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(09/24/20 10:01am)
This week, The Campus presents its third issue of the semester. This fall, we will continue publishing content online on a weekly basis on Thursdays. You can browse our stories on our website, as well as check out a virtual front page each week.
The stories
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Today's Front Page
(09/17/20 12:07pm)
This week, The Campus presents its second issue of the semester. This fall, we will continue publishing content online on a weekly basis on Thursdays. You can browse our stories on our website, as well as check out a virtual front page each week.
The stories
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Today's Front Page
(09/10/20 2:18pm)
Welcome back to the fall semester! This fall, The Campus will continue publishing content online on a weekly basis on Thursdays. You can browse our stories on our website, as well as check out a virtual front page each week.
The stories
News
Covid rules enforcement falls on student leaders
Staff, cautiously optimistic, face increased workload as students return
Middlebury holds breath as Covid case number sits at two
Unsure of what to expect, first years grapple with a college experience marred by the pandemic
Economic downturn and Covid-19 precautions bring tuition and endowment draw increases
Local
Porter Medical Center prepares for a fall semester transformed by the pandemic
Arts & Culture
Direct Your Attention: Malcolm Gladwell’s perfect hi(story)
Reluctant journeys: International students traverse a world of obstacles as U.S. limits entries
Museum of Art shuts its doors for reorganization, plans to reopen in spring 2021
The only dating guide you’ll need this fall semester
Jay Parini’s “Borges and Me”: Beyond Just a Memoir
Opinion
Editorial: It’s a hard time to be a student, it’s a harder time to be a first year
Middlebury is just learning to deal with students in crisis, but it shouldn’t be
MASK OFF, MIDD: A college senior’s take on romance amid Covid
Snake oil and student loans
Environmentalism at Middlebury has roots in exclusion
The final year of Ask Tré
Sports
Fall coaches adjust to a season without competitive play
Siefer’s Scoop Podcast: An introduction
Life looks different and so does the student body: Athletes on leave
Throwback Thursday: This day in 2016: Sydor’s defense lifts Middlebury
Athlete of the week: Erin Nicholas ’21
Today's Front Page
(08/18/20 11:11pm)
(07/28/20 1:22am)
When Middlebury announced its reopening plans on June 22, the college estimated that roughly a third of classes — approximately 175 of 530 courses — would be taught remotely in the fall. Based on a Campus analysis of the most recent version of the course catalog, that figure is actually over 50%.
269 of the 503 courses — or 53% — will be offered completely in either “scheduled online” or “flexible online” modalities, with no in-person components at all. 87% of classes will be taught online in some capacity.
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Courses over 35 students will be held online, with smaller in-person discussion or labs, according to the Return to Campus Guide. Professors have the option to pick the modalities that they will use to deliver their courses, according to a June 24 email to faculty.
The five modalities of courses offered this fall are “in-person,” “blended,” “Hyflex,” “scheduled online” and “flexible online,” according to an email from Dean of Curriculum Suzanne Gurland and Dean of Students Derek Doucet.
An “in-person” course involves all of the instruction taking place in a campus classroom and will only be open to students studying on campus.
The two “hybrid” modalities are “blended” and “Hyflex.” A “blended” course includes both in-person and online interactions, which could mean that students are in the classroom on some days and complete asynchronous or synchronous online activities on others. These courses are only available to students studying on campus. A "Hyflex” course consists of simultaneous interactions between in-person and remote students, which often involve using live streaming technology. Due to limitations on classroom technology, the college estimates few courses using this method.
The two forms of online course delivery include “scheduled online” and “flexibile online.” A course that is “scheduled online” will be delivered completely remotely in a synchronous manner, while a “flexible online” course will require no meetings at a specific time.
When analyzing the “lecture” portions of courses for the fall, The Campus found that 63% of the lecture portions of courses will be offered online. However, when weighing the course catalog by the number of enrollment spots available in courses, 70% of spots in lectures are expected to be online. Out of the 10,325 spots in total, based on the data that are available, only 1,123 — 11% — will be fully in-person.
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155 of the 503 courses — 31% — include a discussion, lab or drill session alongside the lecture component. Although the college claimed that online lectures would include in-person components, The Campus found that the majority of discussions, labs and drills will be offered through online methods of course delivery. Just over a third — or 33 — of the 90 discussion sections for courses will be delivered in-person. Similarly, only 12 of the 54 lab sections will be offered in-person. Drills, which accompany language courses and are the least common of supplementary sections to lectures, will be mostly online.
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Many departments have chosen to offer their courses with predominantly online options. Out of the 50 departments listed in the course catalog, 17 — more than a third — will hold the lecture portions of their courses exclusively in “scheduled online” or “flexible online” modalities.
On July 28, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EDT, Dean of Curriculum Suzanne Gurland and Registrar Jen Thompson will host a Zoom webinar to explain the course schedule and registration process. The following day, on June 29 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EDT, the college will host a virtual version of its Academic Forum, typically held during the first week of orientation. Departments and programs will have open office hours for students to ask specific questions about courses; the information for this event is forthcoming.
Course registration will begin on August 3, at 10:00 am and continue through August 21 at 5:00 pm. Students can view their registration time ticket on the new Banner 9 system.
(06/28/20 3:57pm)
(06/16/20 4:18am)
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect study abroad and international travel, Middlebury Schools Abroad has announced the suspension of several fall programs. This story will be updated with the latest program suspensions.
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(06/08/20 4:47pm)
(06/04/20 5:24am)
We sent students a survey last week asking some of the questions that have continually shaped our lives since March 10.
From the data collected, we learned that:
Most students felt that professors were understanding. Ninety percent of surveyed students were satisfied with professors’ accommodations through remote learning.
Classes could get a lot smaller if we remain remote this fall, as 58% of students would elect to take a leave of absence if Middlebury chooses to remain fully-remote during that term.
The pandemic has not been kind to Middlebury students’ job opportunities. Sixty two percent of surveyed students at one point had a job or internship that was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Few people opted in to credit/no credit. In the wake of the failed movement for mandatory credit/no credit grading, 63% of respondents took all of their spring classes for letter grades.
At the end of the survey, we also gave students the chance to anonymously share opinions or anecdotes about experiences in quarantine. We’re really glad we did so — the responses you provided were at turns poignant, urgent and funny, and all of them capture the bizarre reality we’re living through. These anonymous opinions have been included in this article in places where they complement our findings expressed through data visualization.
General demographics
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Of the roughly 2,500 Middlebury students who were sent the survey, 583 — roughly a quarter — participated. Respondents were split fairly evenly across class years, with a slight majority of respondents coming from the classes of 2021 and ’21.5. (Though they will not be enrolled this fall, members of the class of 2020 were invited to complete the survey because of their perspectives on the spring semester and experience graduating during the pandemic).
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Reflecting the demographic reality of the college’s student body, a majority of respondents identified as white. Ten percent, or 58, respondents identified as international students.
Spring semester and summer
Mental health during remote spring semester
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A majority of students — 64% of respondents — reported having experienced mental health-related challenges during the course of their spring semester. Twenty-five percent reported knowing where to go to get virtual mental health support from the college, 27% said they did not know where to access care and the remaining 47% reported being “somewhat” aware of how to seek care.
But the logistical realities of being at home with parents, siblings and other family posed challenges for some students to seek help. “As someone who struggles with mental health, it's a lot harder to reach out for help when I'm at home and I feel at higher risk for falling into really bad lows and having no one around to help,” one student wrote.
“One challenge that I have faced has been less mental health problems myself,” a student wrote in their anecdotal response, “but more caring for family members struggling with their mental health.”
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Students reported feeling high levels of stress over uncertainty of life during the pandemic, as well as over jobs, relationships, academics, family life and home life. Often, multiple demands intersected to create unique challenges to tackling remote learning from home.
“Mother lost her job, father might too,” a student wrote. “Having everyone under the same roof in a small house has driven my parents to the brink of divorce.”
Approval rating of communication by college entities since March 10
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Students generally approved or were ambivalent about communication methods from college entities such as Schools Abroad, Parton counseling and the administration. However, several anecdotal responses expressed frustrations with a lack of solicitation of student input on the part of the college throughout the spring.
“Many other schools are hosting webinars and Zoom calls explaining directly to students what options they are considering in the fall,” one student wrote. “Middlebury has not told us the options and therefore there are more rumors/speculations. Even if the answer is ‘we don't know yet - here are some options,’ [that would be] better than barely hearing from them at all.”
Covid-19 infection among family, acquaintances and community
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Nine Middlebury students responded as having tested positive for Covid-19. Forty percent reported knowing a friend who had tested positive, and another 41% responded as not knowing anyone who had tested positive.
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Almost half — 48% — of students reported high levels of concern over viral transmission in their communities, while roughly 12% reported low levels of concern in their communities.
Opinions on spring remote academic programming
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A vast majority of respondents — 91% — reported professors being flexible in adjusting to the demands of remote learning. “Two of my professors were amazing — completely accommodating and conscious of the circumstances,” one student wrote. However, anecdotal responses saw many students report frustrations with how professors adjusted syllabi or failed to provide opportunities for asynchronous learning.
Many students wrote that some professors were patient and accommodating while others approached the semester in starkly different ways.
“I felt like most of the concessions certain professors claimed were just talk,” one student wrote. “One of my professors did not cut the workload at all and just added the material from the week we missed onto the post-break semester.”
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Despite high rates of approval for professors’ levels of accommodation, 64% of students reported that their academic experience this spring was at least “generally” impaired amid the adjustment to remote learning.
“If students were disadvantaged before, this pandemic only exacerbates the previous systemic issue,” one student wrote. “We should focus Middlebury's financial support to pledge to support students who have a less than ideal home situation for learning. This is a serious concern for accessibility reasons as well.”
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Students reported “news and outside distractions” as the most significant impediment to their distance-learning experience. Financial burdens were another — more than 100 students reported a need to make money while living at home as being at least somewhat of an obstacle to their learning, and thirty-four students reported lacking a home as a significant obstacle.
“I've been taking care of my two younger cousins whose both parents have brain injuries,” a student wrote. “Being home means that I have to step up in my family, and that involves home-schooling and helping to raise an 11-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy. It has also meant caring for my father who has early-onset Alzheimers. The playing field is extremely unequal when school is remote.”
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A significant majority of students — 63% — reported not taking any classes credit/no credit this spring. In the push for a credit/no credit system in the spring, students cited disadvantages faced by less-privileged students as the primary reason for offering such a system. Some students acknowledged that the credit/no credit system remained relevant because of these challenges, even if they were able to choose letter grades.
“My grades ended up good this semester,” one student wrote, “but I support universal credit/no credit because I know how much stress my friends have experienced in deciding whether to take courses for standard grading or for credit.”
Summer plans
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About half of students surveyed will participate in remote internships or jobs this summer. However, 62% reported previously having a job or internship that was later cancelled due to the coronavirus.
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A slight majority of respondents reported that they will be spending the summer months in the same location as where they spent their spring semester.
Fall 2020
“The Plan”
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Respondents favored an in-person, socially distanced semester for fall 2020 — a plan that raises questions about the college’s ability to enforce social distancing protocols in classrooms, dorms and the town of Middlebury. The other favorite options — delayed on-campus semester and pre-Thanksgiving end to the semester — raise similar questions that colleges will continue to grapple with as they consider on-campus possibilities.
Students are thus not enthused by the prospect of another semester of fully-remote learning. A significant percentage of anecdotal responses submitted at the end of this survey centered around respondents’ anxieties for the fall.
“I would easily trade my off campus/ traveling privileges for an in person-semester,” one student wrote. “Being able to socialize and learn in person with friends and colleagues is my highest priority.”
“I am going to be incredibly depressed if we can not return to campus in the fall,” another wrote.
But others expressed concern that the college committing to an in-person fall semester would pose too many uncertainties to be worth it. “I would rather have a clear remote fall than a chaotic one on campus,” one student wrote. More directly, others pointed out that an in-person fall would raise pressing questions about how to enforce social distancing guidelines.
Others offered their own tips on how the college should plan for the fall. “I think we should arrive to campus early, spend 14 days in isolation with the highest social distancing measures in place, and then have a normal fall semester,” a respondent wrote. “This would hopefully eliminate any risk of the virus spreading after the two weeks of isolation.”
As students sort through anxieties about what the fall will bring, immunocompromised students are experiencing higher degrees of concern about how the semester will look than most.
“As an immunocompromised student I am very scared of what life back at Middelbury would look like, yet also do not want to give up the rest of my college years,” a student wrote. “I worry about whether Middlebury is talking with the ADA coordinators/more vulnerable students to form a fall semester plan.”
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Four-hundred and twelve respondents — 71% — would be “very unwilling” to pay full tuition for a remote fall semester. And in the anecdotal responses, students posed concerns about how tuition payments and financial aid would work in the event of a remote semester.
“Will the college allow students on financial aid to take the semester off without restrictions? If I take the semester off and am on financial aid will I still be assured financial aid for the rest of my time at Middlebury? Will financial aid decrease due to financial hardships of the college? I am concerned that the college will hold financial aid over students' heads to prevent them from withdrawing from the semester if it is all remote,” a student wrote.
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41% of respondents said they would prefer a mandatory credit/no credit system in the event of a fully remote fall semester.
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And strikingly, 337 said they would attempt to take a leave-of-absence for the fall in the event of a fully-remote semester.
“Everyone I know would try to take a semester off if it were to be remote,” one student wrote in their anecdotal response. Another wrote that a fully in-person semester would be necessary for them to even consider paying full tuition and that “it isn't worth my money or my time otherwise.”
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In voicing anxieties about the fall, students — already three months into social distancing protocols by June — were most concerned about the ability of the pandemic in preventing them from socializing with friends.
Other significant anxieties stemmed from the ongoing public health risk and potential restrictions on campus activities.
“I am extremely concerned about the potential of party/social culture instigating an outbreak,” a student wrote. “I do not know that every student may follow social distancing/quarantining rules. In fact, I expect many to break them...I am worried that places of massive, close social gatherings (social houses, Atwater, etc.) will create a possible breeding ground for the virus.”
To the college, one student wrote, “good luck making these really tough decisions.”
Correction 6/4/20, 9:30 A.M.: A previous version of this article stated that "about a third [of students] reported knowing a friend who had tested positive and another third responded as not knowing anyone who had tested positive" for Covid-19. The correct figures are 40% and 41%, respectively.
(05/14/20 10:00am)
A vast majority of Vermonters show a desire to delay the reopening of the state’s economy and continue social distancing restrictions, even as 26% surveyed have been laid off or lost a job, according to new polling data from a nationwide survey.
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Conducted as a joint project between researchers at Northeastern University, Harvard University and Rutgers University, the Covid-19 Consortium surveyed over 22,900 Americans nationwide on various topics relating to the pandemic. Questions touched on how respondents have been affected by the pandemic to their trust in leaders, organizations and sources of information. The survey polled 158 Vermonters through an online system from April 17 to 26 and the results were released to the public on April 30. 24% of Vermonters surveyed identified as Republicans, 29% as Democrats and 41% as independents.
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The pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on Vermonters, with 33% surveyed having started working remotely and 19% having taken pay cut due to reduced work hours or demand. At the forefront of Vermonters’ concerns are financial hardships and either themselves or a family member contracting the disease.
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Vermonters mostly approved of measures that have been taken in the state to mitigate the spread of the virus, with 75% saying they “strongly approve” the cancellation of K-12 schools and 85% approving mandatory business closures. The state’s response to the coronavirus has been among the quickest when compared to nearby states, with Governor Phil Scott issuing a state of emergency on March 13, closing public schools on March 15 and announcing a stay at home order on March 24.
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Throughout the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” period, Vermonters have shown high levels of adherence to social distancing restrictions, with the eighth highest reduction in movement in the nation, according to mobility data. 76% of those surveyed in Vermont indicated that they “very closely” followed health recommendations to avoid contact with other people, while 61% said that they “very closely” heeded the advice to wear a face mask outside of their home.
The vast majority of Vermonters indicated that they feel well-informed of the state of the outbreak — 90% agreed with the statement that they “feel well-informed about the steps I can take to protect myself from the virus.”
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The survey also asked where respondents have been receiving information related to the coronavirus and had a range of media choices. 51% of Vermonters indicated that they were informed by friends and family in the last 24 hours, consistent with the national average.
Vermont’s consumption of print newspapers as a source of coronavirus information was higher than the national average — 19% in the state compared to 12% nationally. Vermonters consume less Fox News for information on the pandemic — 30% in Vermont compared to 37% nationally, while tuning into CNN and MSNBC more than the national average.
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In every state nationwide, the approval rating of the state’s governor exceeds that of President Trump. Vermont has one of the highest gaps in the nation, with 75% approving of Governor Scott’s handling of the pandemic, compared to 32% for President Trump. Governor Scott has been holding press briefings three times a week, with members of his administration updating the public on the state’s latest modeling data and actions the administration has taken to begin to restart the economy. 88% of Vermonters think that the state government is “reacting about right” to the outbreak, which is one of the highest rates in the nation. 50% indicated that they think the federal government is “not taking the outbreak seriously enough.”
Approval of Governor Scott’s handling of the pandemic is in line with many state governors in New England, a mixture of Republicans and Democrats.
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Vermonters’ trust in local and state governments is consistent with their trust in medical and scientific professionals, with only 6% indicating they trust scientists and researchers “not at all” or “not much.” 27% of Vermonters trust the White House and 44% trust President Trump “not at all” to best handle the current coronavirus outbreak.
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Respondents were asked when the country should reopen the economy and resume business activity, which has become a partisan issue in recent weeks. At the time of survey collection, 35% of respondents who identified as Democrats said that the country should resume business activity “after more than eight weeks,” compared to 16% of Republicans and 26% of independents. In Vermont, respondents generally thought that the country should open between four and eight weeks from the second half of April, when the survey was conducted.
In recent weeks, Governor Scott has announced steps to reopen the state’s economy, including permitting gatherings of 10 people or fewer, allowing elective surgeries to resume and permitting the return to work for construction and manufacturing companies with 10 or fewer employees. The governor is expected to make more announcements to restart various sectors of the state’s economy in the coming weeks.
(05/07/20 9:57am)
A project of this size and scope cannot be accomplished with many individuals whose insights, guidance and assistance were invaluable to our process.
In its second year, Zeitgeist was made possible by the input and support of Dean of Students Baishakhi Taylor. Additionally, we would like to thank Executive Director of Food Operations Dan Detora for generously supporting the project by providing declining balance for our raffle.
Director of Health and Wellness Barbara McCall, Executive Director of Health and Counseling Services Gus Jordan and ADA Coordinator Jodi Litchfield’s suggestions and input were critical in forming survey questions regarding mental, sexual and physical health at Middlebury. We would also like to express our gratitude to Professor Alex Lyford for his assistance with data analysis. Nate Evans ’20 also helped with conceptualizing the final steps of this project, and we are most grateful for his support. Sarah Fagan ’22 and Sabrina Templeton ’22 contributed the beautiful header graphics for each section.
This project would not have been possible with The Campus’s leadership team of Sabine Poux ’20, James Finn ’20.5, Sadie Housberg ’21 and particularly Bochu Ding ’21, who spearheaded the project in its first year. Your contributions and support have been critical to the success of the survey and its subsequent report.
Finally, this project would not have been possible without Campus readers like you. We hope that you will continue to support Zeitgeist and give us your thoughts to continuously improve the project in the years going forward.
(05/07/20 9:56am)
[ichcpt id="50732"]
(05/07/20 9:55am)
In designing this year’s survey, The Campus’ Zeitgeist team reviewed questions from last year’s survey (both those that were on the survey itself and others that were submitted but did not make it into the survey) and then distributed a form to solicit questions via The Campus’ social media channels. After consolidating the questions that were submitted and in careful consultation with editors, members of the Zeitgeist team generated 65 survey questions in total, including 13 demographic editors.
The Campus distributed the survey in all-student email on the evening of November 11, 2019. Responses were open for 15 days, until midnight on November 26. The survey was also distributed on The Campus’ social media platforms, posting at frequent intervals until the deadline. Campus editors set up tabling stations, alternating between Proctor, Ross and Atwater dining halls, in an effort to increase survey participation. Upon receiving the email, respondents followed an anonymous link to the survey hosted on Qualtrics. This link ensured that no personally identifiable data as to the respondent’s computer or location could be tracked. After completing the survey, respondents had the option to enter a raffle on a Google Form, which ensured that the participants’ identifying information for the raffle and the survey data were not linked.
Following the demographic questions, this year’s survey questions were grouped into five general categories: Academics and the institution, Midd after hours, Let’s talk about sex, Health and Wellness and This I believe. Survey respondents were encouraged to answer all questions, but were able to refrain from doing so. All demographic questions offered an “I prefer not to answer” option.
The survey data was stored on the Qualtrics platform and was distributed to a small group of reporters in sections via Google Drive. Sharing permissions for the Google Drive folder were deleted after the completion of data analysis. Data remained only on the devices of reporters and never shared externally, including the administration, other clubs, or academic departments.
When analyzing the data, the team did not examine specific entries or attempt to extract the entirety of a respondent’s data, but worked with the data as a whole to survey general trends. In order to protect the confidentiality of respondents, we have chosen not to disclose or report the responses of groups with 5 or fewer members in demographic breakdowns. In total, 1245 students responded out of Middlebury’s on-campus undergraduate student population of 2555, making the response rate 48.72%.
The findings were then compiled and published in the May 7 edition of The Campus. In total, 14 students were closely involved with the making of this year’s Zeitgeist.
(05/07/20 9:50am)
The Campus asked Middlebury students to participate in the second annual Zeitgeist survey in November, looking to gain insight into campus culture by asking the questions that are often not discussed. This year’s survey included an exploration of love, relationships and the ever ill-defined “hook-up culture.” A total of 1,245 students responded — nearly 48.25% of the student body.
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The vast majority of Middlebury students — 90.82% — prefer a romantic relationship to a hook-up, according to the second annual Zeitgeist survey.
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Despite this indicated preference, 50.44% of respondents said that they have had a one-night stand in the past and 43.53% reported having had an, “unspecified, slightly-monogamous ‘thing.’”
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About 55.37% of respondents, or 686 students, reported having been in a committed romantic relationship before starting at Middlebury. However, only 39.43% of students, or 491 respondents, reported being in a committed/monogamous relationship at Middlebury.
Athletes are 7.09% more likely to have partaken in a one-night stand and, on average, have a higher number of sexual partners than non-athletes.
Students identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community are equally as likely to participate in all forms of relationships and sexual activity as non-LGBTQ+ students.
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When asked about their satisfaction with the romantic scene at Middlebury, 46.01% of respondents answered that they were somewhat dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied, 30.41% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 23.58% said that they were somewhat satisfied or extremely satisfied.
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The length of relationships for students have varied. 34.90% of respondents said that their longest relationship lasted over a year, while 22.35% have never been in a relationship.
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More than one in ten students — 10.17% of respondents — said they have cheated in a romantic relationship.
Respondents were asked how many partners they have engaged in consensual sexual activity within the last 12 months. The most common response was 2-4 partners, with 386 students. 263 students reported they had not engaged in sex within the last year. Respondents who identified as cisgender female were more likely to have not engaged in sex compared to their cisgender male counterparts: 24.25% compared to 16.26%.
Despite the fact that many students have participated in hook-up culture to some degree, it is not clear what this term actually means. Students attempted — and struggled — to define “hook-up” in the survey. 1,130 students heeded the call to demystify the ambiguous (and popular) term.
“Hook-up is a deliberately ambiguous word in English that can connote anything from just making out to full-on sex,” reads one response, adding that “hook-up” is not a term they use when speaking of their own encounters. “I believe that encounters of any sexual nature would constitute a hook-up, but I’d be wary of defining mine as such because of the social implications this term carries.”
Many responses stated that hooking up is the range that begins with making out and ends with sex. Some designated hook-ups as an act that must occur privately, while others included infamous Dance Floor Make Outs (DFMOs) in their definition. Many others explicitly defined hook-ups as, “anything more than kissing”, requiring some sort of sexual encounter.
One respondent wrote that hook-ups are, “Something sexual in nature that can turn into something more, but [that] doesn’t necessarily have too much meaning or … emotion.”
The word “party” appears in responses 40 times. One response says that hook-ups are “having sex with someone after a party and then not getting into a relationship for more than a couple weeks or so afterward.” The words “casual” and “casually” appear 66 times in responses. “Spontaneous” and “spontaneously” appear seven times.
A common theme in the responses is a lack of emotional connection or significance. As one respondent puts it, hook-ups are, “Having a sexual relationship with someone without necessarily the need for an emotional/romantic connection or committment to that person.”
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For those involved in the romantic scene at Middlebury, survey respondents were given a range of options to select how they have met romantic partners. The most popular option was through mutual friends, with 527 people, followed by on nights out (495), extracurriculars (275) and through residence halls (225). Respondents also pointed to orientation and on-campus jobs as places they met romantic partners.
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The data also shows that Middlebury students tend to download dating apps during their later years at Middlebury. The percentage of students who use dating apps increased as students aged, with only 17.25% of the class of 2023 respondents having used a dating app at the time of the survey compared to 44.19% of the class of 2022, 48.36% of the class of 2021 and 57.32% of the class of 2020.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in The Campus' April 23 Love Issue.
Riley Board and Caroline Kapp contributed reporting.
(05/07/20 9:45am)
At times, the culture at Middlebury can feel amorphous. We see hundreds of students gathering on the town green for a midday Climate Strike; we hear our friends gripe about not being able to book a counseling appointment; we sense that some students gravitate to substances more than others. But these phenomena can often be lost to the four-year generational turnover that is endemic to college.
So often, we exist in silos of social groups, unable to tap into what our peers -- who are by proximity, usually, so close to us -- are thinking or feeling or doing. Are students looking for romantic relationships? What is the last social media app people look at when going to bed? Are students regularly skipping classes? Do friend groups coalesce around a shared identity?
These were a few of our guiding questions as we embarked on the creation of the second annual Zeitgeist survey, a project that aims to bridge the gap between data analysis and journalism by surveying students through dozens of questions. The results do not reflect the entire student body, with 49% of students filling out the Zeitgeist survey this year (for contrast, last year we had responses from 47% of students). Our hope is that every year this percentage will mount. And with an ever-growing pool of respondents, our ability to report on stories that matter to students will only improve.
We hope that in these challenging times for our school and our nation, you will engage with our findings and continue to learn more about the student body at Middlebury.
Introduction by Amelia Pollard '20.5.
(04/30/20 9:57am)
The college will receive over $1.8 million from the Department of Education as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help offset costs related to supporting students during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under section 18004(a)(1) of the act passed in Congress in March, Middlebury has been allocated $1,862,094, half of which ($931,047) must go to emergency financial aid grants to students. According to the law’s stipulations, the remaining half can be allocated to students according to each institution’s financial plan.
Middlebury has chosen to accept its portion of the $12.56 billion Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. This comes as other elite schools such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton chose to reject these emergency funds, asking the Department of Education to re-allocate their funds to support other institutions in need.
According to the provisions of the act, each institution’s amount is calculated using 75% of the enrollment of Pell Grant students at an institution and 25% of the enrollment of non-Pell students. Compared to Middlebury’s peer schools in the NESCAC, Middlebury’s allocation amount is closest to Amherst College ($1,574,582) and Williams College ($1,564,588). Tufts University was awarded $4,765,237 given its enrollment of 5,907 students, the highest in the NESCAC.
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In a letter to college and university presidents on April 9, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said that “the only statutory requirement is that the funds be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus,” encouraging each institution to prioritize students with the greatest need. Eligible expenses include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care.
Newly released guidance on April 21 clarified who could receive these funds, despite the law itself making no mention of eligibility for federal student aid (Title IV) to qualify for CARES funding. As reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education, international students and undocumented immigrants — including those under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection — are excluded from receiving the allocated emergency student aid.
David Provost, executive vice president for finance and administration, said that the funds for student emergency financial aid grants will be distributed in the next few weeks in the form of direct checks. “It’s very prescriptive as to what you can use it for,” he said. The school will prioritize its highest need students in the coming weeks.
Provost anticipates that the college will use the remaining funds under the second part of the allocation to offset already paid expenses, helping reduce the significant deficit the college is projecting for fiscal year 2020. These expenses include a combination of the refunds that were given to students, travel vouchers and payments given to students for computer and internet access. Provost will report this breakdown following the distribution of the funds.
These funds are also supplemented by the Middlebury Student Emergency Fund, an online giving campaign that has raised over $89,000 so far. “If we have those dollars to give to students we won’t be using the Middlebury Student Emergency Fund for any new needs in the short term, but we think there will be additional needs in the fall,” Provost said.
(04/29/20 2:43am)
The Campus is currently hiring Fall 2021 editors for the following positions. Information about how to apply is listed under each position. Applications are currently accepted on a rolling basis.
Positions are not open to incoming students (members of the class of 2025) at this time.
Business Manager
The Business Manager creates and handles the budget of The Campus, works with businesses to sell advertisements for the newspaper and handles subscriptions. Experience overseeing organization budgets is helpful but not required. To apply, send a statement of interest outlining your experience (1-2 paragraphs) to Business Manager Shaye Anis (sanis@middlebury.edu)
Online Editor
Online Editors upload articles from their designated section for publication on our website and social media channels. Experience with WordPress or similar platforms is helpful but not required. Interested applicants should email a brief statement of interest (1-2 paragraphs) to Digital Director Emmanuel Tamrat (etamrat@middlebury.edu)
Layout Editor
Layout Editors design the pages of The Campus in Adobe InDesign for our weekly newspaper. To apply, please send a statement of interest (1-2 paragraphs) and optional design work samples to Editor in Chief Riley Board (rboard@middlebury.edu)
Copy Editor
Copy Editors provide the final read on articles to search for grammatical errors and style mistakes. A familiarity with AP Style is helpful but not required. To apply, please send a statement of interest outlining your experience (1-2 paragraphs) to Managing Editor Lucy Townend (ltownend@middlebury.edu)
For general questions, please reach out to Editor in Chief Riley Board (rboard@middlebury.edu)
(04/23/20 12:58am)
The Campus asked Middlebury students to participate in the second annual Zeitgeist survey in November, looking to gain insight into campus culture by asking the questions that are often not discussed. This year’s survey included an exploration of love, relationships and the ever ill-defined “hook-up culture.” A total of 1,245 students responded — nearly 48.25% of the student body.
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The vast majority of Middlebury students — 90.82% — prefer a romantic relationship to a hook-up, according to the second annual Zeitgeist survey.
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Despite this indicated preference, 50.44% of respondents said that they have had a one-night stand in the past and 43.53% reported having had an, “unspecified, slightly-monogamous ‘thing.’”
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About 55.37% of respondents, or 686 students, reported having been in a committed romantic relationship before starting at Middlebury. However, only 39.43% of students, or 491 respondents, reported being in a committed/monogamous relationship at Middlebury.
Athletes are 7.09% more likely to have partaken in a one-night stand and, on average, have a higher number of sexual partners than non-athletes.
Students identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community are equally as likely to participate in all forms of relationships and sexual activity as non-LGBTQ+ students.
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When asked about their satisfaction with the romantic scene at Middlebury, 46.01% of respondents answered that they were somewhat dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied, 30.41% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 23.58% said that they were somewhat satisfied or extremely satisfied.
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The length of relationships for students have varied. 34.90% of respondents said that their longest relationship lasted over a year, while 22.35% have never been in a relationship.
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More than one in ten students — 10.17% of respondents — said they have cheated in a romantic relationship.
Respondents were asked how many partners they have engaged in consensual sexual activity within the last 12 months. The most common response was 2-4 partners, with 386 students. 263 students reported they had not engaged in sex within the last year. Respondents who identified as cisgender female were more likely to have not engaged in sex compared to their cisgender male counterparts: 24.25% compared to 16.26%.
Despite the fact that many students have participated in hook-up culture to some degree, it is not clear what this term actually means. Students attempted — and struggled — to define “hook-up” in the survey. 1,130 students heeded the call to demystify the ambiguous (and popular) term.
“Hook-up is a deliberately ambiguous word in English that can connote anything from just making out to full-on sex,” reads one response, adding that “hook-up” is not a term they use when speaking of their own encounters. “I believe that encounters of any sexual nature would constitute a hook-up, but I’d be wary of defining mine as such because of the social implications this term carries.”
Many responses stated that hooking up is the range that begins with making out and ends with sex. Some designated hook-ups as an act that must occur privately, while others included infamous Dance Floor Make Outs (DFMOs) in their definition. Many others explicitly defined hook-ups as, “anything more than kissing”, requiring some sort of sexual encounter.
One respondent wrote that hook-ups are, “Something sexual in nature that can turn into something more, but [that] doesn’t necessarily have too much meaning or … emotion.”
The word “party” appears in responses 40 times. One response says that hook-ups are “having sex with someone after a party and then not getting into a relationship for more than a couple weeks or so afterward.” The words “casual” and “casually” appear 66 times in responses. “Spontaneous” and “spontaneously” appear seven times.
A common theme in the responses is a lack of emotional connection or significance. As one respondent puts it, hook-ups are, “Having a sexual relationship with someone without necessarily the need for an emotional/romantic connection or committment to that person.”
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For those involved in the romantic scene at Middlebury, survey respondents were given a range of options to select how they have met romantic partners. The most popular option was through mutual friends, with 527 people, followed by on nights out (495), extracurriculars (275) and through residence halls (225). Respondents also pointed to orientation and on-campus jobs as places they met romantic partners.
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The data also shows that Middlebury students tend to download dating apps during their later years at Middlebury. The percentage of students who use dating apps increased as students aged, with only 17.25% of the class of 2023 respondents having used a dating app at the time of the survey compared to 44.19% of the class of 2022, 48.36% of the class of 2021 and 57.32% of the class of 2020.
Editor’s Note: All the results from the second annual Zeitgeist survey will be published on May 7, in the special Zeitgeist issue.
Riley Board, and Caroline Kapp contributed reporting.
(04/22/20 2:23pm)
(04/13/20 1:28am)
A map of the travel paths of everyone who submitted their stories to this project. We will add to the map as we get more submissions.