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(02/14/08 12:00am)
Author: Rachael Jennings Think back to your first few weeks at Middlebury, when you were struggling to remember roughly 2,000 new names, find your way around campus, balance four new classes and learn to live with a stranger. Add to that the pressure of jumping into the College's social scene halfway through the school year, and you can see why some Feb admits could potentially feel overwhelmed. But talk to any member of the Class of 2011.5 - the newest new kids on the block - and you will likely find them confident and ready.The 102 new faces on campus are excited, nervous, curious and sometimes lost. They are faces that have seen the world, captured new languages, converged with new cultures and probably still reflect tans from the climates of their past journeys.Those adventures seemingly included every type of activity and spanned every corner of the globe - even the farthest reaches of the Southern Hemisphere, in a few cases. David Croitoru '11.5 did conservation work in New Zealand and then traveled alone in Australia, where he ended up meeting two other Febs completely by chance, until he ran out of money and headed home. After waiting tables in the fall, Phebe Meyers '11.5 spent seven weeks traveling in New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Fiji before doing an internship with biologists in Costa Rica, where she learned about tree species and tagged birds. Amanda Warren '11.5 also journeyed to both Australia and New Zealand before learning how to build her own sea kayak at boat-building school in Maine.Another world traveler, R.J. Adler '11.5 improved his French in France, worked at a vineyard in Switzerland and taught English and Drama in South Africa. Before some relaxation in Hawaii and a stint at a therapeutic equestrian center in Maine, Kaitlynn Levine '11.5 honed her research skills in a lab where she studied the carcinogenic properties of lunar dust. Ross Brockway '11.5 also worked, spending his days at a thrift store called Thriftsmart and interning at his church, where he made videos and even wrote some sermons. Mike Gaskin '11.5 experienced a healthy balance of employment and travel, clocking hours at outdoor store R.E.I. in addition to visiting Ecuador, where he "climbed a big mountain and planted a lot of trees."The excitement will only continue for these enthusiastic students, except this time the new locale will be a charming (if slightly less exotic) small town nestled between Vermont mountains, where no one needs stoplights and everyone knows each other. What do they think of this fresh escapade in comparison with their previous feats? If their orientation was any indicator, then it is safe to say that they will be happy with their newest location."Feb Orientation is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Gaskin said.Gaskin's view was shared by many of his fellow Febs, who came to the consensus that a dry orientation helped them meet and befriend more people. Warren commented that their square dance during orientation was "wholesome" in comparison to that of the Class of 2011, which involved alcohol and streakers.Besides the square dance, the Class of 2011.5 enjoyed snowboarding at the Snow Bowl, eating a family-style dinner together at the Lodge, dancing and laughing at a Doughboys concert and participating in a few fun mixers and "getting to know you" activities.Levine described orientation as "one giant group therapy session" - in fact, the entire Feb class partook in a group hug in the middle of McCardell Bicentennial Hall."It might have been dorky, but we didn't think of that," Levine commented.After group therapy sessions and a lot of fun, the new Febs are just itching to start the spring semester. However, there are feelings of anxiety and uncertainty as well. They are nervous about classes, prioritizing and juggling all of their options and the new life to which they must adjust. "I sat in on one hour of college class - that's all I've ever seen of college," Gaskin said. Nervousness aside, the Class of 2011.5 already seems to have a healthy dose of class pride. "I love being a Feb," Adler said. "It's like entering a frat right when you get into college and people are so happy to see you. It's a big part of my identity that I'm happy to have all over campus."Based on their fascinating "Febmesters," these new students all have interesting stories to tell. So, stop a member of the class of 11.5 to chat and let them know that you are as glad to have them on campus as they are to be here.
(01/24/08 12:00am)
Author: James O'Brien Dear Middlebury College students,This is God. I've been watching you closely for the past few months and I'd like to tell you what I've observed. Why? Because it ticks me off that people keep asking me irritating questions like, "God, who am I?" First, I'd like to clear up a misconception by stating that I do not exist. And furthermore, I get very frustrated when people like you, people who are trying very hard to exist, keep talking to me about silly things. Please stop. Thank you.But just this once I'll answer your question. I'll tell you who you are. From what I have observed, you students at Middlebury College spend most of your time doing two things - studying and trying to prove that you exist. You are fairly good at both of these things.When not studying, most of you will "go out" at least two nights a week in order to get "f---ed up" (Note: My quotations around any words - in this case "go out" and "f---ed up" - invariably makes it seem like I feel superior to the people who use those phrases. This is not true. I am a humble imaginary God, and I like to get "f---ed up" too.) Anyway, on these weekend nights 70 percent of you "go out" - you drink as much as you can stomach without passing out and do as many drugs as you can get your hands on, sometimes without actually leaving your building. You like having other people around when you do this so that, later, you can talk about how drunk you were. These people that you have around, you will call them friends. In reality - or at least my reality - these people you call friends are just other humans who can testify to your existence. They are with you because you are willing to testify to theirs. So you have agreed to do things at the same time in order to recount them later. In my world, we do not have the word "friend." Then again, I do not exist.I have witnessed most of you saying to a "friend": "Oh my God, how drunk was I last night?"(Note 2: Whenever you say 'Oh my God,' I think you are talking to me. Ninety percent of the time, you're just exercising your voice boxes because you're afraid they might disappear if you say nothing. I can't tell you how much these false alarms piss me off.) Anyway, the drunkenness question is always asked, and it usually leads to an answer like: "You chugged way too many brews. You shaved a penis into MacPherson's head. You beat up some geeks, ate a few steaks and bought a David Ortiz ChiaPet on eBay at 3:00 a.m. You certainly existed last night." This will comfort you for awhile, and then, to show that you two are in this together, you even agree to tell your friend what he or she did while existing: tried to bake pot brownies in an Easy Bake oven, drank 11 Smirnoff Ices and spent the night shouting "Talladega Nights" quotations at the clerk in The Grille. After hearing this, your friend can rest easier. You both can. Something about the human brain relaxes when you hear that you have done something, when you have a memory. Then it's Sunday and you're forced to go through a whole four or five days of non-existence. You will read books and study facts and learn about people who you will never be. Secretly it scares you - that you know your name will never be in a textbook, and that no one may ever think to write it down. But you read your books, take your tests and write your newspaper articles in hopes that this will somehow get you a job at Goldman Sachs or help you save the world from itself. And all of you pray for the weekend to come faster so you can have that little bit of freedom, the chance to make fuzzy memories, to prove you are alive.James O'Brien '10 is an English major from Medfield, Mass.
(01/24/08 12:00am)
Author: Tamara Hilmes John Melanson, owner of Carol's Hungry Mind Café, thought his days spent running a coffee shop were numbered. He began to tell his friends and patrons that Carol's would soon be closing its doors unless he managed to find an extra $70,000 a year. It seemed that only a miracle would save the two-year-old shop from a dismal fate, but on Jan. 22, a call from Bruce Hiland, president of the Middlebury Business Association and landlord of the Battell Block, renewed the owner's diminishing faith. "I spoke to Bruce Hiland this afternoon and he told me that the College is willing to help out more than I originally thought," Melanson said in an interview on Tuesday. "Originally, they were offering to help out by paying the rent for one night a week, but an extra 100 or 200 dollars wasn't really going to help in the long run. But apparently, there was a miscommunication and it sounds like they're willing to do more than I thought."Hiland has exchanged e-mails with both Dean of the College Tim Spears and Provost and Executive Vice President Allison Byerly regarding a possible collaboration between the College and Carol's, though he said that nothing concrete has been decided as of yet."Basically, there has been one conversation and there were a bunch of questions on both sides," Hiland said. "What I'm trying to do is help John find a way to work with the College at 51 Main Street. So he is going to get his thoughts together and propose a way to cooperate with the College and what they are doing at 51 Main St." While the College is "open to supporting Carol's in some way," according to Spears, no specific offers have been made. Spears went on to explain that the College had not, in fact, offered to pay Carol's rent, but rather that the College is looking to help out the coffee shop in some other way."Senior officials from the College met several times with John to discuss possible collaborations," wrote Spears in an e-mail, "including the possibility of his being involved with the Eat Good Food space, or the College subsidizing some events at Carol's. We also expressed our willingness to support a subscription plan for Carol's - individual patrons paying a regular membership fee of sorts - that would help support the business." Professor of English and Creative Writing Jay Parini hopes that the College will do more than discuss collaboration with Melanson."I wish the College would abandon its idea of taking over the former Eat Good Food space, which is a non-starter," wrote Parini in an e-mail, "and go with what is already in place and already functioning as they hope Eat Good Food would function. This place actually works, and is functioning. The College should simply take it over."Along with his hope to receive aid from the College, Melanson has been considering other options that would allow his business to continue. One of these options would be to turn Carol's into a co-op of sorts. Melanson, along with the former owner of Vermont Beads and Fibers and Glenn Lower, the owner of the Middlebury Co-op, are currently looking into the possibility."I'm hoping for a co-op," said Melanson. "Non-profits are a very intricate thing to do, but I am meeting with Glenn Lower tomorrow and he is more than willing to help me figure out how to run this place better. The co-op feel - I really like it. I like the idea of the community really buying into the business. And a lot of the members of the Co-op come here as well, so it would be a lot of the same people."Melanson admits that when he started Carol's in 2005, he had a background in neither the business nor in the food industry and that getting other people involved might allow the business to be more successful."I stumbled onto it," Melanson said. "I just happened to start something that I thought was needed, and it has turned out to be a very necessary space, and not only as a meeting space."Professor Jay Parini, patron and friend of John's, agreed that Carol's holds a vital place in the Middlebury community. "Its loss will be sorely felt by many," said Parini. "I've been a regular patron of Carol's since it opened. I stop in every morning, and write some poetry there, and often meet students and colleagues. It is certainly the liveliest college/town meeting place in Middlebury. It's absence will have a miserable effect on the community."Other members of the community also fear the loss of Middlebury's lone coffee shop. According to Melanson, ever since he began to tell his patrons that business was bad, he has received a great deal of support from his customers. "I had one customer hand in a five-dollar gift certificate," said Melanson. "Another man, who had his punch-card completely filled said, 'oh, let me pay for that anyway. Everyone is always wanting to know how they can help." According to Melanson, business has been better in the last week since the article was published in the Addison Independent, which he attributes to customers reading the paper and wanting to help out."My customers have always been dedicated," Melanson said. "Many have helped with carpentry or painting - volunteering their time to keep us going. Like Michelle Faye, who has done all of the booking and promoting of musicians for nothing."Melanson hopes that with support from both the town and the College that Carol's will be able to continue to serve Middlebury, but in the meantime, he plans to do his best to keep the shop open. "Lately it has been holding its own," said Melanson. "On my own, I can make this place run until May, but that's going to take a lot. I'm trying very hard to make it work in whatever way possible. As long as I can see some light, I would go for anything."
(01/24/08 12:00am)
Author: Denizhan Duran Faculty achievments celebrated by CollegeThe President's office has announced news about recent accomplishments by Middlebury faculty. Burke Rochford, professor of Sociology and Religion, has published a book named "Hare Krishna Transformed," which currently is the seventh bestselling book on Amazon.com in the Hare Krishna category. Jonathan Isham, Luce Professor of International Environmental Economics, has published a book, "Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement," featuring an introduction from Scholar-in-Residence in Environmental Studies Bill McKibben. Timothy Billings, associate professor of English & American Literatures, has translated "Stèles," a book by Victor Segalen. He also was awarded an M.A. degree in Sinology in December 2007 from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London for his leave-year work on a Mellon New Directions Fellowship. Kevin Moss, professor of Russian, was named a Lillian S. Robinson Scholar by the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University in Montreal. Among other professors whose work was published are Jacob Tropp (History), Alison Byerly (English and American Literatures), Ted Perry (Film & Media Culture) and Jonathan Miller-Lane (Teacher Education Program).Judicial blog; chocolate headline Spears blogGus Jordan, associate dean of the College, wrote a post on Dean of the College Tim Spears' blog to unveil the new Judicial Log which lists descriptions, dates and judicial outcomes related to incidents on campus that result in official College discipline against students. The log does not include students' names, but serves to keep the community informed about the critical incidents. "We do no one good by pretending that serious errors in judgment are not happening, or that mistakes do not have meaningful consequences," wrote Jordan. He also wrote that he "hope[s] the log stimulates increased conversation about the kind of community we want to share together." Another news story that can be found on Spears' blog is about the name search for the former Eat Good Food venue. The venue will be serving as a bar/lounge on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, featuring town/gown celebrations on weekday afternoons and limited retail operation. Most importantly, the place will feature a chocolate bar. "We're thinking intimate and upscale, hip and vibey," said Spears, who announced the name contest for the place, which aims for a name that will capture the spirit of the place, on his blog. "The winner will get some chocolate," said Spears, who invited everyone to respond to his blog entry on this subject until the end of Winter Term.
(01/24/08 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] College should offer moral support to struggling cafe - and not moreThe timing is, admittedly, unfortunate. Around the time that Dean of the College Tim Spears was hatching his grand vision for the space formerly occupied by the Eat Good Food restaurant, the owner of Middlebury's only coffee shop broke the news to his most loyal customers that he might have to close his doors. Students responded to the College's plans for a trendy, upscale "chocolate bar" in the Eat Good Food space with apathy and what can only be characterized as, at best, lukewarm interest - and townspeople and members of the College community alike expressed their sadness that Carol's Hungry Mind Café, the two-year-old coffee shop on Main Street, might fold in coming months.Early reports that the café would summarily close up shop have been revised in recent days, Carol's owner John Melanson told The Campus this week. This announcement will likely do little to quell the anxieties of Carol's devotees, some of whom - including D.E. Axinn Professor of English and Creative Writing Jay Parini - have suggested the College should abandon plans for the Eat Good Food space and rally, instead, to Carol's defense.We hope the College will support the café's efforts in the coming months to adapt its business practices and regain its financial footing. We hope, too, that fans of the coffee shop will commit themselves to keeping the cozy joint afloat. But expecting the College to keep Carol's functioning is unrealistic and counterproductive. The job of reviving the coffee shop must fall to its customers - a commitment by the College of much more than moral and limited financial support would set questionable precedent for dealings between the College and town businesses. However important Carol's is to many professors and students, the institution cannot, unfortunately, leap to the defense of every charming yet floundering enterprise within our much-loved town's boundaries.The College has, indeed, extended its reach into town at a rapid-fire pace this year - but with its own interests at heart in all instances. The partnership with the Town Hall Theater, donations for a new bridge over Otter Creek and the Eat Good Food project have all unfolded in the last few months. Most recently, the College acquired the Old Stone Mill with plans to create additional studio and gallery space. Talk of town-gown relations, bridging the gap between the College and the town and the benefit of these enterprises to local residents has cropped up with each endeavor. This is true to a certain extent, but at the end of the day, the Town Hall Theater will showcase student productions, the Old Stone Mill will house student studios and artwork and the Eat Good Food space will presumably be designed with a student clientele in mind. Residents' needs will be incorporated into all of these venues, but seem decidedly secondary - they all will, ultimately, be very College-oriented spaces.The community - on and off campus - yearns for spaces like Carol's - places that do just what the College purports to do, places that bridge the gap between students and their Vermont neighbors. As further plans develop for the Eat Good Food space, we hope College officials will remember this desire. And as Carol's looks to its uncertain future, we hope individuals in the College community sidle in for that extra cup of coffee or chime in with creative ideas for making ends meet.
(01/10/08 12:00am)
Author: James O'Brien During Winter Break, while the religious folk were busy gathering frankincense and myrrh to prepare for the birth of Jamie Lynn Spears' little messiah, I was sitting on my couch, sorting through America's problems for the Barack Obama campaign. Barack's people called me years ago when he first ran for the Senate because he needed some help figuring out what America wants to hear - I've been working for him ever since. Through extensive research, I helped to discover something that politicians have known for years: Americans are not content with their lives, and this fact will swing every single political election until little Jesus Lynn Spears is old enough to show the world that love is the answer.Let's look at recent American history. Our 42nd president, William Jefferson Clinton, was a Rhodes Scholar, a terrific saxophonist and a hit with the ladies. After eight years, America just didn't feel good. So we came up with reasons for our discontent - or the Republicans did. America is morally bankrupt, they said, and it's all thanks to Big Bill and the Dems. So we elected George W. Bush, a D student and former alcoholic who looked like a monkey. And we got change. Bush decided that war was the best idea for the country. And we looked around and thought, "Yeah, our lives aren't great … and they're in danger!" To war we went. And then the war went on too long, and we all started to make a weird face - we looked like a bad guy in one of the "Mission Impossible" movies. The war had pulled off its incredibly life-like mask and showed that it was not a war at all. It was Tom Cruise. And we were pissed.So you would figure that we would want Bush gone to bring in the Vietnam vet, water-sport enthusiast, long-headed John Kerry. But discontented America still sometimes likes to do the unexpected. America is spiteful. So collectively we said, what the hell? Tom Cruise isn't that bad, right? Remember "Top Gun?" The part when he sings?So as Obama - his first name was Reginald back then - was sizing up his presidential campaign, I told him two things: first, he would have to change his name to Barack. And second, he would have to become black. At first, he was skeptical, but I told him my two principles to remember: First, America is tricky and second, America is unhappy with itself, no matter what. Obama wanted to fire me. He said that America would never elect a black man. I told him that, on the contrary, he would fill the void left by David Palmer on "24." America finally knows that a black man can run the country - they just don't know why. After you are elected, I told Barack, the people will also surprise themselves by demanding that Obama name Kiefer Sutherland, star of "The Lost Boys," to head the CIA. I told him not to be alarmed.What other advice did I give to Barack's people? Say more stuff that will outrage the average American. Like, remember when Obama admitted that he had experimented with cocaine? That was my idea. He never did cocaine or even Coca-Cola (he was actually really into Surge before they took it off the market), but I figured his cokehead confession would gain him a few points in the polls. At first, it seemed like my strategy had backfired. The Evangelicals and the Spears myrrh-gatherers were abhorred. So was my grandmother, in fact. She said something stereotypical like, "Well … I never!" when she heard Barack's confession on the news. But who is Grandma voting for? Obama! Because Grandma loves cocaine and so does America.I suggested that the sequel to Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" should be called "The Audacity of Hope II: America, You Suck and I Can Also Do That As Well." Barack liked the idea, but he said long titles don't sell books. He did, however, agree with my point: Americans are no longer after honesty or hope because they realize those things don't exist. Americans want "change." No one has ever told them they suck. They may be shocked at first, but eventually they will love it because it's something new. It's change.James O'Brien '10 is a new columnist and an English major from Medfield, Mass.
(01/10/08 12:00am)
Author: Kelly Janis "He loved it there," said Donald E. Axinn Professor of English and Creative Writing Jay Parini - author of Robert Frost: A Life - of the Homer Noble Farm in Ripton, Vt., where Robert Frost resided during his stay at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. "It was isolated. It had wonderful fruit trees. It had some fields. And it had wonderful forests behind it."In Robert Frost: A Pictorial Chronicle, the poet's former managing secretary, Kathleen Morrison, details Frost's decision to purchase the farm from the Noble family, former cattle and sheep farmers and purveyors of their own maple syrup."Whatever apprehensions we felt, the situation would be ideal for our children," Morrison wrote. "They could swim, fish, learn about rabbits, raccoons, deer and harmless snakes - our son even had an unsupervised confrontation with a bear - and all this without the organized formalities of camp life.""For him, it was the ideal farmhouse," Parini said.This idyllic façade was dealt a staggering blow on Dec. 28, when the College-owned farm on which Frost summered from 1939 to 1963 incurred an estimated $10,000 worth of damage in the wake of what police described as a "large underage drinking party."Police say vandals shattered a window to gain entrance to the farmhouse and proceeded to destroy tables, chairs, pictures, light fixtures and dishes, torch wicker furniture in the fireplace to warm the unheated building, discharge two fire extinguishers and urinate and vomit inside the building and on the surrounding property. "I've been here for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Sgt. Lee Hodsen of the Vermont State Police in New Haven. "Of course, there have been underage drinking parties before. But, usually, they take place in a field or in the woods, and they just leave some empty containers. Nothing of this magnitude."According to a Jan. 7 press release by the state police, the approximately 50 partygoers - ranging from 15 to 22 years of age - have been identified, and are undergoing continued interviews and investigation. In particular, the police have identified the 17-year old Ripton resident who allegedly planned and organized the party - originally conceived of as a joint New Year's Eve and birthday celebration - as well as the 22-year old Middlebury resident who furnished underage attendees with significant quantities of alcohol, neither of whose names have been released.The act of vandalism against the farm - officially designated as a National Historic Landmark - has resonated strongly with those possessing ties to it. "We are dismayed [by] the event," wrote Carole Thompson, director of the Robert Frost Stone House Museum in Shaftsbury, Vt., in an e-mail. She noted that the occurrence is not the first of its kind. Several years ago, the home in Derry, N.H. where the poet and his family resided for 11 years while he experimented with poultry farming and wrote in his spare time was defaced by spray paint. The College's own community of poets voiced similar sentiments."[The Homer Noble Farm] is the most precious thing owned by the College, by far," Parini said. "Robert Frost is the voice of America, and New England especially.""Whether you call it a sacred place or a shrine, it's very rich culturally, and physically, and in its literary history," said Executive Director of College Mental Health Services and Associate Professor of English and American Literatures Gary Margolis. "It's a very special place."Both Margolis and Parini reminisced fondly about the occasions on which they have stayed at the Homer Noble Farm during the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. "I would take baths in Robert Frost's bathtub," Parini said. "I would imagine him standing at the sink shaving, while I lay in the tub. The place is certainly haunted by Robert Frost."So, should the perpetrators fear the poet's vengeful ghost?"I think it's extremely unlikely these teenagers had anything against Robert Frost," Parini said. "It's no conscious effort to defile a sacred property. It's a kind of ignorance."Thompson agreed."These things don't have anything to do with Frost," she wrote. "It's just bad behavior of kids taking advantage of a situation."Still, Margolis pointed out, the particular situation of which they chose to avail themselves is disturbing."It's not uncommon that high school students have parties and look for places to party," he said. "But given that apparently these are local high school students, somehow I wonder, where's the disconnect? If they grew up around here, they would know that the place is somehow special, even if they didn't know all of the facts. If you know a place is special in a particular way - even if you're out to have a good time, or party - how come somebody in that group of 40 or 50 people didn't say, 'hey, you know, let's just stand in the field and drink. Do we really have to break into this place?'"The shockwaves of the teens' decision have extended widely. "It's interesting to me that this story has gone around the world," Parini said. "I just got an e-mail from a friend in Chile who said this story was on the front page of their newspaper. Frost is beloved around the world."Thompson said her organization has received numerous expressions of concern in the wake of the vandalism, including a phone call from one of Robert Frost's granddaughters. In addition, she has fielded e-mails from both local residents and Frost aficionados from across the nation, many of whom adamantly insist upon a decisive response. "Prison is too good for them," wrote Oakhurst, Calif. resident Jan Claire of the perpetrators in an e-mail to Friends of Robert Frost. "They should be made to pay back every cent of damage they caused, and their parents as well. And in Vermont of all places. The most perfect place in the country to raise a family."According to Hodsen, the penalty for likely charges of unlawful trespassing, vandalism and underage drinking will be determined by the state's attorney."These kids need to take responsibility for what they have done," he said.Aside from punitive matters, however, many view the event as an opportunity to cultivate positive results. "I hope this prompts Middlebury [College] to install a security system," Thompson wrote. "At least they can install a locked gate to keep out vehicular traffic, which will repel delivery of party supplies."Parini agreed. "It's extremely crucial that the College reconsider its security measures up there," he said. "The house was basically unsecured, or else this couldn't have happened."Hodsen expressed doubts, however, about the feasibility of eliminating the site's vulnerability altogether. "We live in Vermont," he said. "We can't put a 24-hour watch on that spot." What may be possible, he said, is the installation of an alarm which, in the event of trespassers, would alert the College's Department of Public Safety, who could dispatch police to respond as necessary."But given where it is," Margolis said, "the state police and the town police are still a half hour away."Ultimately, to Parini, the vandalism registers as an apt means of initiating a constructive dialogue. "There are many ways this could be used as a teaching opportunity to talk to the nation about the value of poetry," he said.Margolis agreed, suggesting that disciplinary action against the perpetrators should entail more than merely shelling out financial restitution. "I would hope they would build in more than that," he said. "I would hope there would be an educational component, an opportunity for them to learn about this place they were just in, a place unique to where they live. And maybe they would have to write a poem about it."
(01/10/08 12:00am)
Author: Nick DeSantis I am writing to express my deep concern over a recent recommendation made by the College's faculty reappointments committee. At the end of the fall term, I completed my English senior essay with the help of two academic advisors. One of those advisors is not a member of my department, and she chose to take me on anyway because of her interest in my work. She slogged through Cormac McCarthy's horrifying and difficult novel "Blood Meridian" in order to better understand my project, and she helped me refine my essay and provided me with crucial support. Considering that she works as the program advisor for all of the Sociology Department's thesis writers, she could have easily declined to take on another advisee, given her already heavy workload. However, she stuck with me in order to help me write a senior project that I could be proud of. My advisor was Professor Laurie Essig, and at the end of the term, the College's reappointments committee decided to show its appreciation for her hard work by recommending that the College fire her as of this spring. The committee's recommendation to fire Laurie on the basis of her supposedly poor teaching is a grave mistake. Every Middlebury student should be as lucky as I was to have such a dedicated and effective professor. The committee took issue with Laurie's teaching methods, and their complaints are baseless. She engages her students in ways that make the classroom material fascinating, and she successfully translates course material into information that will be meaningful away from the confines of Middlebury. These skills are the hallmark of a great professor, and such skills are a rare find on this campus. Her commitment to engaged, real-world scholarship deserves high praise and stands in stark contrast to the world of tweed jackets that is traditional academia. Having taken two courses with Professor Essig, I can say confidently that it is impossible to enter her classroom and not emerge with a wider understanding of the ways that power and identity operate in the world at large. Professor Essig also embraces technology like few of her colleagues, and her lectures demonstrate the potential of the new media classroom to deliver information that would be difficult to access otherwise. If the College administration chooses to uphold the review committee's recommendation, Middlebury will lose a professor who challenges her students to use what they learn in their lives away from Middlebury every day. The reappointments committee also took issue with the fact that Laurie's classroom is a politically charged environment. However, this is a positive characteristic and I can testify that it is not detrimental to a student's educational experience. Indeed, a completely apolitical classroom is a fiction of outdated political discourse and is impossible to actually achieve. While the nature of class discussions can make some students uncomfortable, these situations allow us to grow in ways that would be impossible in less challenging environments. The huge chorus of support from Laurie's students and colleagues in the Sociology Department indicate that she should be applauded for her willingness to tackle difficult and controversial issues. Perhaps more importantly, Professor Essig is engaged with the student body away from the classroom in ways that few of her colleagues are. She is a major source of support for Middlebury's various minority communities. She was also given Middlebury's Feminist of the Year award last spring, and achievements such as these indicate that she provides Middlebury with some of the much-needed diversity that the administration claims to want. The College should be scrambling to retain such an engaged professor. Her potential firing indicates to me that the College's commitment to diversity borders on politically correct lip service. If the recommendation is not reversed, the reappointments committee - made up of three professors entirely unfamiliar with Laurie's unique areas of expertise - will have dealt a painful blow to the diversity and political engagement of the Middlebury community. Professor Essig's value to the Middlebury community is clear to anyone who knows her, and I urge the reappointments committee to immediately reverse its reprehensible recommendation. Ultimately, if Professor Essig is fired, the students will be deprived of one of the College's best professors. Please understand that the reappointments committee suffers nothing by recommending that Professor Essig be fired. Instead, if the recommendation is upheld, the students are the ones who will bear the overwhelmingly negative consequences of this decision. Over the course of my Middlebury career, I have met many students who have expressed a desire to take one of Professor Essig's classes. If you count yourself as a member of that group, I urge you to come to Chellis House at 4:00 on Friday afternoon. Together, we can fight to save Professor Essig's job before it is too late.Nick DeSantis '07.5 is from Diamond Point, NY.
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: Joey Interian It's not often that MIddlebury's first-year seminars provide students with an opportunity to work closely with members of the community, let alone delve into one's own personal background. Yet for Lauren Sanchez '11, Associate Professor of Spanish Ana Martinez-Lage's class did just that.Miami, New York, Los Angeles - certain cities are inherently associated with large immigrant populations. Middlebury, on the other hand, hardly seems to be a hotspot for immigration, but a recent predicament has attracted migrant workers to this small New England town.A few years ago, farms throughout Vermont were in crisis due to a shortage of workers willing to perform manual labor for low pay. Many dairy farms in particular were on the verge of shutting down. Now, the farmers are essentially dependent on migrant foreign labor because it is relatively easy to find people from developing countries who are willing to work under those conditions for minimal benefits.Currently, there are about 500 migrant workers in Addison County, most of whom entered the country illegally. This situation prompted MartÌnez-Lage to teach a first-year seminar that would bring awareness to the plight of local migrant workers. The course, entitled "Life in Two or More Languages," includes a required community service component. Students were paired up and assigned to work with a local migrant worker (or family of workers), whom they visit at least once each week. The program involves tutoring the workers to help them achieve proficiency in English, especially with terms that relate to their jobs. These include phrases that allow them to express when they need a break or to ask about the status of their paychecks.The Middlebury first-years in the seminar have partnered with the Migrant Education Program, an organization dedicated to providing English education to immigrants who have not attained legal status. Sanchez, a Seattle, Wash. native and the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, first became interested in the seminar as a way of exploring her own identity. "It was interesting to watch my student struggle to learn English and visualize my father in a similar situation," Sanchez said. Sanchez's student is a Mexican immigrant who arrived in Vermont about six months ago and has been working on a dairy farm about 20 minutes from campus. (Because of the current immigration status of the migrant workers featured in this article, The Campus has decided not to divulge their names.) The man plans to return to his family in Mexico once he has collected enough money from his work. His life in Vermont has consisted of walking from his house to the farm where he works and back again, because his illegal status in this country prevents him from participating in typical everyday activities."It's such a different lifestyle, and it's only 20 minutes away," said Sanchez.Most of the migrants do not venture far from their homes or the farms they work on and their only interactions are with other Spanish-speaking migrants and their supervisors, when necessary. Because of their limited interactions with Americans - most of them do not even brave local supermarkets - they do not have much of an incentive to learn English and most of them return to their homelands after only a few years.Joseph Molefi '11, who hails from Botswana, tutored the six-year-old daughter of a Mexican migrant worker as part of the seminar."I think one of the main things we accomplished is that the migrants got to see that they are welcome by us," Molefi said. "We appreciate their contribution, and even though they work 'menial jobs' it is very important to our economy." Since Vermont has an agrarian economy, the migrant workers are a vital part of the success of the farming industry."They're the backbone of all of Vermont's economy," said Rebecca Harper '11. "If they were all deported at once, there would be a huge economic slowdown in the entire state. The government here is extremely aware of this. That's why it's rare for them to get deported or for farms to be raided."The town of Middlebury has implemented policies to protect these workers from deportation in recent months. In an effort to encourage illegal immigrants to cooperate with the police, the Middlebury select board passed a resolution in October that would allow officers to check the immigration status of a person only if they are suspected of committing a crime.One of the techniques the students used to facilitate the transition into English is code switching, which involves interchanging between multiple languages in conversation. The student tutors also employ tools such as audio CDs and picture vocabulary books to help improve the workers' pronunciation and visual association skills. Other supplies include flash cards and ESL (English as a Second Language) workbooks. The work has helped students understand the importance of language in human interactions."I came to realize how important the ability to communicate with each other is and how difficult it is to learn a second language, English in particular," Sanchez said.For most of the migrant workers, their lives and livelihood depend on knowing English. They have to be able to communicate with their supervisors at work, and everyday tasks require the use of English. Learning English has also allowed the workers to connect with other community members."It's almost more important to be a friend to them in this new and strange environment than a teacher," Harper said. "Because most of their family is back home, being someone they can laugh with and just spend time with is something they really need. It also makes the learning come faster."Harper also tutored a Guatemalan immigrant over the summer and plans on teaching English to Spanish-speakers as a future profession. Many other students taking the seminar feel similarly inspired to continue their work with the program because of the success they have seen this semester."One time we were erasing something on the whiteboard and instead of saying 'Espera,' my student said 'Wait,'" said Sanchez. "That was really demonstrative of the progress he had made."
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: Grace Close Entering the room of Bilal Sarwary '10, I was immediately struck by the unusual dÈcor - dozens of press passes hang from the walls, Afghan carpets cover the floor and Post-It notes of Farsi-English word translations are scattered above his computer. Coming to Middlebury College last year from Kabul, Afghanistan after working as a reporter and producer for BBC Kabul, Sarwary brought with him not only these artifacts, but also his stories.These stories are being shared as part of the "Remembering Afghanistan" photography exhibition, which is currently on display in the Ross Fireplace Lounge. This year's exhibit focuses mainly on Sarwary's most recent trip to Kabul, whereas last year's showcase drew from his several years of employment with BBC, which took him all over the world.Sarwary sees this collection of photographs as demonstrating the resilience of his countrymen."Despite terrorism, extreme poverty, death and destruction, young Afghans have continued to smile, to study and to hope for a better tomorrow," Sarwary said. "This is their story. This is a window into Afghanistan."Sarwary wishes to bring the plight of Afghanis to the forefront of the viewers' minds with his photography, and he acheives this by highlighting the "human angle" in all of his work.Each photograph is accompanied by a detailed caption describing the events that preceded the image. One of the most striking portraits is that of a 12-year-old Afghan girl named Fatima who, Sarwary remembered, desperately longed for a formal education, despite the odds she faces as a female in Afghanistan. Photos like these are "attention-grabbers," where the common human condition portrayed evokes empathy and even compassion in the viewer. Megan Mishler '11, who attended the reception, was particularly moved by the picture of Fatima."I found it captivating to read a sentence or two about the young girl in this photograph," Mishler said. "I felt connected to her, even though we live miles apart." The yearning of young Afghan children for the right to attend school is something that Sarwary has encountered often throughout his travels. Commenting on another image featuring two children, Gul Zamina and Bakht Zamina, Sarwary admired their courage in pursuing what we consider to be a universal human right."They are not asking for cookies or clothes - they are asking for education, something that they have never had before," Sarwary said.When asked about his favorite photograph, Sarwary said, "the most difficult question you can ask a photographer is what the best image is. I think all of them are beautiful. However, one that strikes me is the one of the Kochis, a nomadic people in Afghanistan, who pursue education for the children."Sarwary evoked the true nature of Afghanistan in the exhibition not only with his photography, but also with his personal connection to the country. His Afghan rugs are used as floor coverings and Afghan tea was served throughout the reception on Thursday. "I feel at home through my Afghan rugs," Sarwary explained. Sarwary is connected to the people of Afghanistan, for he was born in Kabul himself. He left Kabul during his childhood during the civil war in the 1990s for Peshawar (a border town) along with other Afghan refugees. Sarwary returned just as the influx of foreign media entered Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11. "Ironically, I was originally forced to leave Kabul from the civil war bombing," said Sarwary. "When I got back it was Americans bombing the Taliban. The devastation of Afghanistan continues."However, throughout all the hardship, the Afghan civilians have remained determined. "What war does to you - it takes away," said Sarwary. "One of my main aims is to make sure that this does not happen to anyone else. The message, however, is obvious: the people in this country are very similar to you, they have joy, families and happiness, but they are plagued with war." Sarwary plans to hold photography exhibitions like these at Middlebury in Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. He wishes to go beyond Middlebury College. "My photography is one way of going and telling the United States about Afghanistan." The situation facing Kabul is undoubtedly complex, but in Sarwary's opinion, his own mission is quite simple."I am simply trying to tell the stories of a people," he said.
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: Tess Russell Looking to relieve some of that exam week stress? Heather Pynne '11 has the perfect prescription.Earlier this year, Pynne and her friend Sarah Simonds '11 stumbled upon an "amazing climbing tree" near their rooms in Ross. Before the temperature dropped a few weeks ago, the two girls paid regular visits to the inviting tree - a mystery specimen, even to Simonds' forester father - which they nicknamed Fia, meaning "dark of peace." Pynne even liked to bring her Zen MP3 player and sing along to her favorite songs. Others trying to achieve a, well, zen-like state under the canopies of Battell Beach include members of the Meditation Club, whom Pynne encountered on one of her climbs."The beauty is that when you sit up in the tree, you feel like no one can see you," Pynne said. "It's calming, because you kind of get to be in seclusion and very connected to nature even though you're actually right on campus."Fia is not Pynne's only arboreal connection. Her fellow cast members in October's first-year show, "Severed Headshots: Sinister Scenes and Monologues," mastered the pronunciation of Pynne's surname through the use of a clever (if somewhat cumbersome) device - "Heather like the bush, Pynne like the tree." The Greenville, S.C.-native, who plans to pursue a joint major in English and Theater, is what you might call a "triple threat" in thespian terms. In addition to her vocal and stage pursuits mentioned above, she is an avid dancer who works at the College's Dance Theater and plans to organize a self-instructed ballet technique class this spring. She also intends to brush up on her "toe-tapping" - a challenging form of tap, performed in point shoes and popularized by 1930s-era films - in the near future. For now, though, Pynne is relishing her newfound independence as a college student. One illustration of this is her e-mail signature, an excerpt from the musical "Spring Awakenings," which explores the possibility of being geographically disconnected from one's past but still very much emotionally involved with it: "It's like I'm your lover or more like your ghost/I spend the day wondering what you do, where you go." Middlebury's ability to offer a change of pace, and a change of weather, was largely what attracted Pynne to the school. She admits that the easy access to ski slopes was a huge factor in her decision, along with the Bread Loaf School. I had assumed that she was referring to that campus' picturesque mountain setting, but she informed me otherwise."It was the name 'Bread Loaf' that seemed absolutely perfect for me, a carboholic with a fiction addiction," she joked.Winter Term will mark Pynne's first time assuming the role of stage manager in a dramatic production - the upcoming "Sweeney Todd" - but as a Southerner on a New England campus, this fall has been marked by several other important "firsts," including her first moose sighting and her first trip to Maine (for the Thanksgiving holiday)."I became positively giddy at the first snow, and everyone said to me, 'You're from the South, aren't you?'" Pynne said.Still, she's careful to respect the boundaries of those Middlebury students hailing from higher latitudes."People here don't seem to be big country music fans," Pynne noted. "So when I'm singing, I usually stick to show tunes."
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: Michelle Constant The College will utilize its affiliation with the Monterey Institue of International Studies (MIIS) to offer new Winter Term courses consistent with the international aspirations of the Middlebury Initiative. Many students have decided to take advantage of the new courses, which include Chinese, French and Spanish interpretation classes taught at the College by MIIS professors and classes at Monterey, while other students are preparing for class-scheduled trips to Ethiopia, Ukraine and Lithuania.According to Vice President for Language Schools and Schools Abroad Michael Geisler, these interpretation classes will teach students not only to translate existing texts with maximum accuracy, but also to interpret on the spot in order to facilitate conversations."This is a unique opportunity because we don't usually offer translation courses during the academic year," said Geisler. "In interpretation, students will learn to be both accurate and fast on their feet."Bao Chuanyun, the dean of Translation and Interpretation at MIIS, will oversee the new program at the College this January. Geisler is excited to welcome faculty from one of the top interpretation schools in the world. He said that the College's advanced language program allows for this intensity of training. "I hope to get students interested in a career as an interpreter or translator, both of which are much sought after," said Geisler. "Monterey is a graduate institute. For many of our students, this program offers a graduate-level opportunity that connects to their majors while they are still undergraduates."According to Geisler, the interpretation classes will be offered in the Chinese, French and Spanish departments because those are the departments in which the most student interest simmered up. There will be approximately 15 students per class. Students will also look forward to Winter Term trips abroad. Fifteen students are accompanying Associate Chaplain Ira Schiffer and C.V. Starr Professor of Russian and East European Studies Michael Katz to Lithuania and Odessa to study Jewish communities. The class will spend the first week of Winter Term reading short stories from Jewish studies and preparing for the trip. The trip will last for two weeks, and the final week will be spent discussing the experience."We will use a literary perspective to see these communities as places of growth," said Elianna Kan '10.5. "We will compare the historical representations from our reading with our personal experiences of how these communities function today."According to Kan, some of the students in the class are International Studies majors, and others are focusing on Jewish studies. This has resulted in a very diverse group of students with both personal and academic interest in studying historical Jewish communities.Emily Goldsmith '08 is a French major who has also taken classes in Spanish and Italian at the College. She signed up for the French "Translation and Interpretation" class in hopes that it will assist her in working on her senior project - translating a French Canadian novel."I didn't take a translation class while I studied in Paris," said Goldsmith. "I think it will help me to learn about the communication of ideas across cultures and remaining loyal to the text."According to Goldsmith, students of all three languages will spend the first week together learning about translation and interpretation in English. The remainder of Winter Term will be split between a stronger focus on each skill."I am considering applying to Monterey to study interpretation and translation in the future," said Goldsmith. "The fact that they have come here is really exciting."Goldsmith is interested in pursuing either interpretation or translation as a future career, but has no past experience with interpretation. "Interpretation will be more of a first try for me," said Goldsmith. "The translation module will be directly helpful for my senior project."According to Geisler, it has been difficult to implement these types of classes at the College in the past. Most major language classes are taught only in the specific languages, not in English. These classes can also not be taught during the Summer Language Program, because the College is committed to the "No English Spoken Here" policy.Kan's family is largely from the Ukraine and the Soviet Union, so she feels a strong personal connection to the communities she will visit on her J-term trip. Kan wants to learn more about the distinct experience of being a Jew and how this religious group is still negotiating to find an identity. "For me, this is more of a personal endeavor," said Kan, "even though it applies to my academic interests as well."Aaron Krivitzky '09 is accompanying Kan on this trip. Krivitzky wrote in an e-mail that , because of the class requirements for his major, going abroad is not a likely opportunity. "Taking a J-term abroad satisfies a desire to travel somewhere I might never see, but without the same type of time commitment," wrote Krivitzky. Krivitzky fears that the experience will be a bit rushed, though still worthwhile. Like Kan, Krivitzky looks forward to tracing his family roots back to the Ukraine. He said he is excited to see a place that he never visited but that has affected his life so greatly. Krivitzky sees this trip not as a tourist-type experience, but a historical, reflective journey to observe the Jewish cultures."I've found that spiritually active trips are necessary and enlightening for me, so I try to take them whenever I get the opportunity, wrote Krivitzky.
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: Daniel Roberts In my history discussion yesterday, amidst a riveting talk about the influence of Jesuit missionaries in Japan in the 1500s (like I said, riveting), a tinny, obnoxious electronica beat suddenly pierced the room. It was some girl's cell phone, and it sounded like a Mozart concerto on crack. Mistakes like this happen all the time, and the girl quickly blushed, fumbled for the thing, and shut it off. No big deal, right? Well, here was where it got really shocking - about ten minutes later, another cell phone went off: the phone of the girl sitting directly next to the first girl! Unbelievable. Did this second chick completely miss her neighbor's humiliation minutes before? As you can imagine, I was fascinated by the imperial training of Oda Nobunaga, but still, I could not help from zoning out into thought: when exactly did cell phones become more integral to our lives than any other object? I feel like far too many people treat their cell phone better than they treat their own body - they clean it more often, decorate it more carefully and program it to play cool rap music. In fact, I do not know anyone who does not own a cell phone. I'm sure these people exist, but it's no surprise that I cannot name any. After all, how could one function as a human without having the ability to check sports scores, look at tiny pictures of their dog or listen to "Crank That Soulja Boy," all while they walk to class?Yet my epiphany here is not that too many people own cell phones, it's that the extent to which we hold them close and tote them everywhere is slightly appalling. Take the popular custom of "texting." I will be the first to admit I love the idea of text messaging. It's a foolproof way to avoid a conversation with someone who bores you.And don't even mention the texting that goes on when people get drunk. The entire process is downright laughable. The Center for Disease and Psychiatric Evaluations has just classified drunk dialing as an official addiction. How about drunk texting? We all know about the booty text. It's 12:30, the party you're at has become lame, and you feel like sharing your bed tonight. What do you do? Send out the "hey, what are you up to?" text. It's a universally understood late-night invitation. Who can say that this compulsion to pull out your cell phone once you get wasted, broadcasting your inebriation to everyone in your contact list, is not an addiction?However, when did it become socially acceptable to have your phone glued to your palm, frantically clicking away on the keys even when you're sober? Everyone agrees that it's annoying to open your phone and have an entire conversation with someone when you're in a social situation with friends, like at dinner or a small gathering. If your phone rings, you leave the room. Stay in the room and gab with your buddy about the parties on campus tonight, and that's a party foul. So how come it isn't equally taboo to sit there, texting people when you're supposed to be spending time with a friend or two? Everyone does it (including me) and I only just realized how ridiculous this is. In the adult world, you would never see a businessman pummeling his cell phone keypad while in a meeting, or while out to dinner with his friends. Yet here, we send texts in class, at parties or at meals. I guess it's just one more rude practice that has become acceptable for American college students, like disrespecting dining hall employees, leaving newspapers everywhere for the non-existent "maid" to pick up and writing Nick Janson's name on the desks of Munroe.Daniel Roberts '09 is an English major from Newton, Mass.
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: Alex Garlick No matter how loud the debate becomes regarding Matthew Biette's threat to cancel midnight breakfast, it seems to fall on deaf ears. The Campus' editorial board can chip in its two cents and the SGA can organize a lunch with Biette, but the student body is taking the apathetic route away from responsibility. To be frank, the dishes are not coming in. I cannot say I am surprised, either. For better or for worse, the student body is not responding to Biette's cry of financial hardship or The Campus' moral plea. Biette had a chart at lunch last Friday claiming that $25,000 worth of dishware walked out of the dining halls in September. That is a lot of money and, quite frankly, a waste, but it is also about what one student pays for one semester. Therefore, it is swept under the proverbial rug. Furthermore, any cry of financial pain is hard to take seriously when the news regarding the progress of the $500 million dollar fundraiser is on the front page of the web site. A pattern has developed regarding student reaction, or lack of reaction, to monetary issues. The seemingly annual 4 to 6 percent bump in tuition has become as predictable as the changing of the seasons, yet the student body receives it with less agitation than is mustered up every week by "The Devil Wears Patagonia." None of this is news. Therefore, you must be asking where this talk of silverware, cups and bowls is going. I alert you to a parallel situation in the world of college athletics, the Bowl Championship Series. The BCS has more in common with the "Proctor Predicament" than just bowls. It also involves oranges, sugar, apathy and tons of money. Now Division I college football is not as popular a topic on The Campus opinions page as, say, organic food, but hear me out. The purpose of the system is to pit the best two teams in the country against each other in a championship game after a series of marquee games. It has worked a few times in the past, but this year there is a problem: no one knows who the best two teams are. This is why there has to be a playoff system. It could be so simple: a six-team playoff with the top two getting byes. This way there would be the same number of games, and the "student-athletes" could be back in the classroom in time for their rigorous spring classes. One of the pros to this system is that it would only make the voters and computers decipher the second and third place teams instead of figuring out whom the sixth or seventh best teams are, and with less serious consequences. In addition, it would solve the problem of a team that does not win its regular season conference playing for the national championship over the conference champ. That is like naming someone who does not have the best G.P.A. in the English department the class valedictorian or electing a President who did not receive the most votes.No one will solve the "Proctor Predicament" or the BCS anytime soon, for the same reasons. First, the masses are content the way things are, even though there is a logical, mutually beneficial solution. Next, money compounds this apathy. Our students do not care about wasting it, while the big football schools are happy to sit back and count it. So next week, instead of discussing exciting college football playoff games over a delicious midnight breakfast, students will be in a perpetual search for legitimacy of the sports, glasses for their drinks, and breakfast to crave their late night hunger.Alex Garlick '08.5 is a Political Science and Economics major from Needham, Mass.
(12/06/07 12:00am)
Author: H. Kay Merriman A few weeks ago, during lunch, a friend of mine performed a monologue that he had been writing and rehearsing for a class. The speech described different moments in his life in which he had been ridiculed, rejected or simply sad. His words were raw, real and deeply personal. I was near tears over my Proctor salad. I wanted to probe, to ask questions, to continue the experience - but instead, after sharing a brief but powerful moment, we scurried off to our respective schoolwork and activities. When I got back to my room, I asked my roommate how often do we experience true emotion at Middlebury? When do we take the time to reflect on past experiences and how we have dealt with them? Do Middlebury students have soul?On Nov. 29, former Dean of Harvard College Harry Lewis spoke to an overflowing room of Middlebury students, faculty and staff about his book "Excellence Without a Soul: Does Liberal Arts Education Have a Future?" The book explores the current trend among universities of emphasizing academic achievement over personal growth. According to Lewis, universities have lost sight of "the big point of undergraduate education." Lewis compared the collegiate education system to a large shopping mall."You are required to buy something from every store, but that's not the way to come out well-dressed," Lewis said.In Lewis' opinion, there are a number of factors contributing to the decline of liberal arts institutions. These problems include placing a greater value on "intelligence," as opposed to true "wisdom." At the same time, he believes that universities have a tendency to appease students, even if academic standards must be sacrificed in the process. Lewis attributes a lot of these problems to the increase in research funding for sciences after World War II. As a result of the funding increase, universities are now judged on the quality of research they produce instead of the quality of the overall academic experience. Although only research universities received this funding, liberal arts colleges, according to Lewis, are also altering their priorities. Lewis referred to the lack of "instructional" teaching and the propensity to focus on "educational" teaching that largely benefits only students who pursue a career in academia."There is little reward for thinking holistically," Lewis said.Lewis also noted that the faculty, or the administration's choice of faculty, are largely responsible for the changing focus and environment of a college. He pointed to 1970s as an era in which women, Jews, homosexuals and African-Americans, among others, were denied jobs purely because of their sex, lifestyle or ethnicity. The effort to end discrimination by depersonalizing the criteria for judgment, in Lewis' opinion, also ended the evaluation of professors' integrity.College Professor of Humanities John McWilliams left Lewis' lecture somewhat unsatisfied."It was an engaging title for a lecture that proved to be incisive in defining current problems in academia, but quite lacking, even timid, in proposing any solutions for them," McWilliams said.Lewis did not offer any possible remedies in his lecture, but instead reiterated that the lack of "soul" at liberal arts schools is the reflection on the universities' internal structures. "I don't hold students responsible for anything," Lewis said. "If they are not doing something right, it is because they are reacting to flaws in the system."This comment drew criticism from many audience members."I was surprised and dismayed by Lewis' belief that the moral climate among adolescents was solely the product of institutional competition and bad moral exemplars among teaching staff," Lauren Vollmer '10 said. "To refuse to hold young people accountable for their moral failings is equivalent to simultaneously denying them adult status and preventing them from achieving it."Ari Silverman '09 also thinks that students are responsible for their own "soul," or lack thereof."I feel like students at Midd are sometimes too turbo and don't stop to breathe and appreciate the present moment," Silverman said. He also noted the importance of an administration that consults students before making changes that could impact students' personal lives. "Decisions concerning student life need to be made by the College community as a whole rather than by the ruling oligarchy of the administration," Silverman said, citing the changes to the residential life staff this year as an example of this type of decision.Has Middlebury lost its soul? If so, what can we do to ensure that it is recovered? Visiting Assistant Professor of English and American Literatures James Berg believed that both students and faculty should actively engage in maintaining Middlebury's "soul.""Liberal education should never be presented primarily as something to be bought and sold," said Berg. "It should be considered a duty to the larger public, a civic duty for both students and teachers." "As for Middlebury itself," he continued, "I am hopeful. I am relatively new here, but I believe that, at my first faculty meeting a little over a year ago, I heard our administration repeatedly articulate a commitment to such principles."
(11/29/07 12:00am)
Author: Joseph Bergan If you were driving on College Street on Thanksgiving evening you would have driven through a somber Middlebury campus, dark save for a few lit dormitory windows. While most Americans gather away from school to carve turkey and shop at 4 a.m., international students often stay on campus, living in a secret holiday that the Americans know nothing about. Thanksgiving Break is one of the many moments that highlights the different lives American Middlebury students and international Middlebury students lead. All students must deal with BannerWeb registration forms, class evaluation forms, add/drop cards and alternate pins, but for international students, when the College forms stop, a whole new process of dealing with visas emerges. As the College grows into a more internationally minded instutition, we see that the road home is not just a four-hour drive to Boston.Sorry, Admissions office, but the choice of Middlebury for anyone outside of a intellectual ski bum seems to be questionable. Four years in the mountainous Vermont climate only to be rewarded by little name recognition nationally and a liberal arts education which will only help us closely analyze just how hopeless we are in a job market. If Middlbury is such a tall order for a student from California, then why would a student from Chile ever step foot here? Surely it would be better if they just stayed in their host country, and studied something like business or engineering at the school that is probably free. The Middlebury Campus delved into the issue of international students and why they schlep their bags across continents and jump borders to spend four years in our little hamlet.The EnlightenmentThe Admissions processWhile the College's reputation has long been upstanding within the international business community, it still remains somewhat unknown to many international students who, before beginning their college search, were often aware only of larger public schools and those in the Ivy League. As many schools within the United States continue to debate the merits of college rankings, the steady rise of Middlebury in national rankings - particularly its position as the fifth-best liberal arts college according to U.S.News & World Report - has made Middlebury significantly more well known outside of this country. "I heard about Middlebury from those rankings," said Yu Wang '10 of Beijing, China. "Actually, the only thing I knew was that the ranking was pretty good." Wang said that after reading the rankings, she learned more about Middlebury from swimming and diving head coach Peter Solomon and Associate Director for International Admissions Barbara Marlow. In addition to rankings, students who attended English-speaking international schools often learned of Middlebury through their college counselors, as in the case of Juan Diego Farah '10 of Lima, Peru and Nick Alexander '10, an Australian citizen raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. "Middlebury was a school with a good reputation that gave me an excellent financial aid package," said Farah. Although his guidance counselor convinced him of Middlebury's prowess, Farah was pretty alone."To tell you the truth, nobody I knew had ever heard about Middlebury," he said.Although Middlebury may be difficult to find on the international scene, students who find their way into Middlebury's application process discover a helpful admissions staff that responds to all questions and concerns. "This was the most responsive school I applied to," said Mwaki Magotswi '11 of Nairobi, Kenya. "They really seemed to want me to come, especially when Dean [of Admissions] Bob Clagett came to my school." A warm reception is not for a lack of effort. From the moment of admission, the office for International Scholars and Student Services (ISSS) is busy sending out information to admitted international students, as well as U.S. citizens who live abroad, regarding student visas and cultural and educational differences. Information is provided before and during International Orientation regarding the liberal arts education Middlebury provides. The Middlebury system needs a thorough introduction, as a liberal arts education is often as foreign to international students as baseball."International universities often are totally different, so we just try to help them understand what the heck is going on at American universities," said Associate Dean and Director of International Student and Scholar Services Kathy Foley-Giorgio. While Alexander knew he would not be attending an Indonesian university, Farah and Wang both stated that the college education they would have received in their home countries would have been much different, as it is more focused on a specific career than Middlebury's liberal arts education. This liberal arts experience was the reason why Annabelle Fowler '10, a British-Ecuadorian dual citizen from Quito, Ecuador, decided to come to Middlebury. "My other choice was an English university where you have to apply directly to your area of study," she said. "I felt that as a 17-year-old I really wasn't sure about what I wanted to study, and I did not feel ready to confine myself to a specific concentration at the time." The Golden AgesThe College YearsMany students interviewed found Middlebury to be easier than universities in their own countries, but not in the area of homework. "American students work much harder than I expected," said Wang. "Academics here aren't as hard as China, if the effect of a different language is excluded." "Professors back home try to flunk students, while professors here help you out," said Farah, though admitting that it is somewhat of a generalization.Fowler felt differently from Wang, stating that the critical thinking expected at Middlebury makes many courses more difficult than they would be at many universities abroad. "In Ecuador, lots of learning involves memorizing and repetition," said Fowler. "At Middlebury, students have to think outside the box and be more analytical. I love it."Bilal Sarwary '10 of Kabul, Afghanistan often felt frustrated by using English as a second language. "I feel bad about myself when I see how good Americans are at reading and writing," he said. "I think it is just a process, a constant improvement." International students struggle beyond the classroom as well. ISSS works closely with international students to help them adjust to the cultural differences they encounter at Middlebury. According to Foley-Giorgio, between one-half and one-third of international students voluntarily sign up to have "host parents" with whom they can maintain contact and celebrate holidays during their time at Middlebury. "We recruit all summer within the community," she said. "It helps with the transition but we hope it will become a lifetime friendship." Fowler found the program extremely helpful. "My host parent was amazing, except they moved to Arizona and now I'm a host orphan," said Fowler. "The program is extremely useful for freshmen and upperclassmen." Fowler so appreciated support from ISSS that she now serves as a Program Assistant (P.A.) to mentor incoming first-years and help them adjust to life at Middlebury. "We had formal talks about legal issues, social security numbers, working on and off campus, etc. that were intertwined with other more fun and social activities," said FowlerOne of the top cultural issues students have to adjust to is the American social scene - specifically the drinking age. Used to moderate drinking in their home countries, many students are frustrated and upset at their inability to drink alcohol in America. In the case of Fowler, she will graduate before she turns 21. "The drinking age does
n't really stop anyone at college from drinking, to be honest," she said. "But it is a bit extreme not to be able to have a glass of wine with a meal while at a restaurant. It's not so much the drinking control that worries me, but the places I can't go because I'm not of age. It's not much fun to go out and to be denied entrance to parties and events because you are under 21." "It's just frustrating how, in Peru, once I was 18 everyone was like, 'have a beer, now you're a man,' and I'm back to not being able to [legally] drink here," said Farah.The social scene does have its perks, though. Sarwary has met many friends through book lectures and other cultural events which he has taken advantage of while at Middlebury. "This is a place where you're overwhelmed with academics but also new experiences, he said. "I think the United States is the most liberal country you can find in the world. You can practice your religion and practice any views you want. I have more Christian, Jewish and Hindu friends then I ever had before."As the College's global reach expands, so will its culture. When the numbers of international students rise, so do the pressues of the College to adapt to students in need of services to help them adjust to a foreign American culture.The Dark AgesPost graduationWhile most Middlebury students live by CSO-inspired mantras such as "Do what you are" and "Do what you makes you happy," because of postgraduate visa issues, international students face significantly more pressure than their American counterparts. Tugce Erten '08, a senior from Istanbul, Turkey faces those issues today."All international students need a visa to stay in this country," she said. "You not only need to find someone who is willing to hire you, but someone who is willing to sponsor the visa. It actually costs a lot of money and it has become more competitive every year to get that visa." With most companies cutting costs this year due to crunching markets, the number of hires this year also is affected, with international students often the first ones to be left behind."Firms which had problems in the last two years are way more reluctant to hire international students," Erten said. "They train these international students and bamb, after a year, they have to leave."For this reason, there is even more stress placed on international students."It is not really a good deal for a firm to hire an international student and in order to compensate this difficulty, as an international student, you have to be extra good to get the same job," said Erten. On top of market forces and governmental policies that are out of your control, every job candidate struggles with confidence and high anxiety surrounding a job interview. Imagine for a moment if the interview is in a foreign language."Even though I have spoken English at school since I was 11 years old, I am still not a native speaker," said Erten. "I might say weird sentences which may make no sense at all to the interviewers since I still do not have a personal attachment to the language as my mother tongue."The road ahead for international students is difficult, but it is not all fire and brimstone. With careful advanced planning, it is possible to tackle these pressures."As an international, if you are planning to stay in the U.S., it is not usually a good idea to study something that you will not be able to find a job in," said Erten. "I would advise the younger international students to consider their options early. They should try to get internships during summer time or Winter Term to get acquainted with workplace experience or possibly guarantee a job after graduation."
(11/29/07 12:00am)
Author: Derek Schlickeisen Middlebury and its top-ranked NESCAC peers are overrated, according to a new guide to colleges released by The Washington Monthly. The controversial rankings, whose editors purport to ask "not what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country," place Middlebury 32nd among 201 liberal arts colleges measured.The Monthly's rankings come at a time when more commonly-used guides such as U.S.News & World Report's are under fire from within the education world for their alleged over-simplification of what colleges have to offer. To coincide with the start of this academic year, 20 presidents of top liberal arts colleges - including Middlebury's Ronald D. Liebowitz - released on Sep. 7 a statement criticizing "the way in which rankings contribute to a frenzy and to a false sense that educational success or fit can be ranked in a single numerical list."While conventional rankings measure factors like student-to-faculty ratio and endowment size, the alternative rankings measure three contributions schools make to the public good - the opportunities they offer under-privileged students for upward social mobility, the rate at which their graduates enter public service careers and their research output."There are other, equally important ways to judge colleges," the Monthly editors conclude in their introduction to the guide. "We believe that what colleges do matters not just to prospective applicants, but also to the rest of us. After all, America depends on its institutions of higher education for a variety of crucial public tasks."The case of Rice University in Texas exemplifies the difference between conventional rankings and The Monthly's alternative. The 17th-ranked school on U.S.News' university scale, Rice comes in 103rd on the new scale due to low scores in the categories of social mobility and public service."The best little university in Texas has steadily climbed up the U.S.News rankings, all the way to seventeenth, by spending its resources on pursuing students with high SAT scores," the guide reads. "Rice, it appears, is in it for Rice."Not surprisingly, however, The Monthly's own list has come under fire for reasons similar to its U.S.News counterpart."Reducing educational institutions to something that can be numerically compared is like producing Consumer Reports for colleges," said Dean of Admissions Robert Clagett. "The difficulty with any ranking attempt is in choosing the individual parameters that are used to measure schools, because they will invariably produce a biased picture."Clagett, Liebowitz and other critics of the new rankings point to their narrow focus on what counts as "public service" or "social mobility." In rating a school's contribution to public service, for instance, The Monthly's guide counts participation in only two programs - the Peace Corps and the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)."There's Teach for America and hundreds of other public service programs that our graduates do," said Clagett. "Using just a few criteria does a lot of colleges a disservice.""What the survey doesn't show is the type of public service that we do best - producing more English teachers and language teachers in the K-12 years than anywhere else on the planet," said Liebowitz. "How many M.A.'s come out of our language schools? How many Bread Loaf graduates teach English? I think those are powerful forms of public service."The Monthly guide also had no measure for environmental programs or investment green initiatives on campus - forms of service frequently touted by the College's administration.Whether or not the new rankings offer a better picture than their traditional counterparts, their impact on decision-making likely has yet to be felt - after interviewing a group of seven prospective students visiting the College's admissions office, The Campus found that none had heard of The Monthly's list."I guess it makes sense that people are fed up with Princeton Review and U.S.News," said Brianna Vera of New York. "But they're the only ones whose names are really out there."Clagett emphasized that Middlebury does not use its ratings in any college guide as a selling point for the school - regardless of how high or low those rankings may be."It's ultimately a beauty contest," said Clagett. "I suppose it's nice to be considered beautiful, but it's not something we publicize in our literature. I think of rankings as one possible tool for families to use as part of a much larger picture."
(11/29/07 12:00am)
Author: Daniel Roberts Here's a first - I want to take this week's column to respond to another column. If it helps, look along online as you read me this week. The column is Jordan Nassar's "The Devil Wears Patagonia" (Nov. 15). I had not read this column until a friend of mine brought it to me and said, "This is the most enraging thing I have ever read in The Campus."Basically, Nassar writes that the vast majority of students here do not know how to dress well (but he does) and that if we were to visit New York or Tokyo (where he has worked in fashion) we would be ridiculed. He also graciously includes a list of "rules," blacklisting items that pretty much every student on this campus owns and wears. "No flip flops. No running shoesÖ No sweat material. No polar fleece." Unfortunately for Nassar's tastes, the vast majority of people here, both guys and girls, like to wear jeans with sneakers and a hat. As for the "no sweatpants" command, good luck telling that to any varsity athlete on campus. Finally, look around. Everyone here owns a North Face fleece. It's like a rule.In fact, here we reach the meat of this "discussion" and I hope it's clear that I am not writing a personal attack against Nassar, but rather a defense of the student body to any other elitist fashionista that feels a need to look down on the citizens of our comfortable campus. I finally realized the true issue here when Nassar wrote that Middlebury students have a "hubristic belief that anyone worth dating would overlook your year-round flip-flop-and-messy-bun look for intellectual connectionÖ You're wrong, and you don't look cute." No, they are not wrong. I feel confident that Middlebury men are smart enough to choose a woman based on stronger factors than how well her purse matches her top. In fact, I would say that even a person who is shallow, and chooses who they date purely based on physical appearance, still sounds more noble to me than one who forms opinions on people from the way they dress.The column also sets some pretty high expectations of students. Nassar writes, "A dress or collared shirt with a North Face or L.L. Bean backpack is unacceptable." What a strong word. Who is it unacceptable for? I see these backpacks on nearly every student here, so I believe this is accepted after all. On the Web, "Sarah" puts it well when she comments that for a student who is often "lugging heavy books and such, Louis Vuitton isn't going to cut it." It is wonderful that Nassar has such a passion for fashion. However, not everyone shares the same interests. The mistake Nassar made is to have assumed that we all care about fashion as much as he does. When he realized this was not the case, he pompously scolded the entire student body for their poor dress habits. I'm an English major - would it be fair for me to write a column mocking anyone on campus who is unfamiliar with Melville or Chekhov? I would be hated and ignored for such a choice.The bottom line is that this all feels childish, as though we are still in fifth grade arguing about who has cooler jeans. Are my JNCO pants better than your Gap cords? Who cares? We are college students, and have better things to do at the moment, such as studying or having some laid-back fun before we have to go "out there." Once we are in the business world, my choice of suit may indeed decide if I get a job. But here at Midd, anyone who looks down on me for wearing a fleece and Red Sox hat is not worth my time. And I would bet most students agree.Daniel Roberts '09 is an English major from Newton, Mass.
(11/15/07 12:00am)
Author: Chi Zhang Blogger responds to Midd relationship debateThe College's recent discussion regarding a student-faculty relationship policy has made an appearance in DankProfessor, a blog by Barry Dank, emeritus professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. With an academic specialization in sexual politics, in particular student-faculty relationships, Dank is devoted to "protecting the values of freedom of association and privacy on university campuses and beyond," and has "openly engaged in propinquitous dating" himself, according to his blog.In an entry dated Nov. 9, Dank responded to Tracy Himmel-Isham and Jon Isham's The Middlebury Campus op-ed ("Professor-student relationship policy needed at Middlebury"). Besides dismissing such policy attempts as over-protective, meddling and lacking in trust and respect, Dank also uses empirical evidence to counter the stereotypical stigma against student-faculty relationships."In the real world, many parents are delighted that their daughter has affiliated with a university professor," wrote Dank. "I personally have never met a parent who disapproved of my dating their daughter - being welcomed into their family was the norm."Junior wins prestigious Pickering fellowshipAlexander Hall '08.5 has been selected as a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow, awarded by the United States Department of State. As a fellow, Hall will complete a Summer Institute Program in public policy and international affair, two summer internships and a master's degree in international studies, culminating in four-and-a-half years of service as a Foreign Service officer. The fellowship will also provide full funding for Hall's last two years at Middlebury College. An International Politics and Economics major from Stillwater, Minn., Hall is one of 20 new Pickering fellows for 2007. He was selected from more than 500 applicants, according to the Woodrow Wilson Institute, which administers the program for the State Department.Pickering fellows receive their foreign service assignments on completion of their master's programs. Hall said he is open to just about any assignment, but would be especially interested in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia or Central America.Library debuts fresh checkout technologyOccupying a prominent position on the circulation desk of the New Library, the silver device with infrared laser scanner, otherwise known as the self-service checkout machine, has become a familiar sight to most library-goers over the past few weeks. With instructions in English, German and Spanish, this recently-acquired device allows users to scan and desensitize library materials, and produces a receipt at the end of a transaction stating the due date of the checked-out items. The $15,000 addition to the routine circulation service is meant to provide library users with an alternative means of checking out library items. "It is an alternative for people who are in a hurry or who wish to maintain privacy in this small community," said Elin Waagen, circulation services manager. "But above all we just want to give people a choice."
(11/15/07 12:00am)
Author: James O'Brien Middlebury needs to pass a law about the stupid flyers that students put up in the hallways. Hellooo. I need to walk there. I don't want the advertisement for some kid's coffee house performance distracting me from my brilliant Miltonian musings as I trudge up the stairs to English class. Even at Middlebury, no one is that strapped for entertainment that they choose their weekend activity based on a piece of paper they see on their way back from lunch. Recently, the most frustrating piece of signage on the wall has been the "Conversations Heard at Middlebury" flyers. This two-pronged assault on the profoundly ignorant Middlebury student body consists of red signs quoting conversations supposedly overheard at Middlebury, and, new this week, blue signs which I'll touch on later. The red signs look something like this:"Would you do her?""Maybe for a million dollars."And then below this piece of dialogue, it asks for questions and comments to be sent to the e-mail addresses of two Middlebury students. Last week, I fought the urge to put up my own sign which would read:"Hey wanna do something fun tonight?""No. Don't have time. Actually, I have to go listen to conversations between random people so that I can copy their words onto a poster. Later, I will hang them up near a dining hall or some other high traffic area.""Why?""You know, so people can look at themÖand be outraged.""Oh."Actually, I think the "would you have sex with her question" is a valid hypothetical in the vein of the "Would you let Shaq do you for a billion dollars?" Facebook group. Another red sign looks like this:"Hey man, let's rate girls as they come into the dining hall.""What do you mean?""Rate. Like, who do you want to sleep with?"Ignoring the fact that this is like an exact quote from Happy Days: The Musical - the last person I "slept with" was my mother (and no, not in an Oedipal sexual wayÖI had nightmares, okay) - I don't understand what the big deal about this "conversation" is either. I would have no problem if people wanted to rate me when I walked into the dining hall. In fact, if I knew it was happening, I would probably put on something nicer than warm-up pants and a t-shirt I got from basketball camp five years ago. With this type of advanced preparation, I would hope to score somewhere in the range of B-/B range on the DHS or Diners Hotness Scale. If not, I'll just shake my fist and go write a scathing article that all of 10 people will read and I'll feel better. Okay, so now I have to get slightly serious and risk being hated by my 10 op-ed readers. After I spent a whole week walking around and being annoyed by those signs, lo and behold, now there are related blue signs giving us statistics about rape and sexual violence. Ah, now I feel like a total ass.Well, you got me. My attention is yours. But I hope you're not insinuating that those red signs had anything to do with the blue ones. Most of those red signs just proved that guys like to look at girls and rate them on their own fantasy scale. These voyeuristic young men will not go on to commit some type of sexual crime. Sure, these guys don't have to watch actual girls. Yes, they could just go play SIMS: Sex Edition, but doing the dining hall thing is much more socially acceptable. I will defend to the death a college student's right to people-watch.Here's the really scary thing - now that people have seen the signs, they are talking. But what good is that doing? Those people on campus who don't live under a rock - or on the second floor of Milliken - already knew that men and women alike use violent, "inappropriate" terms for sex, which in my opinion has nothing to do with sexual violence. And now that the word is out, some formerly clueless person might even take the time to send disapproving, scornful e-mails. Then meetings are set up. "Let's talk about this problem," responsible members of the student body will say. Meanwhile the students you are trying to reach will continue to play SIMS: Copulation Nation and watch "Entourage" until their eyes beg them to stop. Basically, few things at Middlebury are problems of awareness - they're problems of apathy. A lot of people just don't care. Others convince themselves that they would care if only they didn't have so much work. Now that I think about it, this bothers me too. But I don't know what we can do. As an apathetic member of society, all I do is point out problems without ever offering any type of solution.Putting signs up in the hallway does not save the world. It just distracts everyone from reading the other useless pieces of paper posted there. And that really ticks off the kid who wants to let us know about his performances in The Grille.By the way, I would absolutely have sex with Shaq for a billion dollars. Think of all the awareness that money could buy.James O'Brien '10 is from Medfield, Mass.
