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(11/20/03 12:00am)
Author: Joshua Carson, Ilyse Mehlman and Myra Palmero Debate Tournament Takes over BiHall Debate teams from across the Northeast converged on Bicentennial Hall this weekend to participate in an American Parliamentary Debate Associate tournament hosted by the Middlebury Debate Society (MDS). Because Middlebury hosted the event, the team was not able to participate in the actual debates, but instead acted as judges. The final round pitted Harvard against Boston University but after a seven to two decision passed by the Middlebury judges, Boston University walked away with the victory. The event hosted 32 debate pairs from Cornell, Brown, Boston University, Vassar, Hamilton, Brandeis, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who participated in the "Oktoberfest in November" themed tournament. Capped by a catered banquet from Dog Team Tavern and a party with a live performance by Penelope, debaters argued over topics ranging from "global politics to questions of constitutional law to hypothetical moral dilemmas," according to Vice President of MDS Andrew Gustafson '04. While the issues were heavy, Gustafson promises that "the atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, though that is not to say the actual debate rounds were any less intense." The tournament was organized into five rounds followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and a final round. The two opposing teams were split - one formulating the argument for the government and the other for the opposition. The government team is allotted 10 minutes to prepare and organize an argument, which it then presents to the opposition, who must make a statement and rebuttal without any prior knowledge of the topic. Teams are awarded points based on "organization, compelling speaking style, confidence, clarity, good analysis and sound logical argumentation," said Gustafson. Overall, Gustafson concluded, "most of the rounds were marked by good humor and spirited engagement."Seniors Nominated as Rhode Scholar Candidates Three seniors, Douglas Haber '04, Simon Isaacs '04 and Joseph Palombo '04, were nominated as candidates for the 2004 Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University. Granted to exemplary students in all facets of academic and extracurricular life who maintain a GPA of 3.7 and higher, Rhodes scholarships honor the ideal student. Every year, 32 American students between the ages of 18 and 24 are awarded the scholarships, which allow them to study at Oxford for two years. In the past, Middlebury students have been awarded the scholarships in 1980, 1989, 1993 and 1994. Since 1998 Middlebury has sent one or two of its students to district interviews annually. Because of the frequency of its students ending up as Rhodes finalists, Middlebury has recently been surveyed as part of a study that looked into the life and work of former Rhodes Scholars.To apply for the scholarship, students must first be nominated by the College. The current Rhodes nominees have gone through a screening process performed by the British Scholarship Selection Committee, consisting of Professor of English Elizabeth Napier, Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science Murray Dry, Associate Professor of Economics Peter Matthews and Professor of History Paul Monod. The committee reviewed initial applications and conducted selection interviews to determine whether the students were qualified for a formal application. The initial application consists of five to eight letters of recommendation, a 1,000-word personal statement, a mock interview and a list of activities. Students are encouraged to apply at the time when their application appears most competitive, because winning a Rhodes scholarship through a second application is difficult.On Nov. 19, the three candidates attended the Rhodes scholarship state interviews. Vandalism Plagues New DormsWhile many students boogied to 80s hits in Ross Dinning Hall during "Viva Ross Vegas" last Saturday night, others took to vandalizing college property within Ross Commons. Assistant Director for Administration for the Department of Public Safety Melody Perkins said, "At approximately 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16, one of our officers was patrolling Milliken, Hadley, Kelly, Lang and Ross when she came upon vandalized college property in several areas of the complex. On the third floor of Hadley, she found a broken wall mount hallway light." Perkins confirmed that three more hallway lights were found broken outside of the fitness area. At around 2:00 a.m., another patrolling officer came across further damage. An exit sign was torn from the ceiling of Hadley's first floor and ceiling tiles were broken and strewn all over the hallway. Another wall mount lighting fixture was broken. Later a third officer identified a student in the process of committing an act of vandalism.So who will pay for the necessary repairs? Perkins said, "The student who was observed damaging College property outside of the complex will be responsible for that damage." Ross Commons Dean Janine Clookey was unavailable to answer questions regarding the overall costs of the damage and who will pay for repairs.
(11/20/03 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] As discussion on the future of Winter Term continues on campus, speculation mounts as to what calendar could replace the current system. Dean of Faculty, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of English Alison Byerly said that the Educational Affairs Committee (EAC) plans to submit a proposal regarding Winter Term to the faculty sometime in January. At that point, faculty members can propose amendments to the options presented, or submit their own idea. The Student EAC, led by Stephen Clarke '04.5, is currently working with the EAC, offering input to help develop options. "We are still looking at several alternative proposals," Byerly said. "The EAC's proposal will represent the best way to address the Winter Term Issue." There are several components to the Winter Term issue to be considered: Any change decided upon this year would not take effect for another four years at the least. "It will not be a sudden, dramatic change," said Byerly. "If [Middlebury] went to a two-semester system, changes to several other aspects of the curriculum would have to take place as well." Current possibilities include switching the calendar to a two 14-week semester system and reshaping Winter Term. Aspects of Winter Term being considered for revision include decreasing the number of Winter Terms students are required to take - fewer required Winter Terms means that less courses would have to be offered each term - and modifying distribution and curriculum requirements to compensate for changes made. The faculty will vote to make the final decision regarding Winter Term from a curriculum standpoint. Officially, however, the Board of Trustees must approve any changes made to the College Calendar. While the costs associated with Winter Term are significant, the primary reason to alter the 4-1-4 system is not budgetary. The EAC is not considering options that would restrict instructional time. A change to a two 14-week semester calendar likely means that there would be a longer winter and/or Thanksgiving break.Byerly asserts that this review of Winter Term is about the curriculum. "Students feel it is about a lifestyle change," she said. "The faculty mostly considers the academic aspects. The courses offered have to be sufficiently challenging to justify the break between fall and spring, [they] have to be worthy of the Middlebury curriculum."
(11/20/03 12:00am)
Author: Pierce Graham-Jones Embroiled somewhere in the vicinity of the recent debate about the worth of Winter Term is a surge of Winter Term course offerings centered on aspects of Middlebury College. These are courses that could never be offered at another college - not because of some unmatchable Middlebury resource or innovation, but because the courses treat a portion of the institution within which they are taught. In fiction, it's called metafiction. In life, metaphysics. Does the concept of meta-academics work? According to Lecturer in English & Film and Media Culture Don Mitchell, "The tragedy... is that such opportunities don't present themselves more often." He is referring to opportunities such as that embodied in his course, "The Modern Novel at Middlebury," which will critically examine the novels of five Middlebury professors. This course, along with "The Collegiate Way of Living: Middlebury's Commons in Historical Context" and "Middlebury College and American Higher Education" deliver the newest, and largest, semester's worth of Middlebury College's offerings focused on Middlebury College.This phenomenon traces back to the Winter Term of 1999, when Professor of History Jim Ralph first taught "Middlebury College and American Higher Education." The following year, three courses were offered under the heading "Middlebury and the Bicentennial" - Ralph's course, " 'The Town's College:' The Practice of Local History" and "Diversity at Middlebury: An Historical View." After nearly 205 academic years, Middlebury professors have only implemented self-examination as a subject of course studies in the past five. Inevitable questions arise: "Does this trend make sense? Should subject matter be mixed with the academia within which it is taught?" Nobody interviewed for this article saw a reason why it should not. In fact, they rallied behind the idea. As Scott Kleiman '06, co-chair of Ross Commons Council and future student in "The Collegiate Way of Living," said, "Contrary to detracting from my ability to examine the subject matter, I think that my (and Middlebury's) experience with the commons will allow students to tie the theoretical aspects of the class into the real-life occurrences at Midd, thus furthering the depth of examination." His instructor-to-be Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Robert O'Hara takes this one step further, arguing that individual experience with the subject matter is integral: "I would hope very much that [the students] will bring their personal experiences and ideas to the course so I will be able to learn from them and they will be able to learn from each other. Only through the collision of ideas, as John Stuart Mill says, will our understanding advance," he said. This, however, might be the very problem. A typical class of Middlebury students would have had much more similar direct experience with the commons system than they will have had with "world poverty," one of the possible topics of "Contemporary Moral Issues," a course which also depends upon a collision of students' ideas. Usually, as a consequence of Middlebury's commitment to diversity, students will bring much different experience, both in breadth and type, to any given subject matter. This diversity is partially expunged when the subject matter is the one thing that the classmates all have in common - Middlebury College.With Mitchell's course, on the other hand, one of the major purposes of the course is to familiarize students with an aspect of Middlebury that they have not been exposed to - the literary creations of their professors. And he is quick to acknowledge the obvious objection. "I suppose someone might be wary that the level of critical engagement with 'home-team' texts would tend to be superficial and somewhat laudatory and self-congratulatory. But anyone who would feel that way must obviously a) not know me, and my style of teaching, and b) must not understand that serious writers thrive not on obsequious adulation, but on being read seriously and considered with critical acumen by engaged and intelligent readers." However, since the grouping of authors and their novels is based solely on Middlebury College (not a traditional point of literary comparison), their grouping could be interpreted as literarily artificial. Thus, insofar as it is a course of critical examination, it cannot be as coherent as a carefully arranged examination of, say, "The Realistic Novel." At the very least, it is a variation on the professor's usual method of composing a syllabus based on books of particular interest or connectivity to him or her within a literary genre or era. Ralph sees his course as a "window" into the subject of higher education "through the prism of Middlebury College." That is both the innovation, and the dilemma, of all three of these courses. There are great advantages to using material that is close at hand - Mitchell notes that "many or most of the authors we'll be reading are planning to attend a class meeting to directly answer questions about their work" and Ralph and O'Hara will both be able to draw from the benefit of all of their students having had personal experience with the subject matter. But there are also potential sacrifices. The ultimate priority will be to acknowledge the process of self-examination. Assistant Professor of English Timothy Billings agrees that it makes sense to mix subject matter with the academia within which it is taught "insofar as the best intellectual inquiry always includes within its scope the conditions under which that inquiry is undertaken."
(11/20/03 12:00am)
Author: Nicolas Emery Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Paris with a planeload of Italian tourists. Now I'm sure most of us are familiar with the stereotypical American tourist, and I dare say may have even participated in propagating that notoriously ignorant and obnoxiously loud stereotype throughout the world. Interested in comparing the Italian variety to what I know of the Americans, I observed them closely during our journey together on Ryanair from Milan-Bergamo airport to Paris-Beauvais. As far as I could tell, I was one of two Americans on the flight to Paris. Fortunately, this allowed me to observe the Italians in their natural habitat, without outside contamination. We sat awaiting our plane at the designated gate while the time for departure approached when an announcement shook me from my furtive observations. There had been a change of gates. A collective cry of indignation and sheer outrage immediately rose from the masses, quickly followed by a torrent of raised voices spouting unintelligible Italian. The herd galloped to the new gate and clustered around the one poor, poor woman manning it. This woman had the pitiless job of dealing with a mob of indignant Italians on vacation. Needless to say, Italians do not form lines. They simply cluster around their objective point like a swarm of bees around the queen. Eventually the chaos subsided and resulted in everyone happily seated onboard the plane. We landed in Beauvais airport after an uneventful jump over the Alps and soon I was picking up my bag at the baggage claim. There I noticed how helpful everyone was to each other - more often than not, complete strangers would help others heft their bags off the conveyor belt. Nobody hesitated to ask others for help and nobody hesitated in assisting. I have noticed this impressive quality in many other aspects of Italian life as well. Italian university students commonly ask to photocopy each other's notes if they're missing a few days or weeks of class - and this doesn't happen just between friends, anyone is fair game. When everybody's bags were sorted out we found that an hour and a half ride on a bus separated us from Paris. Another mob formed around the one working the ticket machine, and after 15 minutes of heated discussion interspersed with shouting, everyone had figured out the French ticket machine and migrated outside to find six busses lined up. After considerable confusion regarding which was the correct bus to the city, the horde was safely seated on the bus and en route. The Italians, of whom I had grown quite fond of at this point, ooohed and ahhhed in chorus at the shockingly yellow foliage of the trees in the height of autumn and the lush green fields in the French countryside. Meanwhile, I put on my GianMarcoVenturi sunglasses and smiled, thinking how glad I was to feel a part of this crazy group of Italian tourists on their way to Paris. The Italian man behind me said, "Do we speak English now? It's all different here..."
(11/13/03 12:00am)
Author: Chris Grosso The term "Arcadia" is reserved to identify a special place of simple pleasure and tranquility. Arcadian landscapes have furnished countless paintings and served as backdrops to pastoral poetries. To characterize a region in such a way is a testament to its magnificence. For almost two decades, Richard H. Saunders, the director of the Middlebury College's Museum of Art, has witnessed and taken part in fostering a similar atmosphere at Middlebury.On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Saunders, in his inaugural lecture as Walter Cerf Distinguished College Professor, explained, "For the past 10 to 15 years, Middlebury has been an Arcadian environment - its campus, its people and its programs of unequal caliber. The museum has been a small part of this greatness." Since his arrival Saunders has played an integral role in energizing the Museum and supporting the arts at Middlebury. Saunders came to the College in 1985, and during his time here, the Museum has profited from successful fundraising, expanded from the original galleries in Johnson to the CFA, hosted over 100 exhibits and published over 100 catalogs. He has prepared several manuscripts on "The American Face: Portraits from 1675 - 2000." He is a Trustee of the Shelburne Museum and a consultant of American Folk Art for Sotheby's. His most recent achievement, a tribute to his dedication and loyalty, is his appointment to the Walter Cerf Distinguished College Professorship. Walter Cerf was born in Berlin in 1907 to a wealthy Jewish family that owned a major European securities firm. After earning a philosophy degree in Germany, he came to America in 1936 with his family, leaving much of their fortune behind. Cerf was driven to succeed in his adopted home. He quickly learned English and enrolled at Princeton University, where he would go on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy and become a world-class professor. When Cerf retired from teaching and moved to Lancaster, Vt., he nurtured his love for art and education. He attended galleries and arts shows, appraising artwork and accumulating his own collection. Art, along with Cerf's other interests such as business, science and philosophy, became an inspiration for philanthropy. Cerf died Oct. 26, 2001, leaving $20 million to be divided between Princeton, Brooklyn College and the Weizmann Institute for Science in Israel. Cerf also left a good portion of his estate to Middlebury College. It is with this money that the Cerf Professorship has been endowed. The position is a culmination and symbol of Cerf's dedication, generosity and passion for art and education. Saunders is honored to celebrate his close friend's life. In his first lecture as the Distinguished Professor, Saunders focused on "An American Painter in Arcadia: Jasper Cropsey in Italy, 1847-1849." In front of a healthy crowd in Dana Auditorium, he enthusiastically spoke about the itinerant history and the picture postcard-like work of the nineteenth century American painter. Saunders explained that the recent acquisition of the College is typical of Cropsey's later work - the motif of New England autumn with glorious and brilliant color. The subject of Saunder's lecture was fitting since Cerf was drawn to Vermont because of its picturesque towns and agricultural landscape, which physically reminded him of his German homeland - and was similar to the landscapes of Cropsey.
(11/13/03 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] To the Editor: As the world listened to President Bush's idealistic and political redefinition of America's foreign policy in his speech to the National Endowment for Democracy last week, it seems we are forgetting a vital element for well-being: a healthy economy. Prosperity, history has shown, can also begin through economic change. Take China. Its booming economy grew out of the market liberalization policies of a government that remains politically monolithic and ardently authoritarian. The Bush administration should concentrate on creating a stable, more liberal economy in Iraq. They need to replace the survival economy and black markets with a safe, controlled system where entrepreneurs can fearlessly initiate businesses. As the economy stabilizes, it should be liberalized into a free market economy. It may not be in line with the democratic crusade Bush has propagated, nor with Iraqi conservativism, but in this post-ideological Cold War age where money is power, the Bush administration might try a different tack for success - economic success. Joyce Man '06International Studies MajorHong Kong, ChinaTo the Editor:President Bush's refusal to acknowledge a recent incline in American casualties is both disrespectful and counterproductive. The Pentagon's ban on media coverage of the U.S. military mortuary in Dover, Del., coupled with Bush's silence, indicates governmental insecurity with the facts. I would much prefer our leader face the anguishing toll of his war - thereby affirming the precious cost of democracy - than watch the public be placated with patriotism.At the very least, Bush's acknowledgment of our casualties would unite supporters and critics alike in the quest for an efficient exit plan from Iraq. Bush's directness is needed to remind the public of the danger tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers face, secure for them an appreciative homecoming and affirm the great memory of those sacrificed. He owes the dead at least that much. Rachel Dunlap '06.5English and Theater MajorPortland, Ore.To the Editor:How can Americans stand united on the war with Iraq when it is justified dishonestly? Bush gave us three main reasons for going to war: to combat terrorism, to eliminate weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and to promote democracy. The "combat terrorism" argument is rarely given anymore, as there was little or no evidence of Saddam being involved with 9/11. As for WMD, both Pakistan and North Korea have more active weapons than Iraq and have shown a willingness to use them. If Iraq had WMD, would they not have already attempted to employ them? Then, the United States claims they will be in charge of setting up democracy in Iraq after its victory. Will this democracy be like those set up in Haiti, the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua, where our occupation has only laid the foundations for dictatorships? It seems to me that the argument for war would be much more compelling if there were some honest or justifiable reason given for it.Danielle Barbeau '07UndeclaredWoodstock, Conn.To the Editor:President Bush's rally for fresh troops in Iraq has become a concern not only to U.S. soldiers and their families, but also to the general civilian population that must foot the bill. The Senate has agreed to Bush's request for $87 billion to rehabilitate Iraq and Afghanistan, but questions over whether the U.S. military can truly transform Iraq persist. After all, what effective nation-building experience does the United States have? Before signing off on billion-dollar tabs or sending thousands of additional soldiers, Bush needs to rethink whether military troops are adequate for the task. The real problem, after all, is changing the way people think, helping them overcome their fears and encouraging them to become involved in democratic institutions. Bush needs the help of veteran politicians and experts who can help bridge the cultural divide and communicate these ideas effectively. Only thus can America successfully establish a democratic government in Iraq. Catherine Hu '06International Studies MajorIthaca, N.Y.
(11/13/03 12:00am)
Author: Benjamin Salkowe Addressing families at the second Fall Family Weekend, President John McCardell noted that Middlebury College shares a special relationship with the local community, having been "founded by and named after the town." The following day, he made actions of his words when he presented seven Middlebury community members with Middlebury College Bicentennial Citizens' Awards. "These awards recognize the close and historic relationship of the College and town of Middlebury," McCardell remarked at a reception Sunday Nov. 2 before the ceremony's dinner.The 2003 medals were awarded to Dr. Diana Barnard, Patricia Boera, Betty Jo Calhoun, Helen G. Haerle, Henry B. Prickitt, Lawrence E. Volkert and Gregory Wry.In a press release, Secretary of the College Eric Davis explained the criteria. "The medals [are] presented to residents of Addison County who have helped strengthen the community and whose service has been sustained and distinguished. Oftentimes, their efforts have gone unrecognized for many years," he wrote. Although the College's actual bicentennial was in 2000, the award ceremony is an annual affair to demonstrate "that the town and the College share both a history and a future," Davis said.Nominations for the medals were taken from members of the College community, with the final selections being made by McCardell and others in the administration. Barnard provides medical services to underserved patients through Middlebury Family Health and also Community Health Services of Addison County Open Door Clinic. She is a member of the Porter Hospital Ethics and Palliative Care Committees and the Middlebury-based nonprofit Virtual Foundation. Boera has been the associate director of career planning at Champlain College for 13 years, the director of Middlebury's Festival-on-the-Green for 25 years and also a volunteer at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. She has also volunteered for the Middlebury Community Players and the Middlebury Business Association. Calhoun has served the Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center both on the board of directors and as the organization's acting director. She was the auditor of the town of Cornwall and a member of the town's planning commission for nine years. She acted as treasurer of the capital campaign of the Addison County Humane Society for two years. She was also a member of the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association for nine years and the Porter Medical Center Auxiliary for six years.Haerle worked at Lazarus Department Store from 1974 to 1984 and owned and operated the store from 1984 to 1996. She was a founding board member of Addison County Home Health Care and an active member of the Middlebury Business Association from 1984 to 1996. She also served on the board of directors of Middlebury Union High School from 1970 to 1977 and on the Middlebury Planning Commission since 1996. Prickitt, Henry Norman Hundson professor emeritus of English, is on the board of the Addison County Community Action Group, the United Way of Addison County and Hospice Volunteer Services, where he currently holds the position of board president, as well. An honorary trustee of the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Prickett is also one of the founders of the Middlebury Community Players.Volkert works at Shaw's Supermarket in Middlebury. Volkert was the chairman of the town's Memorial Day Parade for 27 years and is currently the treasurer of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, an organization he has served for 19 years. He also serves as treasurer and on the board of directors of the Middlebury Community Players. Wry, owner of Greg's Meat Market for 22 years, has been a leading volunteer and member of the Middlebury Lions Club for 21 years and of the Middlebury Business Association for four years. Beyond recognizing those "whose service was in many ways unsung," McCardell said the awards recognize the College's special relationship with the town, a relationship that plays a role in the liberal arts education. "Students who come here are a part of the campus community, to be sure, but are also members of the larger community that is the town of Middlebury," he said.It is this perspective that sets Middlebury apart from so many of its peer institutions. In the popular Princeton Review's Best 351 College Rankings, Connecticut College, Bates College and the University of Pennsylvania are all highlighted for their "strained town-gown relations." Just before Middlebury celebrated the bicentennial of its founding by the town in 2000, community and college relationships in Williamstown were so tried that The Williams Record reported, "Relations between Williams College and the community are so strained that the only way the community can make its voice heard is to threaten to institutionalize an antagonistic stance towards the College."While McCardell would not call the friendly "town-gown" relations of Middlebury unique, he noted, "There are many ties of friendship that bind those who work and study at the College with those who live in town but have no formal College connection." Aside from opportunities for employment and work-study opportunities for students, as well as good dining and entertainment, there is no disputing that the interaction of town members on campus contributes to the Middlebury experience. McCardell noted, "Perhaps the very best place, of many, to witness that reality, is at a home hockey game in Kenyon Arena."
(11/13/03 12:00am)
Author: Abbie Beane If it had not performed in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall, one may have been hard pressed to tell I Fagiolini, a distinguished English choral ensemble, apart from a group of experienced actors and actresses. Not only did the ensemble's performance on Thursday night ring with the sensational chords of altos and tenors, but also with animated theatrics comparable to a troupe of expert comedians. I Fagiolini (pronounced fajoleenee) Italian for "the little beans," has sung at Middlebury in the past, putting on a show in 1999 when they were in residence coaching various Middlebury singing groups. And this year the College's Chamber Singers were lucky enough to harness the group's wise words of musical know-how when they worked together last week. The community also had the good fortune of having the opportunity to watch a fine-tuned concert, where I Fagiolini generously dished up a second helping of their vocal worth.As distinctive figures on the world vocal scene who have played everywhere from Western Europe to Hong Kong and Egypt, I Fagiolini is far from a group of starving artists obligated to play for the small college category in order to round up a following. Long established, I Fagiolini's reputation is grounded in the classics of Renaissance vocal ensemble and flagged by a spirited approach. As further testimony, the group has even released 12 CDs, the most recent being, "Thomas Tomkins - Music Divine" and "Andrea Gabrieli - The Madrigal in Venice: Politics, Dialogues and Pastorales." This is, however, their first full U.S. tour. I Fagiolini devoted the first part of their performance to renowned English composer, Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), singing "See, See the Shepards Queen," "Weep no More" and "When David Heard." Striding onto the stage, dressed mostly in black, Fagiolini looked professional, but not imposing, confident, yet amiable, exuding a warmth and a sound that filled the silence of the hall.The following trio of songs really picked up the pace, paying homage to Italian composer, and arguably the most important musician in the late 16th and early 17th century, Claudio Monteverdi. The three madrigals from "Il quarto libro de madrigali" brimmed with expressions of embittered love and a sobering recognition of the pain, abandon and risk that passion for another uncontrollable human being entails. The first piece was well executed, the leading soprano lending energy to the four other singers, while the second I Fagiolini described as "erotic" and the third as a song filled with "musical bits of word painting." Finally, the third set of songs courtesy of Tompkins, I Fagiolini described as "one of the finest collections of the age," although people tend to think of it as an "afterthought." The most charged song of the trio was "Too much I once lamented," which contained a laughable number of "fa la las," that I Fagiolini called an "excuse for dancing." Almost sarcastically, Robert Hollingsworth, spokesman of the group continued, "They are expressions that couldn't take words. They were so powerful." The vocalist standing like a tall, brawny and jolly bookend on the periphery of the ensemble, in spirit was at the center of it, stealing the show with his relentless, animated grin and boisterous mannerisms. First he would act in refusal of the "fa la las," and then abruptly, he would happily embrace them, delighting the audience.The last half of the performance may have been the most memorable, serving as a platform to exhibit comedic types, which when incorporated into the vocals, made for a more entertaining and well-rounded final product. With the Hall's harpsichord dressed up as a boat, the audience was meant to take a trip up the canal from Venice to Padua to meet this hoard of characters. From the quayside departure among noisy gondoliers, some of the passengers introduced themselves (being a courtesan, a moneylender and a drunken German) to do a little of bad singing. Yet this innocuous bit of fun turned into the amorous details of the education of Rizzolina, a commedia stereotypes, transforming the boat into a spicy cruise vessel right out of the popular dating show "Ship Mates." A prayer-meeting was then broken up by more madrigals and popular love songs while the male vocalists attempted to woo the two ladies of the ensemble. I Fagiolini warned the audience of two things - first of all, that the humor in the opening explanations of each scene of the story would not be politically correct, and secondly that some of the comedic characters may not be familiar since their language would be filled with "clever jokes in Venetian dialect." I Fagiolini also cautioned any Tuscan Italians in the audience that the ensemble would be singing collectively in a Venetian accent. "There are always one or two in a crowd," the spokesman said. And it was with this sprinkling of charm, dash of humor and dollop of talent that I Fagiolini successfully won the support of the College in the second round. I Fagiolini exited on a standing ovation.
(11/13/03 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] The students have spoken. As the faculty launches its review of Winter Term, a commanding majority of respondents to The Middlebury Campus' poll expressed support for the one-month, one-course interlude between the fall and spring semesters. Ninety seven percent said Winter Term should be preserved. An additional 77 percent ranked it integral to the Middlebury experience.The statistics amount to nothing less than a "save J-Term" consensus in the student body. The editorial board of The Campus now joins this chorus of support for Winter Term, which we consider a hallmark of the curriculum.The faculty is wise to periodically reassess Winter Term's role in the academic calendar. The goal, however, should be to strengthen the Middlebury tradition - not to eliminate it. Winter Term is part and parcel of Middlebury's vision for higher education. The College's curriculum -steeped in the liberal arts - aims to combine depth and breadth of academic experience. Winter Term can inspire both. Unfettered by the competing pressures of the regular semester, students channel their energy into a discipline of their choice, be it in their specialty or the farthest thing from it.Physics majors may take a leap of faith and enroll in a dance class, stretching their academic horizons. Senior English majors, on the other hand, are obligated to sign up for senior comprehensive examinations to consolidate the knowledge they've already acquired in the field. To borrow words from the College Catalog: "This intensely concentrated term allows students to gain great efficiency in learning as they study a single technique, problem or body of material." When we asked alumni reflect on their Winter Term experiences, personal narratives poured in. Their fond memories powerfully confirm Winter Term's role in the Middlebury experience. For some, it was the single most memorable part of their college careers.There's no denying that Winter Term also enlivens the otherwise dark, frigid month of January in Vermont. Activities ranging from skiing to snow shoeing to ice climbing lure students outdoors to take advantage of all the region's recreational offerings. The Winter Term course schedule thankfully enables this engagement with the outdoors in a way the traditional, four-course semester never could.With a united voice, students and alumni alike rally behind Winter Term. As The Campus probes Winter Term in its news coverage, the editorial board will continue to comment on key areas of concern: Will the Febs become Jans? What will become of the intensive Winter Term classes that are a staple of foreign language program?For now, we ask the faculty to acknowledge student and alumni support for Winter Term by striving to strengthen the January tradition, not devise alternatives that bypass it.
(11/13/03 12:00am)
Author: Zoey Burrows The Middlebury College Chamber Singers recently performed their fall concert, a sophisticated and poignant presentation of some of the College's most talented student voices. The concert incorporated a refreshing array of composers, languages and subject matter. The group sang about life's many wonders, from the hardships of winter in French to the love of a song-bird in Italian. Director Jeff Rehbach pointed out that one of the last songs on the program quite appropriately made mention of the moon as the weekend's lunar eclipse progressed outside.The 23-person group walked onto the CFA stage promptly at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. Eclectically dressed in white, blue and red blouses (and pink hair of one female member), the singers commenced with two songs from the English anthem tradition. Next they sang three renditions of Ave Maria in Latin and English, the first written in 1497 and the second in 1928. The last of the three renditions, composed by Morten Lauridsen in 1997, was rich in dynamic change, with foreboding harmonies reminiscent of the beautiful Civil War film "Dances with Wolves." Sophomore Alyssa Jumars said that the Ave Maria set was by far her favorite of the program. Community Chorus member Marcy Smith, particularly liked the second Ave Maria song for its "soaring and flowing" tendencies. Claude Debussy's "Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans," published in 1910, came next. The first two movements were decidedly more modern than the previous songs, distinguished by difficult, atonal harmonies. However, the group's pitch and quality of sound did not waver. Soloists Mary Montgomery '04, Jessica Isler '04, Daniel Koppel '04 and Scott Guenther '06 sang commendably throughout. Former group member Sarah Pieplow '04 especially enjoyed the group's performance of the Debussy piece and was impressed by "their sense of group and musicality."For all but one song in the program, the singers stood in mixed arrangements, sopranos standing by tenors and basses by altos. Their varied positioning successfully achieved a unified and interesting sound, the singers expressing no apparent difficulty finding their respective notes. The final two sets included a group of lute-songs and madrigals, and a more contemporary choral settings by Estonian composer Arvo Part and American Eric Whitacre. Whitacre's songs closed the program on a serious note. Though evidently influenced greatly by the Beatles, Whitacre must have composed "Water Night" and "Sleep" when in a dark place, for both songs are strikingly beautiful, though somber and slow. After the last note was uttered, the audience was left to contemplate the meaning of such solemn themes. Montgomery especially enjoyed singing the Debussy piece and the Italian madrigals, for their levity and because "they are not church music and are well written for singers." Koppel especially enjoyed the last two Whitacre pieces. Both seniors said that they were pleased with the performance overall, especially considering that it occurred earlier in the semester than usual, leaving less time to prepare.The Chamber Singers formed only five years ago under the direction of Professor John Milson. Current director Jeff Rehbach was named conductor in April 2000. Selection to the group is becoming increasingly competitive as Middlebury students realize the joy of singing classical music. This fall only three new members were admitted from the Class of 2007 - soprano Elizabeth Vazquez, bass Adam Fazio and tenor Jason Grout. Look for their next performance in the spring arts calendar and get yourself to wherever they are.
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: David Barker When Gary Margolis '67 was a three-sport athlete at Middlebury College, his coach put it bluntly - "You're either a student or an athlete." Tackling this delicate and sometimes confused balance between athletics and academics provided the theme for the inaugural "Inspiration and Perspiration" symposium last Thursday. Margolis, now an associate professor of English and director of the Center for Counseling and Human Relations, was joined by Jay Parini, D.E. Axinn Professor of Creative Writing, retired UVM Professor of Biology Bernd Heinrich and Scholar-in-Residence and symposium organizer Bill McKibben. The four men discussed "endurance" in the classroom as well as on the athletic fields. Award-winning dancer Paul Matteson '00 and members of the College Dance Company performed short pieces to represent the night's theme. Given that there was no music, the stamina required to pull off the dramatic and graceful pieces was communicated to the audience in Dana Auditorium by the dancers' heavy breathing. "You really knew what hard physical work it was," said McKibben. Parini stood in contrast to the lithe, swan-like dancers, as he ambled to the podium with the grace of someone getting out of bed. He began,"I don't look like an athlete and there's a reason for that." Although he's a regular at noon hoops at Pepin Gym, Parini explained that his endurance is best witnessed at Steve's Park Diner just off Main Street, where he writes poetry every morning. "I've always admired the steady writer," he commented while discussing the feats of endurance scribes like Balzac and Anthony Trollope. Commenting on the ostensibly maniacal training of Middlebury athletes, Parini said, "Endurance requires love - not just hard work." Like Parini, Margolis drew on his experience as a writer to talk about endurance. His sports poetry has been collected in "American Sports Poems," including a piece on Michael Jordan, which was praised by the retired basketball legend. His reading of poems like "Slow Words for Shoreham and the Apple Blossom Derby" underscored the endurance needed to run the long-standing Shoreham road race. Practically bounding on stage like an antelope was Heinrich, who has combined his passions for ultra-distance running with writing about endurance physiology and the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of early humans. "We are descendants of endurance predators," he said. "Before the bow and the spear, our weapon was running." Because of our ability to get rid of heat through sweat glands, Heinrich thinks humans "are made to run." The audience shifted restlessly in their seats when Heinrich related his jaw-dropping records in the 100-kilometer, 100-mile and 24-hour run. In the span of 24 hours, Heinrich ran 157 miles on a quarter-mile track. "I've always admired him both as a writer and an endurance athlete," said McKibben of Heinrich. The 50 who remained for the screening of "Endurance" were treated to the story of Haile Gebrselassie, the famed Ethiopian distance runner who went from the impoverished Ethiopian grasslands to the medal stand at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Since President John McCardell has been a leader in the effort to define the changing role of Division III athletics, McKibben hopes to have a symposium next year to further the discussion about academics and athletics. Reflecting on the outcome of last week's symposium, McKibben said, "It was great fun watching people connect."
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: Chelsea Coffin Students, faculty, parents and friends gathered in Gifford Lounge to honor 21 sophomore students at the presentation of the Paul W. Ward '25 Memorial Prize last Friday. Dorothy Cate Ward '28 established the prize in 1978 in honor of her husband, Paul W. Ward '25, to recognize and award students for exceptional pieces of writing completed during their first year. Paul W. Ward was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the French Legion of Honor for his work as a journalist and diplomatic reporter. Supported by Ward's family, the prize is judged for qualities that he considered essential to conveying a message effectively to an audience: "Precise and exact usage of words, exact meanings and phrases expressed lucidly and gracefully." Grace E. Armstrong '06 won the first prize for "Privacy, Piracy and the DMCA," written for Assistant Professor American Civilization & Film and Media Culture Professor Jason Mittell's "America Media Industries" class. Her paper examined the future of intellectual property rights and their enforcement in light of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA).Throughout the semester, Mittell had been impressed by Armstrong's level of work in a 300-level class, assuming her to be an upperclassman until late in the semester. Mittell chose her essay for her logical explanation of "an idea that is not easy for students, faculty or the government to understand."In the excerpt of the paper Armstrong read aloud, she argued that although the rights of the intellectual copyright owner should be protected, privacy rights of the individual should not be violated in the process. Associate Professor of English and Assistant Dean for Instruction Kathleen Skubikowski welcomed the guests and emphasized the role of writing in a liberal arts education, stating, "We as faculty know the value of writing as a tool to communicate." Skubikowski also acknowledged Associate Professor of Theatre Leger Grindon and Assistant Professor of Writing Hector Vila for judging the nominated essays.Stewart Professor of English and Environmental Studies John C. Elder read a portion of his essay recently published in Tricycle, a contemporary Buddhist magazine, to open the presentation. His narrative connected a Robert Frost poem, "Dust of Snow," to an afternoon spent in the woods. Runner-ups included Memory B. Peebles '06 and Kate Elias '06, who were nominated for two papers. Sam W. Harnett '06, Jenny A. Kaplan '06 and April V. Peet '06.5 earned Honorable Mentions. Other nominees included Gonzalo A. Alonso '06, Sarah R. Applebaum '06, Alison T. Damick '06, Cole Dovey '06, Rachel E. Durfee '06, Rebeccah J. Duvoisin '06, Megan E. Guffin '06, Jessica L. Hallett '06, Mari Kim '06, Clifford S. McDonald '06, Martin Rajcan '06, Anna Spiegel '06, Tara S. Vanacore '06, Jessica P. Van Wagenen '06 and Elizabeth A. Zane '06.Their paper topics varied from the Gothic and Romanesque influences in a Middlebury church to electricity's arrival in Addison County to the role of fathers --- and everything in between. Submissions included traditional papers, creative writing and even Weblogs.
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: Matthew Clark The three girls are beautiful - the courageous, defiant, yet innocent beauty of youth. The Australian landscape is blistering yet sustaining. Hot, powdery dust coats faces and the camera lens. I should have loved it, this story of triumph and tragedy, but "Rabbit Proof Fence" was as slow as the girls plodding through the desert.The rabbit proof fence literally ties the country together. Running its entire length, the fence was built to keep the "rabbits out and the cattle in." The Australian government of the 1930s likens the "problem" of "Half-castes" - people of half aboriginal half English-Australian descent - to the problem of rabbits. Something has to be done. Mr. Neville, the devil, is running a program that will breed the aboriginal blood from half-castes one generation at a time. Slowly, the inferiors will be bred out. The irony of Mr. Neville's every utterance reminds us how deeply misinformed we can be. He speaks of how he is just helping the natives, "protecting them from themselves," and we look at Mr. Neville and hope we can protect ourselves from our own ignorance. The sincerity of his misguided endeavor reminds us of how dangerous we can be to ourselves. Under the Australian policy, children are kidnapped and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement where they are instructed in the ways of civilized Australians by nuns in divine white dresses."Rabbit Proof Fence" tells the story of three girls, 14-year old Molly, Daisy, who is eight years old and 10-year old Gracie, yanked from their screaming mother's arms and shipped in a cage to the Settlement. Molly is the most defiant and clearly the leader of the three. Before Moore River we see her stalking and capturing huge lizards to eat. As rain clouds brew and thunder echoes she leads them into the most lush stand of trees they will see for their entire 1,200 mile return to the small village of Jigolong.The truth of the story is what kept me engaged in this movie. It is a terrible bit of history - an amazing story of survival. There is a shot of the real Molly and Daisy, colorful women, bent over walking sticks at the end of the movie that forces the reality of the story upon the spectator.Despite the hope and the history, "Rabbit Proof Fence" moves slowly and predictably. I was a bit disgusted by what seemed to be a few Hollywood-inspired additions, one of which we see flying overhead in the Jigolog. The "spirit bird" appears again (of course) just as we are starting to lose hope of the girls' survival. I appreciate the attempt at capturing some of the "spirit" of the aboriginal tradition, but that bird was so clichÈd that it lost all its meaning.Following as straight a course as the rabbit proof fence, the movie had no real twists. It is a movie of close calls. The viewer knows the "calls" will only be "close" and so the fear and suspense surrounding the possibility of danger is lost. With evil always close on the heels of the three girls, they barely manage to outfox (but always do) the dark weathered face of the aboriginal tracker. Wouldn't you know that even when starvation seems eminent strangers offer fresh kangaroo leg to the women. People also offer shelter and direction, always in the nick of time. It felt very hokey and romanticized, like a movie I've seen a thousand times before.
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: Kelsey Rinehart "What would you find if you took the rutted dirt road up the mountain?" asks Lynne Howard in an essay entitled "SPiNning." For her part, when she took a left-hand turn on Route 125 East at a small black and white sign, Howard discovered Spirit in Nature (SPiN) at the end of the road. SPiN is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 by Vermont environmentalists that describes itself as "a place of interconnecting paths where people of diverse spiritual traditions may walk, worship, meet, meditate and promote education and action toward better stewardship of this sacred earth."Spirit in Nature is a growing organization that now includes over 250 general members. SPiN has a board of trustees, headed by President and local Unitarian Universalist minister Paul Bortz, which includes seniors Leah Koenig, Lila Buckley, Connie Hansen and Kelly Feeney as student trustees. Koenig and a few classmates created a publication that included, she recalled, "essays, photography, artwork and poetry related to humans' spiritual connection to the environment," which SPiN then circulated.Bortz later asked Koenig to be a liaison to Middlebury's campus. "Spirit in Nature considers itself to be integrally tied to the Middlebury College community and always has student representatives on its committee," Koenig said. She commented that one of SPiN's ongoing goals is simply to spread the word about its outdoor trails and to "develop the relationship between SPiN as an organization and the campus."Buckley, another student trustee who has been involved with SPiN for three years, echoed similar sentiments about the importance of SPiN on the Middlebury campus. "SPiN helps the school become less insular and interact with the Vermont ommunity. Our work in the environment is crucial in that we bring a message of spiritual interconnectedness and stewardship towards Earth." She also points out the SPiN paths are located on Middlebury College land, and that the group will take advantage of such proximity this year by leading student hikes and nature walks, as part of SPiN objective of drawing more student awareness and involvement in the organization.SPiN's contacts and path guides hail from many different faith groups, including Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Pagan, Buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, Bahai and Friends (Quaker). SPiN's day-to-day mission is to encourage environmental awareness within the community by way of these traditional religions and to encourage "action based on spiritually-sensitive concern for the environment," as the SPiN Web site states.SPiN's long-term goals are based on spreading the word on a larger scale. As part of this effort, "Spreading the Seeds" is a workshop that gives Spirit in Nature wheels, offering an example to communities in and around Vermont that are interested in developing a network of paths. SPiN hopes that these types of events will help the idea reach even further, prompting communities across North America to start interfaith environmental organizations and path networks of their own. The organization hopes that this transmission of the SPiN model would empower the religious communities in their response to the current environmental crisis.At SPiN, visitors can participate in "Arts and the Environment" activities, which encourage expression of the union between faith and nature. Though visitors may explore on their own, SPiN staff also lead youngsters and other community members on guided walks. Visitors can venture down ten different paths, which are marked with bright strips of nylon. The paths include Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Pagan Sacred Earth and Interfaith walks. At the entrance to each path, a small pedestal greets the traveler, reminding him, "Walking meditation is really to enjoy the walking - walking not in order to arrive, but just to walk." The organization holds events throughout the year, such as the "Winter Soup and Bread Series," which includes informal lectures and discussions featuring community religious leaders, authors and environmentalists. In the fall, SPiN offers annual courses based on the theme of "Neighborhood and Sustainable Living." Recent topics addressed have been "Sense of Place" and "Voluntary Simplicity," among others. Also in the fall is SPiN's "service action of unique goods and services," which, its Web site says, is an "environmentally sound, non-material way of fundraising" in which service items are tax-free contributions. The auction supports SPiN's environmental stewardship efforts.Spirit in Nature also bestows an annual Eco-Spirit Award, which "honors outstanding persons of faith who are making a difference to the environment." Past award recipients have included Scholar- in-Residence in Environmental Studies Bill McKibben in 2001 and Stewart Professor of English and Environmental Studies John Elder in 2002.Along the Unitarian Universalist path is a quotation by Pierre Van Passen, which reads, "Half of our misery and weakness comes from the fact that we have broken with the soil. And that we have allowed the roots that bound us to the earth to rot. We have become detached from the earth. We have abandoned her. And, when we abandon nature, we abandon ourselves." This statement embodies SPiN's essence, stated on its Web site as a "committ[ment] to experiencing nature and to education". "Ultimately," SPiN states, "we are committed to experiencing nature, and to education."
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: Megan Michelson "Going back to Somalia would be to plunge back into the flames. Going to America is a dream. It is the choice between the fire and paradise," says Abdullahi Ali Ahmed in the magazine Refugees, published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ahmed is one of 12,000 Somali Bantu-speaking refugees who the U.S. State Department has agreed to place within resettlement programs throughout the United States during the next two years. Around 200 refugees plan to relocate to Vermont with the assistance of the largest resettlement organization in the state, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. Most Bantu-speaking tribes in Somalia were brought to the East African country as slaves in the 1700s and have suffered as persecuted minorities for centuries. During the civil war in Somalia, which has lasted through the past decade, they have been living in refugee camps along the dangerous Somali-Kenyan border. In 2000, the United States agreed to help them find safer homes. This is the first time that there has been a resettlement of an entire ethnicity - the 12,000 expected refugees comprise 100 percent of Bantu-speaking Somalis. After strict security and physical examinations, as well as literacy and English language courses and an in-depth cultural orientation, thousands of refugees are currently being resettled in up to 50 towns and cities throughout the United States. "We are all illiterate, but we will learn," says 40-year-old refugee Mohammad Yarow in a Refugees magazine interview. "I will do anything. I will live wherever they put us. We will eat what you eat. We are very adaptable. In a few months, we will fit in to any new life. Our ancestors had to change from being Bantu to being Somali. We can do it again."The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program seeks to ease the transition to life in America, assisting in everything from job placement to finding housing and providing foreign language interpreters. Since last spring, three Somali Bantu families have immigrated to Vermont, and one more family is expected in the next month. The 19 individuals are currently living in Winooski - a Burlington suburb that accommodates the families due to its low cost housing and active public transportation system. "The families started out staying with host families for several weeks, and now they all have their own apartments. Most of the adults have found jobs, working in warehouses, hotels or restaurants, and several are still looking for employment," said Stacie Blake, the director of the Refugee Resettlement Program. The program has already approved the arrival of 60 refugees, but many are still detained by immigration and security regulations in African refugee camps. "The delay is a result of a combination of factors and problems within the camps, but the State Department has assured us that the glitches have been worked out. We should see the arrival of the rest of the Somali Bantu soon," said Blake. According to Blake, the resettlement of the first group of Somali Bantu has been extremely successful. "The Winooski and Burlington communities have been very welcoming. The schools have done everything they can to make the refugee students feel comfortable. The city management threw a welcome party for them, and the [local] police have come by to say hello," she explained. "We could not ask for a better start." There is, however, a degree of negative reaction to the influx of refugees in a state already inundated with its own financial and social problems. Some Vermonters argue that state facilities and funds will be depleted by foreign refugees, when they are needed for native residents. "It's important for us as a nation to be compassionate, but school budgets are going down. If we are having trouble educating the students we've got, the refugees place too much of a burden on the community," said Burlington resident Beth Cornwell-Friese in an interview with the Burlington Free Press. But the positive support remains ever present. "As the director of the program, on occasion I get a call that is pretty hateful. But at the same time, I have over 100 volunteers willing to help support the new families," said Blake. Nikki Holland '04 has experienced the community support behind the refugees firsthand. She began working as an intern at the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program this semester. Originally her main task was to find jobs for the refugees - helping with applications and assisting with interviews and job etiquette. Now, however, Holland has been assigned to help a specific Congolese family who has recently resettled in the Burlington area. She serves as their French translator and helps them do everything from buying groceries and winter clothes to setting up bank accounts and fixing kitchen appliances. She has been overwhelmed by the positive support from people in the area. "We were in the grocery store and an old Vermont farmer sat next to the Congolese mother on a bench outside. They proceeded to have a conversation with each other - her speaking French and him speaking English. Neither of them seemed to notice they weren't speaking the same language. The father of the Congolese family came over and shook the man's hand. It was an incredible sight," said Holland.As an African Studies major, Holland appreciates having the chance to apply what she's learning to actual personal interaction. "I'm finally working with people, not working with paperwork," she said. "It's nice to put real people and faces onto an issue that is important to me and important to the United States."For the Somali Bantu, as well as the other refugees from all over the world with whom the Resettlement Program works closely, the transition to life in America, and specifically life in Vermont, is not easy. "For the African refugees, the weather in Vermont is obviously questionable. But people adapt. It may not be the most pleasant initially, but it's certainly a better environment than where they have come from," said Holland. In fact, Vermont has a history of welcoming outsiders. In the past, large groups of Sudanese, Congolese, Albanian and Bosnian immigrants have successfully resettled in the Vermont communities. "Vermont is a liberal state and has been really receptive to refugee immigrants. From what I have seen, most people are not only willing to give and provide families with what they need, but they have also been interested in learning from them and seeing how the immigrants' experiences can benefit the local communities," Holland said.
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: Benjamin Salkowe Addressing families at the second Fall Family Weekend, President John McCardell noted that Middlebury College shares a special relationship with the local community, having been "founded by and named after the town." The following day, he made actions of his words when he presented seven Middlebury community members with Middlebury College Bicentennial Citizens' Awards. "These awards recognize the close and historic relationship of the College and town of Middlebury," McCardell remarked at a reception Sunday night before the ceremony's dinner.The 2003 Medals were awarded to Dr. Diana Barnard, Patricia Boera, Betty Jo Calhoun, Helen G. Haerle, Henry B. Prickitt, Lawrence E. Volkert and Gregory Wry.In a press release Monday, Secretary of the College Eric Davis explained the criteria. "The medals [are] presented to residents of Addison County who have helped strengthen the community and whose service has been sustained and distinguished. Oftentimes, their efforts have gone unrecognized for many years," he wrote. Although the College's actual bicentennial was in 2000, the award ceremony an annual affair to demonstrate "that the town and the College share both a history and a future," Davis said.Nominations for the medals were taken from members of the College community, with the final selections being made by McCardell and others in the administration. Barnard provides medical services to underserved patients through Middlebury Family Health and also Community Health Services of Addison County Open Door Clinic. She is a member of the Porter Hospital Ethics, Palliative Care Committees and the Middlebury-based nonprofit Virtual Foundation. Boera has been the associate director of career planning at Champlain College for 13 years, the Director of Middlebury's Festival-on-the-Green for 25 years and also a volunteer of the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. She has also volunteered for the Middlebury Community Players and the Middlebury Business Association. Calhoun has served the Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center both on the board of directors and as the organization's acting director. She was the auditor of the town of Cornwall and a member of the town's planning commission for nine years. She acted as treasurer of the capital campaign of the Addison County Humane Society for two years. She was also a member of the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association for nine years and the Porter Medical Center Auxiliary for six years.Haerle worked at Lazarus Department Store from 1974 to 1984 and owned and operated the store from 1984 to 1996. She was a founding board member of Addison County Home Health Care, an active member of the Middlebury Business Association from 1984 to 1996, served on the board of directors of Middlebury Union High School from 1970 to 1977 and on the Middlebury Planning Commission since 1996. Middlebury College Henry Norman Hundson Professor Emeritus of English Prickitt, is on the board of the Addison County Community Action Group, the United Way of Addison County and Hospice Volunteer Services, where he currently holds the position of board president, as well. An honorary trustee of the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Prickett is also one of the founders of the Middlebury Community Players.Volkert works at Shaw's Supermarket in Middlebury. Volkert was the chairman of the town's Memorial Day Parade for 27 years and is currently the treasurer of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, an organization he has served for 19 years. He also serves as treasurer and on the board of directors of the Middlebury Community Players. Wry, owner of Greg's Meat Market for 22 years, has been a leading volunteer and member of the Middlebury Lions Club for 21 years and of the Middlebury Business Association for four years. Beyond recognizing those "whose service was in many ways unsung," McCardell says the awards recognize the College's special relationship with the town, a relationship that plays a role in the liberal arts education. "Students who come here are a part of the campus community, to be sure, but are also members of the larger community that is the town of Middlebury," he said.It is this perspective that sets Middlebury apart from so many of its peer institutions. In the popular Princeton Review's Best 351 College Rankings, Connecticut College, Bates College and the University of Pennsylvania are all highlighted for their "strained town-gown relations." Just before Middlebury celebrated its bicentennial founding by the town in 2000, community and college relationships in Williamstown were so tried that the Williams Record reported that, "relations between Williams College and the community are so strained that the only way the community can make its voice heard is to threaten to institutionalize an antagonistic stance towards the College."While McCardell would not call the friendly "town-gown" relations of Middlebury unique, he noted, "There are many ties of friendship that bind those who work and study at the College with those who live in town but have no formal College connection." Aside from opportunities for employment and work-study opportunities for students, as well as good dining and entertainment, there is no disputing that the interaction of town members on campus contributes to the Middlebury experience. McCardell notes, "Perhaps the very best place, of many, to witness that reality, is at a home hockey game in Kenyon Arena."
(11/06/03 12:00am)
Author: Edward Pickering In search of overlooked but deserving books, I have sometimes read the early or lesser-known works of famous authors. Robert Penn Warren's debut novel "Night Rider" was a recent treat. George Orwell's early novel, "Burmese Days," on the other hand, proved a great disappointment. We are all admirers of Orwell, devotees of his prose and ideology. You'll be hard pressed to find a man or woman who doesn't profess admiration for Orwell and for his masterpieces, "Animal Farm" and "1984." It was with great expectation that I picked up "Burmese Days." I envisioned an exciting drama full of Orwellian insight and attack. However, in comparison to Orwell's more renowned writings, I found the novel crude and unconvincing. Though it has its moments, "Burmese Days" ultimately proves grotesque, depressing, at times even farcical.The novel takes place in Kyauktada, a remote town on the banks of the Irrawaddy River in northern Burma. Here lives a population of four thousand Burmese, a handful of Chinese and Indians and seven Englishmen who commercially and administratively oversee the region. The protagonist, 35-year-old Flory, is a timber merchant. Flory has not left the country since his arrival 15 years earlier. The novel opens with Flory on the verge of self-realization: his youth has elapsed in drinking, whoring and lazing about, and now he is lonely, remorseful and unhappy. The plot concentrates on the intrigue and uproar caused by an executive memo sent to Kyauktada's European Club - it proposes that the club members elect a token native. This club, the last all-white club in Burma, is a bastion of bigotry, a refuge for drunken louts and pretentious fools united by nothing more than a common disregard for the native population. In reality, they all hate each other and hate their lives. Through these sorry figures Orwell exposes the vileness of imperialism. It is a disease affecting the imperialists and imperialized alike. Indeed, nobody- not a single European or native-escapes Orwell's excoriating pen.Of his countrymen, Flory, alone, befriends the natives. His innate cowardice is put to the test when he promises to nominate his Indian friend, Dr. Veraswami, for club membership. At this moment, as he is steeling himself for the upcoming trial, Flory meets Elizabeth, the niece of a club member and an exceptionally beautiful specimen of English womanhood. Yet, as Flory soon learns, her contempt for the Burmese knows no limit.In this novel the natives are dumb, avaricious and petty, the Europeans, loathsome. One can't even sympathize with Flory, whose status as an outsider is symbolically confirmed by the hideous birthmark on his cheek. As you read the novel you pray for the deaths of these Europeans, for a universal tide of comeuppance to sweep them away and cleanse the land.The novel's chief fault lies in its infelicitous transitions. Many of the events are unconvincing and a number of the scenes lack a vital and necessary life of their own - they are flat and dull. The ending itself lets the reader down. Orwell's conclusion seems like a cop-out, so simple and foreseeable is it.
(10/30/03 12:00am)
Author: Zoey Burrows Young women today are working, learning and writing more than ever before. However, this in no way eliminates their continued need for academic inspiration. On Wednesday, Oct. 22, inquisitive young Middlebury women braved the mounting cold outside to see actress Katherine Bryne's one-woman performance of Virginia's Woolf's classic essay, "A Room of One's Own." Co-sponsored by Wonnacott Commons, the English Department and Chellis House, the performance was well attended. The Chateau's Grand Salon filled to the brim with enthusiastic onlookers, including town residents, Middlebury College professors and friends of the performer in addition to Middlebury College students. The show started with a brief explanation of the context of Woolf's essay. Upon request from England's only two women's colleges at the time, Nunham and Gurtom, writer Virginia Woolf gave a one-hour long discourse on "women and fiction." Woolf wrote the original speech in 1928 but later expanded it several times. The longest version is the essay readers know and love today. Woolf's message is a simple one - women must have a fixed income and a room of their own to have the freedom to write and create.The audience hushed when Bryne entered the Salon, confidently dressed in a crisp white suit, delicate brown leather Mary Janes and bright red lipstick. Her first words revealed a sophisticated English accent, catapulting her into a memorized one-hour monologue. Surrounded by the Salon's elegant green-trimmed white walls with arched doors and antique chandelier dangling above the small stage, the audience was immediately transported back to 1928, invited to share an experience with the educated young women of that day. Although there is no record of how Woolf's speech was originally received, the audience left the performance refreshed and inspired.The set was simple, with a podium, red cushion chair and a wooden table with several books, a glass of water and vase of flowers on top of it. Bryne flitted comfortably and confidently about this arranged element. Following the performance Bryne responsed to a question raised by a student about Bryne's overly-confident enactment of Woolf. Bryne explained that while it is true that Woolf was not a good lecturer, she made the conscious choice to perform with poised mannerisms as it would be more interesting for viewers. When asked how she chose passages for her performance, Bryne said she "tried to stay to the skeleton of the book." She certainly did justice to the essay, touching at least briefly on all of its most salient points. From the importance of making a good meal to igniting one's own creativity to her "scorn for the reprehensive situation of women" being without their own income to her more central questions of "Why are women poor?" and "Why are so many women's novels influenced by the community sitting room," each topic was rendered impeccably. Bryne's use of body language, movement and particularly her sarcasm toward the end of the discourse made the hour not only entertaining but very telling of Woolf's rebelliousness and cynicism. After the performance, Bryne explained how she started the show. Ten years ago, in search of a one-woman show to perform, she was encouraged by a literature professor to adapt Woolf's essay for the stage. She has been touring the world ever since, performing primarily for universities and small colleges, as well as at other more exotic venues. Two of her most notable performance venues include the Edinburgh Theatre Festival in Scotland and the Virginia Woolf Festival in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she currently resides. She is a member of the Kestrel Theatre and American Stage in St Petersburg, Fla.
(10/30/03 12:00am)
Author: Nicholas Emery According to the English writer John Boynton Priestly, "A good holiday is one spent among people whose notions of time are vaguer than yours." Apparently, Priestly spent at least one fantastic holiday in Italy, and he certainly wasn't there to do anything remotely useful. Since arriving in Italy nearly two months ago - not on holiday, but to "study" at the University of Ferrara - I have come to realize that the Italian sense of time is quite different from what we Americans are accustomed to. Yes, yes, we have all heard of the stereotypical bella vita in Italy - how all anybody really does is drink wine, smoke cigarettes, chat with friends, and if they're feeling especially inspired, work on Monday afternoons. It wasn't until I arrived here, however, that I discovered the true meaning and unpredictable nature of Italian time. My first mission upon arriving in Italy was to buy a cell phone and a bicycle. After my vain attempts to do these seemingly easy tasks, I did succeed in learning one of the favorite sayings here in Ferrara: Piano, piano..., which basically translates into slowly, slowly. My cell phone wouldn't activate for four days: "piano, piano" I was told. When I calmly asked how long it would take to fix the broken tire on the bike I had bought the day before, the repair man took out an enormous Cuban cigar, cut off the tip, smelled it, lit up, took several enormous puffs, and finally, looking at me like I was crazy for even asking, he said "Piano, piano..." It was with these experiences in mind that I anticipated with trepidation the first day of class at the university. But how bad can it be, I wondered - these are professionals at a state university we're dealing with here. Yet I was amazed once again as I sat in class after class during the first week of school with only one professor successfully showing up. The truly remarkable thing, though, was that the classrooms would be completely full of Italian students patiently awaiting the professor for at least 45 minutes before anyone would leave. At Middlebury students would be packing up after a good long five minutes. After a few weeks, the classes have finally settled down and the professors usually arrive only 20 minutes late - but at least they do arrive, now. The one event I can think of that did start exactly on time was the train strike a few weekends ago. When it comes to not going to work, it seems that you can set your watch by the Italians. Unfortunately, I realized this as I attempted to board my 9:05 train from Venice to Ferrara. No no, they said - the strike started at 9:00, didn't I know? Miraculously, though, things do have a way of eventually coming through in Italy. People do graduate from university, they do get where they're going, and bikes do get fixed. Eventually.
(10/30/03 12:00am)
Author: Charlie Goulding Earlier this semester, two prospective students came to stay with this writer for a three-day weekend. When they arrived, they asked to experience Middlebury's nightlife, to attend classes and to eat the food. They also asked if there was an anime club. Sure enough, the prospectives left Monday afternoon having danced at the drag ball, sat through a literature class, dined at Ross and attended a screening sponsored by Middlebury's Manga and Anime Club. Middlebury received high marks in all categories.The Manga and Anime Club meets Friday evenings in Bicentennial Hall and usually consists of a screening followed by a discussion of the film. The club is only a few years old, but its burgeoning popularity mirrors the rise in recognition anime has received globally in recent years. Indeed, anime is on fire, and the fire sparks have reached Middlebury.Traditionally, manga are Japanese comics and anime are the animated versions of those comics. Anime can take the form of television programs, movies and internet publications, among other media. Although the art form originated in Japan, it has recently enjoyed a surge in worldwide appeal. In America, manga and anime are best known for "Pokemon" and other children's favorites. Many do not realize, however, the wide scope of audiences to which manga and anime appeal. Additionally, they cover a robust array of themes and topics. Globally, anime has emerged in recent years as a booming industry. Germany launched Daisuki, a monthly manga magazine targeting girls, in January, and in 2001, Carlsen Comics started publishing the monthly Banzai, the most popular weekly manga in Japan. Banzai currently enjoys a circulation of about 130,000 copies in Germany. Moreover, in the United States, Viz Comics started its English version of Shonen Jump, the inspiration for Banzai, in November with 250,000 copies. Shonen Jump began in Japan in 1968, and currently has a circulation of 3.4 million copies in its native country.Other artists have begun recognizing anime as an interesting and novel medium. Quentin Tarantino's latest film "Kill Bill," for example, contains a 20-minute animated interlude with "Japanamistic" overtones.Anime's worldwide rise in popularity has piqued international interest in both Japan's culture and language. In some youth cultures, manga and anime are so pervasive that the status of the medium has been rapidly upgraded from a subculture to a widely recognized artistic form. Many anime aficionados extend their interests by visiting Japan and learning Japanese. This trend is evident here at Middlebury, as well. As Julia Cheng, prospective Middlebury student, noted, "My interest in anime is a big reason why I want to study the language. I attended a Japanese class at Middlebury for that reason and liked the class very much."The artistic scope of anime far exceeds its primary stereotype as an art form intended for children. "It's not all PokÈmon," stated Club Treasurer Shannon Gmyrek '06.5. "In fact, anime started as an adult form of entertainment. I also think that movies like 'Spirited Away' and 'Perfect Blue' are changing people's perceptions. Anime can be serious, action filled and definitely not for kids!" Anime has also been blamed for promoting excessive violence. As Gmyrek noted, such perceptions often stereotype anime as a superficially "lame, predictable art form." She went on, "But really, you have classics like 'Metropolis' that deal with man's inability to grapple with technology. Or 'Akira' or 'Ghost in the Shell' ... all movies that deal with philosophical and pretty deep stuff."As another example, Kazuichi Hanawa's "Keimusho no Naka," "Inside Prison," is a diary-type manga based on Hanawa's three-year imprisonment. Devoid of action, the manga focuses solely on the writer's contemplative observations on fellow inmates and himself. In Japan, "no Naka" is a highly regarded philosophical inquiry.While the Middlebury's Manga and Anime Club is certainly a part of these global trends, its purpose is simply to make the media accessible to Middlebury students. "Sure, if someone came and wanted to start a hardcore discussion [about anime's influence], we'd be all for it. But mainly we're just here to be geeks and have fun with some great shows," quipped Gymrek.The Manga and Anime Club is sensitive to the breadth of audiences to which the medium speaks and topics it addresses, and plans its film screenings accordingly. "We try and show series that reflect the wide variety of stuff that's out there," noted Gymrek.Accessibility is another key issue. Given the continuous, serial nature of many mangas, the club tries to interchange movies with print manga series, so students can join at any time and not feel left out. Recently, the club has also held a number of Dance Dance Revolutions (DDR) competitions. DDR is to dance what karaoke is to song, and this popular social activity in Japan is featured in Sophia Coppola's new film "Lost in Translation."The club is excited about its future plans. Said club president Laura Isham '04, "this January we're planning on watching Twelve Kingdoms, which has just been released in the US, and for which they are still making new episodes in Japan."Isham explained the appeal of anime nicely when she stated: "Anime fans like to see something unusual. I don't like to see stuff that's avant-garde and weird-just to be-weird, but I do like to see stuff that's unusual or presented in a different format."
