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(10/15/12 12:55pm)
On Saturday Oct. 13, His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke to the College community on the topic of “Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World”. The Dalai Lama spoke for nearly thirty minutes — on peace, cooperation and morality in the 21st century — before taking pre-composed written questions from community members.
During the question period, queries from students and townspeople alike challenged the Tibetan spiritual leader, asking for his comments on the American political system, China–Tibet relations and the righteousness of the use of morphine at the end of life.
The event was the second of two talks given by the spiritual leader, and represented the third time that Dalai Lama has visited the College.
President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz spoke first, greeting community members and welcoming U.S Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. to the stage. Leahy was highly complimentary of the Tibetan leader, explaining that he couldn’t possibly provide an adequate introduction from the Dalai Lama.
“I have admired his Holiness for so many years,” he said, “… He is a man of remarkable ability and patience and perseverance … He is the face of Tibet throughout the world.”
Following the introduction, the Dalai Lama was greeted to a standing ovation by the crowd of 2,800 in the College’s Nelson Arena.
After his opening remarks the Tibetan leader spoke of "oneness" and the similarities between all people, before expressing his belief that the level of violence of the 21st century was “on a different scale,” than the century prior. He called for a reduction of military forces, and for a greater emphasis on dialogue.
“We need genuine cooperation … based on friendship, openness and trust,” he said. “The destruction of your enemy is actually the destruction of yourself.”
Throughout the presentation the Tibetan spiritual leader demonstrated his typical charisma, citing pointed moral truths in an accessible manner for the crowd. Sporadic tense moments were broken easily through the use of the Dalai Lama’s infectious laughter.
When asked of his view on the ideological bipartisanship in the United States, the Dalai Lama shrugged and responded that there are “… not much differences … whether Democratic party or Republican party. When they actually deeply [face] a problem, I think [they are] more or less the same.” The comment was met by much laughter from the audience.
His Holiness expressed his desire for a reduction in the economic gap between the rich and the poor.
“As far as socio-economic theory is concerned, I am Marxist … but that does not mean I accept the totalitarian system; I am totally against it,” he said.
His Holiness also suggested the positive benefits of the capitalist system, such as the promotion of innovation and creativity.
On the topic of Tibet—China relations the audience was silent as His Holiness reiterated the importance dialogue between the two groups. He encouraged Tibetans to travel to China to further mutual cultural understanding.
The Dalai Lama spoke in English, occasionally turning to his translator, Thupten Jinpa, for clarification. One such instance occurred when the Buddhist leader was asked of the appropriateness of the use of morphine during hospice care.
“That, I think, is case to case,” he said. “… difficult to generalize.”
In his response, the Dalai Lama suggested that for those who have spiritual experience and connection, it might be important to keep a "clear mind." He concluded that in other cases, where individuals have no such interest, such a decision might be best left to medical professionals.
One of the final questions came from a woman who asked: “You always show a smile that radiates from the heart, how is that possible? Do you know a secret that makes you smile?”
“If there is some secret thing there, that I should keep as a secret,” the Dalai Lama responded, to much laughter.
Such radiance was also evident backstage, according to Jennie Kim ’13, one of the five College students who were asked to play music during the introduction of the talk. Following the conclusion of the Dalai Lama’s remarks, Kim had the opportunity to shake hands with the spiritual leader.
“He was very delightful. Backstage he was very much like your typical grandpa,” she said, smiling.
“I think his talk was enlightening. [He spoke of many things] that were common sense — like that we need to trust people and be open minded — but it just reaffirmed that we really need to think about these things. Sometimes we need that reminder,” she said.
(10/12/12 9:53pm)
On Friday, Oct. 12, His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed a crowd of faculty, staff, students and community members at Nelson Arena in his lecture “Educating the Heart.” The spiritual leader touched on issues of education, faith, the corruption of money and the importance of affection.
Friday’s lecture marked the first in the spiritual leader’s two-day visit to the College. The Dalai Lama spoke again on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. in a lecture titled “Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World.”
Chaplain Laurie Jordan began her introductions at 1:40 p.m., only to be surprised just a few seconds into her remarks by the appearance of the Dalai Lama at her back.
“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed Jordan. “That wasn’t in the script,” she later added.
The Dalai Lama presented Jordan and President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz with white scarves, or khatag. Jordan presented the Dalai Lama with a Middlebury visor, which he wore throughout the lecture along with his traditional Tibetan robes.
In his brief introductory remarks, Liebowitz welcomed the spiritual leader for his third visit to the College.
“We all know about the Dalai Lama,” said Liebowitz. “But today and tomorrow … we have the opportunity to hear him directly.”
The Dalai Lama began his lecture by referencing his earlier visits to the College in 1990 and 1984. He then directly addressed the audience.
“How much change my face?” he asked, laughing.
The Dalai Lama continued to use his famous sense of humor throughout the lecture, often prompting laughter from the audience by first laughing himself.
The Dalai Lama began his lecture by expressing dismay over the current suffering and destruction of the 21st century. He then asked the audience to self-identify their age bracket through a show of hands.
“You are the people who will shape the new world,” he said, addressing the younger members of the audience. “This century should be the century of the peace.”
The Dalai Lama also discussed the nature of education and criticized the modern education system.
“Education is supposed to reduce gap [between] appearance and reality,” he said. “[The] modern education system is more materialistic-oriented.”
The spiritual leader emphasized the importance of affection, and mimed petting small cats and dogs to show the joy possible from simple occurrences in life.
“Money has no ability to show affection,” he said. “For living beings, affection is most important.”
The Dalai Lama also expressed his belief that these ideas hold an unlimited potential for application.
“This religion, that religion — doesn’t matter,” he said. “These moral ethics [are] universal values.”
The Dalai Lama lectured for approximately thirty minutes. When he stumbled over words, he was prompted by his chief English translator, Thupten Jinpa.
After the conclusion of the lecture, the Dalai Lama answered pre-submitted questions from audience members. This structure allowed the Dalai Lama to expand upon a variety of topics.
Though his response to the first question strayed into a detailed account of his gall-bladder surgery, his second answer prompted audience laughter for its brevity.
“Are people of faith and also people without religion capable of cultivating hope, wisdom and compassion?” read Jinpa from the question card.
“Oh, yes,” answered the Dalai Lama. “Next question!”
The Dalai Lama urged audience members to “practice one’s own religion but equally respect all religious traditions.”
“I am Buddhist, but I should not be attached to Buddhism,” said the Dalai Lama. “Attachment is biased and the biased state cannot see objectivity.”
The Dalai Lama also spoke about his political views.
“I am Marxist. There is no question,” said the Dalai Lama. “But I am not Leninist — that totalitarian dictatorship I really don’t like.”
The Dalai Lama then continued to praise Marxism for its emphasis on “equal distribution — not just taking and how to make a profit.”
The Dalai Lama discussed his visit with Mao Zedong in 1955 and praised the Communist Party for their values of self-criticism and a collective approach to governance. He expressed frustration that the party abandoned these values shortly thereafter.
At the conclusion of his remarks, the Dalai Lama humbly addressed the audience.
“Do you agree?” he asked. “This is my view … Please think seriously about these points.”
The doors to the event opened at 11:45 a.m., although ticket-holders began lining up outside Nelson Arena before 11 a.m. Attendees waited in two separate security lines, and the items permitted inside the arena were strictly limited. The talk began at 1:45 p.m., but per security regulations, all audience members had inside the venue by 1:15 p.m. The Middlebury College choir and a trio of bagpipes entertained the audience while they waited.
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin attended the event.
Those who could not gain access to Nelson Arena watched from overflow seating in the McCullough Student Center.
The Dalai Lama’s visit to the College comes 22 years after his visit in 1990. The Dalai Lama also spoke at the College in 1984.
(10/10/12 10:25pm)
In the early 1960’s, Professor of Biology Howard E. Woodin, along with several other faculty members spanning the science departments, developed the idea for what would become the first environmental studies program in the country. By 1965, President Emeritus James Armstrong approved the proposal and the environmental studies (ES) program became the first interdisciplinary program at the College.
From 1965 until 1985, the major did not undergo many changes. Each subject encompassed by the program, including geology, geography, chemistry and biology, among others, was treated almost as its own unit.
From 1985 to 1991 the program underwent its most crucial period of growth. During these years, ES saw an increase in attention from the administration, which resulted in the hiring of new faculty and the training of current faculty with an interest in the program but who had not yet become involved.
According to Professor of Environmental and Biosphere Studies Stephen Trombulak, student interest in the program also grew tremendously during this period. Coinciding with the general rise in environmental awareness that occurred during the late 1960’s and 70’s, he explained that college students across the country began to realize the impact of their decisions on the natural world. By the 1990’s, many of these students were training the next generation of college-bound high schoolers.
By 1985, two decades after the establishment of the ES program, the world of academia was beginning to view environmental studies as less avant-garde and more as a legitimate discipline.
“We haven’t really changed the fundamental structure of the major since ’91,” said Trombulak.
Besides some tweaks to the 14 focuses and cognates, the program has remained largely unchanged since its inception. Dean of Environmental Affairs Nan Jenks-Jay, however, notes that the program is “growing in the direction of global environment with the new hires of [Visting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies] Cat Ashcraft and [Assistant Professor of Political Science] Kemi Fuentes-George.”
Ashcraft teaches courses in environmental studies that focus on tackling global challenges, and Fuentes-George teaches courses in political science, specializing in environmental policy.
Issues facing Middlebury and the larger liberal arts community — such as what it means to be a liberal arts institution in the 21st century and how to serve the needs of students in this day and age — have spurred the program to expand the range of issues addressed under the ES umbrella. Trombulak mentioned environmental justice and sustainable energy as two areas into which the program may expand.
In order to meet rising interest in the environmental field, the College is currently working on an initiative that would establish a summer program in environmental studies. A timeline for instituting such a program has yet to be set in stone, but Trombulak estimates that the launch date will be “sooner rather than later.”
“We are always looking to see what we can do better,” said Trombulak.
He explained that just as the English and American literatures department does not want to be the only unit on campus that expects students to write properly, the ES program does not want to be the sole venue for discussing and teaching environmental issues.
A biology major specializing in conservation, Jake Nonweiler ’14 said that one of his favorite parts of the ES program is the way that the core classes provide a common foundation for all ES majors, while the various focuses ensure that a wide breadth of subjects are addressed.
“It’s an all-around yet detail-oriented approach to a subject that really makes this program shine,” he said.
Thanks to environmentally-conscious groups including Environmental Council, Sunday Night Group, Solar Decathlon, Campus Sustainability Coordinators, U.S. Green Building Council Student Chapter, Socially Responsible Investment Club and more, involvement in environmental causes has increased on campus. Not all of these campus groups are supervised by ES professors, nor are all of their student leaders environmental studies majors. Many groups draw participants from a wide range of academic backgrounds.
“I actually wasn’t interested in ES until I had already gotten into Middlebury. I left New Jersey and found myself engaging in more environmentally-driven activities,” said Jordan Collins ’15.5. “The ES [program] is so exemplary of a liberal arts education. I get to focus on something like religion or philosophy and take a breadth of classes within the major.”
Trombauk explained that because of the ES program’s wide reach, environmental studies have become a cornerstone of the College’s institutional identity.
(10/10/12 9:15pm)
The occasion for this review of Don DeLillo’s historical tour de force Libra, first published in 1988, is its beautiful reprinting in the Penguin Ink series. In a wise attempt to make books worth purchasing, as opposed to the ever-more-popular (and purportedly environment-friendly) e-book, Penguin has hired tattoo artists to create gorgeous, inspired covers for some of their classic novels. With an artfully drawn cover, sturdy, expensive and deckle-edge paper, this edition of Libra makes a convincing argument for purchase.
But this new edition’s physical beauty should not, ultimately, persuade you to purchase this novel. For judging this book by its cover would woefully underestimate its power and sheer aesthetic force.
The plot of the novel follows and reimagines the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, from his childhood in the Bronx, to his military service in Japan and his defection into Russia and finally to his fateful return to Texas, where he assassinates JFK. In alternating chapters, DeLillo also envisions possible members of the conspiracy, plotting toward the final moment of assassination, which DeLillo refers to as “the seven seconds that broke the back of the American century.” The novel has an eerie feel to it precisely because of this alternating structure. Throughout the novel, it becomes difficult to tell which moments, which images and which people have been invented, and which have not.
DeLillo, although strangely still obscure, is one of the greatest living American novelists. His other books explore a wide range of American themes, like road trips, Rock n’ Roll, football, the CIA, college, baseball, New York city taxis and 9/11. Among his 15 novels, four could easily be considered masterpieces: White Noise, Libra, Mao II and Underworld.
What is both odd and great about DeLillo’s corpus is that all of these novels concern themselves with a similar set of preoccupations and themes, including language, media, crowds, images, pictures, watching, history, names, secrets, conspiracies and connections. Somehow, DeLillo does this without ever seeming repetitious or obsessive. Libra discusses most directly the force of history and conspiracy and the inevitability of connections, but one can always spot the recurrent themes. For example, Carmine Latta, a casino owner, comes under surveillance by the FBI and suddenly discovers that he not only has FBI watching outside of his home, but, absurdly, “sightseers come to the street where he lives to watch the FBI watching Carmine.”
But mediation and watching, which were central points in his previous novel White Noise, only show up tangentially. This novel speaks of history, and connection: one character, a conspirator, informs the other, “I believe there are forces in the air that compel men to act. Call it history or necessity or anything you like.” Another character, plotting to use Oswald to assassinate the president, plans to create a “fabric of connections.” This belief in history as a connecting force seems to motivate the characters of the novel, who are all struggling to merge their lives “with the greater tide of history.” The reader watches in amazement as all of the different characters do indeed merge together in history, connecting in a single assassination plot.
DeLillo’s themes are only half of the equation. His oft-praised style, at once both musical and colloquial, represents some of the best writing in the English language. He focuses not only on the assonance and alliteration of words, but also on their “architecture.” One can find this even in a simple half-sentence: “Beautiful auburn glitter at the bottom of a glass.”
The precision within this single sentence imbues the language of the entire novel.
By itself, the plot of Libra should fascinate anyone interested in America and its history. Add in DeLillo’s preoccupations and nearly superhuman style, and one finds an awe-inspiring novel, one that not only demands to be read, but reread. In his new introduction to the novel, DeLillo writes that “some stories never end,” and that these stories seep into “the very texture of everyday life.” So long as this book remains in print, whether in Penguin Ink or e-book form this story will constitute the texture of everyday life for each of its readers.
Recommendation: Read it immediately. Let yourself slip into the “assassination aura.” It will be better than almost any novel or textbook you’ll need to read for class.
(10/03/12 10:26pm)
Nancy Weber-Curth opened one of the only sparkling wine and champagne bars in the country on College Street in May. The shop, situated just a few minutes’ walk from campus, was designed as a place where upper-classmen, faculty and local townspeople can have a seat, relax and celebrate the day. The menu offers a wide variety of sparkling wines and champagnes from all over the world, including Argentina, Australia, Italy, South Africa and, of course, France. Weber-Curth offers “Citrón-Presé” — a classic French sparkling lemonade served with sugar — as an option for underage patrons or those who choose not to drink.
Weber-Curth fell in love with sparkling wine while studying abroad in a small French town, and, although she has always treasured the drink, she has found it extremely hard to find in the United States.
Although Weber-Curth experimented with other business pursuits, the idea of running a business in Vermont was something that particularly appealed to her, so she decided to pursue her passion for sparkling wine and bring the product to her home state.
“I believe that if you start your own business, it’s a really good idea to choose something that you really love,” she said.
After considerable research, she ventured to France to meet grape growers in the Champagne Valley. Rather than go to corporate champagne and wine giants for her selection, she decided to explore smaller vineyards whose farmers really focus on producing a quality drink.
After touring various wineries, sampling a broad array of selections and speaking with numerous producers about their products, Weber-Curth was able to pick out the highest quality sparkling wines.
She offers 15 different sparkling wines — ranging from $21 to $44 per bottle — which includes details about each one’s origin and key notes. She features five wines each week, which are between $6 and $7 by the glass. Her champagnes are more expensive at $12 per glass and $60 per bottle. Weber-Curth does not plan on offering student discounts, as she claims that her prices are relatively affordable — the few other bars in the country offer wines for upward of $80 per glass — and that the quality of the wines is more than commensurate with their cost.
Fluent in French, Weber-Curth feels that communicating with the producers in French really helped them express their passion for their wines, and having a connection with her growers is part of what she believes makes her shop unique. Weber-Curth, who is also fluent in Arabic and Russian, feels that foreign language skills are important and she wants to inject the atmosphere of the shop with a multicultural flair. During the summer months, Weber-Curth and one of her multi-lingual employees offered students at the summer language schools a place to go off campus without violating their pledge of not speaking English.
When summer ended, Weber-Curth realized that a lot of townspeople, students and faculty would appreciate a relaxing off-campus venue in which to practice their foreign-language skills.
Weber-Curth has plans to designate a few hours a week as language hours. She hopes to foster a community where people can feel comfortable practicing with acquaintances and strangers alike.
Weber-Curth, who is from Ferrisburgh, Vt., chose to open her business in Middlebury because she felt that the diverse community would find her bar appealing.
She thinks that her unique idea will boost Middlebury’s economy by generating business for the other shops in town. She offers a variety of cheeses and chocolates — which she purchases from local producers — as pairing material. She also purchases local furniture; her tabletops are made of soft maple from Addison County. Her emphasis on using local products reflects her commitment to sustainable agriculture and her desire to contribute to Middlebury’s economy.
She hopes that people will stop by to relax after an afternoon walk or an entertaining tasting experience before going out to dinner.
Emily Blistin, the manager at the nearby shop Clementine, has wined at the bar, and found it a great place to have a pleasant evening conversation with friends. She said that it was worthwhile to step out of her comfort zone and visit the shop.
“It’s a great atmosphere, [and] the scenery is beautiful,” said Blistin. “She sets out tables in the summertime, and the patio is lovely. I’ve met a couple friends there after work and we all just sat and had a great time. It is a limited selection and I didn’t know if I’d like it, but I just had a glass or two and it was wonderful.”
Weber-Curth rejects the notion that sparkling wine and champagne should be reserved for special occasions — she feels that being alive should be cause for celebration.
“People associate sparkling wines and champagnes with celebration [and] fun things,” said Weber-Curth. “I thought, why can’t we do this every day?”
(10/03/12 10:21pm)
A liberal arts education. Trumpeted in the College’s brochures and website, and reinforced by professors and students alike, these few words form the basis of Middlebury’s identity as an institution of higher learning. Increasingly, opportunities like those offered by the Project on Creativity and Innovation (PCI) are prominent features of one’s academic journey. According to a PCI fact sheet, the initiative aims to make “intellectual risk-taking and creative problem solving second nature to Middlebury students and part of a portfolio of critical skills that will serve them throughout their lives.” We have great faith that the value of expanding learning outside the classroom lies in producing more capable, strategic thinkers. After all, is a student who is an economics major worse off for having applied his business idea in the real world before graduation? We think not. However, for the frequency at which the phrase “liberal arts education” is used to describe life on campus and to promote the College abroad, its true meaning remains somewhat unclear.
To define the term more precisely, we can start with what a liberal arts education at Middlebury is not. It is not an academic free-for-all, an unstructured four years of traipsing through the Vermont mountains, dabbling in a few different disciplines without gaining any skills that will be of use in the real world. Nor is it a set journey in which students remain laser-focused on a single subject area in predetermined boundaries, but have little room to explore and experiment within new disciplines.
Rather, a Middlebury liberal arts education is a balance between these two extremes. First and foremost, it is an academic experience, and a rigorous one at that. Middlebury has over 45 departments and programs — from neuroscience to philosophy to global health to Russian — that challenge students to expand their horizons, make connections between various disciplines and, perhaps most importantly, learn a subject area intimately, gaining in-depth knowledge in a field of one’s choosing. Yet a liberal arts education, as Middlebury students know, is also about linking academic pursuits to activities outside the classroom in a meaningful way. It is about having the opportunity to test ideas and hypotheses in the real world that have been thoroughly developed in class. For Middlebury students, the real world may be no further than Addison County, but using the “Middlebury bubble” as a space for thoughtful experimentation does not detract from one’s academic experience or make it any less significant or rigorous. In addition, the expansive definition of liberal arts in the past decades is seen in numerous dimensions — from increased funding allocated to recruit varsity athletes to the expansion of Middlebury academics into a graduate school at Monterey Institute that offers world-class international studies programs.
With so many options, commitments abound, and many may find themselves putting academics on the backburner for various periods of time. Are we truly forced to neglect some of our readings on a hectic Tuesday night? No. We are busy largely because of what activities we choose to take on outside of class. The Middlebury student body is active in every sense of the word, as our energy translates into a bustling world of commons councils, athletic teams, student government committees, political organizations, outdoor interest groups and more. Prioritizing these commitments is a challenge that all students confront throughout their four years here; finding this balance is difficult, to say the least. We must be aware that these decisions have implications on the community as a whole. If, for example, a student is off campus attending a lecture promoted by one of the College’s environmental groups and does not complete the required reading for a class, the quality of the discussion section the next day may indeed suffer without full participation from all students. However, we believe the overall benefit of a liberal arts institution, which includes having the opportunity to engage in an extensive range of activities, far outweighs the cost of one unread article. In this light, we can see that a liberal arts experience is a deeply personal experience, a journey whose path is dictated by the decisions each student chooses to make for him or herself.
We must also consider what tangible skills these extracurricular endeavors bring. Again, we find that taking advantage of certain opportunities does in fact better position students for the real world; certainly, the English major who spends time honing her skills writing for the Campus or submitting work to other Middlebury publications is better off than the English major who only writes the essays assigned to her in class.
Stepping back, it is vitally important to note how we frame these issues. Academics and extracurricular activities must compliment, not compete against, one another. Applying one’s knowledge from the classroom to the community, the state of Vermont or even at the Proctor dinner table is crucial in order to maximize the value of a Middlebury education and prepare for life after college. Drawing lines around an academic sphere will only isolate it from other aspects of students’ lives and downplay the connections that are present among varied interests. While “learning outside of the classroom” may sound like a cliché, it is precisely this opportunity that has the potential to strengthen the liberal arts as a whole and the student that emerges four years later.
(10/03/12 4:32pm)
This weekend the Middlebury College Alumni Association (MCAA) hosted the 36th Alumni Leadership Conference at the Bread Loaf Inn, an event that provided alumni volunteers with an opportunity to reconnect with the college community and to learn about recent campus changes. In an interview with the Campus, MCAA board members urged students to reach out to alumni for job opportunities and career advice.
The conference included planning sessions with MCAA members, as well as presentations by Dean of the College Shirley Collado and President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz. While the MCAA hosted the weekend, attendees included members of the Annual Fund Executive Committee as well as many college alumni.
In an interview, MCAA President Suzanne Daley ’96.5, MCAA Vice President Robert Sideli ’77 P’08 P’13 and former MCAA President Zach Borque ’01 emphasized the importance of the relationship between the Alumni Association and the College.
“We want alumni to ask for lots of things, big or little, that we can help you with – moving to a city, getting a job – we’re there to help,” Daley said. “We want to improve the visibility of the MCAA so that alumni around the world understand that their relationship with the College doesn’t need to end upon graduation.”
Daley further explained that the College should seek to reach out to alumni with even greater interest now, given the challenging economic climate.
“With the recession, that’s where alums stepped up … the recession was an impetus for alumni to say ‘How can I help a fellow Midd alum?’” she said.
The MCAA is comprised of a board of directors who work directly with college administrators, and relies on a team of volunteers drawn from the expansive pool of undergraduate alumni, graduates and attendees of the Bread Loaf School of English, Language Schools and Bread Loaf Writers Conference.
This volunteer team provides significant support for the College. Last year alone, the MCAA volunteer alumni handled 5,000 admissions interviews — a significant component of the admissions process.
This group is also responsible for providing support for current students seeking internships and alumni looking for jobs. The MCAA further organizes and promotes events for alumni, such as lectures and networking functions through local chapters — all in the name of promoting connectedness between those who share the Middlebury network.
In a presentation to attendees, Liebowitz spoke of the relevance — and cost — of a Middlebury education today. The President stated that he believes that the global economy will be shaped by students who have been trained in the liberal arts, and who have had their study grounded in practical training.
To this end, Liebowitz acknowledged the importance of Education In Action programs in providing students with opportunities to supplement their theoretical education with practical experience.
When asked in an interview about the Alumni Association, Liebowitz explained, “(the) MCAA is trying to get its arms around the entire Middlebury community to increase the influence and scope of our network.”
Written by ADAM OURIEL and NATE SANS
(09/26/12 3:03pm)
A breeze blows over Otter Creek, sweeping an earthy scent up from the riverbanks to the patio of Old Stone Mill. The M Gallery shines like a beacon from the first floor of the old building, and the sounds of conversation filter through the windows. Inside, visitors find ropes of flowers draped over rafters. But alongside this cheerful atmosphere is a message far more complex. It is a message of injustice and fear, of danger and sacrifice — but it is also a message of courage, hope and the pursuit of a better life.
The Invisible Odysseys exhibit, brought to the M Gallery as a part of the myAMERICA? Immigration Symposium, opened last Friday to an enthusiastic audience of students, faculty and members of the community. Addressing the issues surrounding immigration from Mexico to the United States, the exhibit aims to provide a more personal perspective on the struggles of immigrants. Each work of art is accompanied by a story — sometimes a poem, sometimes an explanation of the piece, sometimes a tale of the treacherous crossing into the United States — presented in both English and Spanish. Nearly every diorama featured in the exhibition was created by an immigrant now working on a farm in Vermont. The workers have little to no artistic experience.
The exhibit’s creator and curator, sculptor B. Amore, explained that her original plan for the exhibit was to listen to the workers’ stories and interpret them as sculpture herself. With the help of Susan McCandless and Ethan Mitchell, alongside groups including the Addison County Farm Worker Coalition, Juntos and Migrant Ed, Amore located the first migrant, Ismael, and heard his story. Upon listening, however, it struck her that his tale was so vivid and visual that the only one to recreate it should be Ismael himself. With that, the network expanded, and greater numbers of Mexican farm workers were encouraged to express themselves and their journeys through large, autobiographical dioramas. For inspiration, they were each given a booklet of outsider art — works by people with no formal art education — as well as materials and support. While some were reluctant at first, the newfound artists soon found the work extremely gratifying.
“Everyone was so excited to work on it because it was a chance to tell their stories,” said Amore.
The process of creating the dioramas took about six to eight months, with a long period of outreach and planning that put the total time that went into this exhibit well over one year — and it certainly shows.
The art is visceral, and the impact is made only stronger by the stories that accompany each piece. Fear is made tangible in the work “Esfuérzate y se Valiente/Be Strong and Courageous,” where a large van full of people teeters atop a box painted with a map of the border crossing. Visitors can feel disillusionment in “The Mirage of a Dream,” which presents the imagined America with a dollar bill over an entryway while describing the “crossing of death” that awaits those who attempt entry. “Worker’s Mandala/Tracing the Journeys,” a central piece by Amore, serves as an overview of the entire collection, mapping each immigrant’s arduous path up from Mexico and across the country to arrive in Vermont. But the message that shines through is that of two opposing views of the Green Mountain State — Vermont as a paradise, and Vermont as a prison.
The portrayal of Vermont as a pastoral paradise is a predominant theme in several of the dioramas in Invisible Odysseys. “The Sacrifice to Better Provide for my Family,” created by an artist who calls himself “El Emigrante de Hidalgo, México,” focuses on the juxtaposition of two contrasting scenes — a Mexican desert and a Vermont landscape. Present at the exhibit opening, El Emigrante de Hidalgo described the meaning behind the desolate desert landscape, scattered with scorpions, snakes and sharp stones.
“The scorpions and the snakes represent the dangers we face in crossing the border,” he said. “The [painting in the] center is here, Vermont — here, there is life, there is work.”
He spoke of his personal struggle, of leaving behind his family without knowing if he would ever see them again, of adapting to a strange new environment without knowing the language, of rising costs in Mexico and the need for work that will allow him to pay for his children’s education. He would bring his family to Vermont to stay with him, he said, if they could come legally, but since he is not legal, it simply is not safe. While Vermont is calm and secure compared to Mexico, all he can do is wait .
Like El Emigrante de Hidalgo’s work, “Aparador/Window Shopping” by El Soñador imagines a better future for generations to come, a future that isn’t possible in Mexico. However, El Soñador fears that this imagined future isn’t possible in the United States, either — not with the constant fear of deportation. Another artist, A.B., takes a similar view in “Beauty Can Be Deceiving,” writing that, although Vermont gave the impression of beauty, and although there was work here, it is closer to a prison than a paradise. Here, the artist is unable to travel freely, constantly facing the fear of deportation or mistreatment and cannot stand being away from any relatives for so long. Juan Carlos’ diorama “La Caja de un Rancho/The Box of a Farm” mirrors this sentiment, describing himself as trapped, both on the farm and in the United States.
It is true that life in Vermont is not easy for these workers — they live in extremely cramped conditions and work long hours for low wages. But, for many, it is neither a prison nor a paradise — it is only a tool.
In “Pursuing a Dream,” artist Mauro has built a model mansion, brightly colored and festively decorated. He describes his long-term goal to have such a house on a nice property in Mexico.
There is not enough work in Mexico to raise the money, so he has come here for a few years — only as long as he needs to save up for his dream home.
He does not and never has intended to stay here. Mexico has always been the goal; Vermont has just been a necessary step along the way.
Slightly less self-assured are mother-daughter pair Anabel and Maria. In their diorama, entitled “Ilusión/Illusion,” they express a profound nostalgia for their life in Mexico.
However, while they made a promise to themselves to go to the U.S., raise money, then return to Mexico to purchase land and a proper home, they are having second thoughts aboutgoing back — there is not the same stability to be found in Mexico as there is in Vermont.
Overall, Invisible Odysseys provided an intensely personal perspective on the issue of immigration, one that is near-impossible to find anywhere else. Amore recognizes the exhibit’s neat design.
“When you read something about immigration, how often do you actually see a quote from an immigrant,” she asked.
Invisible Odysseys displays the power of art in giving everyone a voice, even those who we rarely think about in our day-to-day lives, those who have faced more than we could imagine, to get where they are right now.
Amore thinks it is about time they made their struggles known.
“These are people with tremendous courage.”
Invisible Odysseys will be at the M Gallery until Oct. 7. In addition, opening Sept. 28 in the Vermont Folklife Center in town is an exhibit of the work of El Emigrante de Hidalgo, México.
(09/21/12 3:06pm)
Noting its wonderful title, I jumped at the opportunity to attend James Bettner Brooke's "Covering Putin’s First 100 Days: From Romney's Top Foe To Pussy Riot" at the Robert A. Jones '59 House on Thursday evening. Brooke is the Russia/former Soviet Union bureau chief for Voice of America (VOA), where he blogs at Russia Watch. His lecture caught the attention of both aspiring journalists and students of Russian Studies, as he intertwined the topics of media and modern Russia through an in-depth exploration of his blog. With regard to the former, Brooke explained VOA's significance for English speakers within Russia, many of whom turn to its articles, photographic essays and videos as an alternative to other English news sources, such as Russia Today. With regard to the latter, he elaborated on recent events within the country, ranging from President Vladimir Putin's framing of the United States as an enemy and the recent eviction of USAID, to last month's conviction of Pussy Riot and the accompanying protests.
It appears the situation will only grow more interesting with time, as Russian relations develop with China (and sour with the United States), borderland populations grow, the population of ethnic Russians declines and a "faster" generation matures. As I'm sure many in attendance would agree, Brooke's blog is certainly worth following for the latest updates from Moscow.
(09/18/12 2:18am)
It's no surprise that Midd kids like to take full advantage of their summer vacation to give back to their communities, and Julia Paolillo '15.5 is no exception.
Originally from New Haven, Conn., Paolillo participated in a program after high school called the African Leadership Academy, located near Johannesburg, South Africa.
This summer she reunited with some fellow graduates and other friends to travel around Johannesburg and Morocco, but it was not until the end of June that her greatest adventure began.
Over the course of a year, a fellow graduate of Paolillo's from the African Leadership Academy established Gindi, a three-week summer learning program for middle-school- age children in the rural village of Joal, Senegal. After many calls, emails and letters, recently elected President of Senegal, Macky Sall, agreed to fund the program out-of- pocket so it could be free for the participants.
During their first days in the village, Paolillo and the other student volunteers, including
Middlebury student Aissatou Gaye '16, advertised the program around town so that by the first day of classes they were excited to have over 70 kids show up.
Paolillo and UC Berkeley's Liam Cook were English teachers for the Gindi program.
They each had their own open-air classroom and, because of the funding, they were able to hand out school supplies to their students. Yet, their teaching experience definitely came with its challenges.
Paolillo speaks French, but Cook does not. Sometimes, goats would have to be chased out of the classrooms, and because there was no air conditioning, temperatures in the building could reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It was one of those adapt-and-go-with-it type deals," said Paolillo.
By the end of the program, however, Paolillo had no regrets.
"I learned that people live in different ways than I do, and that's okay," she said. "Just because I'm not familiar with it doesn't mean it's any less valid."
Paolillo said the experience also helped her solidify her decision to pursue some kind of African-focused or education-based degree.
"I learned this summer that not everybody is a teacher," said Paolillo. Still, she is passionate about improving education globally, starting with her own education at Middlebury.
(09/18/12 1:29am)
This past May, administrators approved a new policy that offers professors the opportunity to teach courses in which student evaluations are not given to administrators for review.
The policy, effective this fall, allows professors to teach one course every two years with this option at their disposal.
Traditionally, evaluations are first read by administrators, including a promotions committee and reappointments committee, and then given to the professor to read over. The policy change eliminates these steps. Though students will continue to complete the evaluations, only the professor will read them. Professors are not obligated to inform students that their evaluations will not be read by the administration.
Supporters of the policy hope that the policy changes will give professors greater freedom to experiment in the classroom.
Former Provost and Executive Vice President Alison Byerly, who is on academic leave this year as a visiting scholar in literature at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spearheaded the policy change. Last year, Byerly appointed the Task Forces on Curricular Innovation to consider pedagogy and decisions related to the overall curriculum at the College.
"In listening to faculty discussion ... it became clear to me that for many faculty, fear of the possible negative consequences of taking chances in the classroom could stand in the way of curricular experimentation," wrote Byerly in an email.
Dean of Faculty and Philip Battell/Sarah Stewart Professor of Biology Andrea Lloyd chaired one of the task forces.
"As a task force we really wanted to think about removing as many barriers to innovation as possible, and this seemed like a pretty simple place to start," wrote Lloyd in an email.
She cited her own experience in reworking her biology class, with the predictable bumps and adjustments that had to be made afterward, as an example for why she believes this policy change is important.
"That experience is not uncommon: teaching takes some trial and error," wrote Lloyd. "There is no way around that – it is really something inherent to the art of teaching. But that trial and error can be nerve wracking – particularly for junior faculty – if you feel like you are going to be judged on those first attempts to do something new and different."
While Byerly said that many
faculty and administrators were supportive of the new policy, others raised questions about whether or not having a course go unrecorded in the course response form would affect the evaluation of a candidate's teaching.
Ellis Professor of English and Liberal Arts John Bertolini questions the impact this policy will have on the process of professors gaining tenure.
"Student evaluations are a key element in the decision to grant or not grant tenure," wrote Bertolini in an email. "[I do not understand] how reading, in effect, a censored version of student evaluations helps the decision."
Byerly does not think that the evaluation of a professor's teaching will be diminished.
"The Promotions Committee and the Reappointments Committee were very supportive because they know from reading many files that in fact one or two courses don't make as big a difference as many faculty think," wrote Byerly.
"In reading [course response forms], they look for patterns across time, and across different course types."
C. A. Dana Professor of English and American Literatures David Price feels indifferent toward the policy change, though he recognizes the importance of student evaluations.
"It's an interesting assumption [that retaining student evaluations from administration would increase creativity in the classroom]," said Price. "I don't even think about student evaluations. Each class has different students with a different chemistry, and that's what I focus on."
Byerly said that the recent approval of Pass/D/Fail courses for students, which allow students to take a course and pass, receive a D or fail, influenced her thinking in regards to evaluations of professors' performances.
"It seemed to me that if we were asking faculty to trust that students would work hard in a class even when they are not receiving a letter grade, we should trust faculty to do their best as teachers even when they are not being formally evaluated," wrote Byerly.
Students seem supportive of the change for professors as well.
"It is a fantastic idea," said Chelsea Edgar '13. "I think everyone in the college community stands to benefit when professors feel empowered to get more creative with their syllabi."
The policy will be effective immediately, allowing professors to teach courses without student course evaluations sent to administration this fall semester.
(05/05/11 1:35pm)
I don’t do goodbyes well. So, I’m just going to skip that part. I may be sarcastic and cold on the outside, but I have a secretly squee core that I expose to no one. Kind of like Snape. Except like Snape in the Order of the Phoenix, not the end of the Deathly Hallows — I’m not ready to tell my secrets yet, and I’m definitely not ready to acknowledge that I’m leaving Middlebury. So, I’m going to just ignore that and get on to my Strategic Plan. Not like the one formulated in May 2006 that contains lots of dense administrationese (which I hear is a language that may enter the Language School curriculum in 2013, along with legalese, Na’vi and English (Pirate) ... you heard it here first), but one that has lots of bad jokes and will improve Middlebury in far more tangible ways. Since this column is my last, I figured I should share my recommendations in one fell swoop. The heart of my Strategic Plan is something I addressed briefly in a column last September: Liebowitz’s Army. If this idea could be incepted (are we allowed to use this word anymore?) fully realized as I picture it, this College would be #1 on The Princeton Review’s “Colleges that run like butter” list instead of #4.
To recap, Liebowitz’s Army combines “the best features of the scholastic dark arts fighting brigade of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the Civilian Conservation Corps, created as part of the New Deal legislation passed during the Great Depression.” Such a venture would not only provide much-needed jobs to unemployed seniors, the members of the army would be able to fill roles in the College community which have sadly become a thing of the past. For example, there could be a contingent of Ron’s Platoon completely devoted to making pumpkin bread. There could be a black-ops mission to find bowls. They could fix broken windows and spirits. They could be sober friends. They could answer emails for administrators. They could increase diversity on campus with sheer brute force. They could run the Bunker. It’s a great idea, I know.
The feasibility of such an idea has been questioned. So, I’ve been thinking since I first proposed this idea last year, and I think I have a practical idea of how to mobilize students. Students are simple creatures. The administration just needs to promise that it’ll open Atwater if you get 5,000 alums (or participation in the Old Chapel militia could earn work/study) to sign up for your army. Actually, this offer works for anything you want to happen at the College. If you return 1,000 bowls, we’ll re-open Atwater.
If you stop setting things on fire, we will open Atwater. However, your window of opportunity is small. This carrot will only work until the class of 2012 graduates. It’s like the word communism — it scared people until 1989, but now it’s too abstract to have any power. Cheesy hearth bread is about to lose its meaning. Torture is also an option. For example, playing “Friday” every Friday on the Mead Chapel carillon. Or effective propaganda. I’m picturing Aunt Des in Rosie the Riveter posters, and Karl Lindholm as Uncle Sam.
Recommendation # 36: Encourage cynicism, subjectivity and lies in college media. I think all of the media outlets on campus should adopt strong ideological stances. The Campus could be like MSNBC, Midd Blog could be like Fox News. Middlebury Magazine could be like Mother Jones. The Gadfly, The National Review. Not only would this change make the dissemination of information at Middlebury far more interesting, and make all the content we produce more compulsively readable, but it would also better prepare all students, consumers and journalists, for the real world. Objectivity is dead, so we should shuck off our liberal arts college idealism as soon as possible and learn how to filter the truth from the bull.
Recommendation #67: Demolish Battell, but have a paintball war inside before you blow it up.
Recommendation #13: Establish a Carol’s Hungry Mind satellite location on campus in order to improve town/gown relations.
Recommendation #42: Increase diversity by recruiting more rednecks. I feel like we are a forgotten minority. I think I blend in well — except when someone notices that I don’t pronounce “t”s — but it does get lonely sometimes.
Recommendation #30: Encourage spontaneous dance parties to foster community.
If anyone wants a copy of my entire Strategic Plan, with all 86 recommendations and all-color illustrations courtesy of John Birnbaum, feel free to email me at my exceptionally nerdy email address, ratherdashing27@gmail.com. You can also email me if you just get bored too. Especially after I graduate, when I will miss you all so. I appreciate pithy subject headings and good grammar, and promise to respond in an email that aims for wit, but descends into Anchorman and West Wing references and Ernest Hemingway quotes.
P.S. – I’m still waiting to hear about the whole Dean of Sarcasm and Snarkiness thing. I am as of yet unemployed, so I would still gladly accept such an offer, if it were to materialize in the next two weeks.
(05/05/11 3:59am)
The 17th century meets the world of the contemporary in Howard Barker’s Victory: Choices in Reaction. This past weekend, the College’s theatre department put on a fantastic rendition of this play, set in England around 1660, after the restoration of the English monarchy and eradication of the Republican rule of the Puritans. The plot follows a beheaded John Bradshaw’s wife (Lucy Van Atta ’12) as she searches for the stolen remains of her late husband, all the while undergoing a journey of self-discovery and a search for a future, fighting against her limited opportunities.
As I sat in the audience of Seeler Studio Theater, the chamber-like, almost oppressive feel of the stage set the tone for the rest of the play. The first act opens with a greatly distressed Scrope (Noah Berman ’13), begging both the audience and himself for mercy as the peons of the recently reinstated Charles II dig up the body of his old master, John Bradshaw. Though set in the 17th century, Barker’s play deals with quite contemporary themes and uses an archaic political setting as an allegory for the modern world. The art direction in the performance flawlessly encompassed both a historical narrative and modern feel. The scene transitions were chaotic and vibrant, highlighted by music from The Sex Pistols and Nine Inch Nails, and they established an energy that ran throughout the entire production.
There existed no epochal standard for the costumes in Victory. Of course, many characters were garmented in dress typical of the 17th century monarchy (though with a bit of a modern twist), but some came on stage with a much more modern feel and others still had the feel of neither contemporary nor monarchal dress; the king’s soldiers seemed more like they had come from a World War II battlefield than from King Charles’ royal guard. This confusion only added to the timeless feel of the performance, reminding us that the emotions and struggles of the characters were reflections of tribulations that unite people of all generations. The set was beautifully designed — minimal yet forceful. The simple ground design was highly dynamic, warping during the scene transitions to reflect the individual emotion and force of each scene. The ceilings were lined with large mirrors that, as the characters turned their eyes to God, reflected the flaws and struggles of humanity.
As the first act progressed, an impressively strong dynamic was established between King Charles (Matt Ball ’14) and Devonshire (Lilli Stein ’11). King Charles was, in many ways, twisted and without morals; he defiled Devonshire in the midst of a royal party. And yet, Ball’s portrayal of the King helped evoke a sense of pity towards his character, even leading the audience to “love the bone and blood of Charlie.” There existed in Victory no truly good or virtuous characters. Even the play’s protagonist, a woman who is mourning the loss of her husband and with him, her sense of remorse, is a character with whom I found myself struggling to sympathize. The entire cast had phenomenal performances but another personal accolade must go out to Christo Grabowski ’12. Grabowski captivated his audience as the comically perverse Ball with both wit and charisma and he managed to pull off the vulgarity of his character without coming off as tacky or forced.
The second act was a bit slower and shorter than the first, yet it felt much more dragged out. In no way did this take away from the overall strength of the piece. The ending scene brought the play full circle, with Bradshaw returning home. The scene was quiet in appearance, but carried the weight of the entire play and proved to be a powerful close to the piece.
In the director’s notes, it says that the production was intended to be “energetic, youthful, brash, impulsive and rude.” These goals were achieved with immense success. The energy was palpable even in the play’s quietest moments and each character acted as a strong part of an even stronger force that exploded on stage with both vulgarity and beauty.
(04/28/11 2:43pm)
Professor of Literary Studies and editor of the critically acclaimed New England Review (NER) Stephen Donadio welcomed the room of literary enthusiasts at 51 Main on Tuesday, April 19 to the first night of the NER Vermont Reading Series. He spoke of the project as an endeavor of the NER, in partnership with the Vermont Book Shop, to bring writers out of their normally silent and solitary occupations of contemplation and into the spotlight in front of the public. Some of the readers have been published in the NER and some were unpublished. The readings gave authors and amateurs a chance to enervate their words with their own voices, and offered local residents a night of high quality literary encounters as an audience.
The night started with Kellam Ayres, circulation services coordinator at the College and alumna of the Bread Loaf School of English, who read some of her delicate poems that delved into intimate moments and choices involved with human experience in a very specific place. Castle Freeman Jr., a novelist from Newfane, Vt., read an excerpt depicting “a minor movie star’s lecherous weekend at the shore.” Hailing from southern Vermont, Ted Gilley read some narrative poems about places he’s lived or been affected by, a poignant poem in memoriam to a friend and a droll piece about Pinocchio with lines tinged with satire like, “If I complain at all it’s because I’m nearly human.” Visiting Assistant Professor of English & American Literatures Kathryn Kramer closed the show, reading from her memoirs. The chapter she chose was a sharply observant and touching account of her childhood memories of growing up at St. John’s College, where her father taught. Her writing was as well-paced and rich as that of Alice Munro or Annie Dillard. She was able to articulate the fleeting profundities we encounter and cannot fully grasp in our youth, but must puzzle out as we accumulate experience. The depth of her attention and beauty of her honest recollections were crafted into a piece that ended the night of readings perfectly. Each reading was of the utmost quality and provided very different displays for the delighted listeners that leaned in from all sides of 51 Main.
The pleasure of attending a literary reading comes from the way a story is nuanced when read aloud by its own writer. The sense and tone is revealed as the author thinks it; the layers of the writers’ brain are given color and we have another lens through which to view the work — a direct-from-the-source experience. The page is rich, but the voice and public presence of the author is an exceptional chance for exposure to their work in a completely new light.
Ayres, the first reader, inserted a small side note halfway through her set: “Sometimes when I read this next poem, called ‘Graceland,’ people feel inspired to tell me their own Graceland story…” It was this comment and a lovely anecdotal poem about a Tennessee trip that followed that made for one of the best revelations of the night. The appeal of a public reading is the sense that afterwards, you can approach the author and add your two cents. If a poem or piece of prose sparked a reminiscence, the ability to walk up to the human face who created that resonating art can make a remarkable connection, taking the words off the page and using them to bring people together in some small slice of human solidarity. As the Vermont Reading Series continues, these serendipitous bonds will very likely grow.
“Reading and writing are lonely activities,” said Donadio at the opening of the event, but it seems that this reading series will be a source of connection and community for the wordsmiths of Vermont in the coming months.
(04/28/11 4:34am)
If Midd Kids are buzzing about something, it is probably up on MiddBlog. Or it will be in an hour or so.
According to the blog’s “About” page, “Our only hard and fast rule about submissions is that it must be relevant to the Middlebury College community.” Last week’s topics included an interview with David Sanger of the New York Times, who spoke in Mead Chapel on Wednesday; an informative yet straightforward review of the student-created show If; and an introduction to AddSeven, the latest online fad to hit the small New England college circuit.
Founder Ryan Kellett ’09.5 initially intended to use MiddBlog to keep students informed about campus events.
“The Middlebury website and even dining hall table tents were sorely lacking and often were inaccurate,” Kellett wrote in an email. “I wanted a way to highlight events around campus that students cared about.”
During his sophomore year, he approached the founders of Wesleying — a blog run by Wesleyan students — for guidance.
“And they gave me good advice: “keep blogging, it will take time to build an audience,” he wrote.
As it turned out, event updates alone did not quite provide the necessary spark. In fact, Kellett traces the first buzz about MiddBlog to his post on Chief Justice John Roberts’ lecture in Mead Chapel. The post attracted online comments from President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz and Vice President for Administration Tim Spears, among others.
“It provoked some legitimate criticism and also some accolades for finally airing student views,” Kellett wrote. “The opinion I wrote was certainly not my best but it was enough to get people to start seeing the blog as a digital reflection of discussion on campus.”
The blog’s tagline reads: “alternative news and more at middlebury college.” So what is “alternative news,” exactly?
“It means types of coverage that are not part of what people already see,” said J.P. Allen ’11, one of this year’s lead editors. “We’re basically focusing on the strengths of a blog, as opposed to traditional print media, to do the things that [a blog] does best.”
One such advantage: the option to include links to other relevant pages. For instance, take the April 20 post on the SGA and Community Council elections, which includes links to the candidates’ Facebook groups and YouTube videos, where applicable.
In addition, without the restrictions imposed by word limits, bloggers are free to post longer pieces than might fit into a newspaper column. The posts are also instantaneous and give readers the options of commenting, emailing, Facebook posting, Stumbling, and Tweeting. (The blog also has its own Twitter account, @middblog.)
“Instead of being a news source where we’re just telling people about something that happened, we try to be a place for discussion as well,” said Audrey Tolbert ’13, another lead editor. She especially hopes that the blog inspires offline conversation. “It’s a way to keep talking about … this school that we go to and we care about so much.”
Kellett agreed: “I would hope the blog stays true to being the hub of conversation and is not afraid to … take the discussion offline to have the greatest impact of turning discussion into action.”
The team behind MiddBlog currently consists of 13 writers, including Allen and Tolbert. Writers frequently post ideas (along with relevant links and commentary) on the group’s private Facebook page, where others can then “call” and cover them. According to Allen, they try to produce around two posts per day, with each writer contributing about one per week. The team currently works out of the Old Stone Mill.
In addition to writing their own posts — “the biggest responsibility,” according to Tolbert — the lead editors act as facilitators, ensuring that major topics of interest on campus are covered and continually encouraging the writers’ online discussion.
“We don’t have that many meetings where we’re all together in person,” Tolbert said, “so I think that making sure we have continued contact, at least virtually, is important to maintain our sense of group and community.”
Though the process of article selection and assignment is, as Allen put it, “kind of haphazard,” it suits MiddBlog well.
“I think that since we’re so small, it works best — right now, anyways — to have people just post when they find out about something,” Tolbert said. “It keeps us moving and keeps the news flow good.”
Because the blog is not officially affiliated with the College, writers have a great deal of freedom to choose not only what to say, but how to say it.
“We can say kind of frivolous or weird things sometimes because we’re only responsible for ourselves,” Allen said. “And with the sort of freewheeling way we organize it, each writer is more individually responsible because there’s less editorial control.”
Kellett, who still contributes to the writers’ Facebook group and occasionally writes posts, is pleased with how MiddBlog has developed since its inception, citing the lasting impressions of past writers.
“Many students have left their mark on the blog,” he wrote. The “Sunday Reading” column, for example — created by Emily Gullickson ’10 and continued by Olivia Noble ’13 — alerts readers weekly to a handful of current events in an effort to draw students’ attention out of “the bubble.”
Tolbert and Allen both feel that collaborating on MiddBlog has added greatly to their Middlebury experiences.
“Before I started writing for MiddBlog, it was like looking at the community versus feeling really like a part of it,” Tolbert said. She and fellow writer Cody Gohl ’13 had collaborated on a blog titled “English Spoken Here” during their summer in Middlebury, which helped to inspire their involvement in MiddBlog. As a result, she said, “I felt like I had a bigger place here than just studying here. … [I] just [felt] like, this is my school and I can do things to change it.”
Allen, who started out with a personal goal to review every arts performance on campus, appreciates the way that MiddBlog has shaped his awareness of the world.
“Instead of just letting an event fly by me, I think for a second, ‘Is this something that would be interesting for MiddBlog?’” he said.
Tolbert, Allen and writer Casey Mahoney ’11 recently presented the blog as part of the poster session at the student symposium. Visitors to the station could see the blog, a Twitter feed featuring the hashtag #middsym, and a brief poll asking users for suggestions. They also held a raffle whose winner will be “followed around, blogged and Tweeted about for a day” by writer Mackenzie Beer ’12.
“We … served two purposes, I feel,” Tolbert said. “We were both promoting ourselves and showing people what we do, but then also trying to cover the symposium in general.”
Allen was pleasantly surprised by the feedback, particularly from parents and prospective students.
“You’re just kind of throwing things out there into the ether of the internet,” he said. “You can see how many clicks you get per day, but you don’t really know whether what you’re saying is actually meaningful to anybody or not. It was really great to hear from a couple of people that that was the case.”
In the near future, readers can expect both a redesign of the blog and new ways to get involved.
“We’re working on a more fluid way of getting both suggestions for stories and offers from people who want to write or take pictures or do web stuff,” Allen said.
For now, though, the editors encourage interested students to email tips@midd-blog.com with their thoughts.
“We really want people to be more involved,” Allen said.
Though Kellett was sure to emphasize that the future of MiddBlog is now in the hands of the current team, he expressed certain hopes: that the readership (both on and off campus) continues to expand, and that “it grows into the social web.” To clarify, he wrote, “I mean that the Middlebury community is having conversations online but there are very few Middlebury entities engaging people where they are. For example, MiddBlog engages people on Twitter where Middlebury as an institution does not.
“Ultimately,” Kellet wrote, “MiddBlog is about getting people (from students to staff) to care about their own community which I would argue is a bigger problem than most people think.”
(04/27/11 5:22am)
Riley O'Rourke '12
My name is Riley O’Rourke and I am a junior from New York City, but I grew up spending a lot of time in Vermont. Because of this Middlebury was the first school I ever looked at and I love it here. I want to use the office of SGA president to make student life as great as possible. Please vote for me to be SGA president again so I can build on my existing accomplishments while working to achieve new ones. The focus of much of my term was establishing a better transportation network as well as getting the Grille and Redfield Proctor open, all of which have happened. In addition, the SGA has negotiated an agreement with Old Chapel that will restore first-year outdoor orientation, and in recent months I have worked out a deal with the school to re-open a small gym in Ross, a convenient alternative to the main facility that will also alleviate crowding at the fitness center. During my term the SGA, which is responsible for allocating your student activities fees to different projects and services based on the needs and wants of the student body, has strived to both pick up services the College discontinued and establish new ones.
One of the key issues I ran on last year was improving transportation to and from Middlebury and I am proud to say I have achieved measurable improvements. With a great deal of help from my transportation secretary, Matt George ’12, I set up cheap shuttles to and from the Burlington airport around major breaks. These are now organized to run at cost in perpetuity and are far cheaper than any other airport shuttle service. Also, under previous administrations, the bus program had been run as a for-profit business. This seemed contrary to the SGA’s mission to serve students, so I wrote and passed a bill which lowered the rates of SGA-sponsored buses to New York City and Boston by as much as $30 and increased the number of available seats, reducing the financial burden on students. I hope to expand this program in the year to come, and I will constantly look for further savings that can be passed on to students. In addition, I will examine extending Midd-rides hours and the possibility of buses to other locations such as Montréal. Finally, the SGA is in negotiations with a ride-share program that is a subsidiary of Google, using Google maps to help match up people looking for rides.
If elected, besides responding to constituent concerns I have several goals I wish to meet in the coming year. Foremost among them is ensuring that the Ross annex gym becomes operational by the fall; I will work over the summer to monitor its progress. The same goes for creating an arts and crafts room where student groups will be able to make posters to advertise for their events. On the policy front, I will continue to work towards the establishment of a pass/fail option for some non-major classes that do not fulfill distribution requirements. I believe this will encourage people to reach outside their comfort zones when they are not worried about a potential GPA hit, and I think that can only help strengthen our liberal arts environment. Although it will be an uphill battle I am also going to work to reopen Atwater dining hall. Complete re-opening seems unlikely, but as it is already open for breakfast every weekday morning, language tables during the day and has dinners sponsored by different college departments multiple times a week, college money is clearly being used in one way or the other to keep it open. I look forward to meeting with the administration about some sort of arrangement that could get it open a few nights a week, at least. I will also work to pass whatever issues the senate or student body brings up
My greatest asset as a candidate will be my experience as a member of student government and my knowledge of how the school works. Besides serving as SGA President this year, I was also the Cook Commons senator this year. I have passed several bills to utilize the financial power of the SGA to our benefit as students. Having been involved in SGA before will make leading it much easier for a seamless transition from this year to next, especially with the establishment of the Ross gym and an advertising work room.
I feel that the SGA's job is to do as much as possible to help any and all groups work to achieve their goals. To this end I am going to have several large meetings of students leaders and interested individuals at the start of the year and weekly meetings in the Grille for anyone to bring concerns forward. I hope to make student life convenient and fun. Please vote for me and allow me to carry out this mission. Thanks for your support and time.
Dane Verret '12
Dear Fellow Students,
My name is Dane Verret and I am a rising senior majoring in English and American Literature with a focus in Creative Writing. I'm also a native of New Orleans, LA. While I have not served on SGA I am involved in a number of activities here at Middlebury, such as Distinguished Men of Color and Verbal Onslaught Open Mic.
The extracurricular work I do here at Middlebury and at home focuses on creating solidarity, conversations, and camaraderie. In my time at Middlebury I have helped to restart student organizations; facilitated writing workshops and conversations on diversity and race; and helped coordinate block parties, concerts, and student retreats. I have worked closely with members of Middlebury's community on every level--this includes Students, Administration, Faculty, and Town Residents. Together we met more successes than losses. I have constantly found motivation in helping others realize their goals and my own.
At every turn, these projects I've been involved with were beneficial because I was willing to work side-by-side with people. This is how I want to represent your interests to the SGA.
I believe my experiences demonstrate that I have shown the leadership necessary to represent you in Student Government. As your President, I hope to make your needs and concerns heard as well as answered. I hope to create, with your help, a campus that fully embraces accessibility, innovation and collaboration. Most of all, I want to keep our student body mobilized and motivated to make lasting, beneficial changes that will pay our time at Midd forward.
I hope you choose me to be your Student Government President and I look forward to working with all of you to make the coming year brighter.
(04/21/11 4:01am)
Dottie Neuberger ’58, community activist
When Dottie Neuberger ’58 graduated from Middlebury, she had no intention of settling in town, but over 50 years later she’s still here. Neuberger remembers her time at Middlebury fondly. She was a sorority girl, an athlete and mixed and matched various other activities during her time at the college.
If there is anyone who knows Middlebury, it’s Neuberger; few have served the community as thoroughly as she has. Many students have lent a hand with Neuberger at the free community suppers that she organizes at the Congregational Church in Middlebury. Through the supper program, Neuberger also provides nourishment to the community by serving lunch four days a week and handing out breakfast cereals at the weekly dinners. In addition to her volunteer work with the community suppers, Neuberger has worked in schools all throughout Addison County, including the Bridport elementary schools in which she now works, and she has taught at the local community college for the last 20 years. One of the reasons Neuberger may have remained in Middlebury after graduation is her warm memories of school.
“It was great fun,” Neuberger said. “My college friends are still some of my best friends 50 years later. I know that’s corny, but it’s true. When I was a student, I’m not sure if I realized what value my friends at Middlebury would be to me for the rest of my life.”
In fact, Neuberger cites being able to see so many friends and classmates when they return to the college as one of the greatest perks of staying in Middlebury.
“Most of us grow up at college,” she said. “When you go to college there are a lot of people with similar interests and similar goals and you’re living together — growing up together for four years so you get very close. When you go out in the work world that cohort won’t always be there anymore.”
Like many other Midd Kids who hail from just outside of Boston, Neuberger moved back to Boston after graduation to work for a few years while making plans for law school. Her first job out of college was in a merchandising training program run by Filene’s. Through the program young employees rotated through different positions and when Neuberger got to the research department she stayed on in an open position. After Filene’s, Neuberger returned to Middlebury to work as the first ever Assistant Director of Admissions for Women. Soon after her return to Midd, plans for law school in Cambridge, Mass. were set.
“I was off to Harvard, but I met my husband and got married instead,” said Neuberger.
Neuberger began building her adult life in the town of Middlebury and has remained here since her initial return in 1960. During her early years back in Vermont, Neuberger stayed at home to raise her children and then eased back into the workforce, moving people from mental hospitals into the community during the initial phases of deinstitutionalization. Later, she became a school-based clinician, which she still does to this day.
“There’s lots of part-time work in Vermont which is great for when your family is your main focus,” Neuberger said, adding, “Middlebury is a great place to raise a family.”
When it comes to looking for work after school, Neuberger urges grads to, “Get a job. You don’t have to get the job, but get a job that you’re interested in,” said Neuberg. “Find something where you can learn. That’ll keep you young for as long as you live as far as I’m concerned.”
In her eyes, Middlebury has not changed more than anywhere else over the years.
“The population has grown. It was a much freer community, but that was everywhere.”
Modernity has stripped even Middlebury of the luxury of ignoring problems in its midst but the important qualities of the town still remain.
“[Though] there are more stores down on Route 7 now, there is [still] a sense of community in Middlebury and that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. The College adds so much to it. I don’t think the college kids realize what role models they are for the kids in the community and how important they are to the kids here,” said Neuberger. “They do a great job of doing that just by being who they are.”
Neuberger considers her upcoming honorary degree from Middlebury and other awards that have been conferred upon her great surprises that were not on her radar.
“I look at the other recipients and I’m truly in awe of them,” she said. “They’ve worked in a macrocosm and I’ve worked in a microcosm — that’s something anyone can do.”
Neuberger’s life is an exemplar of how one can continue working with the community in which one finds him or herself to help that community.
“I don’t solve many problems,” she said. But, “We solve a lot of problems together. Making change is about working with other people and persevering."
Padma Desai, expert in Russian economics
“Go out in the world. Live how people live for a dollar a day and after that life-transforming experience, come back to America,” said Padma Desai.
The world renowned scholar of Russian economics and professor of economics at Columbia University came of age in India and has since made the United States her home, a logical step since when Desai was growing up, “the destination was always America,” she said.
In those days it was the wealthy Indian boys who studied at Oxford and Cambridge on their fathers’ dimes who were able to go West, but as the daughter of a professor, Desai simply could not afford to make her way to the West along the same route as her male counterparts. Instead, she applied for merit-based awards and landed a fellowship in the American Association of University Women, which brought her to Harvard in 1955 to complete a Ph.D. in economics. At Harvard she began pursuing her life’s work.
“As soon as I started reading and going to school, even primary school, I just wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “I always wanted to teach and change ideas. At one point my dad suggested that I be a doctor, but I said no.”
Though Desai always knew that she wanted to teach, deciding just what she would teach was little more than a random decision.
“[Economics] was almost a default option,” she said. “My eldest sister studied English literature so I wanted to do something different. Looking back I think it was the wisest decision of my life. [Economics] gives me the analytical rigor that I love.”
She may have taken up economics on a whim, but Desai found her calling in the discipline. Her work in Russian economics has brought her countless academic distinctions and awards, research and teaching posts, publications, grants and conferences in which she has been both a participant and guest of honor. Her 13th book, which focuses on the recent financial crisis, is set to be released in the coming weeks. Her memoirs will be on shelves in 2012.
“Harvard was totally liberating and exhilarating. That’s where my American roots are. After fifty years in this country, temperamentally, I feel that I belong here,” says Desai.
Having now lived more years of her life in the U.S. than in India, Desai reports feeling disoriented when she returns to her homeland.
In the initial transition, Desai experienced many differences between the two cultures. Just as few of us will remember Middlebury solely for its academics, Harvard brought Desai more than just intellectual surprise, given the fact that Harvard provides a different setting from her conservative Indian childhood.
“I was quite attractive, to put it mildly, and I wore a sari and I attracted a lot of attention. I felt very special,” said Desai.
Fifty years of teaching undergraduates — from her time as a teaching fellow at Harvard up through her present professorship at Columbia — has put Desai in a unique position to comment on the undergraduates alongside whom she will be receiving her honorary degree. Years of experience have led her to worry about the lack of interest that native-born Americans seem to show toward math, science and engineering and wonder if this has something to do with using a calculator too young.
“At all stages American education has to be entertaining,” she said. “The worst evaluation a professor can get is ‘this teacher is boring.’ In other cultures, people value education. You get down to it. It’s a serious business. You want to master it. This whole conception that young people should be entertained while learning is problematic.”
Desai cautions against the American tendency to go overboard and create massive problems, like the financial crisis of 2009, although she notes that, “Americans are also great problem solvers and it’s the same drive that leads us to go overboard that leads to innovation.”
Desai’s favorite aspect of Americans, though, is our temperament.
“Americans, by temperament, are very optimistic,” she said. “My young students are so idealistic. I’ve never seen young people in any country who are so driven by idealism. They should go out and see the wide world. They may want to change some things they see and can get fulfillment that way. Americans like to do something different. They want to do things that help people.
“There are always people who want to make money too, but the instinct to do good is a very American thing. Never have I ever heard so many people say, ‘I want to give something back to the community.’ It’s such an American calling especially meaning the community around you, maybe not the world, but people want to help the community that they are in. I find it a very exceptional quality amongst the young in this country.”
(04/21/11 3:58am)
An Earth Day celebration at the Town Hall Theater on April 16 explored how writers and songwriters throughout the centuries have thought about our relationship to the planet. Natural Selections: An Earth Day Celebration in Prose and Song featured folksinger Geoff Kaufman ’69 alongside Assistant Professor of English and American Literature Dan Brayon’s Spring ’11 “Nature’s Meanings” class as they read excerpts from writers such as Thoreau, Henry Beston, Aldo Leopold, Annie Dillard, Gretel Ehrlich, Farley Mowat and N. Scott Momaday. The dialogue was broken up by traditional songs chosen by Kaufman to compliment the writings. Each song and each snippet of writing praised the beauty and majesty of planet Earth, both from a historical and personal point of view. Songs included “Just a Little Rain” by Malvina Reynolds, “Last Leviathan” by Andy Barnes and an original piece by Kaufman entitled “Gold to Silver.” The highlight of the show, however, was not any particular song, but a short impersonation of Mark Twain by Kaufman. The monologue had Twain comparing an anaconda to an Earl, commenting on the Earl’s brutality and the anaconda’s decency when it came time to kill another living being for food.
In addition to Kaufman, the performance featured Nora Daly ’13, Zach Doleac ’12, Stu Fram ’13, Will Ford ’12, Fielding Jenks ’13, Juliana Kay ’13, Liia Koiv-Haus ’13, Claire Lewandowski ’13, Rachel Madding ’13, Molly Rose-Williams ’13 and Annika Silverman ’13. Each student read excerpts or notable quotes from famous writings. Lewandowski served as the performance’s “narrator,” helping intertwine Kaufman’s songs with the students’ orations.
Kaufman turned to folk music in 1975 after completing graduate studies at Rutgers. He became a founding member of Stout, a quartet that sang in downtown Manhattan during the 1976 bicentennial celebration. Soon afterward, Kaufman discovered the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, built by Pete Seeger and friends to draw attention to environmental issues and by 1977 Geoff was a member of the Sloop Singers, performing with Pete and an inspiring collection of activist musicians. This Clearwater experience led to Kaufman’s acclaimed 1992 live recording, Tree of Life. Kaufman’s maritime music brought him to Mystic Seaport where he became Director of Music Programs for 15 years. It was there that he met Brayton, who at the time was teaching maritime literature for the Williams/Mystic Program. For five years, Kaufman has been returning to Middlebury to sing for Brayton’s classes as well as in concerts.
Three years ago when Brayton offered his “Nature’s Meanings” class, Kaufman was inspired by the readings required for the class, and chose to base the performance’s repertoire off of the class’ syllabus. On Saturday night, he tapped into an awe-inspiring synergy between the class’ prose and his own lyrics — it was evident that his heart was deeply invested in this undertaking. As a result, the audience came away with a deeper, enduring understanding of their relationship with Earth, which, in the end, was one of Kaufman’s goals.
(04/21/11 3:54am)
Over the years, Wikipedia has remained one of the most used and controversial sources available to students at the College.
In 2007, the history department attracted national attention and controversy by banning Wikipedia as a credible source in papers. The department-issued statement also mandated that the policy be printed on all syllabi and senior thesis instructions.
“Wikipedia is not an acceptable citation,” said the statement. “Students are responsible for the accuracy of information they provide, and they cannot point to Wikipedia or any similar source that may appear in the future to escape the consequences of errors.”
Neil Waters, Kawashima professor of Japanese studies, proposed the policy after catching the same historical error in six final papers for his “History of Early Japan” class. He says all of the mistakes were easily traced back to Wikipedia.
But according to Waters, most of the controversy over the policy was unwarranted, based on the misconception that the history department was banning Wikipedia.
He says he received both hatemail and fanmail.
“People said I was the dinosaur trying to kill Wikipedia,” he said. “This was not a war on Wikipedia … This was a ban on a particular use — citation of Wikipedia in research papers. That distinction often got lost.”
Provost and Executive Vice President and Professor of English and American Literatures Alison Byerly says that Wikipedia is only a starting place.
“Students have access to an enormous range of resources on the internet,” she said in an email. “We hope that at Middlebury, they will learn to distinguish between sites like Wikipedia, that may provide a useful general introduction to a subject, and scholarly resources that offer a more detailed, informed perspective.
At the time of the ban, the site had 1.6 million entries in its English edition. Today, it has more than 3.6 million English entries.
“I normally try to avoid Wikipedia in general,” said history major Andrew Lind ’13 in an email. “But sometimes I use it to just get an overview of the whole topic and give me a place to start at.”
Lind says that while most history classes do not explicitly give the department’s Wikipedia rule, they don’t have to.
“I haven’t seen the department’s Wikipedia code on any syllabi and none have addressed it in any classes I have been in so far,” he said in an email. “I think it is something that teachers feel doesn’t need to be stated out loud and can just be assumed by the students.”
Waters says that while Wikipedia’s historical entries have improved, they are still unreliable. He says the fact that anyone can edit entries without giving their name creates an inherent lack of accountability.
“Entries are subject to various degrees of editing, depending on the field and on the popularity of the entry,” he said. “And you still don’t know who the editors are. In my field of Japanese history, mistakes come up frequently.”
But Jason Mittell, associate professor of American studies and chair of film and media culture, says that the amount of editorial revisions is one thing that makes Wikipedia great.
“I’m really skeptical of this default assumption that if it’s online, it hasn’t gone through standard editorial process and must be inaccurate,” he said. “I have a wall full of books here … I’m sure there are inaccuracies in them that slipped through the process.”
Mittell says that while an entry could be 100 percent wrong in theory, there are safeguards against such vandalism. Mittell says there are “bots” which scan the site for obviously flawed revisions to entries.
“If there’s something that, for example takes a 10,000 word article and turns it into a 50 word article, the bot will automatically revert the article back to the original,” he said. “They also scan for certain words that may be potential acts of vandalism.”
In addition, Mittell says that editors tie their usernames to a “watch list” of entries, and are alerted when any changes occur.
“You have people who are shepherd to given articles,” he said. “There are so many dedicated editors that it prevents most vandalism.”
But Waters says he still favors traditional encyclopedias — like Britannica — over Wikipedia for general reliability.
“I admit I do have a built in bias towards them [traditional encyclopedias] because there is a vetting process and nobody is putting in a false name and everybody is responsible for what they write,” he said.
Mittell says the traditional academic vetting system of "filter then publish" is too slow because it must go through numerous hurdles before publication.
“It’s counter-intuitive to most people, especially academics who have been trained to perfect everything until you submit it for publication,” he said. “It’s very uncomfortable for people who don’t understand how the system works.”
He says Wikipedia’s “publish then filter” policy keeps information up to date and encourages more people to participate.
“A publish then filter model allows people to choose different roles: either ‘I want to write material’ or ‘I want to edit and make the material better.’”
Mittell says that while it may be hard to accept Wikipedia’s role in academia, it’s important for faculty to integrate the site at the College.
“We have an environment of information that’s radically different from when most of us [faculty members] were in school, ranging from email communication to Wikipedia to texting to YouTube,” he said. “But I think it’s really important as an educator to stay abreast of those [changes].”
(04/14/11 4:29am)
For Assistant Professor of Political Science Nadia Horning, life has been anything but predictable. Horning hails from Madagascar, but she spent her early life traveling between Africa and France since her father was
Madagascar’s military attaché to the embassy in France. Although she spent much of her childhood in France and spoke French fluently, Horning was still shocked when, at 12 years old, her parents surprised her by enrolling her and her older sister in a boarding school in Paris.
Her parents made the decision to send their daughters away because there was, “nothing good” going on in Madagascar at the time.
“The dictatorship was in full steam, and the economy had collapsed,” Horning said. “People began to starve.”
Her parents, predicting that the quality of the children’s education might go down, found a Parisian boarding school open to daughters of recipients of the French equivalent of the Purple Heart. Luckily, Horning’s father had received this honor.
The experience would ultimately be the one that would help prompt Horning’s interest in political science.
“There was the pain of leaving my country and my family at age 12, looked for some justification,” Horning said. “I had to explain why I had to go through this experience and it led me to be curious about the context in which my parents found themselves forced to make the decision to send their children overseas. Now as a mother, I realize how difficult that must have been, and frankly I don’t know if I’d have the courage to do that.”
When visiting Madagascar on school vacations, Horning was consistently struck by the harsh realities of life in Madagascar under the dictatorship.
“It’s not just those who end up starving and suffering; pain comes in different forms,” Horning said. “Even if you’re among the privileged, you’re not spared.”
In many other ways, the polarization of Madagashi society hit Horning hard.
“What really drew me to political science was my observation of inequalities within Madagashi society,” Horning said. “It was the dominated versus dominators, rich versus the poor.”
But before she found her way to politics, she went to Cottey College in Missouri, a small liberal arts school to which she earned a scholarship the year after her graduation from high school in France. Horning relished the opportunity to study overseas because of her interest in language — she planned to attend a university, either one in Geneva or one in Paris, that was specifically set up to instruct potential translators and interpreters.
However, instead of just improving her language skills, the experience had a dramatic effect on the trajectory of Horning’s life.
Horning remembers arriving on campus and receiving confused looks after her first interaction with American students in which she inquired in British English as to where the “loo” was.
“Essentially what happened is I discovered America and Americans and very quickly realized that I didn’t understand them, so I became curious,” said Horning.
This interest, combined with the occurrence of student riots in France following her year at Cottey College made, “the situation in France very unattractive at the time,” and encouraged Horning to attend university in the United States.
She chose George Mason University in Washington, D.C., an ideal option because its location was at the nexus of American politics. She began studying political science, convinced by a recent technological innovation that her previous career idea path of translation would soon be rendered obsolete by the introduction of an automated translating system in Japan.
“I believed in it and I thought, ‘this might not be a good idea if machines are going to replace us,’” Horning said. “It was new and promising and also kind of threatening.”
Although the technology did not end up working, Horning continued on her newfound path of political science, which eventually led her to graduate school and to an international development firm in Burlington (“I come from a poor county so [development] was always a preoccupation.”), where she did consulting work on local governance capabilities and resource management in Madagascar.
“What I learned was that there were fascinating things going on in resource management, and state/society relations in Madagascar that I had become very curious about but didn’t have time to look into,” Horning said.
In order to spend more time researching resource management, Horning returned to school for a PhD. from Cornell. There, she both discovered a love for teaching — while other graduate students preferred research, “I was running to teaching,” Horning said — and was able to continue her research.
“I was intrigued as to why some farmers where complying with the legislation [about deforestation] and why some others were not,” Horning said. “Lo and behold, that became the topic of my dissertation.”
Horning continues to study resource management; although she hesitates to make the joke that she’s “branched out” in conservation research, she has expanded her research to Africa, “essentially to debunk the myth that Madagascar is ‘exceptional,’ that Madagascar is different, and really isn’t when it comes to the politics of resource management. Modern politics and economics are very similar across the ocean, and we are absolutely African.”
While the book she is currently working on focuses on conservation politics, Horning hopes to dive into work on the political history of Madagascar after she finishes work on this current book.
She continues to be interested in Madagascar because, “We can’t even seem to do the wrong thing right — our coups are not real coups, our referenda are not referenda … we just don’t seem to do anything according to texts.”
Although Horning said she, “never imagined I would do this — teaching was not on the radar,” and had expected to return to her consulting job after earning her PhD., she found that her background in Madagascar helped her in teaching her political science classes, especially the African Politics course she currently teaches at Middlebury.
“My knowledge doesn’t necessarily come from textbooks, but from real-world experiences,” Horning said. “It makes a big difference when you’re lecturing. I could be telling you guys so many stories, but I’m careful not to turn the course into ‘me, me, me, me, me.’ “
Horning says her greatest challenges at Middlebury lie in her ability to, “[keep] up with students’ interests and passions as I teach,” although, “it’s an exciting challenge, not a daunting one.
“Also, how to connect knowledge I think I need to impart on my students in ways that they find exciting and relevant and ways they can relate to, and the question becomes more challenging,” Horning said.
Though her current home of Ripton, Vt. is one of the smallest towns she has lived in, Horning has found that teaching at Middlebury still allows her the feeling of living in a cosmopolitan environment.
“The contrast between being a small town and being very international [is one of the best aspects of Middlebury],” Horning said. “I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to speak and hear different languages and know that there are people with different nationalities and different experiences. It’s very reassuring to me. Completely removes the, ‘Oh it’s a small rural town in Vermont.’”
And as far as Middlebury students go, Horning says: “I tap energy and I’m just sucking all that energy.” As she looked at me, a student in one of her classes, she said, “You give me a reason to get going.”
