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(05/11/23 10:04am)
For this week’s editorial, the graduating seniors of the Editorial Board reflected on how Middlebury has changed –– for better and worse –– since they enrolled in fall 2019. Our non-seniors offered their perspectives on how these changes have shaped their college experience thus far. Of course, the college has developed in ways that were inevitable due to the pandemic’s disruption of both Middlebury and the world at large. As we finish up a year without pandemic restrictions, we must reflect on how students’ priorities have changed and the college has failed to keep up with the changing times.
(05/04/23 10:04am)
Of the 1,112 students surveyed by this year’s Zeitgeist, two-thirds admitted to breaking the Honor Code, in which students affirm that they have not given nor received unauthorized aid on a given assignment. The vast majority of cases involve using aids such as Google Translate, Sparknotes or calculators on assignments where their use is not allowed. The second most common violation was cheating on exams, and the third was using ChatGPT and other unauthorized AI tools.
(04/27/23 10:04am)
Most current Middlebury students are familiar with a college that is understaffed. In addition to some academic departments being low on faculty, Facilities Services, Custodial Services and Dining Services have battled persistent understaffing since 2020. The degree of this staff shortage has fluctuated over the past few years, in part due to large-scale forces such as the pandemic and the state of the national economy. However, local factors like Middlebury’s remote location, the lack of affordable housing in Addison County, non-competitive wages and the new skill matrix and disrespectful student behavior have likewise continually threatened the size of the college’s workforce. These past couple of weeks have brought new urgency to the understaffing issue as dining operations, including the Grille, Crossroads and MiddXpress, Davis Family Library, and the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office have had to reduce their hours or the availability of certain services, leading to frustration among the student body.
(04/20/23 10:03am)
While we may still be surprised by another snowfall, it’s safe to say that we’ve made it: spring is here. We’ve ditched the winter coats. The days are getting longer. The sun feels warmer. The UV index is slowly creeping up and flowers are starting to bloom. Middlebury is finally starting to regain some color after a long, gray winter. With these welcome changes, we are reminded of all the warm weather activities Vermont has to offer.
(04/13/23 10:04am)
At 10:28 p.m. on Sunday night, the college received a call reporting an ongoing shooting and mass casualty incident in the Davis Family Library. After an investigation that included a search and evacuation of the building, law enforcement concluded that the call was a hoax — one of an increasing number of swatting calls targeting academic institutions. But for an hour and a half — while many students hid in dark rooms and behind barricaded doors, while others were confronted by armed police and escorted to guarded safe zones — the threat appeared incredibly real. By failing to quickly inform the campus community about the event, the college left students to bear the burden of responding on their own during the crucial hours of the situation.
(03/16/23 10:00am)
Middlebury students are often taught that the skills a Middlebury education fosters are ones that will prepare us to be leaders, to make our own informed decisions or to strike out on our own paths. The “Our Students” tab of the college’s website even touts that Middlebury is home to students who want to “make [their] own future.”
(03/09/23 11:05am)
“I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment.”
(03/02/23 11:02am)
The Middlebury College experience is marketed to prospective students as a place full of extracurricular possibilities and opportunities. We’ve all seen the brochures and heard the classic line about student organizations at Middlebury: If you don’t see a club that interests you, start one.
(02/23/23 11:03am)
Over the past few years, Middlebury community members have become accustomed to the impacts of having a larger-than-typical number of students enrolled at the college — a housing crunch, packed classes and stressful course registration processes. Historically, around 2,500 students have called Middlebury home each year. In recent years, however, that number has crept up to more than 2,800.
(01/26/23 11:07am)
With few Covid-19 guidelines still in place, many parts of campus life are starting to return to pre-pandemic routines. Students are once again able to eat in the dining halls, attend most classes without masks and go out to parties or other gatherings on the weekends.
(01/19/23 11:03am)
Next week, Middlebury’s Board of Trustees will meet to discuss, among other things, tuition for the 2023–24 academic year. They will almost certainly increase tuition, in keeping with the trends of past years. Tuition increased by 4.5% last year and 2.5% the year before.
(12/08/22 11:00am)
December is upon us, and with it the lovely and long-awaited Finals Season. The days are shorter; your once enjoyable afternoon class now feels like a time warp when you leave only to find it is pitch black outside. We now layer up to brave the long walks between classes, just to feel suffocated when stepping into the intense Proctor heat. Morning conversations of “How’s it going?” have turned from lighthearted to the simple “It’s going.”
(11/17/22 11:03am)
“Your individual thoughts and ideas are fostered here, and the opportunities to express them are endless. Students are also able to start new clubs each year, so the possibilities for engagement are virtually limitless.” In reading this messaging from Middlebury’s admissions web page, one would expect the extracurricular experience to be inviting and seamless. Unfortunately, the image presented to prospective students does not hold true to our experience as active members of the Middlebury community.
(11/10/22 11:03am)
The Supreme Court began hearing the oral arguments for two cases which will decide the future role of race in college admissions on Oct. 30. In the 40 years since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke established affirmative action’s constitutionality, there have been numerous challenges. The Supreme Court, even as recently as 2016, has continually upheld affirmative action. But this court is different. Many believe that given the court’s conservative supermajority, it is not a matter of if affirmative action will be overturned, but to what extent.
(11/03/22 10:01am)
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of student death.
(10/27/22 10:02am)
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Middlebury students were frequently granted additional flexibility and room for self-care. From the expanded Credit/No Credit grading system to more lax due dates and “freebie” late days, there was infrastructure in place to grant more space to students when they were struggling.
(10/13/22 10:01am)
This summer, Middlebury implemented a new compensation system for staff that seeks to promote “ownership and impact” for employees. The plan centers on a “skill matrix” which places staff in one of four categories — ‘learning,’ ‘growing,’ ‘thriving’ and ‘leading’— which then is used to determine their pay grade.
(10/06/22 9:57am)
We’re guessing that most of us don’t want broken glass, beer cans, vomit or urine in the spaces we inhabit. Yet a return to the pre-Covid party scene has also, unfortunately, ushered in a return of damage, destruction and vandalism of both public and private spaces. We’re not totally sure why drunk students like to smash, steal and break things on nights out, but we do know that it represents a level of entitlement and disregard that other community members should in no way have to deal with.
(09/29/22 10:01am)
This week, Middlebury’s chapter of the AAUP published an op-ed in The Campus calling for a 10% faculty wage increase, which they state is still less than the 16% they would be granted if raises were correctly adjusted for inflation. They note that “not investing in employees is a short-sighted strategy that will save some money now, but cost the College much more in the future.”
(09/22/22 10:00am)
The recently reported admission statistics for the class of 2026 and 2026.5 illustrate a significant increase in the prevalence of first-generation students: 21% of these incoming students are the first in their family to attend college, compared to 11% of the class of 2023 and 2023.5. The percentage of domestic students of color is also the highest in the college’s history at 38%.
