens, writers throughout history have been predominantly white and male. This creates tension in the classroom, especially given that course reading lists are zero sum games: Every addition demands a subtraction.
For those of you out of the literary-loop, let me set the stage. After the late twentieth century, it was well established that reading strictly the emblematic ‘Dead White Males’ no longer suffices for the study of English literature. And for this reason, after much argumentation back and forth, the canon was expanded; newer, more diverse voices received spots at the table — Toni Morrison, Chinua Achebe, Zora Neale Hurston, to name a few (all of whom you should read).
As a result, it largely seemed like the “canon wars” were put to rest. Students were reading and being taught the strongest that has been written in the language and, given that artistic literary genius is not an attribute exclusive to deceased white men, more females and writers of color than ever before could be and still are found on reading lists across the country.
But, alas, the war has been rekindled. And here we are.
Though not exclusive to the typical dead white male demographic, it seems safe to say that literary genius is not found in every soul who ventures to pick up the pen. No matter how hard you try, you cannot democratize brilliance. But as the Williams boycott demonstrates, people will indeed try.
These newer multicultural voices, appropriately added to a canon based foremost on aesthetic merit, are now being dismissed by their very own proponents, those whom I might call amateur radical critical theorists, as “token” instances of ethnic writers in otherwise “whitewashed” syllabi. To be clear, these are the kind of people who loudly proclaim that Shakespeare’s popularity and world-renowned status can be solely attributed to nothing less than white supremacy and white hegemony.
To these people, all I can say is that you aren’t reading closely enough. You might even be taking classes in the wrong department.
In this increasingly scientific, materialistic age, the humanities are under enough stress as it is. The study of English Literature cannot and should not bend to the will of these radical students who wish to turn it into something along the lines of what I’d dub “Oppression Studies,” or something of the kind. Such a department would likely be quite successful in our current academic climate. Still, let the greatest artistic feats of humanity stay where they are. To the braver ones amongst you, maybe even read them. I’m willing to bet you’d learn a lot, potentially even some things you’d wish you hadn’t. These timeless texts tend to act as mirrors. They grant you insight into your own soul and teach you who you really are.
Reading Great Works is now an act of rebellion, apparently; have at it, if you dare. And to those Williams boycotters and closed minded students in general, I have one last thing to say. Silencing, boycotting, cancelling… These aren’t the answers to your complaints. We need open and free (completely free) debate. I myself am a firm believer in the dialectical method. I think there is a reason why Plato wrote dialogues and not treatises: for it is through discussion that we best come to truth and knowledge. If we throw this idea out the door, I’m not so sure what we’ll have left.
Quinn Rifkin is a member of the class of 2022.
(01/23/20 3:00pm)
Dear Middlebury faculty, students and staff,
As the faculty members of the Committee on Speech and Inclusion, we write to the community to offer an initial response to the news that Charles Murray has been invited back to Middlebury. After Murray’s visit in spring 2017, the Middlebury College administration convened our committee, consisting of staff, faculty and students. We came to this committee with different viewpoints on speech and inclusion, and were charged with engaging in dialogue about the complex and divisive issues concerning the relationship between these two values. Despite our diverse perspectives, we were nevertheless able to make recommendations about how the community might deal with similar events in the future. Overall, we hold that both of those values — open discussion of ideas and inclusion of diverse people — are essential to the healthy functioning of the college. Our deliberations informed our January 2018 report, available here.
The freedom to explore and discuss any question or topic — no matter where it leads — is a cornerstone of academic inquiry and freedom. Having said that, such questions are never explored in an abstract intellectual space but in specific social settings. Although the motivation to explore may be absolutely innocent, the effects on some members of our community, and especially on marginalized groups, are sometimes far from benign, and may lead to dignitary harm. We do not support policies that prevent sponsors from bringing whomever they wish to campus, or that shut down speakers once they are invited. Nonetheless, we encourage hosts and potential sponsors to think seriously about how issues of power and privilege complicate arguments about free speech. For marginalized groups, the ideal of a public sphere as a level playing field where all can freely express themselves is far from the reality of their experience.
In the coming weeks, we invite all members of the Middlebury community — hosts and audience members — to be conscientious about the choices they make in relation to events they organize or attend. First and foremost, we encourage hosts to consider formats and venues that facilitate audience engagement with the speaker and create space for the expression of multiple viewpoints within their event. By the same token, we remind students, staff and faculty that when productive dialogue and exchange of ideas are not feasible, creating alternative events in which opposing views can be heard may be an effective response. For those who have already dedicated substantial time and energy to the consideration of Murray’s ideas, we understand and support them if they decide not to attend or engage.
While we do not need or wish to play a leadership role in this moment, we have been talking about divisive ideas like Murray’s for years, and we hope to continue to do so in a way that will strengthen our relationships and improve our understanding about how to balance speech and inclusivity on our campus.
Sincerely,
Ata Anzali, Associate Professor, Department of Religion
Kemi Fuentes-George, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
Sarah Stroup, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
Marion Wells, Professor, Department of English and American Literatures
Editor's note: The above faculty are the four faculty members of the Committee on Speech and Inclusion, a committee that was created in the aftermath of Charles Murray's 2017 visit to campus. The committee dissolved after releasing its 2018 report. Learn more about that committee and its work here.
(01/23/20 11:03am)
RIDDIM World Dance Troupe, one of the college’s oldest and most recognizable student dance groups, takes Wilson Hall by storm twice a year. Its biannual show consistently sells out, and its recent Fall 2019 show, “RIDDIM Throws It Back,” was no different. Nearly every seat was filled as members of the audition-only troupe performed a variety of pieces choreographed by fellow dancers.
So, what’s RIDDIM all about?
RIDDIM began as RIDDIM World Dance Club in Spring 1998. Started by Tessa Waddell ’02, the club aimed to present the Middlebury community with different styles of dance. From the club came the troupe, an audition-only and student-run group with a stated goal “to provide the Middlebury College community with an outlet of expression through diverse dance styles.”
The word “riddim” comes from the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word “rhythm,” but in reggae and other Afro-Carribean music styles it most commonly refers to the instrumental background of songs.
Mariel Edokwe ’20, a RIDDIM board member, said that the troupe’s style of dance has shifted away from its Afro-Carribean origin over the years.
“As [RIDDIM] continued on, it started kind of shifting towards a contemporary, modern, more ballet-based [style],” Edokwe said. “I know that there’s controversy about that, but I know that since I’ve joined RIDDIM, freshman year in the fall of 2016, they’re really trying to diversify in terms of its members and in terms of its dance styles.”
Edokwe said that the group aims to create a positive, open space for students to dance on campus. She recalled her own experience as a ballet dancer before coming to Middlebury and noted that many dancers in her position choose to pursue their career instead of an education. On-campus groups like RIDDIM allow students who want to dance to do both.
With that being said, RIDDIM members come with varying levels of dance experience. Some members come from a competitive background and have several years of ballet experience whereas others have no formal dance training at all. The troupe remains open to all styles of dance, which Edokwe considers “part of the beauty of RIDDIM itself.”
“I know that for me, personally, and for a bunch of my friends and the group members, that it’s been really awesome for us to come in as, for me, say, a ballet dancer, and then to try hip-hop, try Latin dancing, and to try styles I’ve never done before and just grow as a person and dancer, and just kind of expose yourself to all there is that’s out there in a way that maybe you didn’t get to before," she said.
Malia Armstrong ’22.5 acknowledged the challenges of being a student dancer but said she feels supported by the RIDDIM community.
“Being in Riddim has completely reignited my creativity and passion after feeling burnt out after years of dancing competitively and has created a supportive and healing space on campus," she said. "It reminded me why I love to dance and that is something I will always be grateful for.”
RIDDIM is an inclusive environment that is welcoming to students of all classes and levels of experience. The nine-person board includes members of different years, which allows multiple voices to be heard, and any RIDDIM member can choreograph a piece as early as their second show.
Armstrong and Katie Koch ’22.5 choreographed their first piece, “Partition” for the Fall 2019 show. The dance was performed to Beyonce’s Partition – a song that celebrates female sexuality – and featured excerpts from speeches by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a renowned author and vocal feminist.
Armstrong said that she and Koch chose this song because it features a woman talking about sex and sexuality with strength and confidence, something that is often repressed in society. They overlaid Adichie’s speeches over the song in order to more concisely convey their message. The song ended with the phrase “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and femininity,” which Armstrong said sums up the intention behind their piece as a whole.
“My favorite part of choreographing this piece was being able to collaborate with Katie doing something that is out of my comfort zone,” Armstrong wrote in an email to The Campus. “I had never choreographed a heels piece, so exploring different movements with Katie was challenging, but being able to create something together that meant a lot to us was really exciting.”
“When I joined RIDDIM, I thought I was just joining a dance group,” she said. “I had no idea that this group would become my second family. I am so grateful to have connected with such an incredible community of people, all bonded by our love of dance.”
(01/23/20 11:00am)
In her debut collection of essays, “Shrill,” available in print and as an audiobook, author Lindy West takes a number of anti-feminist, fatphobic and misogynistic beliefs and challenges readers to examine the underpinnings of these hegemonic and harmful ideologies.
What does that mean in plain English? West supports women. She believes fat bodies are worthy of respect, space and love. And she believes that women have more to offer the world than just their sexual appeal to men. She also believes this in spite of the fact that the predominant culture in the United States would suggest otherwise.
West is a smart writer and an in-tune cultural critic. One of her strengths is her vulnerability. For example, in one of her essays, she recounts calling out her former boss, well- known sex columnist Dan Savage, for his insulting rhetoric surrounding fat people. In another, she tells of the abortion she had before she was ready to become a parent. In a third, she tries to explain why there really is no appropriate place for rape jokes, despite the fact that some stand-up comedians favor them.
These positions and willingness to be open and confrontational about issues that are largely taboo in our culture should garner West an award for bravery. However, I’m concerned that the audience most likely to consume her work— or the words of any “shrill” woman— is an audience that is already on board with her message. And in that respect, regrettably, she may not be catalyzing widespread change — The same may be true of this very column.
West’s audience is likely white women between the ages of 20 and 45 who are highly literate, regular readers, willing to appreciate rhetorical nuance and sensitive to feminist issues. Wonderful. They likely look to her to help themselves better articulate some of the ideological conundrums they encounter. That’s fine. But, I suspect that the people who most need to engage in discussions regarding a woman’s bodily autonomy, such as some male legislators in Congress, for example, will never page through this publication. The people who most need contact with this work are likely oblivious to its existence.
Is it West’s responsibility to lure that readership towards her arguments? No! But how do we move a conversation forward when the interlocutors create an echo chamber? In plain English: if the only people willing to hear a message are those who already believe it, what, ultimately, are we accomplishing? Is the book good? Sure. As with any collection of essays, some are stronger and more compelling than others. I have already mentioned my favorites.
To whom would I recommend it— with realistic hopes that they might read it? You can see my quote above: “white women between the ages of 20 and 45 who are highly literate, regular readers, willing to appreciate rhetorical nuance and are sensitive to feminist issues.” What more might I hope for? That there be a way to position the work so that the issues it addresses are heard by more people who will encounter the ideas as novel, provocative and so alien as to be engrossing. For more titles like this one, see Roxane Gay’s “Hunger” or Samantha Irby’s “Meaty.”
(11/21/19 11:04am)
After his conviction for “sodomy and gross indecency,” Irish playwright Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) served two years in Reading Gaol prison. Following his release, he lived in exile, wandering the streets of Paris drunk, broke and alone. None of these hardships, however, made Wilde any less funny. “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death,” the playwright allegedly remarked on his deathbed. “One or the other of us has to go.”
The dark comedy in “Airswimming” (1997) has echoes of Wilde. Dorphea and Persephone, the play’s protagonists, get locked up in a mental ward for deviating from the sexual norms of early 20th-century Britain. Like Wilde, they both see the funny side of their harsh lot: Throughout the play, the two women chortle about topics ranging from Doris Day’s virginity to Joan of Arc’s burning. “Airswimming” — which played at the Hepburn Zoo from Thursday, Nov. 14 to Saturday, Nov. 16 — was masterfully directed by Zachary Varricchione ’21. The play starred Madeline Ciocci ’20 and Gabby Valdivieso ’20 as Dora and Persephone, respectively. The production was also Ciocci’s senior thesis acting project for her theater major.
Gutsy musical numbers, raw performances and clever staging turned a moderately fine script into a fun evening at the theater. Anyone over the age of 12 can direct a half-decent production of a masterpiece like “Macbeth.” Good directors like Varricchione, however, can make plays from the “Troilus and Cressida” league seem like varsity material. I’m definitely excited to see more productions from Varrichione, who is a junior theater major.
“This was actually the first show I’ve ever directed, so I was met with a lot of challenges that were mostly personal,” Varricchione said. “I think the biggest challenge was creating the characters of Porph and Dorph. They are still Persephone and Dora but they are living and coping with the trauma they’ve endured.”
The show’s exploration of sexism was brutally honest. “[Getting locked up in a mental hospital] was a reality for so many women all over the U.S. and the U.K. for a really long time,” Ciocci said. “The play is actually based on a true story about three women who were all put in a mental hospital in Ireland for 50 years for having children without being married.”
“Airswimming” begins in 1924. Dora’s been in the insane asylum for two years, locked up for partaking in unwomanly things (namely, cigar smoking). Persephone’s the new inmate in the ward. Initially upper-crust and stiff, Persephone helps Dora’s straightjacket years become more endurable with a decades-long friendship. When asked about the protagonists’ relationship, Varricchione suggested that their friendship has an element of self-preservation. “I would say it’s a story about survival through friendship,” Varricchione said. “The love between [Persephone and Dora] is very genuine in my eyes. They are what they have to live for.”
The reparté between Ciocci and Valdivieso was notably sharp. “Gabby and I were actually freshman year roommates, so we had a great jumping off point to go from,” Ciocci said. Since the play only features two characters, the connection between the two actors was essential. “It’s a totally unique and awesome feeling to be working on the same mental wavelength as another person,” Ciocci said. “In shows like this, unless you can get to that level of mental symbiosis, the show doesn’t work…Gabby and I have worked really hard to develop that parallel.”
[pullquote speaker="Madeline Ciocci '20" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]The only thing that gets these women through this horrific experience is their relationship.[/pullquote]
The play’s musical numbers, set to jazz hits by the singer Doris Day, also highlighted the two students’ impeccable dance moves. The two actresses made washing tubs and sweeping tiles look like something out of “Singin’ In The Rain” (1952). But despite Varricchione’s use of Great American Songbook standards like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” the production was a far cry from a Rodgers and Hart musical comedy. “In musicals, there’s often specific choreography and movement for the songs,” said Ciocci, who sings several songs in the play. “Whereas in [‘Airswimming’], every time I sing each song, I do it differently and do movement that feels right in that moment for that specific performance.”
Ciocci and Valdivieso pulled off impressively convincing English accents. Each actress did a good job at distinguishing the social class of their character through dialect choices. Valdivieso’s Dora had a subtle Cockney accent, while Ciocci’s Persephone sounded like she had just wandered off the set of “The Crown.” “I was definitely not the dialect coach,” said Varricchione. “Thankfully, the department had dialect tapes that I was able to distribute to the two of them.”
Tech director Cooper Kelley ’22 made a set that channeled dread. On stage there was only a bathtub, a ladder and some steps. Outside the Hepburn Zoo, small paper notes marked important events in 20th century Britain. One of these placards marked the premier of “Waiting for Godot (1953),” a production that Varricchione paid homage to by using a minimal set.
But the main takeaway from this weekend’s production of “Airswimming” was gloom. Dora and Persephone eventually get happy endings, but Ciocci’s thesis project never lost sight of its main focus, exploring the cruelty that men have inflicted upon women throughout human history. “To me, the play is about what we have to do to survive in dire circumstances,” Ciocci said. “The only thing that gets these women through this horrific experience is their relationship.”
I walked out of the Hepburn Zoo thinking of a sad line from James Joyce’s “Ulysses” (1922): “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”
