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(03/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Campus Editor in Chief Scott Russell Sanders, noted author, committed environmentalist and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Indiana delivered a speech entitled "Building Arks," Thursday March 6, in Dana Auditorium. Introduced by his close friend, Stewart Professor of English and Environmental Studies John Elder, Sanders spoke eloquently and passionately on the environmental destruction inflicted by modern man. Using the biblical tale of Noah and the Ark as his touchstone Sanders described a new model of conservation: the building of arks -- "vessels designed to preserve from extinction not merely our fellow creatures, as on Noah's legendary ark, but also the wisdom necessary for dwelling in place generation after generation without diminishing either the place or the planet." Sanders defined ark more specifically later on in his speech, as, "any human structure, invention or gathering that conserves the wisdom necessary for meeting our needs without despoiling the planet."Elder introduced Sanders as a "a premier writer about environmental and cultural issues." He praised Sander's "honesty in acknowledging the wounded-ness of our time" and described Sander's voice as one "of wisdom and clarity." At the conclusion of his prefatory remarks Elder thanked the many people who helped lure Sanders from Indiana. In particular Elder thanked Luke Farrell '03, whose idea it was to invite Sanders.Sanders acknowledged Elder's praise, remarking of his friend, whom he physically resembles, "the highest compliment I'm ever paid is to be mistaken for John." Sanders noted that he had visited Middlebury College three or fourth times in the past, and then briefly summarized the history and probable future of the essay "Building Arks," an earlier version of which appeared last spring in Vermont's own Wild Earth magazine and a final version of which will appear in a book in a few years. Sanders began his speech by recounting a recent environmental controversy in his hometown, Bloomington, Indiana, in which a private citizen sold a 50-acre wood to a developer. The action sparked fervent, sustained protest and led Sanders to ponder the destruction of wild lands throughout this country. Sanders, like the protestors, believes, "that a civilized community must show restraint by leaving some land alone, to remind us of the wild world on which our lives depend and to keep us humble and sane." Sanders cited a U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate that 2.2 million acres of open space is lost to development each year. "The life of endless consumption is ruinous to the planet and bound to fail," he said. "The question is not whether it will fail but when, and how the end of our spree will come -- by careful preparation,or by catastrophe."Sanders then outlined the four most common responses to "Earth's limits." People evincing the first response refuse to acknowledge the environmental destruction wrought by man. Those demonstrating the second response believe in the power of technology to reverse the destruction. Those holding to the third response trust that the market economy will eventually overthrow current patterns of destructive living. Finally, those of the fourth response acknowledge that "we are living on borrowed time," but continue to live extravagantly.In contradistinction to these people are those who "strive to live more simply." These are the ark builders, or men and women who eschew excessive consumption, maintain and manufacture their own goods, conserve land and animals and revel in the company of one another and the natural world around them."The flood I have in mind is partly the literal rise in sea level from global warming," said Sanders, "but more generally it is the cumulative effect of our assault on the Earth." Sanders retold the story of Noah and the ark, using it is as a parable of modern man's predicament. God, witnessing Noah's obedience, withdraws the flood waters and bids Noah, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.""The fear of you and the dread of you," continued God, "shall be upon every beast of the earth [ . . . ] Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."In an impressive display of literary analysis Sanders explored the environmental implications of God's injunction to Noah. This injunction can be interpreted one of two ways: it may be taken as "a warning [to man] not to abuse [his] power" over nature or as a justification of man's "utter dominion over Nature." Sanders contrasted the two alternatives in stark terms, "One tradition blesses humans alone, conveying the whole Earth to our use; the other blesses all creatures alike, granting to each species its own right to survive and flourish."Too many of those in power hold the first view, lamented Sanders, while too few among the general population hold the second. "Among the builders and tenders of arks, the ones who come closest to fulfilling Noah's task are the people who work at protecting and restoring wild lands," he said.Sanders concluded his speech, strongly worded and endued with deep feeling, with a stunning refutation of common thinking. "Building an ark when the floodwaters are rising," said Sanders, "is not an act of despair, it's an act of hope. To build an ark is to create a space within which life in its abundance may continue."Sanders enjoined the audience, attentive throughout his speech, to regard the earth as an ark and man not as the captains of the vessel but as "common passengers" -- "common passengers" who happen to bear a special responsibility.Sanders answered questions following the conclusion of his speech and presided at a discussion of the "writing process" at 12:15 p.m. the next day. Later in that same day he joined in a discussion of environmental issues.
(03/05/03 12:00am)
Author: Crystal Belle Since when did the definition of affirmative action become a policy that admits students of color by turning a blind eye on academic standing? According to Amber Hillman '05, I, along with every other student of color on campus, am not academically qualified to be here. Hillman opens her deliberately ignorant column with this question: "Isn't it the objective of highly selective colleges and universities such as Middlebury College to provide the best education possible to a select group of educated and intelligent students?" Yes, that is the goal of these schools. Within the framework of these goals lies an affirmative action policy. As a result of Hillman's apparently meager comprehension of affirmative action I feel it is my duty to educate her. Affirmative action was born from the civil rights movement over three decades ago in an attempt to rectify historical racial and sexual discrimination, which just so happens to be embedded in American history. Institutions with affirmative action policies do not modify admission standards. In fact, the same academic qualifications apply to minority students. Affirmative action is not based on quotas and does not make exceptions for those who are unqualified. Instead, the policy looks at academics before race is even considered. Hence, the policy is a strategy to attract more outstanding students of color to college campuses worldwide in order to create a more diverse campus. I don't know if Hillman is aware of this, but despite Middlebury's diversity, this campus is very homogenous. How many students here are from just outside of Boston? How many students are legacies? How many students play sports? Where are the conservative voice columns written on them? Every time I look around, someone is perturbed because they feel some "minority" stole their spot. Listen, the reality is if you are of the majority and you did not get into the school of your choice, that is because there was someone else who had something you lacked. Do not blame a group of people for your college rejection letters. Perhaps to Hillman's surprise, every single minority on this campus is here because they are qualified, sometimes overqualified. Without the minorities on this campus, Middlebury would be a culture-less, bland environment. Think of the organizations that bring life to Middlebury: African American Alliance, Alianza Latina Caribena, RIDDIM, UMOJA, ISO and the list goes on. Students of color who excel both socially and academically lead these organizations. A blind man can see the many errors in Hillman's column, which leads me to question the editorial staff. Yes, one has freedom of expression according to the First Amendment, however one does not have the right to publish fallacies, which leads to the perpetuation of the idea that minorities are inferior to their majority counterparts. To draw more on Hillman's blatant ignorance, I was horrified when I came towards the end in which she states: "Fortunately, we no longer live in the 1960's, and in today's world, race matters much less than it did in the past." Although racism no longer consists of public segregation and lynchings, it is still very apparent in American society in more institutionalized settings such as corporate America and college campuses. Race has mattered since the beginning of time and will continue to matter until the end of time. To quote the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. correctly, if one were judged by the content of their character as opposed to the color of their skin, affirmative action would not exist. Maybe if policy brutality was not so common among minorities, then race would remain a thing of the past, as Hillman alluded to. This is what Dr. Martin Luther King wanted, racial equality. No, he would never agree with Hillman's idea that race should not play a role in the college admission process. In fact, he would be delighted to know that as a result of racial progress and social change, minorities are now considered in the educational applicant pool, as opposed to days when they were not even allowed to read a book. So you see Hillman, as long as racial injustice and disparities are apparent, then policies such as affirmative action will continue to be necessary.Crystal Belle is an English major from Brooklyn, New York.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Caroline Stauffer While issuing a statement committing Middlebury College to ensuring the safety of students studying in C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad, Director of Off-Campus Study David Macey maintained that study abroad is more popular and important than ever. The events of Sept. 11 and a looming war in the Middle East only heighten the relevance of such experiences. "We've had students studying in Russia every year since 1977 through civil wars, the collapse of the Soviet Union, inflation rates, the shelling of parliament, tanks in the streets and widespread assassinations," Macey said. "Long-term results of war with Iraq could be an increase in terrorism toward Americans, especially if we win, but this isn't going to stop study abroad." Macey added, "We've never had to evacuate a program, and most program officers in Europe would not evacuate in the event of a Middle Eastern conflict."According to the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit organization, more than twice as many students are studying abroad nationwide than 10 years ago. The C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools have seen a steady rise in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment, Macey said. Almost 250 Middlebury College students are currently studying abroad in 31 countries."It is encouraging to see students more determined than ever to study abroad during this post-9/11 era. We have full confidence in the staff of our own schools abroad to handle any situation that may arise," the Study Abroad web site states.Macey also noted that enrollment in Chinese, Japanese and Russian programs doubled this year. "I believe students are more aware that we are part of a larger world," Macey said. "I would hope that we have also learned that we have to get to know other people and learn to live with them and not to throw bombs at each other. You can only live together with respect and this can only be achieved through direct contact."Although study abroad programs will continue as usual, the College, like other schools across the nation, has recently implemented a plan of action to ensure the safety of students. The statement can be found on the Middlebury Study Abroad Web site in the form of a letter to parents of students studying abroad. The statement was originally composed following the events of Sept. 11 and was revised in December 2002. The Office of Off-Campus Study is currently developing a post-declaration of war statement should a war break out in the Middle East, but the principles of the statement will remain the same, according to Macey. The statement reads: "Our C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad have well-developed contingency plans in place. These are communicated to all students upon arrival. Our staff in each country monitors local and world events continuously, subscribe to the U.S. State Department's Travel Warnings and Advisory service and maintain close contact with the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate.""We have instantaneous ability to talk to agents in all of our program locations. They are ready to respond immediately," Macey continued. The statement also emphasized the agents' ability to remain in touch with the Middlebury College home office by e-mail and phone. All agents are also equipped with cellular phones so students can contact them with concerns. "We're ready for political problems, local terrorist problems, etc.," Macey said.An article in The Washington Post on Jan. 21, 2003, reported that prior to the events Sept. 11 only about 10 percent of 140 U.S. universities affiliated with the Institute for the International Education of Students had crisis plans for their students overseas.Even with increased safety measures being implemented, a standard to measure the safety of study abroad programs has yet to be established. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich, who chaired Congressional hearings on the subject in 2000 and plans a follow-up inquiry this year, found wide variance in the quality of safety measures.The College's advice to students studying abroad continues to be to maintain a low profile: "Do not speak English in public, don't hang out with Americans or in places where Americans hang out and do not wear clothing with easily identifiable American labels. Disappear into society the best you can." This advice aims not only to increase personal safety, according to Macey, but also to maximize immersion into the new culture. The Washington Post article also pointed to the increasing number of U.S. students selecting non-traditional destinations to study. Last year, 1,200 American students studied in Israel while others went to places such as Indonesia, Pakistan and Yemen, according to the Institute of International Education."It used to be all students went to Western Europe. Now they're scattered literally around the globe. And over the course of the past five years, the world has become a more dangerous place for Americans," said David Larson, head of the Center for Education Abroad at Arcadia University, located outside of Philadelphia. Macey, however, believes that Middlebury students studying in "exotic" locations seem to be better informed than other students. Either they have gained sufficient background at Middlebury or have some kind of family connection. Middlebury students are studying in Cuba, Japan, Mongolia and several countries in Africa and Latin America. "With the Arabic program starting, I do see students wanting to pursue a Middle Eastern studies track of International Studies, and we may be looking for a study abroad site in the Arabic-speaking world," Macey said.There are one or two students applying to the American University of Cairo for next September, but they have also applied to backup programs in Europe. Macey said they would not discourage a student wishing to study in the Middle East. Ayala Wineman '04 is currently studying at Arava Institute for International Studies in Israel."Some schools take a position on allowing students to study in Israel, but we don't push students in either direction. We leave it up to students and parents to decide, making ample information readily available," Macey said.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Daryn Cambridge During the Cold War, due to the lingering threat of a possible nuclear attack, a generation of Americans were told that if they were to "duck and cover" they would be safe from a nuclear explosion. Looking back on history, the "duck and cover" mode of protecting oneself was clearly made up to give citizens a false sense of security. It also instilled fear into the general public, whose support was needed for a war against the "communist aggressors." One of the strongest and most effective ways to rally support behind a cause is to strike fear into the public so that in its desperation, the public puts its faith behind the administration that claims to have the ability to solve the problem and thus alleviate those fears. The Bush administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have thus far provided the American people with useless information whose sole purpose is to keep the American public scared in hopes of maintaining support for the Bush administration and its global power initiatives. The DHS threat level advisory serves no purpose other than to raise anxieties and fears in the American public. Despite what Tom Ridge and John Ashcroft say at press conferences, a threat level orange essentially tells Americans to be scared of something without any relevant information as to where or what should be a cause of concern. In the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) newly revised "'Are You Ready?' Guide to Citizen Preparedness," it reads, "Be aware of your surroundings. The very nature of terrorism suggests that there may be little or no warning." Terrorism has created an ambiguous and unspecific threat for the American people, so that their fears can be transformed into support for war. What does "be aware of your surroundings" mean anyway? It means that whenever you are around "soft targets" -- which could mean anything from shopping malls to public parks -- one should be aware and on the lookout for a possible terrorist, a bomb or an explosion. It means one should be constantly afraid, constantly nervous, constantly in need of someone to take away one's fears and take care of the "evil" that threatens one's existence. What did it for me this past week were the assertions that duct tape and plastic sheet covering were going to protect someone from a terrorist's biological, chemical or radiological attack. How can the Bush administration tell people to go about their daily lives, to not be afraid, and, to quote John Ashcroft, "let the professionals worry," when they are suggesting that it would be a good idea to stock up on duct tape, plastic sheet covering, batteries, water and flashlights? The administration doesn't want the public to worry, yet it claims the country and its citizens are in a situation that would warrant such precautions. What kind of game is it trying to play with the American public? "Duct tape and plastic sheet covering" is slowly but surely becoming the "duck and cover" of the 21st century.The Bush administration's use of scare tactics is nothing more than history repeating itself. But this time, the evil that threatens the American "homeland" is a lot more ambiguous, is far more "evil" and is conveniently connected to Saddam Hussein and Iraq (if you believe the new bin Laden tapes). The cause that Osama bin Laden really supports: the fight to dispel the American infidel from the Muslim holy land, or rather, the battle to put a friendly regime in Afghanistan, through which the Bush administration has wanted to build an oil pipeline originating in the Caspian Sea region? Or perhaps bin Laden supports the struggle to provide more evidence into the need to alter the Iraqi regime -- a country at the heart of the oil rich Middle East with a leader who tried to kill Dubya's daddy. Osama bin Laden and the fears that rise from his existence have conveniently helped to aid the Bush administration's global power initiatives. I ask for us all to be much more critical and ask the questions that we sometimes hesitate to ask. Who really holds the power to scare the general public?Daryn Cambridge is an English and philosophy joint major from Arlington, Virginia.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Bob Wainwright Occasionally, when I tell people where I go to college, they reply, "Oh, you must be very good at languages!" To which I say, "No," and the conversation normally terminates shortly thereafter. But even though it would be nice to be ambidextrous and speak multiple tongues, I must say that as far as languages go, English has to be up there with the best of them. Not because, as many might say, the language is universal. Nope, I like English because of its versatility. I was once in a class, in which a student asked the teacher if there were a word in the English language that contained every vowel and "y." Nonchalantly, the teacher replied, "Unquestionably," which, of course, left us anxiously awaiting an answer. Had the teacher been more forthcoming, however, he might have replied, "uncomplimentary," which is unquestionably just as appropriate. Now, delving further into our vowels, if one were to ask me about a word in which the vowels come in opposite order, I would reply, "subcontinental." And as for the longest word with all the vowels, those of you who have ever had a treatment for the inflammation of the pancreas are most painfully aware of a pancreaticoduodenostomy. What about a word with only vowels? I can help there, too. Just hop on the next plane to Aiea, a city in Hawaii. Or a word with no vowels? This really should never happen, but in 1983 a man named Richard Vlk of Pittsburgh won 20,000 dollars by finding Pepsi soda tops that spelled his last name 1,393 times. And if you already know the longest word with only one vowel, you must be rather strong, because it is none other than "strengths." Given that tennis is a back and forth sport, it's only fitting that the longest name with no successive vowels or consonants belongs to former Wimbledon champ Goran Ivanisevic. If only he heralded from the United Arab Emirates... Shifting towards something of consonants, we discover that the longest word with no repeating letter is "uncopyrightable," and yes, feel free to distribute that fact as your own. By the way, your intestines are the only part of your body, which contain each letter exactly twice. And, while this is obviously disputable, I found that the longest word in the English language is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis." Carrying more letters than the mailman, it is a particular lung disease caused by breathing certain particles. Ironically, and unfortunately, most patients stricken with it usually die before the doctor is able to tell them what they have. Possibly the toughest job for a linguist is thinking of a sentence containing all 26 letters. But luckily for me, I've been to Africa, where I witnessed a herd of retarded zebras, which spend their days hopping and shaking to and fro. Hence, I can offer this final statement: How quickly daft jumping zebras vex!
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Nathalie Wolfram I question the logic of Amber Hillman's "call for patriotism" ("Hillman Calls for Patriotism," The Middlebury Campus, Feb. 19, 2003) and ask that she weigh more carefully some of the disturbingly assumptions she makes in her argument that "the only way" to ensure safety for Americans is to take military action.Hillman's reasoning demands that we accept that the value of an individual life is calculable and dependent on circumstances beyond one's control. Because we are Americans and innocent, she supposes, we are more entitled to life than equally innocent Iraqis. By what moral code do we accept the killing of innocent civilians, who already suffer unspeakable poverty and political persecution at the hands of their own leader, now double damned by the United States, "the greatest nation in this world"? According to Hillman, we accept these killings as "just" because they will guarantee our future security.Yet even if one accepts this crass attempt to quantify human worth, the obstacle remains that no formula exists to determine just how many innocent casualties would "ensure" the protection of America "in the face of evil." Since we know Iraq possesses no nuclear weapons and almost certaintly no long-range missiles or weapons capable of killing American civilians in America, we must ask first what threat Iraq actually poses to us "innocent" Americans, except to the soldiers the U.S. military will dispatch there. Secondly, we must question how we could ever suppose to match the gravity of this alleged threat with Iraqi civilian deaths. The logic rapidly disintegrates. "People are going to die before we can regain peace and stability," Hillman writes. Killing in the name of peace is political doublespeak worthy only of the current president. Indeed, her language drips with Bush's rhetoric, which overwhelmingly favors sweeping generalizations and pseudo-religious invocations over concrete, truthful statements. Hillman reiterates Bush's war cry nearly verbatim, dismissing last week's worldwide protests as whimsical and selfish while neglecting to mention even once the actual findings (or lack thereof) of the U.N. weapons inspectors. Maybe the Iraqis are not the only "pawns" after all.The ironic capstone to Hillman's remorseless concession of hundreds, thousands, or millions of Iraqi lives is her exhortation that we "realize the value of [our] own life." One who understands the value of his or her own life, I propose, respects the lives of others. Another Persian Gulf War would only reinforce the national self-delusion that war protects and preserves peace and stability, even as scant evidence exists that Iraq poses any domestic threat at all. Before we allow war to become America's next favorite pastime, I ask that Hillman and others who rationalize the killing of innocent people reconsider a moral code that permits the suspension of justice under any circumstances.Nathalie Wolfram is an English major from Scarsdale, New York.
(02/26/03 12:00am)
Author: Nicolas Emery Beginning in the fall semester of 2003, Middlebury College will offer Arabic language classes to undergraduate students as part of a planned expansion of the International Studies Department to include a Middle Eastern Studies track. Previously, Arabic has only been offered at the Middlebury College Summer Language School. The Arabic classes will commence with a year-long beginning language sequence, supplemented by two advanced classes in Arabic culture, which will be taught in English and offered in the spring. The College hired Christopher Stone to teach the Arabic language classes. He is fluent in Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptian, Levantine and Yemeni dialects. Stone has a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University and comes to Vermont from Williams College, where he currently holds an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship. Stone will also teach the Arabic culture classes offered in the International Studies Department in the spring of 2004. Associate Dean of Faculty Michael Geisler said, "We are planning on adding a Middle Eastern track to the International Studies major in the foreseeable future, but the feasibility of this depends on the success of several [faculty] searches that are still pending or have not yet begun." Currently, the College is searching for a Middle Eastern specialist for the Political Science Department and next year another search will begin for a position in the History Department to be filled for the 2004-05 academic year. Geisler added that if these searches are successful, Middlebury College "will have one of the strongest set of offerings in Middle Eastern area studies in our comparison group of nationally leading liberal arts colleges."Jeffrey Cason, associate professor of Political Science, added that the College has also considered the possibility of creating a new International Studies track incorporating both the Middle East and African regions -- similar to the existing East Asian studies track, which offers students the option of pursuing a Japan track or a China track. "If things go well," Cason said, "we could have such a track within International Studies within the next year or two."According to Cason, the planned Middle Eastern Studies track would include classes from various disciplines such as geography, religion, political science, history, literature and culture. Professor of Geography Tamar Mayer offers a course entitled "Geopolitics of the Middle East," which will be included in its current form as one of the geography classes offered in the Middle Eastern Studies track. "I always thought that our students ought to be familiar with the Middle East, especially because of its geographical, political and economic importance to the West," she said. According to Geisler, Middlebury College began discussing the introduction of Arabic to the academic year curriculum in the spring of 2001. Arabic is the only language taught during the summer that is not offered during the academic year. The College is interested in bolstering its lingual and cultural expertise to include yet another region of the world. As a result of these discussions, a committee on Middle Eastern Studies was formed last year. This committee made the recommendations to begin searches for new positions in the Political Science and History Departments. Cason said that while the events of Sept. 11, 2001, provided additional impetus for the push to add Arabic to the curriculum, there has been long-standing informal discussion among faculty concerning the subject. Said Al-Nashashibi '05, a citizen of Jordan, said that the addition of Arabic and a Middle Eastern studies track "is very appropriate considering recent world events. It allows students to venture into that area of the world, which they were not able to do before."
(02/19/03 12:00am)
Author: Andrea Gissing The Middlebury College Board of Trustees convened last weekend to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the comprehensive fee to the high amount of stress experienced by Middlebury students. The Trustees met at Middlebury College Thursday, Feb. 13 through Saturday, Feb. 15. The weekend began with a dinner in Ross Dining Hall and a screening of an original documentary made about the United World Colleges, (see "Funding Unites Middlebury with UWC" below). Individual committee meetings were held on Friday and the executive meeting took place Saturday, marking the close of the weekend.As usual, the major topic addressed at the meetings was the comprehensive fee for the 2003-04 academic year. After deliberations, the Board set it at $38,100, a 6.1 percent increase from the 2002-03 fee. (See "Comprehensive Fee Leaps to $38,100").A new topic brought up for discussion at this meeting was the issue of student stress. "Stress among the student body was an issue that the Trustees highlighted as an area of concern," said Ben LaBolt '03, student co-chair of the community council. "Students at Middlebury today face higher workloads, more commitments, are more highly medicated and seek counseling in greater numbers." The Trustees, responding to increasing mention of student stress at previous meetings, decided to set up a committee this year to address this issue. "The Board of Trustees maintains sincere interest in student life and student opinion," said Student Government Association (SGA) President Ginny Hunt '03. "The topic of the Student Affairs meeting was student stress, where long hours and the increased use of Ritalin, etc. were discussed."Gary Margolis, director of and psychologist at the Center for Counseling and Human Relations and Associate Professor of English, Susan Campbell, Associate Professor of psychology and Doug Adams, director of the center for Campus Activities and Leadership, were all invited by the Student Affairs Committee, chaired by Nancy Furlong '75, to give a presentation on their view of contemporary student stress and distress. Campbell discussed her experience of student stress as a faculty member at the College. Adams described some of the programs his office provides in combination with students and Margolis discussed the developmental opportunities of college students and the current distressors they face, as well as the range of supports in place for students. According to Hunt, the committee's "consensus was that we, as a community, are under a tremendous amount of personal and external stress." "The committee was very attentive, asked good questions, and asked how as trustees they might respond to these issues and concerns," said Margolis. "No specific resolutions came out of this meeting; its main purpose was to update and inform the committee on current issues." "The trustees seemed especially interested in social developments that have been affecting the student body of late," said LaBolt, "and agreed to dedicate a portion of their next meeting to this subject." The SGA and the Community Council made a presentation to the Board addressing community, social and academic initiatives, where they presented the proposals addressed in council this year, including the SGA ad-hoc smoking committee, the Grille trial enhancements and the comprehensive study abroad discussions. This meeting was more concerned with discussion and deliberation rather than decision-making. "I suspect," mused Hunt, "that because of the economy, the national prospect of war and the state of the College's budget, this Trustee meeting was more challenging than recent meetings. The bottom line is that budget cuts will impact all areas of the community. I think the most dramatic effect from the weekend will be beginning serious discussions about continuing Winter Term and other significant curriculum considerations." All in all, according to President John McCardell, nothing unexpected occurred and there were no surprises: "[It was] a very routine meeting."
(02/19/03 12:00am)
Author: Crystalyn Radcliffe A reception was held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. last Monday in the Johnson Memorial Building Gallery to mark the opening of the art show entitled, "Mary Smyth Duffy: Retrospective," honoring the artistic work of former Middlebury employee, Mary Duffy. If there is one word to describe my immediate impression upon walking into Duffy's art exhibit it would have to be simply this: colorful. Oil on canvas paintings beginning in her graduate school years and continuing into 2002 with her most prolific year occurring in 2001, filled the walls of the Johnson gallery with brilliant peonies, sunflowers, elm trees and rhubarb leaves. Duffy's later pieces focus on pastoral landscapes, and her Impressionist influences were highly visible in the works selected for the exhibit. Touchingly personal, some of her paintings, including a beautiful rendering of the porch at her house in Orwell, Vt., sparked light conversations about trumpet vines and house repairs among gathered friends and family, namely the artist's husband, Middlebury English professor, David Bain. During my visit at the gallery there was a general sense of friendship, appreciation and community support, which added to the positive feelings of celebration of the life and art on display.Duffy received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Bard College at Annandale-on-Hudson in 1974 and went on to work in book publishing in New York for several years, meeting her future husband, Lecturer in English David H. Bain in June 1981. Leaving New York City for Shoreham, Vt., in 1987, Duffy worked for a Middlebury law-firm for several years and then for the Addison County Counseling Service until funding cutbacks found her in the position of administrator with the College's Political Science Department. In 1988, she and her husband had a daughter, Mimi, and in 1992, their son, David, was born. The handprints and footprints of her daughter are visible in some of her paintings. She became the coordinator of Chellis House in 1997, a job she reportedly loved despite the sometimes long hours. Opting for an early retirement, Duffy spent the time between September 2000 and June 2002 devoted to her art. She returned to landscapes, finding inspiration in the hayfields off North Orwell Road, overlooking Plunder Bay on the Lake Champlain shore and her own backyard gardens and porch. When open-heart surgery led to complications in the summer of 2002, her family brought in some of her smaller paintings to hang in her hospital room. Duffy passed away on Sept. 17, 2002, aged 46, from a valve thrombosis.On one wall of the gallery letters to and about Duffy were posted for general viewing. Poems and stories involving the artist were dedicated to her memory. Duffy's involvement with the Vagina Monologues during her time at Middlebury was referenced fondly by several recent Middlebury alumni. Regan '01.5, recounted a road trip headed by Duffy as part of the experience of participating in the Vagina Monologues. Regan wrote, "The essence of a road trip embodies Mary's spirit. She approached life as a series of adventures..." Another Middlebury graduate described Duffy as, "...quite literally, the thread of the first Middlebury production of the Vagina Monologues."Other letters went on to express Duffy's all-encompassing artistic eye, her ability as a listener, her "exotic beauty" and her charismatic, feminist, passionate personality. Virginia Bates, wife of Philosophy Professor Stanley Bates, wrote about Duffy's exceptional eye for color in every day things such as clothing and wall hangings. She eloquently summarized her impression of the woman and the artist by stating, "Mary Duffy was, simply put, magical." That magic lives on in the brilliantly bold canvases featured in Johnson as well as in the hearts and memories of the many people she touched throughout her lifetime.The gallery is open between the hours of 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. through this Saturday, Feb. 22 and is sponsored by the Women and Gender Studies Program, Ross Commons and the Pan-African Latin American Native American Center.
(02/19/03 12:00am)
Author: Alexandra Hay I sit down once more in Artist-in-Residence Amy Chavasse's comfortable, small office to discuss how her adventure in Cuba turned out. It only takes a few questions to get Chavasse -- eager to share the amazing experience she and her dancers had in Cuba -- started. Describing Cuba as a "land of incredible contrasts with amazing architecture crumbling down" and the "juxtaposition of beauty and poverty everywhere," her eyes light up as she thinks of the warm island. While "constantly reminded of the island's brutal history," enthusiastic artists welcomed the Dance Company of Middlebury to Cuba.The Dance Company, along with members of the Dance Department, arrived in Havana on Friday, Jan. 31 and began a frantic schedule of performances, dance workshops and cultural exchanges. The dancers stayed in hotels designed for tourists and were almost always accompanied by an enthusiastic tour escort who facilitated the visit, taking the group to a Flamenco club one night, a Jazz club another and organizing lunches at "Paladars," a government-sponsored program that allows certain families to open their living rooms and serve lunches to guests for a fee. The group's visit to the Yoruba Museum was a highlight of the trip, where they learned about the western African culture that was transported to Cuba with the slave trade and the integration of African deities -- called Orishas -- into the Roman Catholic pantheon of saints. But the museum is not just an educational institution: Chavasse describes it as "very sacred," with "people coming in and making offerings to the statues on display in little offering-pans for that purpose." The Yoruba museum also serves as a dance venue, where the group saw the Yoruba folkloric dance group perform. Chavasse, remembering the power of that performance, sits straight up in her chair and tries to convey the intensity of the dancers and the importance of facial expressions by imitating them, puffing up her cheeks and staring straight ahead. Of course, at the end of the performance the Yoruban dancers pulled the Middlebury dancers onstage to join them. As well as informal workshops, the company performed their two pieces, "Death, Beauty, and Flying," and "The Fruit Axiom" at a joint performance with the Narciso Medina Dance Co. on Sunday night. Chavasse had previously expressed some worry about the level of technology at the theatre. Although there was no dimmer board, lights, a soundboard and a small backstage area were available. Julia Basso, a member of the company, comments that it was "wonderful to see a group of people that had so little in terms of money and materials, but had so much in terms of passion and love for life and the arts." The audience, while appreciative and attentive, did not seem fully engaged by the unfamiliar style of dance. The reception was more enthusiastic when the group performed at the Casa de ARTEX in Trinidad. There, they performed outside in a tiled courtyard surrounded by palm trees with the ocean in the distance. The haunting movements of Chavasse's choreography moved the audience, who lightly rubbed their forearms to indicate their goosebumps.Communicating was not a problem during the workshops, for the "movement transcended language," as company member Sean Hoskins relates. But during meals and free time, Hoskins found the language barrier to be one of "the most frustrating aspects of the trip." Only two of the Middlebury dancers spoke Spanish, and few of the Cuban dancers spoke English. Hoskins was especially impressed with the dedication of the Cuban dancers, who train from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week. Company member Sara Stranovsky was also amazed to learn that Cuban dancers have to choose "at 10 or 11 years old that they want to dance, and begin intense, rigorous training immediately." The cultural exchange finished with a farewell performance by the Narciso Medina Dance Company that was full of "raw emotional power," and left Chavasse feeling like she was "watching a birth or a death." The passion and immediacy of the Cuban company provided a stimulating contrast to the more abstract style of the Middlebury Dance Company.Chavasse hopes to bring the Cuban dancers here to Middlebury College when they come to the United States to perform at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in May.
(02/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Erika Mercer It's like eating a pack of Starburst candies -- the flavor is fruity and sweet, sugary and satisfying. Each one is pleasingly chewy and sticky, leaving you minutes afterwards to unearth tiny strawberry-tasting remains hiding between your teeth's crevices. Even the more bitter flavors -- lemon, for example -- never seem too sour, always promising a sweet aftertaste and a fresh change from the cherry flavor that you unwrapped and relished just before.Over the past half-year, Sondre Lerche has dazzled the American music scene with his blue eyes and astounded critics with his quirky, expressive voice. Already with his first full-length album, "Faces Down," the 20-year-old Scandinavian singer/songwriter has attained the number one spot on Rolling Stone's "Hot Picks" list, along with receiving a number of other enthusiastic reviews.Born and raised in Bergen, a small town and well-known hub for musicians on the west coast of Norway, Lerche, the youngest of four siblings, began taking guitar lessons at age eight and wrote his first song, "Locust Girl," at age 14. With the help of his sister, who worked at a local bar, he was able to land live shows at venues in his area already at an early age. In addition to sixties pop records with which he grew up, Lerche was also heavily influenced by the local Norwegian music he heard at the clubs and bars where he played. In a recent interview, the singer commented on his respect for the local Norwegian music scene, along with his desire to develop beyond that scene: "You see what you want to be and what you don't want to be mirrored in your own town." Lerche successfully uses his musical background and cultural roots as a foundation for his music, then builds on this foundation to create sounds that transcend locality and bear universal appeal. In February 2001, Lerche released his first EP, entitled, "You Know So Well," under Virgin Records. The album found immediate and enormous success in Norway, and was followed several months later (Aug. 2002) by a second EP, "Dead Passengers." Then, in Sept. 2002, Lerche released "Faces Down," the album that has since dubbed him the "wunderkind" of indie music and initiated a tour with singer/songwriter Beth Orton. "Faces Down" enlists Frode Unneland on drums, H.P. Gundersen on piano, Kato Aadland on guitar, Joergen Traen and Morten Skage on bass, Lillian Samdal on back-up vocals, and Lerche on keyboard, guitar and vocals. Sounding something like David Gray with a Norwegian accent, Rufus Wainwright on anti-depressants or the Beatles gone indie, Lerche's music is accessible and original, melodic and eccentric. He creates catchy folk and pop songs using complex musical arrangements and a range of different styles from psychedelia to Brazilian pop. His voice, a lilting falsetto, fluctuates between sounding rich and deep to high and soft, effortlessly expressing a variety of emotions within one song -- emotions, though, which always return to an optimistic note. Lerche's songs are relentlessly sweet and hopeful, even the slower, drippy ballads -- the lemon candies in the pack -- such as "Side Two," the fifth song on "Faces Down," in which he sings about "these tortured souls [...] the tortured young and old." Yet just when the lyrics begin to despair, they are uplifted by Lerche's sweet, youthful voice.While this cheerfulness is mostly rewarding, at times it results in songs that border on sounding too cute and now and then cross the line into corny. "Modern Nature," for example, the sixth song on the album, tends towards sounding overly cutesy with its light, show-tune tone. Lerche, in a duet with Samdal, croons, "This is how it was meant to be," and the listener can't help picturing Fred Astaire singing away in the rain.In general, though, the songs are sweet, colorful and fun--they celebrate music and the love of music. Lerche's impressive lyrics (with only minor exceptions--forgivable for a writer whose native language is not English) add to the caliber of his songwriting: in "Sleep on Needles," the third song on "Faces Down," Lerche sings, "I am but a fool to play unaware of things / If I treasured the truth, I would tell it to you?" "Faces Down" is an accomplished debut album from a talented young songwriter. Lerche combines a strong musical background with innovative techniques and immense natural talent to produce an album that is charming and vibrant. For more information on Sondre Lerche, check out his website at www.sondrelerche.com, a comprehensive site including a biograhy, lyrics, guitar TAB, tour info, photos and videos.Lerche will be spending the next few months on a U.S. tour.
(02/12/03 12:00am)
Author: Claire Bourne The faculty's recent decision to figure all study abroad marks into student grade point averages (GPA) is one piece of a much larger puzzle that came together last fall when the Educational Affairs Committee (EAC) drafted a comprehensive report addressing study abroad policy. The six-part document offered an overview of the College's study abroad practices and presented recommendations intended to tailor rules governing Junior year abroad to recent trends in overseas study. Middlebury College's study abroad program has evolved by leaps and bounds over the past two decades. Not only are more students spending half or all of their third year off the College's Vermont campus, but many of them are traveling to countries and institutions that did not factor into the study abroad picture in the early 80s. According to the EAC report, 106 students studied at Middlebury programs and 88 chose non-Middlebury programs during the 1984-85 academic year. Last year, 63.6 percent of Juniors studying abroad embarked on non-Middlebury programs while 36.4 percent attended C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad. The increased number of study abroad options, while seemingly embraced by students, has raised concern among the faculty that some of their advisees are attending foreign universities about which the College knows relatively little. Consequently, the faculty argues, it is difficult to hold these institutions accountable for the level of education Middlebury students receive there. Requiring all study abroad grades to be factored into students' GPAs is one attempt to ensure that those studying overseas, and especially those who do not fall under the purview of a Middlebury program, take the academic dimension of their experience seriously.In the early 80s, students wishing to study in an English-speaking country found themselves in the British Isles. Today, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have become red-hot destinations, a development that has some questioning students' reasons for traveling to these southern hemisphere nations. Director of Off-Campus Study David Macey confirmed that, while academic performance of those studying on non-Middlebury programs was comparable to that of students studying under the auspices of C.V. Starr or partner schools, there were still "more students getting lower grades in Australia and New Zealand."The debate concerning study abroad grades at the Dec. 9, 2002, faculty meeting centered around the logic of counting grades at Middlebury Schools Abroad and not at other institutions. "If we don't count grades [from non-Middlebury programs], these institutions are perceived as not being on the same level as Middlebury College," said Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor of German Michael Geisler. The EAC's initial proposal called for all study abroad grades to be displayed on students' transcripts. However, an amendment brought to the floor and accepted during the December meeting took the language one step further to require these grades to be factored into students' GPAs. This decision is even more significant given plans to begin printing students' GPAs on official Middlebury College transcripts, a practice that up until now has been impeded by the College's current AS/400 computer system. According to Secretary of the College Eric Davis, transcripts reflecting overall and semester GPAs will appear in January 2004 after Banner, the new student information computer system, has been fully implemented.Student Co-chair of Community Council Ben LaBolt '03 said that he and Student Government Association (SGA) President Ginny Hunt '03 supported the EAC's original proposal to display all study abroad grades on official transcripts. This measure, he maintained, would be enough to "hold students accountable" for their academic performance overseas. Factoring these marks into GPAs, he continued, does not make sense given that students engage in different types of learning while abroad. "Someone studying on a program in Africa is going to be graded differently from someone studying at the London School of Economics," he said. Macey explained that all grades earned from non-Middlebury programs and institutions would be converted to reflect the College's educational standards. Department chairs were commissioned with the task of preparing a list of suitable study abroad institutions for majors or minors intending to study overseas. This move concerns LaBolt and Hunt, who are convinced it will limit the number of study abroad options currently available to rising Juniors. "We need to maintain choice in programs," said LaBolt.As the Faculty prepares to tackle other initiatives outlined in the EAC's report, Hunt is prepared to fully involve herself in upcoming discussions on the topic. She and LaBolt will suggest a two-year review of the new GPA policy at Monday's faculty meeting. More importantly, they will present a proposal for universal portable financial aid to the Board of Trustees on Friday. Currently, only students studying at C.V. Starr Schools are eligible for financial aid. Passage of the SGA's proposal would extend this benefit to all financial aid recipients, regardless of where they are studying. If other institutions are treated equally when it comes to grading, said Hunt, they should be treated equally in the eyes of the Financial Aid Office.
(01/25/03 12:00am)
Author: Bob Wainwright "April is the cruellest month," T. S. Eliot once wrote. Needless to say, Eliot never spent January at Middlebury taking Comps.Ironically, most Middlebury students have no idea what comps is beyond a word that certain people roam around campus uttering when asked about their J-term. And it doesn't help that most people actually taking comps right now have no idea what it is either. If you don't believe me, just ask one of them the next time you hear someone groaning about not having left the library in 20 days. I guarantee the answer will begin with, "Ummm..."Perhaps a comps taker may drum out a few terse sentences-something to the effect of, "We basically review all of the important literature ever written in English. And then we get tested on it."But push the poor kid further, and his logic will inevitably falter."You can't possibly review all American literature.""No, you're wrong, I'm already half-way through." "No, you're not. You just lied.""B-b-b-but I...""Right now, you're wishing you were good at math in high school, aren't you?""Uh-huh."The ultimate irony of Comps is that, like Fox's Joe Millionaire, in which Joe most certainly is rich, thereby making the viewer the butt of a grand hoax, people taking Comps always manage to convince themselves that reviewing every last bit of consequential literature is possible in 25 days. But how do the masterminds behind Comps manage to pull off this grand deception every year? It's simple. Their secret is self-contained. Because no one in their right mind is ever going to admit to freaking out for an entire month, musing over the concepts of nature, community, death and eternity, only to realize that all that Comps really entails is telling two professors who you think will win the Academy Award for best actor. So that, my friends, is why I myself have not reviewed a single text this January besides the menu to Panda House. Like Trista from ABC's The Bachelorette, I know what's going to happen even if everyone else is clueless. My proof lies in the very texts, which are supposedly required of me. For instance, Wordsworth writes, "Up! Up! My Friend, and quit your books; Or surely you'll grow double." And in "Nature," Emerson writes, "To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone." Clearly, by telling us to read and understand such authors, the Powers That Be are secretly telling us to stop reading and go skiing! You probably think I'm ludicrous. But come Friday, I'll be the one laughing, because the secret of Comps lies in a single answer, and it's Daniel Day-Lewis of Gangs of New York.
(01/25/03 12:00am)
Author: Erika Mercer It's the final scene in a movie, when you see the main character driving off down a windy road in a beat up car, wearing an expression of resigned melancholy. The day is blustery and gray, but rainless, and there is quiet, low music playing out of the car's old tape player. Tattered and hardened by the events of the movie, the character has reached a level of self-awareness that allows him/her to be simultaneously lonely and content. The scene, while familiar, escapes being clichÈd through its profound emotion, its sensitive details, its bittersweet, suspended ending. Richard Buckner claims that his music is "always about two percent devotion and 98 percent doubt" - a statement which fits the emotion of his songs. A California native, Buckner began playing music during his college years as an English major at Chico State, dabbling in several punk and alternative bands. It wasn't until the early '90s that he found his more country-based sound and began composing his own songs. In 1994, Buckner released his first album, "Bloomed," under the Dejadisc label, which he supported by extensive touring along the West coast. The album's success won him the attention of major record label, MCA Records, under which he recorded his second full length album, labeled - appropriate to his professed ars musica - "Devotion and Doubt," in 1997 and "Since" in 1998.Following disagreements with MCA, Buckner switched to Slow River Records and re-released "Bloomed" in 1999, featuring new bonus tracks. In 2000, he switched again to Overcoat Records, under which he released "The Hill," a project undertaken to adapt Edgar Lee Master's literary work, "Spoon River Anthology" - a collection of autobiographical poems written from the perspective of inhabitants of a town's graveyard - to music. The album, featuring guest musicians from the ban, Calexico, marked a significant step in Buckner's songwriting as he wrestled with aptly putting someone else's words to music."Impasse," Buckner's newest release, takes yet another stride forward in its effort to evoke fresh emotions and take lyrical risks. Buckner commented: "I wasn't satisfied, and I was at a loss as to why. I finally figured out it was because I wasn't working on my own, in my own time, alone - which I really needed to do. So I came back to Canada and rerecorded the whole thing by myself." The self-produced, home-studio recording allows him to experiment with a warmer, more organic, grounded sound, creating songs that, while still often tender and sad, release intermediate rays of optimism - what he calls "a lot of happy accidents." "Impasse" is faster paced, shorter and more focused than his previous releases, employing catchy riffs and upbeat rhythms, juxtaposed with Buckner's weathered, bleak monotone. In addition, "Impasse" while still classified as alt-country, relies little on the common twang and rootsy sound of other country music, branching out to embrace atypical instruments such as synthesizers and keyboards. Besides drums, played by his ex-wife, Penny Jo Buckner, Richard Buckner performs all instrumentation himself, a sign of his veritable musical ability. Also, he displays his literary talent through complex, oblique lyrics, printed in the CD booklet as mini-letters and short stories to an ex-lover. As one critic described, Buckner's "voice - with its arsenal of intonations, guttural lowerings, and (as Buckner himself has called them) "breathy things" - deciphers his own broken-hearted Morse code, making lyrics (lyrics one could readily dismiss as non-sensical) somehow specific and unambiguous." Through both instrumentation and lyrics, "Impasse" illustrates Buckner's maturity and confidence: he still paints his distinctive, gray interior landscapes but dips into a new, livelier color. "Impasse" is a polished, rewarding listen, a true demonstration of a creditable singer/songwriter's talent and conviction. In the song, "Born Into Giving It Up," Buckner sings, "Trust me, I know where I am" - and he does.Look for Buckner's new self-titled album, soon to be released. More information at Richard Buckner's official website: http://www.richardbuckner.com/flash/index.html.
(01/15/03 12:00am)
Author: Bob Wainwright Allow me to introduce Ross Merkin. He's a sophomore at Middlebury, and true to his name, he lives in Ross Commons -- 454 Lang to be exact. Ross is an indiscriminate sort of guy. He keeps to himself, spending his free time playing video games and downloading music. But Ross is about to get a little more attention than usual. At least, that's why he came to me.Most of you are unaware of this, but Ross is undergoing a feat heretofore never even attempted at Middlebury. He is spending the entire month of January indoors. That's right. Ross will be eating his meals in Ross Dining Hall, brushing his teeth in one of 45 bathrooms, watching television in one of 25 lounges, playing video games in one of 449 rooms, working out in the Ross gym, going to class in room B11 and even occasionally studying in LaForce library.Yesterday over lunch, Ross explained to me exactly why he's decided to refrain from the open air. "I'm just thankful to the commons administration for making it possible to spend all of J-term inside," Ross stated in between bites of stir-fry and pizza. "I've never been fond of going outside, especially when it's cold, so living here has been a blessing."When asked about his major, Ross was even more perplexing. "When I came last year, I was sure I'd major in English. But after being placed in Ross, and realizing I'd be living here for the next four years, I knew I'd be an idiot if I didn't choose pre-med. I may be terrible at science, but with Bi Hall only 25 yards from Kelly dormitory, I figured it was worth the lower GPA."But isn't Ross worried about the side effects of spending 30 days in a single structure? Not really. In fact, he views his decision as a health conscious one. "My first week on campus, I kept getting lost in New Dorms. No matter where I tried to go, I always chose the farthest exit from my destination. But by not leaving, I strip myself of such a quandary."And as far as staying healthy," he continued, "I take Vitamin D. Not to mention the fact that I currently stand absolutely no chance of slipping on ice."Of course, Ross is absolutely right. The only ice on which he might slip is that from the soda machines. But since most of the Middining staff now works in Ross, the chance of there ever being ice on the floor is slim to none. And while Ross may seem out of his senses, perhaps he's really a step ahead. Vermont is cold but College buildings are heated. Still, for most of us, remaining indoors is not an option. In fact, all we can do is wait and look forward to the day when each of the five commons will have a giant complex of its own, a day when everyone will be able to follow in Ross' footsteps, albeit in separate sets of hallways.
(11/20/02 12:00am)
Author: Abbie Beane "College is a non-stop whirlwind of excitement and IM, punctuated by hook-ups, drunken hook-ups and failed attempts at hooking-up. There are plenty of aspects of college other than sex and alcohol, but those are the two that result in the most noise.""You will study. You will forget everything you've learned. You will study again. You will keep forgetting. You will manage to squeak by anyway."These are the insightful and inspiring words of wisdom offered by Steve Hofstetter, a 2002 graduate of Columbia University, sports humor writer and recent author of "Student Body Shots," described as "a sarcastic look at the best 4 to 6 years of your life." A book that strips away weak and clichéd college humor, "Student" exposes the bare bones of a distorted world with its own language, twisted sleeping patterns and bizarre social rituals.As Hofstetter simply and modestly puts it, the reason this book is so hilarious is because "it's true" and people tend to laugh hardest at situations they can relate to. Isn't it comforting to know that there is someone else out there who can never seem to put their life in order, remember the weekend or stay awake in class?Hofstetter touches on most of these areas and much more, ranging from raunchy to innocent daily foibles and covering every politically correct topic in between. On top of that, his sense of irony is incorrigible.The other particularly excellent aspect of this book is that it sympathizes with the college student's short attention span, breaking the book up into 10 categories, from social life to facilities, and then further breaking these up into sub-heads at each turn of the page. For these minor topics, Hofstetter comments on everything from laundry to gambling to bars to pathetic studying habits. That way, if you're one of those college students who likes short chapters, reading one page per sitting or just hates reading in general, this is the book for you. In fact, it need not even be thought of as a book but a collection of funny quips that jab at college life and all of the beasts it entails.Hofstetter even throws a little poetry into the mix, which is not exclusive to English majors and artistic types—crude humor such as "I Killed My RA Today" and "Your Fat Friend," which he reminds us is only meant as an affront to fat people with bad personalities.Hofstetter commiserates with students on so many levels. And he does a decent job avoiding the trite jokes and broad generalizations about college that have already been chewed up and spit out too. Instead he just tells it like it is, or was, in his case, writing a book on specifics with a new, unsweetened flavor that evokes age-old college past-times and is easy to digest.Remember moving in? Hofstetter asks us how we could forget. "Orientation is a bad name for a week when everyone parties and has no classes. If I've learned anything it's that you're bound to wake up very disoriented."And as for your first conversation with the opposite sex, "it is usually the best you will have with them. 'We stayed up until sunrise just talking.' True. But that's because you had 20 years to talk about. The problem now is that you covered your whole life in one night, and now you're left with nothing for the rest of your friendship. 'He just doesn't open up anymore.' No, he's open—he's just got nothing left inside."And then, of course, Hofstetter shares with us some of his thoughts on annoying, conventional people. The "uber-freshman": He has an ID that looks nothing like him, drinks three beers past his tolerance, has the poster of John Belushi with the T-shirt that says "college" up on his wall and Dave Matthews MP3s on loop. "Or are you in a class with that one really unique guy who tries to find all of the vintage clothes he can because it makes him stand out from the rest of the crowd? I'm in a class with thirty-eight of them," says Hofstetter. On the daily grind, Hofstetter sympathizes, "Seeing some people in a towel is a good thing. But for the rest of you, have some respect for your hall-mates and change in the bathroom. Nothing says good morning like a fat wet guy in a mini-towel."Hofstetter also reminds us not to use words like "sketchy" and "tool" when at home. "That's why I don't go home anymore. Because when I do, no one understands me." Other bits of advice? "If you finish finals early, keep your mouth shut. You may think it's cool, but there is nothing other people hate more than the guy who finishes all of his work first. Walk up to anyone and say, 'I don't have finals and I kicked your baby brother in his stupid fat head.' 'What?' they'll say. 'You don't have finals?'" And lastly, "No offense to anyone, but if you don't date much in college, then you won't date much after college. Think of the situation you've been given. You live in a one-mile area that consists of thousands of members of the opposite sex, 99% of whom aren't married, and all within four years of your age. If that's not enough, you're put in small rooms with these people for four months and then given a new set of people for the next four months and this happens eight times. No one has an unlisted phone number and everyone eats in the same place. Members of the opposite sex are given a lot of alcohol, and are all hanging out in the same five places every night. Face it, if you can't score now, give up."But at the end of the day, Hofstetter says that even careers in finance won't kill us, as we've spent the last four years drinking ourselves to sleep on weekends, subsisting on pizza and Chinese food, taking to studying on weekdays and braving communal bathrooms even if we forgot our shower shoes.In the end, "College is really just like a quilt where everything is interwoven and it's more aesthetic than it is useful."So invest some more of your time in procrastination and read Hofstetter's book, or short compilation of sarcastic remarks, if you prefer to avoid the "B word."
(11/13/02 12:00am)
Author: Megan O'Keefe Adnan Duracak, 20, fled Bosnia in 1990 with his parents and older brother as violence and war escalated in the region.Employed by Middlebury Dining Services in the kitchen at Freeman International Center, Duracak is a part of what Matthew Biette, associate director of Dining Services, called "a strong Bosnian connection" at Middlebury College. Duracak is also one of 1,412 Bosnians living in Vermont, according to the 2000 Census. People fleeing war-ravaged Bosnia now make up the majority of refugees arriving in Vermont. Bosnian immigrants account for approximately 0.2 percent of Vermont's population of about 608,000 residents — the highest percentage of Bosnian immigrants of any state.While 98,766 Bosnians now live in the United States, refugee organizations did not expect to see the establishment of a large Bosnian refugee community within Vermont. Once the ethnic group developed a foothold in this area, however, relatives from Bosnia followed, and a burgeoning community developed.After leaving Bosnia, the Duracak family lived in Munich, Germany, for nine years. Three years ago, when strict immigration and citizenship laws no longer made living in Germany possible, they applied for entrance to the United States.Each year the United States accepts 67,000 of the 14.3 million people worldwide who are declared refugees. According to Lavinia Limon, the head of Immigration and Refugee Services of America, "You don't get to be one of the 67,000 without paying attention. You have to be lucky. You get interviewed three times. The process is not simple."When the United States accepted the Duracak family's immigration application, they moved to Detroit, where they struggled to live in a bad neighborhood. The Duracaks moved to Middlebury two years ago at the urging of a relative who had already settled in the area as a refugee.Like other Bosnian refugees living in Vermont, the Duracak family faces a number of special challenges. Foremost among these are language barriers at work and in school, which present obstacles to integration. In Montpelier, 26 of the city's 1,135 primary and secondary school students are Bosnian.Montpelier Superintendent of Schools Chaunce Benedict reacted to the flow of refugees by increasing the number of teachers certified in teaching English as a second language. "We and schools everywhere have had a lot of 'getting up to speed' to do to meet their needs," he said.Duracak understands the challenge of integrating into an American high school. His greatest challenge was the language barrier. "I didn't know any English when I came to the United States," he explained. Duracak, who is "not a shy person," adapted remarkably well, however, to life at Middlebury Union High School.Duracak made both American and Bosnian friends at school and in his neighborhood, where there is a large population of Bosnian refugees. He learned English quickly through immersion and by enrolling in English as a second language classes at Middlebury College and other schools. Duracak graduated from Middlebury Union High School in 2001 and attended Fisher College in Boston for a year. While he is now taking a semester off, he plans to return to Fisher this spring. Duracak's 23-year-old brother attends Linden State College in New Jersey.Duracak's parents, like many other middle-aged refugees, have faced numerous difficulties in their transition to life in the United States. Both are college graduates, but their diplomas are not accepted in the United States and many jobs expect an English language proficiency that Duracak's parents have not yet attained.In Bosnia, Duracak's mother, Sunita, was an accountant. She is now employed by Middlebury Dining Services in Proctor as a servery worker. Duracak's father, Adem, works in a factory for Special Filaments Inc., but was a chemist in Bosnia.Despite such frustrations, Duracak is positive about his experience in the United States. He accepted that there are some things that cannot be changed and only lamented that most Americans are not aware of how educated many Bosnian refugees are.
(11/13/02 12:00am)
Author: Gale Berninghausen Last weekend's Islamic Society Symposium "Shattering the Myth: Islam, the Media and Orientalist Stereotypes in the American Consciousness," thoughtfully addressed the representation of Muslims and negative stereotypes of the Islamic world. The symposium was organized by students in the Islamic Society and co-sponsored by The Rohatyn Center for International Affairs, the Office for Institutional Diversity, the Chaplain's Office, the sociology department and Wonnacott Commons. The events included three notable speakers and a delectable Middle Eastern feast. The speakers were Elizabeth Fernea, Jack G. Shaheen and Sarah Eltantawi. They spoke about their work in the areas of film and media. In each of their lectures, the speakers addressed the negative perceptions that Americans have of Muslims and the harmful ways that Muslims are portrayed in film and the media. The symposium began on Thursday with Fernea's keynote address and a screening of her 1982 documentary film "A Veiled Revolution: The Myth of the Muslim Woman." Fernea has worked as a writer and filmmaker in the Islamic world with her husband for 40 years. She is professor emeritus of English and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where she has taught for 25 years. Fernea was also one of the founders of the university's Women's Studies program, and has written extensively on women and family in the Middle East. Her most recent book is entitled "In Search of Islamic Feminism." Fernea's keynote address began the weekend's discussion of the Western view of Islam and Muslims. She cited a recent Gallup Poll that indicated 42 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Muslim world. This, Fernea suggested, is largely based upon stereotypes about Islam and the position of Muslim women. Fernea identified two stereotypes of Muslim women: "The first stereotype is of the exotic, sexy, lounging harem woman with minimal clothing, and the second is the barefoot woman who is a baby-machine, oppressed and abused." Fernea went on to say that many Western males subscribe to the first image of the Muslim woman, while many Western females subscribe to the second image. Fernea said she believes that "these stereotypes come from a historical basis but may not be fixed." Her life's work has revolved around the idea that these stereotypes can be broken down to present the reality of Muslim women.Fernea's film examined the significance of wearing a veil from the point of view of several Muslim women living in Cairo in the early 1980s. The film interviewed the women — asking about the historical context of the veil and why or why not they chose to wear it — rather than relying on the explanations of men or other figures. Such an approach was considered highly innovative at the time. Fernea was correct in saying that the documentary revealed the women's true thoughts about this complex issue. While Fernea explained that "the Western world sees the veil as a sign of restriction and oppression," her film revealed that many Muslim women choose to wear, or not wear, the veil and "modest clothing that covers the head and body," as a matter of personal, religious and cultural choice. On Friday, the symposium featured a lecture by Shaheen entitled "Hollywood's Islam: Problems and Prospects." In his lecture, Shaheen spoke at length about the way that Muslims and non-Christian Arabs are portrayed in film. Shaheen identified this type of portrayal as "vilification" and reasoned that this is primarily due to negative stereotypes of Muslims, Arabs and the Islamic world. The media, whether it is film, television or even news, has perpetuated the harmful stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs as either "bumbling sub-servants" or terrorists. Shaheen said he believes that "these images and words teach us who we should love and who we should hate. They are weapons." Shaheen, whose family is of Arab descent, grew up in Pittsburgh and "always loved film." After graduate school, he taught broadcast journalism and shortly thereafter moved to Beirut. This further sparked his interest in Islamic and Arab culture, and since 1975 Shaheen has fought the movie industry's negative portrayal of Arabs and Arab-Americans. Shaheen is a former CBS News consultant on Middle East affairs and professor emeritus of mass communications at Southern Illinois University. He is the author of "The TV Arab," "Arab and Muslim Stereotyping in Popular Culture" and, most recently, "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People."Shaheen described the vilification of Muslims and Arabs in film and media as based upon Hollywood's scheme that "if we humanize the characters in film, we can't vilify them … so they don't have an identity until given the identity of terrorist." Shaheen explained that traditionally Americans have learned about other people through the forums of the religious institution, the school and the home. But with the advent of television, the forum of media was introduced and as Americans, he stated, "We embrace the lessons given to us by the media." Shaheen reported in his lecture that by the age of 65, Americans will have spent approximately nine years of their lives watching TV. This suggests the vast influence of the media on our perceptions. In research for his latest book "Reel Bad Arabs," Shaheen watched 1,000 films that vilify Arabs and he firmly believes in the importance of maintaining "a lot of decency, faith, good will and sensitivity in not letting a group of people be demeaned so that they suffer."Eltantawi spoke before the Middle Eastern dinner on Saturday. Eltantawi is the communications director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. She began her job in August 2001 after receiving her master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from Harvard University and first dealt with the effects of Sept. 11 on the Muslim-American community. MPAC was formed in 1988 and deals with the representation of Muslims in the media and the government, and works with a variety of other organizations on Muslim issues and affairs. Eltantawi described this as "a monumental challenge" because there is a "deep incoherence with the media" regarding Muslim-Americans.Eltantawi explained the stereotype of Muslims in the United States as shaped by "religion; cultural aspects such as the treatment of women, politics, economics and demographics; and political conflicts in the Middle East." As part of her job, Eltantawi tries to counter many skewed perceptions of Muslim-Americans but noted how difficult this is because "mainstream media looks for sensationalism and extremism when it comes to the Muslim community." Eltantawi answered pointed questions from the audience about the representation of Muslims in the media and described her frustration at the fact that "the think-tank establishments and the administration do not turn to Muslims to ask about Islam."The delicious feast on Saturday night was catered by Baba's. Slides with images of Muslims around the world were shown to "reinforce the fact that there are Muslims everywhere doing everyday things", said Bilal Habib '04, who worked with other students of the Islamic Society to organize the symposium. Habib was pleased with the symposium and noted, "The speakers were great. We probably couldn't have found better speakers on this topic. And the turnout was great too ... people were interested."
(11/06/02 12:00am)
Author: Andrea La Rocca "What is your favorite word in the English language?" The question, posed to a group of Middlebury students, causes a moment of contemplation, possibly of confusion, and then ..."SEX!"Surprise, surprise — or not. Would you really expect anything less from Middlebury students? Especially from Middlebury students who are still recovering from the hook-ups and break-ups of fall break? (It's an oxymoron at Middlebury: Fall break is meant for recovering from midterms, but most of Middlebury comes back to campus needing to recover from the long weekend of a hometown relationship or one-night stand trauma. Such a vicious cycle!)Yes, even at Middlebury, sex is a buzzword that sparks interest, opinions and conversation. Sixties or not, it's still a slightly taboo subject. Salt-n-Pepa or not, there's still a right time and right place for talking about sex. But all these social constraints or not, Middlebury undoubtedly likes the topic. Why? What exactly do Midd- kids think about "sex"?"What do you think about sex?" Yes, that's what I asked. "Well, um, well ..." Hmm. It seems that the question is either incomprehensible or half of Middlebury hasn't ever thought about sex. Or, perhaps, even on our very liberal campus, the public discussion of sex is still hindered by personal inhibitions. "Sex? Sex, well, um, sex." OK, for our sake, let's hope people here are just shy, not that dumb or naïve. As for the extroverted half of the Middlebury campus, I found that men and women, not surprisingly, had different opinions on sex. Most Middlebury women answered my question with long, in-depth analyses of relationships and the role of sex in a relationship. They talked of sex with a capital S: Sex, a noun, a verb, an adjective, a central question in each and every relationship. And Middlebury men, well, they talked about the questions of sex, too. In fact, many of them answered my question of, "What do you think about sex?" with a question of their own: "Would you like a demonstration?" No, thanks. I have to, um, wash my hair tonight.In other words, the stereotype of men and women defining sex differently seems to persevere at Middlebury, with the men looking for some lovin' and women looking for love. That's the other aspect of "sex." It's a highly interpretable word (translation: be sure that your definition matches his/hers). But is this female-male division only on the surface or is it true in the reality of Middlebury relationships? When sex ideologies are put to the test, what are the men and women at Middlebury really like? Sounds like another question that needs to be answered ... next time.
(10/30/02 12:00am)
Author: Chris Richards Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney gave a down-to-earth and unpretentious reading to a warm Mead Chapel audience on Monday afternoon. Heaney, who is widely regarded as the greatest living poet writing in the English language, read from poems spanning his four-decade long career from and shared personal anecdotes, political ideas and thoughts on the nature of poetry.Jay Parini, D.E. Axinn professor of creative writing, introduced Heaney, describing him as the individual who has "worn the mantle of poetry in the world's eye" in a way that Robert Frost did. Born in rural Country Derry as a Catholic in British-controlled Northern Ireland, Heaney's work is deeply fused with political tension and yet contains imagery rooted in the earth and the experiences of his agrarian childhood. His connection to the earth and interest in the pastoral deeply resembles Frost's use of bucolic New England.While Heaney is interested in living in the present and the contemporary political climate, he began his address by acknowledging Robert Frost who had a profound impact not only on Heaney but on Middlebury College as well. Stating that he was honored to be at a place where Frost lived and worked, the Irish poet started his reading with Frost's poem, "Out, Out—." He followed that with a poem of his own, "Mid-Term Break," written in a style similar to that of Frost, who, according to Heaney, was "one of the first poets that made me feel safe in the realm of poetry."
