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(03/07/07 12:00am)
Author: Matty Van Meter I recently returned from the annual conference of the National Association of Independent Schools, which this year was in Denver, Colo. While my reason for attending was strictly professional (I was looking for a job) and I was cooped up in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency, it was impossible not to notice the slew of speakers and presenters in the neighboring Convention Center, and to pick out some trends there. The theme of the conference was sustainability, both financial and environmental, so there were obviously many speaking about that subject. Another theme was the "classroom of the twenty-first century," and technology in education. Despite the headlong pace of technological development, little of its impact is directly felt in most schools' classrooms. Certainly there are schools now which require every student to purchase a laptop, there are protocols for citing the increasingly popular web sources, there are burgeoning computer science programs in some schools, but high school classrooms are, in the real sense of what is taught, the same as they were. While one can argue about how much a laptop in an English class helps or hinders teaching, there is something deeply different about our lives now information.We live in a world awash in information. According to a speaker at the conference, the number of cell phone text messages sent every day exceeds the population of the Earth, as does the number of Google searches. We have twenty-four hour news channels, news websites updated every minute, cell phones, Blackberries - at the time of writing (2 p.m.) I had already received 32 e-mails and sent six. The new billionaires are founders of Google, a website which does literally nothing but organize information. The dollars have voted: information is the most valuable service one can offer. It is amazing that we continue to adapt and stretch the limits of our capabilities, without ever reaching them. We were not designed for this amount of daily, even hourly information sorting, and yet we are extremely adept at it.What does this mean for education? It means that the classroom of the twenty-first century may not look any different from the classroom of the late twentieth century, and may not differ as extremely as we may think from the classroom of the nineteenth. Instead, the teaching will revolve around a vital skill in this world: the ability to organize and make coherent a tremendous amount of information, and to be able to simply and quickly articulate our thoughts about it. Some call it critical thinking. What we are taught, and will increasingly be taught, is good, old-fashioned critical thinking. It means that at all levels, people will need to be sorting through more information daily than a person in medieval Europe may have seen in a decade. I am not lamenting loss of the "simple life", nor am I celebrating it. We have made our decision and are saddled with it. Education will reflect those changes. Already we are asked to deal every day with more information than our peers from ten years ago could have ever dreamt of. And the students at Middlebury ten years from now will be confronted with still more.At some point, we may reach the ends of human capacity. Already the limiting factors with certain characteristics of products (laptop screens, cell phone key sizes) are physical human limitations, not technological ones. We are still pushing the limits of our mental capacity, but they have yet to be reached. Until that point, nothing will stop the acceleration, and education will be even more important for participation in a world moving so fast.
(03/07/07 12:00am)
Author: Astri von Arbin Ahlander This season's "American Idol" is in full swing. The show has gained a whole new level of legitimacy since Jennifer Hudson took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, proving that it can indeed be regarded as a factory for fame. But "American Idol," a remake of the British "Pop Idol," does little to compete with the musical event at the heart of every Union-loving European: The Eurovision Song Contest. I bet the name sounds vaguely familiar to you. Middlebury is, after all, an international place, and this time of year the air is full not only of vague hints of warmer breezes, but of heated discussion between international students placing dibs on who they think will win the near-sacred event. Though the show isn't until May, each country is now frantically picking its entering song, which makes the hype for Eurovision as premature as my proclamations of an approaching spring. But so it goes.I recall a sunny afternoon in the spring of my own Middlebury career when a Turkish friend of mine and I huddled in front of his computer to watch a fuzzy stream of the show in a three-by-five inch frame for a good three hours. My friend was unusually excited because Turkey which, though not yet permitted to join the EU, is a proud member of the Eurovision team - had won the previous year and was the host country for the musical extravaganza. My dear American reader, you must understand the gravity of the situation. Hosting The Eurovision Song Contest is like hosting the Olympics, except you only get one year's notice. The previous year's winning country has to build a stadium, choreograph elaborate opening and closing ceremonies and polish up the faÁade of its city so as to look their best for music-loving tourists traveling from far and wide to witness the live, annual resuscitation of cheesy music.Eurovision was created in Switzerland in the early 1950s with the goal of uniting Europe's war-torn nations through entertainment, giving each the chance to exhibit its cultural flavor in a peaceful and joyous forum. Each country contributes a song and the viewers in each country cast their votes, but you cannot vote for your own country. The votes are tallied up and each country represents one vote in the final tally-up. The final product may be zesty and fun - a guilty pleasure for anyone who pretends to have higher musical taste - but it certainly fosters a degree of nationalism comparable to say, soccer's World Cup. At least there are no blood-thirsty Eurovision hooligans singing their way through police barricades - that I know of that is.It's funny how a musical contest can reinforce previously fostered national stereotypes. Take France, for example. For as long as anyone can remember, France's contribution has consisted of a slow ballad, sung strictly in French (even though most other nations perform their entries in English), by an emaciated, doe-like woman in a flowing gown. Typical, non? Eurovision is also a great way to see deep allegiances between countries. Take Sweden and Britain, for example. They always, without fail, vote for one another, no matter how detestable the song. I credit this to the Brit's love for ABBA and neon spandex jumpsuits (fun Eurovision fact: ABBA won in 1974 with "Waterloo"). The contest is broadcast all over the world, even in non-contributing countries. Yet here we can see how the consumption of the contest reflects international tensions. For example, though Jordan broadcasts the show ever year, they only do so after having first edited out Israel's contribution. I wonder what they did the year Israel won? Bet that rang pretty off-key.
(02/21/07 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] Feb break. It seems but a distant memory amidst the flurry of new Febs, scrambling for courses and brave forays into the icy landscape. A week into the second semester, two Middlebury students reflect back on their different vacation experiences.Opting for the sun, six girls relax in the DominicanIf my vacation over Feb break taught me anything, it taught me this - all-inclusive-ness is a beautiful thing. Upon arrival at the Melia Tropical resort in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), I (along with my five Midd travel buddies) acquired a gold, hologrammed plastic bracelet for my left wrist. This snap-on bracelet was the kind of bracelet that can never be removed, not that one would ever, ever want to. And why is that, you might ask? During our week in "The DR," we were fortunate enough to do the following, without paying anything extra - kayak, sail, windsurf and play beach volleyball. We had access to seven or eight bars, which featured any and every type of beverage. By "any beverage," I will clarify that on day three of our trip, one of the girls (who will remain nameless) asked for the coconut drink. Ten minutes later, a coconut had been yanked down from a palm tree, cut open and filled with rum (and diluted with coconut milk, in case the idea of plain rum was disgusting). For meals, we dined at buffets for breakfast and lunch (best nachos ever), and at a la carte restaurants for dinner. Mont Pellier water was the unlimited bottled water of choice, and between the six of us, we probably drank two hundred bottles or more.In terms of the atmosphere of the resort, well, we were the youngest, apart from those under the age of ten, most of whom frequented the Flintstones Kids Club. Yet, on numerous occasions, one of my friends who spoke excellent Spanish received invitations to the nightclub Mangu (outside of the resort, and therefore too far for us). We were told that if we went there, we could dance, drink some beer, hug and maybe even kiss. Tempting. By about day three of the trip, we realized it was probably better to plead ignorance and just speak English in order to avoid these awkward encounters. Our second realization was that no one at this resort had ever seemed to have seen a group of six twenty-something girls. So, you might be wondering, what kinds of acquaintances did we meet? Who, besides us, ventured to the remote side of the Dominican Republic to bask in the glory of all-inclusiveness? On the first full day of our trip we came across Max, the lone Russian who appeared at the same bar, in the same chair, every night. We encountered a Canadian wedding party, which included one member of the Canadian swat team (which, come to think of it, probably would have helped had we ventured to Mangu). He and his buddies were the closest we came to making legitimate friends. Edwin, the resort's activities director, seemed to make it a point to bump into us numerous times during the evenings. He multitasked between sipping on a cuba libre and ensuring that the nightly activities, which included Dominican disco nights and fire twirling, ran smoothly. On our last night in the beautiful Punta Cana, we dined at the Japanese restaurant where we were fortunate enough to meet Louis and Luc, the twins from Montreal who were celebrating their fiftieth birthdays together.When we left the Melia Tropical on Feb. 10 to return to chilly Vermont, it was rather strange to drive back into the unmanicured world, where palm trees aren't perfectly lined up and people don't walk around in bikinis (or in many cases, no bikinis at all). However, we intentionally chose the all-inclusive package, so that we could experience this vacation phenomenon. And, while maybe we didn't meet our future husbands, or anyone our age for that matter, the people we did meet are ones that we will never forget, in an endearing and hilarious sort of way.-Alyson Bourne '07.5Winter athlete stuck at Midd finds fun in BurlingtonMost winter sports athletes were unable to escape Vermont's single-digit temperatures with a ten-day vacation to the Bahamas, as many of our peers did after J-term. Feb Break is scheduled during the height of conference play, and I found myself stuck on Middlebury's isolated campus for the entirety of the break. One-by-one, as they left for their road trips or exotic destinations, my fellow first-years in Stewart dorm stopped by to offer me their sympathy. Yet despite the warnings that I would die of boredom if I remained on campus, we, the Middlebury women's basketball team, managed to keep ourselves busy up here outside of daily basketball practices and games.Just as many students do on regular weekends, we hit up Burlington for its fast-paced, sleepless night life. One evening, after one too many meals at Ross Dining Hall, we headed north to the heart of the city to cheer for the Vermont Frost Heaves in their American Basketball Association (ABA) game versus the Cape Cod Frenzy.Located in Burlington's Memorial Auditorium, the venue was small but packed with locals who make these Frost Heaves games a family affair. The ABA makes these events very family friendly, as they feature contests for kids during time-outs and breaks, music from an area radio station and special rules where an outside shot can be worth up to four points. During each home game, the Frost Heaves also choose a "local celebrity" to be an honorary member of the team, and this particular night was Middlebury Night - featuring Russ Reilly. The College's former athletic director and current assistant Men's Basketball coach, Reilly was given the chance to dress in a Frost Heaves uniform and sit on the bench with the promise that if the home team had a strong enough lead, he could go into the game to play a few minutes. Sporting brand new Frost Heaves t-shirts, we scored seats right behind the home bench where we joined in spirited cheering for Reilly and the heckling of Frenzy showboat Rob Sanders. As expected, we watched these talented athletes drain three-pointers from five feet outside the arc and complete some impossible drives to the basket. What I did not expect was an exciting game of basketball.The Frost Heaves and the Frenzy swapped leads back-and-forth throughout the nail-biter game, and owing partly to the team's depth, the Frost Heave's play was not a one-man show. Cape Cod, on the other hand, stayed in the game thanks in part to the talent of Sanders, but as the Frost Heaves began to pull away, Sanders' frustration and laziness mounted until he eventually stopped playing any defense at all. The crowd got what they wanted. The Frost Heaves were able to seal the game 119 to 113, maintaining enough of a lead for Reilly to get in the game for the final seconds of play.It wasn't the Bahamas, but all in all, seeing our former athletic director in uniform playing alongside nine towering professional basketball players made up for any boredom and loneliness we had to endure on campus over the break.- Katherine Gura '10
(02/21/07 12:00am)
Author: Theo May I've been in Beirut now for just over one incredible month. Three weeks ago, I was in the city when moderate levels of civil strife broke out, leaving nine dead and a couple hundred wounded. While those days were certainly memorable, the most fascinating days were those that came after the violence. The city was dead on the day that Hezbollah blocked roads across the country with burning tires. Because no cars could get on the roads, stores were closed and people stayed home. Walking to work that morning, I was able to stroll down the middle of the street for the whole forty-five minute walk, without ever having to move out of the way of oncoming traffic.The next day, however, was an entirely different story. With newspaper headlines across the country screaming that Lebanon was on the verge of civil war, and with politicians denouncing one another for inspiring the previous day's violence that they swore had pushed the country over the edge, I was wary of what I might find on the streets.To my amazement, I stepped outside to find a day like any other. It was something I had read about in history books, but it was truly awe-inspiring to see a city functioning as normal, despite the violence from the day before and the poisonous rhetoric from politicians on all sides. People I talked to on the street seemed defiant in their attitudes towards the previous day's roadblocks, brawls and gun battles. It's not that they didn't care about the fate of their country, it's that yesterday was just another day in the often sad march of Lebanon's history.And that's when it hit me - fifteen years of intense fighting between 1975 and 1990 had hardened the Lebanese and, more importantly, created in them the uncanny ability to take a punch and bounce right back.Herein lies the problem, there is hardly a blow big enough to make the Lebanese stand up and yell, "Stop!" Their ability to come back so quickly is both their greatest and most tragic asset. Unfortunately, Hezbollah realizes this and its strategy in Lebanon reflects its understanding of the population's high threshold for pain.When militants, likely tied to Syria, killed Former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February, 2005, it crossed the line of what the people could stomach. Demonstrations of record sizes raged in the city center until the Syrian government folded under the pressure and withdrew its military from the country. Hezbollah knows it cannot afford to perpetrate an act on that scale to win its war, because the people will not tolerate it.Instead, it is waging a war of attrition with periodic demonstrations, perpetual rhetorical barrages against the government and a now two-month old sit-in strike in Beirut's center. Hezbollah is not averse to violence in this new war. It wants to provoke the other side into starting the conflict so it can term its retaliation "defensive." We saw this in the summer war against Israel and we're seeing it again today across the country.Hezbollah finds itself in a jam now, though. Last week, the Siniora cabinet provocatively passed a measure establishing the tribunal to try those suspected in Hariri's murder, something that Hezbollah has ferociously opposed. On the other side, Israel is stepping up its rhetoric against Hezbollah in light of bombs it found along the border last week and what it sees as an intensification of the rearming of Hezbollah by Syria and Iran.The problem for Hezbollah is that it will find it increasingly more difficult to wage its protracted low-level "tolerable" war against the Siniora government as it comes under increasing pressure from two sides.The next few months in Lebanon will be fascinating as we watch Hezbollah try to fight its battles while not pushing the Lebanese people to the end of their collective rope. But Hezbollah cannot afford two wars at once. Back in the day when it was an underground guerilla movement, it could have skirmished on many fronts. Today, as Hezbollah seeks to remain a national institution, it can ill-afford to lash out at the increasing pressure, especially since it's coming on two fronts.Hezbollah is at a crossroads. Can it find a way to continue to inflict low-grade pain on the Lebanese people without awakening that powerful activist muscle the citizenry is so capable of flexing? Siniora and Israel, unwittingly embracing the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" adage, have put Hezbollah in check. If the Lebanese people can lower their pain tolerance, which makes them so resilient, they are in a position to put Hezbollah in something resembling a checkmate.Theo May is an International Studies Major with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies. He is currently living in Beiruit and working for the English newspaper, The Daily Star.
(01/24/07 12:00am)
Author: Aylie Baker "Everything I will say today I've stolen from someone else," began Tim Wise in his lecture "Profit and Loss: White Privilege and its Consequences for Racial Equity and Justice," last Wednesday in Dana Auditorium. "I'm here not because I'm better than others," but rather "because I fit the aesthetic," said Wise, who used his own personal experience to motivate his lecture. Wise tackled, with a provocative tone and witty eloquence, the topic of privilege and its manifestations in the United States today. "We must be honest with ourselves," he urged a packed Dana Auditorium audience, "examining who we are, where we are and why." Wise is one of the most renowned anti-racist activists and writers in the United States today. Out of college, he became the Assistant Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism, a group created largely for the purpose of defeating Louisiana's neo-Nazi political candidate, David Duke. Amidst an intense campaign battle, Wise spearheaded the antiracism campaign and garnered worldwide recognition for his efforts. Since embarking on the lecture circuit in his mid-twenties, Wise has spoken in 48 states at over 400 college campuses and for countless community groups. Aside from just speaking, Wise also works to battle racism and privilege in institutions nationwide, training teachers, physicians and other professionals how to combat and prevent inequalities.Wise prefaced his talk by asserting that, despite years of lecturing and campaigning, he has nothing original to offer. "Mine is the collective wisdom shared with me by people of color." The essential difference between his words and theirs, he explained, was that by nature of his being white, Wise's words carry with them a credibility not extended to minority groups; they have more reaching power because he enjoys, however imperceptibly, white privilege.Drawing heavily on personal anecdotes, Wise charted his own ascent to fame and prestige, demonstrating how his own life is a prime example of white privilege. Wise began his introspective study with an examination of his great grandfather, a Jewish immigrant. While he had endured his own share of struggles in Europe, upon arriving in the United States, his great grandfather was able to gain direct access to the opportunity structure because he fell under the general umbrella of whiteness. According to Wise, his ability to work his way up was directly contingent to the color of his skin.Despite coming from a poor family, Wise was fortunate enough to attend Tulane University, in large part because of his skin color. Because Tulane's tuition was very expensive, Wise described how his grandmother had to sign for a loan, using her house as collateral. Had he been born into a black family of similar socioeconomic background, Wise asserted, he likely would not have had the same credibility with the bank and would have had significantly more difficulty in securing a loan. In this case, privilege extended from the economic realm into the psychological. The white race is not going to signify bad credit, dishonesty, Wise claimed. People are crippled by "mental schemas - a set of ideas related to one another, which the out-group triggers," he explained."If the President were a black man and mangled the English language in the same way President Bush does," said Wise, "his inarticulateness would trigger a set of associations which would not rub off." In other words, people of color suffer from what Wise deemed "the burden of representation," adding, "they have to be 100 percent accurate in order to be respected."Thus, had he not come from a white family, Wise explained, he likely would not have secured a loan, or have attended college, or have been able to forge the connections which landed him a job in the anti-racism arena.The story of his great grandfather, the story of his own rise to fame, is "not only my story," he asserted, "but the story of the white American." Even forty years after the collapse of formal segregation in the United States, there still exists a residue of formalized white privilege. Equality is far from achieved - past inequalities continue to reverberate into the present. "Inertia is a property of the socioeconomic universe as well," said Wise. "You can't get around it." "Today," he explained, "the average white family has ten times the net worth of the average African American family, and eight times that of the average Latino family." Can such wide disparity be attributed to greater intelligence, to hard work, to classic rugged individualism? "Not at all," Wise insisted.Americans must not fall into the "innocence trap," he warned. Often, he explained, we confuse culpability with responsibility. Just because today's white people were not directly involved in enforcing slavery does not mean that they can remain complacent. Too easily we fall upon passive language and passive action. People are labeled as "at risk," Wise said, "but from what?" We speak of the underprivileged, but what of the "overprivileged?""People of color don't need whites to save them," he said. "They need us [whites] to take respect for ourselves." White Americans need to abandon their myopic sense of responsibility. Mired by this residue of privilege, Americans have become willing victims of "hubris - this self-inflated sense of one's righteousness that doesn't allow us to see our true selves." What can whites do to assuage existing prejudices and to dismantle the social institution of privilege? The "answers are found in community, in the everyday struggle," said Wise."Yell, cry, scream a little," he urged, but above all, "don't give away your agency." Whites must "relinquish that privilege of our silence, we can't leave it to the people of color." However tempting, whites cannot be content to remain voyeurs in a society which is still tarnished by marginalization. "There's a fundamental difference between culpability and responsibility," insisted Wise. There's no use dodging calls to reform by hiding behind the shield of "I didn't do it."Demonstrating a great adeptness in his ability to link concepts, Wise alluded to inequalities, which are overarching, existing not only racially, but also in the realm of gender and ethnicity. More than ever, warned Wise, we're entering into a "toxic atmosphere, in which the stakes are increasingly high." We must not only examine what it means to be white or black, but we must also scrutinize our place in our society, who we are and how we've arrived here.
(01/10/07 12:00am)
Author: Aylie Baker Crocuses are blooming in New Jersey. People are waterskiing in Minnesota. This past Saturday, students were wearing shorts here in Vermont. It's still only the beginning of winter, but things are certainly heating up.This winter across the country, people are shedding coats and mittens to bask in balmy, record-setting temperatures. In fact, in many places it's almost as though winter has not yet arrived. According to the Associated Press, New York City experienced a November and December without snow for the first time since 1877.Vermont has been no exception to this phenomenon. Already this year, there have been several days with record-high temperatures and for many Vermonters, this winter stands out as one of the warmest ever. "I've been living here my whole life," said Celey Schumer '09 of St. Albans, Vermont, "and I really can't remember a winter like this one - one with so little snow, or with temperatures that hadn't dropped below ten degrees." Don Mitchell, lecturer in English & Film and Media Culture as well as a part-time farmer, has lived through 32 winters in Vermont and echoes Schumer's sentiments. For Mitchell, "This is certainly the mildest 'winter' [he's experienced] by far. By far." So what's the cause? The warm spell could be due to a number of factors, insist meteorologists. El NiÒo, the cyclical warming of ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean, can cause warmer weather, particularly in the Northeast. Or perhaps it's the jet stream, a high-altitude air current which essentially acts as a buffer to warm Southern air, which CNN reports is running much farther North than usual over the East Coast this year.Many meteorologists insist that short-term fluctuations in the weather are normal. After all, winter is not yet over. Some forecasters predict that the arctic air masses are likely to sweep through later in January, perhaps prolonging the winter into the spring months.But this year's mild winter is not such an anomaly in comparison to recent years. In fact, it's likely the continuation of a trend. According to USA Today, of the top 25 warmest years recorded in U.S. history, 15 of them have occurred since 1981.The National Climatic Data Center recently released data indicating that 2006 was the warmest winter in U.S. history. In Vermont, last winter was declared the 10th warmest on record in Burlington."I can't help wondering and worrying, of course, about the extent to which this warm and wet winter is a 'typical anomaly,'" explained Mitchell. Like many other Vermonters, he is concerned about "the extent to which it's a startlingly clear assertion of the long term 'global warming' trend that we've all been made well aware of in recent years." In addition to confirming fears regarding global warming, this year's winter has had a major effect on Vermont's industry and agriculture. Ask any member of the Middlebury Ski Team, and they'll tell you how few days they've had on the trails this winter, and, in their sparing practices, how few trails have been open. Ski resorts aren't the only ones suffering. Sales of snowmobiles, shovels, snow blowers and winter apparel are all lagging.The repercussions of warmer winter weather have not been entirely negative. According to the Burlington Free Press, Vermont maple trees began running sap much earlier this past spring, significantly boosting maple syrup revenues. Many Vermonters were also spared a seemingly imminent heating crisis due to the milder climate. With warmer weather, those Vermonters struggling to heat their houses due to rising oil prices emerged into springtime relatively unscathed.Despite these positive effects, one thing is certain: If warm winters are to continue, industry and agriculture will have to shift dramatically. While Mitchell insists that he is no expert in climatology, he is sure of at least one thing, "If we're looking at a long term shift in the sort of weather we've come to expect here in Vermont - and I'm referring as much to the excessive rainfall as the warmer temperatures - then agriculture as we've come to know it here will need to be rethought from the ground up," he said. The forage species grown locally as feed for livestock are suited to weather patterns very different from those that we've experienced in Vermont over the last two years. Indeed, if this year's mild winter proves not an anomaly but rather the beginning of a trend, asserts Mitchell, "the consequences for area farmers are rather catastrophic." Warm, sunny days are always a treat - no matter what time of year. Yet when we begin to experience weeks of summer-y weather in the midst of winter, one cannot help but feel eerily unsettled. "At first it was weird, but now it's definitely getting scary," said Schumer. So, while the College may be saving a bundle on heat this winter, 60 degree weather in the beginning of January certainly begs the question: where are we headed?
(01/10/07 12:00am)
Author: James Kerrigan Within hours of checking their luggage and going through customs after a red-eye flight across the Atlantic, members of the women's hockey team were lacing it up with a Swedish squad. Six time zones, 15 degrees of longitude and one long plane ride separated the two teams, but once they all stepped on the ice, the geographic division seemed smaller than Middlebury's goals against average. As Coach Mandigo organized and explained drills, it became apparent that soccer is not the only international game. Both Middlebury and Swedish skaters shared many laughs while linking passes and playing in unison in a country in which most of the Middlebury players had never stepped a foot or a pair of Bauer skates. The language barrier was, of course, a minor issue. Looks of utter confusion characterized many Swedish faces as coach Mandigo diagramed certain drills, but it was all smiles for the Panthers. "Listening to [Mandigo] talk was enough to put our whole team in hysterical laughter," said Assistant Captain Shannon Tarrant '07, who leads the team in assists and is tied for the team lead in points. "We were on no sleep and they couldn't speak English very well, but the whole practice was awesome." Practices were far from the only activity the team engaged in over the holiday break. They played three games and went 1-1-1 in Sweden and Finland, but the success of the international journey was not measured in wins and losses. Before any passport was stamped, puck dropped or any Swedish dictionary opened, months worth of planning and coordinating on the part of Coach Mandigo, were done to make the trip smooth and easy. His laborious efforts allowed the team to fully enjoy the experience and reap all the benefits of the cultural immersion. Without him, this trip would not have happened."We are all grateful for Coach Mandigo who spent countless hours organizing," said Tarrant. "He didn't have to let us go, but he thought that a trip to Europe would complete our Middlebury career." In fact, it may have done more than complete a Middlebury career, which includes three consecutive national championships. The trip's impact was profound. Tarrant said, "It was really an unforgettable experience and was a highlight of my time at Middlebury."One of the trip highlights was Pear, the team's tour guide for the week. As the team bus traveled through Sweden and Finland, Pear frequently abused loud speaker privileges and offered countless personal stories and tidbits about Sweden. According to Tarrant, the lovable conductor is still the talk of the locker room. The trip helped unite the team in an unprecedented way. After spending 24 hours a day with each other for a full week, few secrets remain.Both on and off the ice, the team learned about and gained confidence in one another. It sure showed as the Panthers traveled a mere 309 miles to Colby and then 52 more miles to Bowdoin on their way to outscoring the Maine rival schools 9-3 and improving their record to 8-1 for the season.
(01/10/07 12:00am)
Author: Astri Von Arbin Ahlander On December 31, 2006 we rang in the New Year. Personally, I choked on my champagne as I stood on the roof of a building in central Stockholm as artillery-like fireworks went off all around me. 2007? This is the number I have written after my name for the past three and a half years to indicate the time of my graduation. Up until this New Year's night, it always felt so remote, so impossibly far in the future. But now, a good week and a half into the year, everything has changed. Weekends are no longer filled with guilt-free dancing at Angela's. Now trips to NYC for job interviews become a priority, if you're lucky enough to get some, that is. Because, believe it or not, when we drive off on May 27th, we are no longer students on summer vacation, but unemployed twenty-somethings with bills to pay. No more free dining hall food. No more unlimited computer access. Now we're going to have to clean our own bathrooms, commute further than a couple of yards a day and be faced with a world in which there are no funds allocated to support our every creative whim. It really is horrifying, this "real world" business.Because I shy away from conflict and choose to turn a blind eye to reality, I thought it best to do the only reasonable thing: look backwards. I shuffled through photos dating from the time when we still got pictures developed and didn't just let our Kodak moments exist on Facebook. I was shocked to see that back in the Stewart Hall era, we were drinking Smirnoff Ice (eew!) and I was grunging around campus in sweatpants (for this I offer a late apology). I'm thankful to have been a freshman back in the days of raving social house parties, and lament the non-existent nightlife for the current underclassmen. Walking around campus now in just a t-shirt, I also think back with a heavy heart on the days of snowmen, sledding and skiing that characterized the J-Terms of my past.But reminiscing about my tender freshman days was not enough to drown out my unease about the future. I realized I must take to more active measures to loosen the knot of anxiety growing in my belly. As a studious senior, I looked to my majors for inspiration. Since I am doing the Senior Comprehensive Exam for English, reading any more books was just not an option. And so it was, I found the answer in my second major: Film. Film has been, after all, always, an escapist art form (whether rightfully or not). Theorists have likened the darkness of the movie theatre to the security of the womb for a reason. When we fear facing our real life, we turn to the world presented up on the silver screen to provide us with a couple of hours solace and entertainment. Luckily, there are many opportunities to escape into a reel world this J-Term. Besides MCAB's Free Friday Films, the Hirschfeld Film Series provide a less mainstream selection for more refined taste buds. The month of January is also featuring an Ingmar Bergman Film Series so as not to leave us without cinematic diversion on the weekdays. As the sun continues to shine, the trees keep getting tricked into budding, and you stumble to and from class making panic lists over what weaknesses can really be presented as strengths to potential future employers, turn your steps to Dana Auditorium. Take out those thick-rimmed glasses, slouch low in your seat and allow yourself to get lost in the comforting warmth of the darkened theatre. Whoever said escapism is wrong? You can worry about the real world after the show.
(01/10/07 12:00am)
Author: Kathryn Flagg The Board of Trustees granted three professors tenure in December, approving all candidates up for the promotion last semester. Although this year's tenure pool is uncharacteristically small - only two professors will be up for review this spring - the decisions reaffirm the College's commitment to what one of the recently tenured professors dubbed a "scrupulously fair" review process. The religion department's James Calvin Davis, Anne Kelly Knowles of the geography department and Antonia Losano of the English and American literatures department were promoted from assistant professor to the rank of associate professor without limit of tenure. The trustees accepted the recommendations of President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz and the Educational Affairs Committee at a meeting on Dec. 7. Last month's promotions reflected the work of a long review process - one often misunderstood by students but viewed by professors and administrators as responsible and fair.The Ultimate ExamTenure-track professors generally come under review in the spring of their seventh year at the College, and the decision is orchestrated by the Promotions Committee. Professors under review are evaluated for excellence in teaching, significant scholarly accomplishments and participation in and service to the College community. The review process considers all of a professor's past course evaluation forms, letters from students and alumni, classroom visits and departmental reviews."It's a very thorough process," said Acting Dean of the Faculty and F.C. Dirks Professor of International Economics Sunder Ramaswamy, particularly when compared to practices at other colleges and universities. Losano confirmed this crucial difference in the College's approach to the review. "The tenure process here is very teaching-focused," she wrote in an e-mail. "Many of my friends who teach at other schools went through the process with not a single class visit by a colleague. I had, I think, 27 visits." But this labor-intensive process ultimately builds the foundation for the weighty decision left to the Promotions Commitee and the President of the College."By the end of the process, the Promotions Committee is confident that, based on the departmental recommendation and its own observations, it can make a recommendation to the President that this person has actually met the excellence of teaching," Ramaswamy said. The thoroughness of the College's review process aside, tenure is widely recognized as a "tough, challenging moment in every faculty member's life," Ramaswamy said. The benefits of lifetime employment with an individual university - including much-valued financial and academic security - are coveted by many academics, but a failed tenure review can be devastating for a professor's career. "A great deal rides on tenure," said Knowles. "It's very sobering." Decisions, she continued, can be "tragic" for professors denied tenure.Tenure for the 21st CenturyThe tenure practice is not without its critics. Critics often argue - as President Emeritus John M. McCardell did in a 2004 New York Times op-ed - that tenure is a solution to the problems of the 1940s, when academic freedom was at serious risk. He contended in his op-ed that the system as it stands does not reflect the "realities of academic life in the 21st century." "I think tenure is one of the great shibboleths," said McCardell in an interview. He argued that while the review process at the College is meticulous, tenure remains "one of those icons towards which academia tends to bow" without questioning or challenging the institution.For Associate Professor of German Bettina Matthias, who was tenured last fall, the institution is also at times problematic. "I have never not said what I wanted to say," she noted, questioning the argument for academic freedom. She worried, too, about the effect that tenure has on the larger body of faculty members."Tenure creates two camps among the faculty," she said. "Them and us. I don't think there should be that divide." Matthias admitted, however, that although she is not sure that the practical justification for tenure still exists, the mental reassurance is welcome. In additional to providing a certain validation of a professor's work, tenure allows for creative freedom and the time and flexibility to pursue new research."For the first time in my life, I'm not waiting for something," Matthias said. New Kids on the BlockFor the newest batch of tenured professors, the review process proved "arduous," in Davis's words, but ultimately worthwhile. "The most trying thing for everyone is waiting in silence," Knowles said. "The person actually up for tenure has almost no idea at all what is going on." Knowles, however, viewed the process as beneficial for her classes and her teaching last semester. After teaching at three universities before coming to the College, and after finishing her dissertation 13 years ago, she expressed great excitement when finally up for review. "That excitement carried over into some of the best teaching I've ever done," she said. She described her students as supportive during classroom observations. "It felt like they were cheering me on." For all three professors, tenure allows for new directions in their research and validates their commitments to their departments and their students. Davis, whose review was originally scheduled for spring 2008, expressed excitement at the "clarity" that tenure can bring to a professor's position in the department - a benefit that he identified as one of the motivating factors for his early review. "Ours is a pretty young department, so much so that I'm regarded as one of the folks who's been here for a while. I was ready for my official status to reflect that," he wrote in an e-mail.For Knowles, tenure signals a new security in her relationship with the College community, one that she cherishes after having searched for the right university for some time."The longer I've been here, the more I've loved it," she said. "I like getting to know people. I like the scale here. I like the culture, too. I like the high standards." Those high standards - applied to students and faculty alike - are at the foundation of a tenure review process that will kick into gear again next semester.
(11/30/06 12:00am)
Author: Rachel Schiffer After a two-day-long Thanksgiving extravaganza (yes, my family goes all out and celebrates two nights), the idea of gobbling down more food seemed an impossible feat. But on the third day after Turkey Day I was finally able to end the holiday weekend with a true finale dessert at Daily Chocolate, a local gourmet chocolate shop nestled halfway down Green Street in Vergennes. As you enter the shop an inviting chocolate trio immediately surrounds you. The rich, deep and intense aroma of dark chocolate greets you at the door. The display counter begs your eyes to linger on the incredible variety of stylish chocolate confections. Finally you are welcomed by one of the chocolatiers herself as she offers you a free sample of pure chocolate goodness. It only took two minutes inside this cozy, campy, chocolate cavern before my heart melted for a newfound love. The silky smooth texture of the treats I had just tasted could convert anyone from chocolate liker to chocolate lover. The dark chocolate classic almond bark was surprising and awesome in its simple marriage of bittersweet chocolate and salt-roasted almonds. The sample of lemon-lavender-almond white chocolate bark, an understandable favorite of regular patrons, practically dissolved on my tongue and gave new meaning to the potential of white chocolate. Sitting in the display case were glossy chocolates, a sign of good tempering, and they sat waiting to be indulged. But while the chocolates were well-tempered, owner and chocolatier Chris White and fellow chocolate maker Floery Mahoney were more than sociable hosts and happy to answer my questions about the chocolate-making process. White and Mahoney's chocolates are made fresh on premise from high quality ingredients and use local products whenever possible. At Daily Chocolate you can expect to find classic and comforting treats like English toffee coated in dark chocolate as well as chocolates created with a twist such as the maple-chipotle pecan cluster-the first item in the case to catch my eye. The toffee revealed a wonderful shot of butter and a perfect crunch; it felt like a sunrise in my mouth. The sticky maple pecans set in elegant dark chocolate were fabulous and the touch of fiery, smoky chipotle in the chocolate successfully put my mouth en guard. Blends of the southwest and northeast seem at home here, as White received his training and first experience running a chocolate shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As Floery helped me piece together a sample package of chocolates and artfully packaged them to take home, I couldn't help but take in the kitchen area, which is open behind the counter. Heavy marble tables, stainless steel utensils and bins full of chocolate blocks in white milk and dark varieties all assure you that you are in the right kind of kitchen. Temperature control and cleanliness are crucial for good chocolate making and this kitchen has got the right design.With my focus back on the display case, I decided on six pieces of chocolate and one truffle to get the full range of flavors. The chocolate was priced at a flat rate of $26.00 per pound and two dollars each for the truffles that I was ready to pay a pretty gold penny for, so I was pleasantly surprised when my total came to $12.00 even. At under approximately two dollars a piece this is not an unreasonable daily fix. But if you prefer waiting for your parents' dorm-warming gift next time they're up for a visit, this is the place to hint at. These chocolates go a long way. Because I had seven in front of me and was on a tasting mission to try them all, I split them and served them family-style in true Thanksgiving dessert form. The tangerine chocolate wafer, flavored with tangerine oil and topped with a small knob of crystallized ginger, was smooth and balanced. The chocolate chevre truffle was enticing; its creamy ganache filling coated my mouth. The intense flavors of dark chocolate were first to come through then gently gave way to the delicate, yet distinctive tang of goat cheese. It was simply a pleasure to eat and as far as 'wow' factors go, I was impressed.The chocolate-caramel pretzel, a popular seller with the kids, put a smile on my face. As I crunched through the almond exterior and pretzel interior, the pretzel's double coating, first in homemade caramel and then in dark chocolate, brought the two pieces together seamlessly. On top of the black rum caramel a sprinkle of grey sea salt worked wonders to balance and enhance the flavors behind the chocolate. Though I had to work to taste any rum, the caramel filling was soft, rich and creamy ,and its amber color was beautifully framed in its dark chocolate coating. I decided to finish with the classic chocolate mint combo in the form of a black and white peppermint patty. The peppermint cream set in a thin dark chocolate disk and drizzled with dark chocolate, was almost too sweet but cleansed the palette without shutting it down. The last bite I took reflected everything I had just tasted, and though I was finally full with dessert and my daily chocolate complete, I know I'll be back for more. Daily Chocolate is open during holiday season (through January) M-F 10am-6pm and Sat 10am-4pm and after January on W-F 10am-6pm and Sat 10am-4pm. They are located at 7 Green Street n Vergennes and can be reached at 802-877-0087.
(11/30/06 12:00am)
Author: Lisie Mehlman Nan Jenks-Jay, who has served as Middlebury College's Director of Environmental Affairs since 1997 and has, throughout her tenure as director, played a pivotal role in the College's receipt of eight awards for its commendable and oft-emulated environmental policies, will become the Dean of Environmental Affairs. The newly-established position and Jenks-Jay's ascension to that position were announced in an e-mail to the College community sent by President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz on Monday.Liebowitz explained that the creation of this position "reflects the College's institutional and academic commitment to the environment, as well as Nan's leadership and expertise in the field." Jenks-Jay, in addition to gracefully managing her prior responsibilities as Director of Environmental Affairs, teaches an environmental studies seminar, has served on external review committees for ten college and university environmental programs and has served on state governmental boards.Liebowitz credited Jenks-Jay as being instrumental in integrating "sustainable design and construction practices" on campus and in planning and implementing the "College's carbon reduction initiative. Her leadership was integral to the development of the new Hillcrest Environmental Center as a base for environmental learning and leadership," he wrote.Jenks-Jay is both looking forward to this experience and excited about the new challenges and opportunities that the position entails. She said, "The new position [requires a] commitment to engaging Middlebury College's undergraduate program, in which I am already involved. Additionally, [it requires a commitment to involving] the graduate and special programs, including the Language Schools, Schools Abroad, Bread Loaf School of English, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and the Monterey Institute of International Studies in the broader concept of creating a greater environmental community while recognizing the individual and unique identities of each."Her assumption of the new Deanship means that Jenks-Jay will now co-chair the Environmental Council rather than chairing it as she has done in the past, "thereby sharing this important role with other individuals at the College who have so much to offer and who can introduce new energy and infuse new ideas," she explained. She will continue to host the Environmental Retreat, an annual event during which faculty and staff "discuss issues that are relevant to enriching the learning experience for students," and much of her efforts will now "focus on the new capital campaign," she said.When asked about potential challenges she might face in her new role as Dean, Jenks-Jay said that "Middlebury already excels in areas related to the environment. The challenge will be to bring this good work that is being done here by so many talented individuals to an even higher level with the infrastructure and support appropriate to ensure it staying power. That's the goal and it will be a challenge as Middlebury is already regarded as having a nationally acclaimed academic ES program and the stellar campus sustainability programs have become a model to colleges and universities across the country." That the College is a trailblazer in environmental policy is no surprise - it is the recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Merit Award as well as the Vermont Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence, among others. Jenks-Jay believes that "higher education, as a major sector of society, can have a significant and influential role in accelerating the pace [of creating a more environmentally sustainable world] that is necessary."In the coming years, she seeks to enhance and expand the environmental learning community so that every sector of the College, and each individual, contributes to the mission of educating students to be contributing citizens of the global community.More specifically, her goals include continuing the shift to more renewable and clean energy sources and achieving carbon reduction to meet the College's current goals endorsed by the trustees. While she stated "that Middlebury will be leading the way and inspiring many to follow," she also acknowledged that accomplishing these goals "will not be without its challenges." Still, Jenks-Jay said she has no reservations about her new role on campus. "Middlebury is well positioned to create catalytic change in environmental education and sustainability," she said. "With such strong philosophical and programmatic support from the trustees, president and senior administration, there is no telling what can be achieved with the administrative commitment, stellar faculty, dedicated staff, external partners and innovative students that are assembled here."
(11/30/06 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] Faculty against professorshipTo the Editor:We wish to reaffirm our commitment to diversity at Middlebury College. According to our mission statement, diversity includes "the integration of historically underrepresented groups into the campus community." Given the documented pattern* of hostility Judge Rehnquist demonstrated toward these same "historically underrepresented groups" and the negative effects his judicial decisions continue to have on the individual members of these groups, namely people of color, women and gays and lesbians, we believe that the recent naming of an endowed chair for William H. Rehnquist undermines Middlebury College's ability to promote diversity among its faculty, students and staff.We ask that everyone associated with this college considers the effect of their actions on our ability to create a diverse community. We would support the establishment of procedures that ensure that the increasing diversity of the community of students, faculty and staff at Middlebury College is given due consideration in all aspects of decision making. Signed by:Eduardo Bejar, Professor of Spanish Timothy Billings, Associate Professor of EnglishNatasha ChangJane Chaplin, Associate Professor of ClassicsFrancois Clemmons, Twilight Artist-in-ResidenceClaudia Cooper, Assistant Professor of EducationArmelle Crouzieres-Ingenthron, Associate Professor of FrenchDarien Davis, Associate Professor of HistoryKyoko Davis, Lecturer in JapaneseKirsten Ernst, Visiting Instructor in Spanish and Latin American StudiesLaurie Essig, Assistant Professor of SociologyGloria Gonzalez-Zenteno, Associate Professor of SpanishRoman Graf, Associate Professor of German Heidi Grasswick, Associate Professor of PhilosophyNicole Grohoski, Assistant in Science and Instruction in GeographyLarry Hamberlin, Assistant Professor of MusicWilliam Hart, Associate Professor of HistoryGuntram Herb, Associate Professor of GeographyBethany Ladimer, Professor of FrenchAna Martinez-Lage, Associate Professor of SpanishBettina Matthias, Associate Professor of GermanTamar Mayer, Professor of GeographySujata Moorti, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender StudiesThomas Moran, Associate Professor of ChineseKevin Moss, Professor of RussianKamakshi Murti, Professor of GermanMargaret Nelson, Hepburn Professor of Sociology and Women and Gender StudiesMichael Olinick, Professor of Mathematics; Bob Osborne, Professor of PsychologyEllen Oxfeld, Professor of AnthropologyRobert Prigo, Professor of PhysicsRobert Prasch, Associate Professor of EconomicsPaula Schwartz, Associate Professor of FrenchSallie Sheldon, Professor of BiologyYumna Siddiqi, Associate Professor of EnglishStephen Snyder, Associate Professor of Japanese StudiesJacob Tropp, Associate Professor of HistoryLinda White, Visiting Assistant Professor of AnthropologyCatharine White, Lecturer, Tutor in Writing*Judge Rehnquist's rulings in cases dealing with civil liberties and civil rights, cited from The Boston Phoenix: 1973 - Roe v. Wade, a ruling limiting the states' power to criminalize a woman's access to abortion, Rehnquist dissents1983 - Bob Jones University v. United States, a decision holding that racially discriminatory private colleges were not entitled to tax-exempt status, Rehnquist dissents1986 - Batson v. Kentucky, a ruling that it is unconstitutional to veto a prospective juror simply on account of race, Rehnquist dissents1986 - Bowers v. Hardwick, a decision to uphold the criminalization of homosexual sodomy, Rehnquist agrees1996 - Romer v. Evans, a decision asserting that gay men and lesbians as a group could not be deprived of the protection of generally applicable civil-rights laws, Rehnquist dissents2003 - Lawrence v. Texas, a decision extending personal privacy rights to gays and lesbians, Rehnquist dissentsMiddlebury Hockey chantsTo the Editor:My family and I are enthusiastic supporters of men's hockey and find it a wonderful alternative to other forms of modern entertainment. It annoys me, however, to hear the repetitive cheer from the student section, "you suck." In an environment of higher learning where parents are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars annually to educate their children to speak in a language a step above the gutter, it seems somewhat likely that a different and equally forceful cheer could be used. No one has ever accused me of being a "prude," yet it embarrasses me to hear this with young children and grandparents present!Sincerely,Tim Hollander '65Middlebury, Vt.Intolerance for non-liberal viewsTo the Editor:I find many Middlebury students intolerant of views different from their liberal views. Who are they to demand only their voice be heard on campus? I respect Rehnquist. I agree with his judicial perspective. What these students need to understand is all voices have a right to be heard and respected. I find their level of intolerance interesting when that seems to be a concern they have towards the "right." What they need to do is grow-up and get a job that allows them to give back to the school and demand a professorship of the person of their choice!Sincerely,Kathleen DuquetteParent of Middlebury StudentThe war in IraqTo the Editor:The United States has provided only three official reasons for the war in Iraq: the global war on terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and promoting democracy. All have proven to be invalid. The axis of evil President Bush identified in his war on terrorism included Iraq, Iran and North Korea, yet most Islamic fundamentalist groups have come from Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Egypt and Pakistan. Rumsfeld spoke of the imminent dangers of WMDs, but none have been found in Iraq and both North Korea and Pakistan pose more legitimate nuclear threats. The promotion of democracy was only provided as a reason after the initial invasion, and the United States' historical record contradicts such intentions.With the official reasons illegitimate, actual motives for being in the war must be to preserve the US as the only superpower, to preserve the American way of life, to control vital energy resources like oil and the military-industrial complex, which has made this war highly profitable for many NGOs. These reasons assume cultural superiority, including the opinion that Americans deserve more than the rest of the world. The position that the US is needed for stability assumes a condescending paternalism reminiscent of the white man's burden, and it is inconsistent with the claim to spread democracy and the values of universal human rights and equality. Military power does not equate political influence, as the failure to create a stable government has shown, making ideas of sending more troops and implementing a draft especially preposterous. All motivations for staying the course are rooted in selfishness, and with a continually high death toll and little progress, the only moral option is to leave Iraq immediately. Sincerely,Louis Lobe '08Weston, Mass.Future in oil is a "no-go"To the Editor:There is no consensus, in both the U.S. and Iraq. In the U.S., the fiercely debated issue at stake is: Should the U.S. "go long," "go big" or "go home?" Similarly, in Iraq sentiments mirror those of the U.S. - an Iraqi man says that "it's a disaster if the American forces stay in Iraq but it's also a disaster if they go." This hot dispute persists as innocent lives on both sides are shortened, and all solutions appear untenable.A crisis, yes, but rooted in a more fundamental quandar
y. The U.S. must tackle its long term problem of oil dependency. It all boils down to oil, U.S. greed (preserving the "U.S. way of life"), and environmental crises. If VP Cheney can state that "conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy," then a mandatory governmental policy shift is necessary. Hopefully, as a result of Congressional leadership's recent alteration, the U.S. will realize what former VP Al Gore identified so long ago: the U.S. must redefine a comprehensive energy policy that incorporates conservation- a personal virtue or not. Improved environmental initiatives, such as alternative energy sources and heightened pollution restrictions, will allow the U.S. to look at Iraq from a purely humanitarian aid perspective without relying on its oil resources. If the U.S. stops worrying about preserving its way of "oil-dependent" life, then perhaps a brighter future can be seen to end fighting and the loss of life, while promoting a greener planet.Sincerely,Rachel Rosenfeld '07St. Louis, MissouriRehnquist professorship good ideaTo the Editor:I read the article on the establishment of the Rehnquist Chair at Middlebury with great interest. I attended the College at a time when the Dean of Men was also the local Army Reserve Company commander. One of my Economics professors had served under Rommel in the German Afrika Korps. A History professor (Grant) was delighted that we had a real revolution to observe what was taking place in Cuba (even though it was in the "terror phase" at the time). The College encouraged that discussion of all sides of an issue be practiced politely by a faculty and student body that were diverse both in background and ideas. The term "political correctness" had not yet been invented.And then something happened. Sam Stratton retired, the war in Vietnam intensified, bad behavior was accepted as the norm and one day a group of students burned down the ROTC building while faculty members watched.This was very distressing to many of us, particularly those of us who had attended ROTC at Middlebury and had served, or were serving, in the military. It is not possible to estimate how much this has cost the College in alumnae contributions during the last 25 years, but I am guessing it is in the millions.The Rehnquist Chair is finally a step in the right direction. It does not have to be balanced by a chair selected by the students, but instead should be followed by a chair in Conservative Studies, and then a department with the same title. Does the administration have the courage to solicit funds for such a chair? I think not. Some students (and faculty) might protest, and then demand entry to the President's office. But I hope you prove me wrong. There is plenty of financial support out here for a return to the values of the College we remember.Sincerely,John McEwan '61Meredith, N.H.Men of MiddleburyTo the Editor:Are you strong enough not to rely on intimidation or violence to get what you want in a relationship?Are you smart enough to recognize that when 95% of all domestic violence perpetrators are male (NIJ workshop '95), violence against women is and needs to be a men's issue. Are you daring enough to actively challenge the aspects of traditional masculinity that compromise your integrity?A passionate collection of Midd men have asked themselves these questions and have responded in a resounding, "YES!" And we know that we need other men in on this conversation. To share our belief in and dedication to anti-violence, we men have chosen to take action and mobilize male consciousness around this issue in conjunction with the internationally observed White Ribbon campaign, an action on violence against women that spans from mid-November until December 6. We will be camped out in dining halls for several evenings to come, challenging our fellow men of Middlebury to make a life-changing confirmation to themselves and to the world by promising in writing "never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women," and by wearing a white ribbon until December 6 as a visible and public display of this pledge.There will be much more to come from this group of men in the near future, like taking our message into local middle schools and high schools in the hopes of preventing violence before it starts, but before we do that and more, we urge you to join us in our cause against violence against women. Sincerely,Nick Cloutier '07Waterville, Maine
(11/16/06 12:00am)
Author: Kathryn Flagg American students broaden horizonsMore American college students are choosing to study abroad in exotic, non-English speaking locations, according to figures released Monday by the Institute of International Education. Although Britain remains the most popular choice for the 8 percent of college students who study abroad, the study reports that the popularity of programs in non-English speaking European countries and in Asia is on the rise.China is now the 8th most popular destination for American students, seeing a 35 percent increase in U.S. exchange students from the previous year. Argentina and India, although attracting only around 2,000 students apiece, each saw increases of more than 50 percent.Allan Goodman, president of the Institute, attributes the trend to a range of factors from the growing awareness of globalization to programs such as the Bush administration's National Security Language Initiative."What Americans are doing is waking up and discovering there's a world out there," he told CNN. -CNN.comBowdoin nears $250 million benchmarkBowdoin College publicly launched a $250 million capital campaign Friday, kicking off what officials believe will be the largest fundraising drive in Maine history, according to The Bowdoin Orient. The college's fundraising coincides with drives at other Maine NESCAC colleges. Last year, Bates College completed its own capital campaign, raising $120 million after their 2000 launch, and nearby Colby College launched a $235 million campaign in January of this year. "The Bowdoin Campaign," as the school has dubbed the drive, has already raised 60 percent of the campaign's total goal during the "silent phase" of the campaign, the school announced Friday. The drive targets financial aid as its primary goal, striving to raise nearly $77 million for tuition aid. The college also hopes to fund 12 new faculty positions, fund building projects currently in progress and support the institution's operation budget. Friday's launch marked the halfway point in the campaign, The Orient reported, which is slated for completion in June 2009. -The Bowdoin OrientCognitively disabled pursue higher edMore students with Down syndrome and other cognitive disabilities are pursuing higher education, The New York Times reported earlier this month. Despite difficulties facing students with lower than average cognitive abilities, more individuals and their families who have grown up in the wake of the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are exploring postgraduate education opportunities. The Web site ThinkCollege.net, a database of higher education financed by the United States Department of Education, lists 106 programs that place cognitively disabled students in classrooms and sometimes in university dormitories. Current programs vary significantly, ranging from vocational training to associate degree programs, but according to an education specialist at the Institute for Community Inclusion, the number of such programs is growing every year. Although many parents and educators extol the social and experiential merits of higher education, practical concerns also fuel the growing interest in education for individuals with cognitive disabilities. The National Down Syndrome Society reports, however, that the quality and quantity of jobs for people with cognitive disabilities increase with postsecondary education.-The New York Times
(11/16/06 12:00am)
Author: Kelly Janis Professor of Political Science David Rosenberg is not content living as a passive observer of politics. Even in the small town of Middlebury, Rosenberg has assumed a decidedly active role in the political sphere, serving for over thirty years as one of the town's 15 justices of the peace.Among a justice of the peace's primary duties, the one which Rosenberg calls, "the most fun" is performing weddings and certifying marriages as an officiate. "I've done that a lot," he said, "and I love doing it." In fact, Rosenberg has married so many couples that he was able to tick off a lengthy list of his colleagues with neighboring offices in the Robert A. Jones '59 House who were married on his account. "I've performed some wonderful weddings," he reflected warmly. The most memorable is one between two former students shortly after their graduation. "She was from Brooklyn, and he was from Shanghai. They had an interfaith wedding and marriage and household." "For this couple, she was Jewish and he was sort of Chinese Buddhist, and his family came over from China, her family came up from New York City, and we had a wedding in three languages - English, Hebrew and Chinese through translation - under a tent. It was outside, and there was a lot of wind. A rain shower came howling through, which added a lot of drama as everybody huddled close together. But it all went off very smoothly and the sun broke out at the very end, and it made us all smile and shine," said Rosenberg.Actually, many of the wedding ceremonies Rosenberg performs are interfaith marriages. Rosenberg explained, "There is not a priest or a rabbi or a minister in the state of Vermont or many other states who will perform interfaith weddings. Normally [couples] prefer [to wed] in their own churches, among their own congregates. You can convert, but a lot of folks don't, or don't want to. They may be spiritual, they may be religious, but they're not of the same faith. Nonetheless, they want to get married." Justices of the peace are also charged with the bipartisan supervision of local elections. "We of course have a full-time professional town clerk who really does all the preparation and supervision work," Rosenberg said. "But we're the elected officials who make sure all goes well. And these days -especially after the 2000 presidential election - we don't take any of this for granted."Naturally, the position carries in tow its share of challenges. Most notable among these challenges is the administration of the property tax. He explained that all property must be evaluated according to its "fair market value," the price for which it may be purchased for any personal or commercial purpose. This often poses a problem for families living on small farms. "Once upon a time, maybe the property tax made sense, when people owned and lived off their own land here," Rosenberg said. "But, nowadays, there are a lot of people who may own a lot of land, but they don't have much cash income. They're land rich and cash poor," he explained. "So we might have an old farm family that only has one or two people left running a small farm, but it would make a great vacation home or motel or something else, so the property is reassessed upwards and becomes much more valuable." The result is farmers being forced to subdivide their own land and sell it to developers. "That's a difficult thing to do," he admitted, "to figure out how you maintain some continuity of the community and not be completely commercialized in assessing property." Given that matters of property tax are handled by the state legislature, justices of the peace do not have a hand in formulating the policies surrounding them. "But," he said, "we can communicate with [legislators] and we can bring to their notice specific issues that need some legislative instruction or clarification."Ultimately, Rosenberg is heartened by the contributions which his position does, in fact, permit him to make. "I think it's important to take part in community life. This is an important way to take part in helping to keep your community alive," he said,."It's a wonderful community, so I receive an enormous benefit in doing this … I feel very much a part of this place, and want to make it a great place to live and work and shop and play."
(11/16/06 12:00am)
Author: Katie Hylas Why is everyone on this campus obsessed with working out? Isn't it weird that it's completely normal here for people to spend a huge chunk of their Fridays in the gym? Or to count the chickpeas and lettuce organized aesthetically on their plate? Every day, the gym is completely packed. Constantly working out seems to be a crucial aspect of the Middlebury culture. Football players and English majors alike all pile into that pleasurable bubble of a complex and sweat themselves into oblivion. Working out and eating healthily is like a religion here. A common comment in the dining halls is, "I feel so guilty that I didn't go to the gym today." Hello! It's not a shrine, it's a fitness center! Often the first thing a visitor to the school notices is how unbelievably fit everyone is. "No one is overweight here," one visitor whispered to me in the dining hall. Everyone is ridiculously skinny and they work their butts off (literally) to get that way. The campus in and of itself is a giant gym. So many people run or bike constantly that I get confused, and often almost hit. I wonder, Should I pick up the pace? Is my high school track coach lurking around the corner screaming and holding a stopwatch?If one has a weak stomach and finds overly apparent spandex bottoms to be nauseating, it must be like walking through a haunted house to get from BiHall to the CFA. Our campus is haunted by zombies staring blankly as they walk on with their iPod minis strapped tightly to their arms and Kelly Clarkson's Since You've Been Gone echoing through their earphones.One has to wonder about the implications of such a culture. Sure, it's good to be fit and active, but is it possible that we take it too far? Many students here feel pressure to be as involved in exercising and eating cautiously as their peers are. Any inconsistency in the body is subject to scrutiny. A walk into Ross can feel like standing naked in front of the entire cafeteria. Is everyone looking at my stomach? Can they tell I skipped the gym today? The workout culture raises self-imposed expectations and can cripple self-esteem.Generally, America values thinness in women and strength in men. I suppose that's why the women in the gym concentrate on the elliptical machines and the men dominate the weight portion of the gym. The media floods us to lose ten pounds in ten days through glorified images of barely clad skinny-minis. It's no wonder that Middlebury has adopted such a culture. Maybe we should be wary of Middlebury's work-out-aholic way of life.
(11/09/06 12:00am)
Author: Zoey Burrows President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz announced Tuesday the establishment of the Middlebury College Fellowships in Environmental Journalism. The first of its kind, the program is designed to support intensive, year-long reporting about environmental issues by journalists at the start of their careers. Liebowitz commended the program, as it "will allow even more exchange between the campus and the broader world on issues of great importance." Nan Jenks-Jay, the College's director of environmental affairs applauded the fellowship because "communication of successes and failures is at the root of environmental progress."Funded by an anonymous gift of $1.5 million, the program will commence in September under the direction of scholar-in-residence Bill McKibben. Joined by Associate Director Christopher Shaw, former editor of Adirondack Life magazine, McKibben will select ten journalists, two of whom must be Middlebury College students, who will each receive $10,000 for research expenses. "[The College] asked us to undertake the project because of our background," McKibben explained. "I've been involved in environmental journalism my whole professional life. In fact, at the moment I'm editing the Library of America's anthology of American environmental writing. Chris brings a component I lack - top-notch editing experience, from his stint running the award-winning Adirondack Life magazine."The program will work with the fellows to report and produce news stories for print, the internet and radio. Graduate fellows will participate in week-long residencies at Middlebury in the fall and at California's Monterey Institute for International Studies in the spring. At these meetings professional journalists will help participants plan their reporting and shape their stories. The program will also assist them in finding outlets for publishing their final products.The fellows in the program will be selected based on a letter they submit that will outline their project. "We want projects big enough to stretch people, to make them more able journalists," said Shaw. Although they acknowledge that the $10,000 stipend won't be enough for students to live on, it is enough, they hope, to "give [fellows] the time and resources for a powerful project."Both McKibben and Shaw hope to find "people who are blogging or doing other kinds of web-based reporting, and helping them broaden their work so it will fit into more conventional media." McKibben sees the program both as a way of cultivating young journalists' interests in environmental reporting, as well as developing their expertise at tackling complicated environmental issues. "We want young journalists to take an interest in the biggest story of their time (one that at the moment journalism covers sporadically and too often badly), and we want people who care about the environment - bloggers, say - to develop the sets of skills that reflect the best parts of the journalistic tradition: investigative ability, skepticism towards all sides of an issue, real critical rigor."The fellowship will be advertised "through journalism schools and programs, and English and Environmental Studies programs. We're also looking for people out of school but still early in their careers, so we'll be in touch with newspapers, broadcast enterprises and professional societies." There is also money in the budget for advertising in national publications, if need be.The announcement of the fellowship came in the wake of a recent talk by NPR's Steve Curwood, the host of the weekly "Living on Earth" radio show, and a role model for aspiring environmental journalists. Working in journalism since the late 1970's, Curwood expressed eloquent ideas surrounding the increasing importance of images and image-building in an electronic world. "Facts alone can't tell the story," something he said he was slowly coming to accept.After outlining the chemical and carbon "emergencies" that we are facing today, Curwood concluded with an intriguing economic solution to global warming; namely that just as cars are paid for in loans, and houses by 30-year mortgages, why not the same for expensive alternative energy equipment, such as solar and wind power? Why not use portions of the College's endowment for tax-free bonds, for example?Luce Professor of Int'l. Environmental Economics Jon Isham said, "Curwood's idea is a twist on the federally-guaranteed loans that help to drive the housing market. This is certainly possible, if it receives enough public and legislative support. The larger question is the cost-effectiveness of renewable technology: costs are coming down, but whether small-scale solar, wind or geothermal is a good investment for a homeowner, even with such a loan structure, is in large part determined by geography." McKibben said, "It's definitely one of several good ideas floating around. It understands on the one hand the depth of the change we need to make, and on the other, the difficulty of that change; the need to somehow fund a complete and rapid overhaul of our energy system."
(11/09/06 12:00am)
Author: Kelsey Smith Christina Galvez '07 is a Theatre Major from the suburbs of Philadelphia. Since her first year at Middlebury, Galvez has used her keen eye for design in many projects spanning many disciplines. From her striking mural in Forest Basement to her eye-catching posters for concerts, plays and fashion shows, to her memorable set designs, Galvez is truly a prolific artist, making her mark all over campus. Last spring, Galvez won the regional Barbizon Award for Best Scenic Design from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KACTF) for her innovative set design for The House of Yes. After regionals, she proceeded to the national competition at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, where critics awarded her a summer fellowship to study under costume designer and New York University professor Constance Hoffman and head of theatre design at the Yale School of Drama Ming Cho Lee. This semester, Galvez is back on campus designing the set for Cinders, a faculty performance whose curtains raise Nov. 16. The Campus caught up with Galvez to talk about her interest in set-design and her newest project .The Middlebury Campus: When did you first become interested in theater? Christina Galvez: I was first exposed to theater in college. I've been seeing shows ever since freshman year. The first production that I saw was Anna Karenina, but I didn't take an actual course in the theatre department, Set Design I, until the fall of my junior year. At that point, I was an English-French joint major about to go abroad to Poitiers, France in the spring. I changed my major to Set Design and have been doing it ever since. I felt completely involved in set design both physically and mentally - much more so than I ever felt with English or French. TC: Is the involvement you feel something you think can only be experienced through the arts?CG: I think there are people out there who feel mentally and physically involved in academics, but I'm not one of them. There's only so much I can do with reading. I think with my hands and eyes. Essentially, I am the kind of person that needs to produce.TC: Do you find Middlebury unique in its combination of academics and art? Do you ever feel that the College does not advertise the arts enough?CG: On one hand, students come here because it is a liberal arts school, so they feel at liberty to take many classes, art classes included, in order to have a well rounded, traditionally liberal arts-based education. On the other hand, the Center for the Arts is in such a far physical location from the rest of campus. [Arts Center employees] do publicity, they have arts calendars and posters and I know they take pride in the arts program, however, I think more money should be spent on the arts at Middlebury. It says something when you go to the number five liberal arts college in the country and we don't have all the necessary facilities and resources.TC: Are you thinking of pursuing set design professionally?CG: Eventually, I would love to pursue it, but I would like to do other things beforehand. I just declared my major junior year, so I still have a lot to learn about other aspects of theater, such as costume design. Also, theater in America is so commercial right now. Coming from Middlebury, you have certain ideals that you would like to uphold in your professional career. We have the luxury of pretty much only doing provocative theater here. In theater you need an audience, and the audience is usually upper middle class and that restricts your choices. Also theatre is so centralized - New York City and Chicago are pretty much your only options.TC: Would you say you have a specific aesthetic?CG: Not intentionally. The set design you come up with should be the result of conversations with your director and the other members of the production team. Maybe the set designer will have a certain look but I don't think it should be purposeful. It's not something I can pin down [because with each individual production] I am trying to suit the text and the director. TC: Tell me a little bit about working on Cinders.CG: This is my first faculty production and it's definitely different and challenging. It is entirely new to work with people who have been doing this for years. There is definitely a new feeling of obligation that changes everything - not for better or for worse, just different. It's funny to go from shows at the Hepburn Zoo, where I'm there painting the floor with everybody, to a show at Wright Memorial Theater, where I'm the one delegating tasks to a bunch of people. The position of authority is definitely something I'm not used to yet.
(11/09/06 12:00am)
Author: Lizzy Zevallos Sounds rooted in the culture and traditions of the earliest Americans sparked the interest of members of the College community. The construction of a traditional teepee and sweat lodge on Battell Beach kicked off the beginning of the College's celebration of Native American Heritage Month. Sterling Hollow Horn, a member of the Lakota Sioux, paid a visit to the College in order to explain the spiritual and cultural force behind the teepee and sweat lodge.Although Middlebury prides itself on its international diversity and focus on international academics, world studies programs and a world renowned language program, it seems as though Native American culture has often been overlooked on campus, that is, until now. With the help of students eager to push Native American isssues to the forefront of the College's awareness, Horn was able to erect the teepee and sweat lodge using all local materials in preparation for the spiritual "sweat" ceremony. "To me, spirituality is the act of protecting one's self as a human," Horn said in a deep and empowering voice while addressing the crowd in front of the fire. Orange flames were reflected in his glasses as he spoke of Native American hardship and identity. "This is my way of life. It is through my knowledge and experience that I have been able to help my people," he said, adding, "this is what spiritualism is all about: finding the positive and pushing toward it."Native American Heritage Month began in 1990 as a way to celebrate the rich and unique culture and historical influence of the group, as well as to remember the suffering and repression that Native Americans endured in the past. "The federal government not only stripped Native Americans of their home, but also of their culture," Horn said. Practices such as the traditional "sweat" were met with massacre when the government became aware of them. "This was America's first act of genocide and it was against its very own first Americans," he continued. Horn compared these actions to those taken by Hitler, whose concept of concentration camps, many claim, originated from his studies of the English and their treatment of native populations in the United States. "Harsh government policies caused many symbols of Native American culture, including the sweat lodge, peace pipe and sun-dance, to go underground," Horn, who has devoted himself to preserving these practices from cultural destruction, explained. Horn spoke of the importance of the teepee to the Sioux culture. Anna Clock '09, who assisted throughout the day, said, "I was amazed at how simple it was to construct the teepee." According to Horn, "the Sioux were capable of assembling and dissembling the teepees in a matter of minutes - I take it around just in case the hotels are booked," he joked. The sweat lodge was the main attraction as it drew many students eager to take part in the ceremonial "sweat." "The sweat lodge is symbolic of a woman's womb, evident in its dome-like structure. It is where we go to detoxify and cleanse our bodies and to pray for those that are less fortunate," Horn explained.At 6 p.m., Horn began the ceremony. He led the "sweat" as he was taught by his elders to do. Each person had a chance to smoke from the peace pipe and participate in an acompanying prayer. With each prayer, Horn threw water into a pile of intensely hot rocks. With each throw, steam rose up into a cloud that enveloped the students inside. The ceremony was a true historic and emotional experience for students who shared stories, wishes and hopes.It is experiences like these that Kelly Dennis '07 wishes to extend to the students. Dennis is the founder of Voices of Indigenous People (VIP), one of the main organizations on campus that made this event possible. "I founded VIP last semester as a reaction to a Cowboys and Indians party held by the frisbee team last year," said Dennis. "Nobody realized that there are some people on this campus who would be offended by such a party," Dennis said. With VIP, she and many other students seek to raise awareness. This year the College welcomed five first-year students that grew up on Native American reservations.Native American Heritage month will continue with a screening of "The Business of Fancydancing" on Nov. 9 in Bicentennial Hall 216, a talk by Anthropology professor Richard Meyers on Nov 10 4:30 in Carr Hall, a cultural dance workshop, Nov. 11. from 3 p.m. in the CFA and ending with the main event: a talk by author and former vice presidential candidate Winona LaDuke on Nov. 14.
(11/09/06 12:00am)
Author: Aylie Baker "Si me matan, yo sacaré mis brazos de la tumba y seré más fuerte," Minou Tavárez Mirabal exclaimed, her hands outstretched as though offering an embrace. Her words elicited a wave of passionate applause, and the audience was soon on its feet. In the close of her address, "Violence against Women: The Example of the Mirabal Sisters," Minou repeated the brave sentiments of her late mother, the Dominican revolutionary Minerva Mirabal. Translated into English, the statement reads: "If they kill me, I will raise my arms from the grave and be that much stronger." Beside Minou stood Dedé Mirabal. At 81 years old, she stood resolute, beaming as her niece fielded questions regarding Las Mariposas. The Butterflies. They are her three sisters, whose brave, yet tragic resistance altered the history of the Dominican Republic and whose legacies are revered worldwide. From 1930-1961, the people of the Dominican Republic suffered under the smothering dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. It was Minerva Mirabal, the third of the Mirabal sisters, who first defied his regime.Breaking through traditional norms, Minerva persuaded her family to allow her to attend university. There, studying law, she began to take up social causes, particularly women's rights and democracy. Undaunted by personal dangers, Minerva plunged into the resistance movement, encouraging her sisters and their husbands to join in the struggle. She was instrumental in the June 14 political movement and, despite several cases of imprisonment, she remained unwavering in her desire to undermine Trujillo's repressive regime. So great was her defiance that Trujillo once stated publicly, "Los únicos problemas de mi gobierno son la iglesia y Minerva Mirabal," (The only problems of my government are the church and Minerva Mirabal). On Nov. 25, 1960, Minerva, Maria Teresa and Patria were returning from visiting their husbands in a remote jail, when their Jeep was ambushed. Dispersed within a sugar cane field, the sisters were beaten to death. While their deaths were framed as an accident by the Trujillo's regime, their tragic story soon seeped into public knowledge and was met with great anguish. Shortly after their deaths, Trujillo was assassinated, and democracy, though still in its early stages, was finally realized for the Dominican Republic. The story of the Mirabal sisters, Las Mariposas, has been immortalized in the historical-fiction novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, Middlebury's writer-in-residence. Alvarez, whose family was lucky to escape the wrath of Trujillo when it fled to the U.S. in 1960, grew up hearing the story of Las Mariposas. From a family of four sisters, Alvarez described how she had always felt that they "were the lucky ones." When she visited the Dominican Republic and met Dedé, Alvarez felt compelled to tell their story, to preserve its place in history.Instrumental to the preservation of her sisters' legacy is Dedé Mirabal. As the surviving Mirabal sister, she is truly the fourth butterfly, insisted Alvarez. Saddened though she was by the death of her sisters, Dedé took it upon herself to raise her orphaned nephews and nieces along with her own children. "It's in my character," she said. "I had a responsibility.""She raised all her children to be whole, happy, humane beings, un-poisoned by hatred and revenge, imbued by a sense of freedom and a desire to help their country," said Alvarez, smiling. "She achieved that, imagine." "It was incredible to see Dedé up there, at 81 years old, as strong and confident as ever," said Dana Weissman '07. "She's an inspiration to all of us, hearing about the amazing things that she's accomplished after all the hardships she's endured."Now, nearly 50 years after the death of her sisters, Dedé is proud to see the leaders that these nine children have become. Her own son was vice president of the last administration in the Dominican Republic. Her niece, Minou, currently serving her second term in the Dominican Chamber of Deputies, continues her mother's work of empowering women and is postulated to one day become president of the Dominican Republic. The visit was particularly thrilling for students of Dominican descent, who, like Alvarez, had grown up hearing the story of the Mirabal sisters. At a dinner held in their honor, Minou and Dedé joined in singing the Dominican national anthem with their fellow countrymen, and exchanged stories and jokes. "My aunt's name is Minerva - named after Minerva Mirabal," said Nadeghda Gonzalez '09 proudly, whose family hails from the Dominican Republic.Yet reverence for Las Mariposas is not only shared by Dominicans - the Mirabals are truly international heroines. Alvarez's novel has been translated into over 10 languages, and in 1999 the United Nations proclaimed the anniversary of their deaths the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women."You place your thumb on the globe," mimed Alvarez, and suddenly, the "Dominican Republic disappears." That the memory of these three brave women has risen from "this tiny, tiny country" to figure prominently on the international stage is monumental.Posthumously they remain emblematic not only as crusaders of women's rights and democracy but also as testaments to a darker, invisible tract of American history. Over the years, the United States has exhibited significant "amnesia about the rest of America," asserted Alvarez. What of the genocides on our side of the Atlantic? Those killed by Trujillo are but a small portion of the "lost generation" in South America. What of "Los Desaparecidos"(the disappeared) in Argentina, the deceased in Chile and Nicaragua? For too long, sighed Alvarez, the U.S has provided "democracy for our [U.S. citizens] consumption, and dictatorship for export." The American government's historic propensity to cloak its economic and political interests beneath a pretense of spreading democracy has severely crippled development in many Latin American countries. Yet it seems that, finally, "the U.S. has changed the values they are promoting," asserted Minou. "Freedom. Democracy. Human Rights." Such principles are now shifting to the forefront of U.S. diplomacy.Despite the incredible travesty that their family endured, it is peace and empowerment that Dedé and Minou Mirabal wish to promote. The future of the world is on the shoulders of today's youth, and above all they wish to continue to inspire change and promote social justice. The work of Las Mariposas is not yet finished, their legacy shall live on through Dedé and Minou. Ultimately, said Alvarez, "We must forgive, but we can't forget."
(11/02/06 12:00am)
Author: Margaret McFadden There is no doubt about it, Middlebury College cultivates a culture of community concern. Some students volunteer with AIDS education programs in Africa, "give up" Feb break to build houses with Habitat or put off a pressing assignment to spend time with a Community Friend. A few years ago students involved with Project Biobus made the headlines of CNN as they drove a vegetable-powered bus across the US, one of many campus-wide efforts to raise awareness about climate change. These public expressions of altruism and activism come at a time when faith is relegated to the private sphere. In a culture where religious initiatives are stigmatized by contemporary politics, groups are quick to claim many motivations for service, except the five-letter word, faith, that carries a slew of unwanted associations.In an upcoming symposium, "Challenging Complacency: Do Christians Care About Social Justice?" members of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship want to challenge the notion that social activists must not claim Christianity and that Christians need not engage socially. Students in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship believe that faith provides something unique to the demand for a more just world. Jesus made radical claims about the poor, and while the institutional church has often failed to realize these ideals, they provide powerful motivation in the human struggle to advocate justice. Christianity has represented a drastic range of contradiction. There has been war and peace, oppression and liberation, bigotry and compassion…all in the name of Christ. In the midst of these inconsistencies, InterVarsity students have assembled a diverse group of intellectuals and activists to interpret the struggles of the past and provide hope for the future. The symposium events will represent the synthesis of intellectual inquiry and experiential service that lies at the heart of the religion. The students hope to explore the intersection of Christian belief, politics, history and most particularly, social justice. There are no trite answers, but they hope to learn together how to advance the human struggle to end injustice. The College has provided funding to bring a range of nationally renowned scholars and advocates to campus on Nov. 9-11. On Thursday, Nov. 9 the symposium will kick off with an address by the keynote speaker, Shane Claiborne, founder of "The Simple Way," a radical faith community that serves the homeless in Philadelphia. He will incorporate his life experience and personal conviction in a talk titled "Living the Revolution of Love: Christianity as a Way of Life." Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat, University of Toronto professor and resident of a solar-powered organic farm, will use biblical text to challenge current patterns of consumerism in her talk entitled "Christianity, Consumer Culture and Empire: The Biblical Story as Witness Against Social and Environmental Injustice." Author of the well-known book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Dr. Ron Sider will speak about poverty in his talk "Christian Faith and Global Poverty: And What Christians are Actually Doing." Lamont Hiebert, a musician who created the organization Justice for Children International, will give a concert on Saturday, Nov. 11. Justice for Children International seeks to prevent child sex trafficking and provides assistance for young victims of sex trafficking. A week of service projects will follow weekend events, allowing students to respond to the call to social concern through outreach to the local community. Service projects sites include the Rutland Jail and the John Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes. Other symposium events are a Celtic Mass for Peace and a silent retreat at Weston Priory in Weston, Vermont, where students will be encouraged to meditate on the voiceless and oppressed. For more details please visit the website: http://community.middlebury.edu/~cf/symposium.htm.MARGARET McFADDEN '07AN ENGLISH MAJORFrom Adams, N.Y.
