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(07/06/20 4:30am)
As the college unveils its fall semester plans, anxieties about making a decision with limited information and a pressing deadline are overshadowing previous uncertainties related to the fall.
While most international students would like to return and reunite with friends, they are also concerned about whether the dramatically altered college experience is worth the long trek back.
Many expressed that their decision would be easier if the college could provide more details on the course schedule, specifying the modes of teaching for individual courses and social distancing protocols.
“I feel the announcement seems more like a guideline instead of a practical plan with enough details,” said Steven Zheng ’23 from China, who is leaning towards taking another remote semester.
The long trek back
With major travel bans in effect and many airlines cancelling their overseas routes, international flights are very limited. While trying to get home in March, some students even faced cancellations after they had booked and paid for their flights.
The cost of travel poses yet another challenge. International tickets are likely to be more expensive, according to a BBC article, so returning to campus is financially impossible for some students. An economy ticket from the United States to Europe in early June cost $2,126 with Delta, according to Forbes. The normal price for this flight would be around $700, according to the same source.
There are also strict border restrictions in place.
According to the CDC, foreign nationals that have been in China, Iran, the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Ireland or Brazil during the 14 days before their arrival at the U.S. border may not enter. This means students from these countries would have to quarantine in another country for 14 days before entering the United States.
“I find this process exhausting and not worthwhile,” Zheng said.
International students are currently scheduled to arrive at Middlebury on Aug. 26. Although the college has not specified procedures for international arrival, they will likely have to undergo testing and quarantine on campus until all students complete the arrival testing process.
Despite all these challenges, some students see many benefits of returning to campus.
Many students expressed that in-person learning is likely to be more rewarding. They also value the opportunity to reunite with the community, engage in some extracurricular activities and have a larger selection of courses to choose from, since students can pick between online, in-person and hybrid-style courses.
Some students expressed that they would feel more comfortable given Vermont’s relatively low number of Covid-19 cases. They also hope its low population density would act as a natural defense against the virus.
Students will have to weigh these on campus benefits against the possibility that their classes of choice might be offered strictly online anyway, in addition to stringent quarantine and social distancing measures. The cost and risk of traveling to and from Middlebury, as well as the possibility of a second wave interrupting the fall semester, are also reasons for concern.
“The experience of evacuating as an international student in March was borderline traumatic. I can’t imagine doing that again if a second wave hits,” said Elsa Korpi ’22, who has been in Finland since March. “Daily cases in Finland are down to the tens, while the United States is now starting to hit new records. Voluntarily leaving Europe feels silly.”
She still has not yet decided her next semester plans.
Another remote semester?
For some, remote classes remain the only option given travel difficulties, family situations and challenges with maintaining a student visa during a gap semester.
“As I have high-risk family members back home, it would be painful if I couldn't support or be with them, especially since the health system isn't the best,” said Smith Muhuri ’23 from Kenya, the incoming co-president of the International Student Organization. He still hasn’t decided on his plans but is leaning towards staying on campus, as he has been there since March.
Others, most of whom live in urban settings, believe that staying at home will be a richer experience. They hope to take up internships, part-time jobs and other extracurricular activities in their hometowns while taking online classes.
According to International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS), it is still unclear if students can maintain F-1 student records if they attend classes remotely in the fall. Current regulations restrict F-1 students to taking only 1 course online that counts towards their enrollment requirement to maintain their visa status.
However, ISSS anticipates changes to the requirements that will allow students outside of the United States “to take more than one online course.”
The college will be charging full tuition for students who choose to take a remote semester from home.
The downsides of this choice include a smaller course selection, as many classes will not be offered online because the college discourages professors from “teaching simultaneously in multiple modalities,” according to the Fall 2020 FAQ page.
Muhuri believes that the college should encourage professors to offer both remote and in-person options in order to give international students more choices. Zheng and Korpi would also like to see more online courses and career related-resources for students taking a remote semester.
Muhuri and Zheng expect the remote learning experience to be less fulfilling and more difficult.
“It was just a tiring experience that I had to get up at 4 a.m. in China for my political philosophy classes this semester,” Zheng said.
A semester off
Reluctant to start another remote semester or travel back to the United States for a limited college experience, some have opted for a leave of absence instead.
However, according to ISSS, an interruption in student status can impede a student’s ability to apply for a work visa for jobs and internships in the United States. Reapplication for a student visa may even be necessary, depending on the individual case.
For many, Optional/Curricular Practical Training (OPT/CPT) and student visa complications are major reasons for deciding against a semester off.
“I would really appreciate it if schools push the government to loosen the qualification for OPT,” said Zheng. “I will be more likely to gap [a semester] if so.”
Scott Li ’23 from China is taking a semester off. He plans to do an internship and spend one to two months road tripping to Western China.
Despite his decision, Li supports the college’s plan for the fall semester and looks forward to returning next spring.
“I'm sure [the college] carefully balanced everything and tried their best to come up with what's best for everyone,” Li said. “It's just that this is really a tough time, and it's nobody's fault. Everybody should keep staying positive.”
The deadline to apply for a fall leave of absence is July 6.
However, students will get a full tuition refund if they withdraw before the semester starts according to the college’s refund policy.
How can the college help?
“There really is no good option. A remote semester feels like a missed learning opportunity, but I also have plans after undergrad that I wouldn’t want to delay,” Korpi said.
International students such as Muhuri and Zheng believe more details on the modalities of courses offered will help them make the best decision for next fall. According to the FAQ page, the college is planning to announce its course scheduling details in late July after professors plan their courses.
The college should also provide more details on how clubs would run and whether athletic facilities would remain open, according to Li.
Muhuri and Zheng also have concerns regarding how the pandemic would worsen the inequality on campus affecting international minorities.
“I don’t want to be left behind simply because I cannot be physically present on campus as an international student,” said Zheng.
ISSS plans to offer Zoom meet-ups or webinars this summer. It is also collaborating with the Admissions Office on virtual events with incoming international students to discuss their transition to campus.
“There are no guarantees regarding how this will all work out,” said Kathy Foley, associate dean and director of ISSS. “Fortunately, there are many dedicated faculty and staff colleagues on our campus who are doing everything they can to create a positive and workable experience for students to resume their studies in the fall.”
Editor’s Note: Elsa Korpi ’22 is an Arts and Culture editor for The Campus.
(05/08/20 8:44pm)
Florence Wu ’22
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Submitted May 5, 2020
I remember a week before the closing of the campus I was stressing over the assignments due in a week, looking forward to post-Spring break plans and debating whether I should risk going to California, a Covid hot spot, for a week of spring skiing at Mammoth. Twenty-four hours later, I found myself trying to fit a year's worth of belongings in four suitcases, scrambling to cross the US-Canadian border before it closed, and hurling over the Pacific to a New Zealand summer that I haven't seen in two years.
Throughout the process, I had a lot of help and support from friends that I am so thankful for. Looking out the window and watching the plane take off from a foreign city, I realized that the next time I come back to Middlebury, it will probably be in half a year and as a junior. I wasn't quite sure how to feel, but I for sure was not ready to call it a year and was baffled by the five-month-long summer break ahead of me. Nevertheless, I looked forward to the Auckland summer, the blooming trees in One Tree Hill, and the kids running barefoot on the beaches.
What has been your greatest worry or day-to-day concern as coronavirus has spread?
My greatest worry is how the fall semester will turn out. I planned to study abroad, but now I am not sure if that will happen anymore, so the uncertainty makes it hard to plan for things.
What has made you happy over the past few weeks?
I discovered that a local bakery remained open throughout the lockdown, which kickstarted my daily routine of a morning run there for a cup of coffee and an almond croissant. In the early mornings, I meet an old lady with her German shepherd, with whom she will share half of whatever pastry she buys. Sometimes, we will make eye contact and smile through our masks — small gestures like that make the whole lockdown much more bearable.
(04/02/20 10:01am)
Covid-19 has dramatically changed the landscape of life in Addison County and across the state of Vermont in the past few weeks. Middlebury College suspended in-person classes on March 10, and local businesses have been floundering following a March 24 state-issued “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. As of April 1, Vermont had 321 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 16 deaths.
To get a closer look at the biggest challenges facing state lawmakers and the Addison County community, we interviewed State Senator Ruth Hardy (D-Addison District) in an email.
The interview has been condensed and lightly edited.
THE MIDDLEBURY CAMPUS: Do you think the federal government is doing enough to support small businesses and individuals who lost their jobs due to close-downs?
RUTH HARDY: The federal response has been inadequate and problematic. The federal administration did not do enough to prepare for this pandemic months ago, [like] ensuring our country had sufficient medical supplies, clear public guidance and systemic support in place to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. That lack of planning, accurate communication and support has made the crisis even worse for our country. Congress has stepped into action recently, passing three Covid-19 emergency aid packages aimed at helping businesses, individuals, health care providers and state & local governments. Whether this aid will be enough remains to be seen.
MC: How prepared do you think Addison County and its medical services are for the outbreak? Currently, Porter Hospital is offering drive-through testing, but according to an article by Addison Independent, they seem to be not as accessible as advocated. Will there be any more actions taken to make testing more accessible and affordable to the general population?
RH: State and local efforts to test people for Covid-19 have been hampered by the fact that our entire country does not have a sufficient number of test kits to serve our population. The federal administration failed to adequately prepare for this crisis by ensuring access to medical equipment and tests. Therefore, Vermont officials have had to reserve testing for healthcare providers and the most vulnerable populations. Governor Scott has ordered that Covid-19 tests will be provided free of charge, but there simply are not enough test kits to meet demand.
MC: As schools are closing all over the county, will there be any support for digital learning at home and for students with difficult situations back home?
RH: Our local school districts are stepping up to make long-term distance learning plans for students, particularly after [the March 26] announcement by Governor Scott that schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year. School districts are providing Chromebooks to students who need them and even helping their homes get connected to the internet, which is a big issue in many parts of our state. Teachers are quickly learning how to deliver content and assess progress from a distance. School personnel are calling students and families to check in on how they are doing. School-based clinicians from the Counseling Service of Addison County are continuing to provide remote services to students. School food service programs are delivering meals to any student who needs them. Some schools are providing emergency childcare for the children of essential workers.
Schools and teachers are doing a fantastic job under extremely difficult circumstances. And, even with all of these efforts, many kids will fall between the cracks, as services and education cannot be provided as effectively and personally at a distance as they can at school. In addition, some kids don't live in safe or stable households, so concerns about abuse and neglect are heightened, and social isolation can exacerbate mental health and substance use issues. For many students, school is important for a sense of community, friendships, safety and fun; without school, students can feel anxious, lonely and adrift. So while our educators are doing a fantastic job in difficult circumstances, this prolonged school recess creates many concerns.
MC: After the Covid-19 crisis, how do you see Addison county adapting to the impacts it has on us now?
RH: Our county has a strong, collective foundation on which to rebuild. We are fortunate to have strong local governments, school districts, health and social service agencies, businesses, education and arts organizations, farms and food producers and communities that will band together to ensure we can all recover together. It will certainly take time and a lot of collective effort. But this crisis has brought us together in so many ways, and I have been inspired by the many ways that members of our community have stepped up to help each other through this difficult time.
As a policy-maker, I will do everything I can to ensure that our community has what it needs to recover. I also will work with my state colleagues to identify the cracks in our system that this crisis has underscored. Too few people have adequate economic and social safety nets sufficient to get them through a crisis of any magnitude and too many people who we have identified as "essential persons" are under-valued and under-paid for the work that they do every day. We'll need to re-examine, from a systematic perspective, the delivery of healthcare, social services, education and food to ensure our systems are adequate and equitable. There will be a lot of work to do, but first we all need to stay safe and healthy through the Covid-19 crisis.
MC: Are there any additional messages that you would like to say to the College community?
RH: I know this is an extremely difficult time for college students and everyone at Middlebury College. I feel those impacts within my own household on a daily basis. I have been extremely impressed by how the college acted quickly to ensure the safety of students and has stepped up to help the broader community as well. I hope that wherever Midd students are in the world, they are staying healthy and safe. I can't wait to welcome most of you back to Middlebury next year.
For the Class of 2019.75, you will always be unique among the many Midd classes, and I hope your experience during your last semester of college shapes your determination to make our world safer and more equitable for everyone. Stay in touch, and be safe and well.
To find out more about Senator Hardy’s policies on COVID-19 and for the most updated news on COVID-19 in Addison County, see RuthforVermont.com.
Editor’s Note: Ruth Hardy is married to Middlebury College Professor of Film and Media Culture Jason Mittell, who is the Campus’s academic advisor. All questions may be directed to campus@middlebury.edu.
(02/27/20 11:01am)
It’s a fact no ski resort, snow maker, liftie or snow hobbyist wants to hear: the temperature profile of Green Mountain winters is changing. Vermont has seen a decrease in average annual snow coverage since 1960, with the average high winter temperature rising at 0.64°F per decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The change has caused milder winters, earlier springs and more severe weather events, threatening the very foundation of Vermont’s ski industry.
Year by year, the total days of one or more inches of snow coverage has been on the decline, according the State of Vermont's website. Beyond charts and statistics, veteran skiers and snowboarders in Vermont have witnessed this change in action.
“Anecdotally, winters have seen later snows [in] March and April,” said Mike Hussey, the general manager of the Snow Bowl. Hussey mentioned that winter weather events have been shorter and more extreme, with short cold periods accompanied by abrupt, intense warm periods.
“The rain events have been more severe in the last three or four years,” said Stever Barlett, head coach of the Middlebury College alpine ski team since 2006. “As a result, skier visits tend to decrease when it’s ‘brown in town,’ as they say.”
Even younger generations have noticed the trend. While acknowledging the inevitability of winter-by-winter variation, students conclude that winters are getting warmer. In the past, blisteringly cold days were not uncommon, according to Pate Campbell ’20, a senior on the alpine ski team who has spent nine seasons on Vermont’s slopes.
“To have 10 of those –30°F days in a year used to be normal,” Campbell said. “Now you might just have one or two.”
Jenny Moss ’20.5, who has skied in Vermont since she was four and now works as a snowboard instructor at the Snow Bowl, has observed similar trends.
“The most consistent thing has just been how wildly inconsistent things are,” Moss said. “We are getting record colds and record [highs]; you really can’t rely on mother nature anymore.”
Unfortunately, according to Campbell, climate change will “hurt the small [ski] mountains the most.” While larger resorts such as those in Vail and Aspen can sustain rising costs by increasing ticket prices on its huge consumer pool (as those in favor of conglomerates have said), small mountains with a fraction of the capital have less leeway to do so.
The Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center have increased their snowmaking facilities, without which warmer weather could shorten the average 135-day season down to 50–70 days, according to Hussey. Despite changing weather patterns, Hussey remains optimistic about the College’s snowmaking abilities. “Shorter windows of opportunity have driven us to install equipment that can be started and shut down quickly in order to capitalize on as much of the window as possible,” he said.
However, snowmaking is only a temporary solution to the threat that warmer winter temperatures impose on the ski industry. Those looking to protect Vermont’s slopes can take action by joining and supporting environmental activist groups such as Protect Our Winters (POW). The organization believes that through a “three-way change” in politics, technology and culture, voters can prevent the worst impacts of climate change. As a college student, this can mean participating in climate activism, voting for green politicians, researching renewable energy resources, supporting environmentally friendly brands and companies, and being more aware of personal consumer habits and carbon footprints.
“The students are the generation that can change the habits of our culture,” Hussey said. “It is late in the game but not too late.”
(12/05/19 11:00am)
The snowboarding industry and Vermont community mourns the loss of Jake Burton Carpenter, the founder of the major Burlington-based snowboarding company Burton Snowboards. Carpenter died on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at the age of 65. The Stowe resident “passed away peacefully” from complications related to cancer at the University of Vermont Medical Center, according to a statement released by Burton.
According to Red Bull Snowboard, Carpenter was the “godfather of snowboarding.” Before Carpenter became involved in the sport, the actions and images associated with snowboarding were very different than what comes to mind today. One could not simply drop the broad, step on, bend over, strap in and ride away. Nineteen and 20-year-olds did not dominate the slopes nor were they doing double corks off Olympic size jumps. In the late ’70s, snowboards were pieces of wood with leashes attached to the nose.
In 10 years, Carpenter managed to take the sport from a ‘surfing spin-off’ to a well-known and well-loved Olympic sport. In 1977, fed up with his desk job in New York, Carpenter moved to Londonderry, Vermont, near Stratton Mountain Resort. He had a background in skiing and surfing, as well as “snurfing,” the rudimentary predecessor to snowboarding, and began making snowboards in a Vermont barn. At that time, snowboarding had not gained popularity and ski resorts did not yet welcome snowboarders. His young company, dubbed “Burton Boards,” struggled.
But as Carpenter continued to sell the sport, Burton gradually gained customers, many of whom were teenagers. According to a Forbes article on Carpenter, “In those early days, the Burton brand was synonymous with snowboarding.”
In 1985, Carpenter and his wife Donna Carpenter, who became Burton’s CEO in 2016, moved to Europe to start Burton’s European base in Austria. Before leaving, Carpenter enrolled in the six-week German program at the Middlebury Language School, according to a blog post on the Burton website. The couple later moved back to Vermont where they have raised three sons.
Even after Burton became a major success, Carpenter did not shed the initial easy-going and “chill vibes” that are now commonly associated with snowboarding. His company embraces a healthy and active lifestyle, providing its employees with free season passes, discounted gear, flexible hours during the winter to ride a few runs before work and the ability for employees to bring their dogs to work. Employees are encouraged to dress casually for work — “jeans, sneakers, flip flops, or mud boots if that’s your thing, and leave the ironing for tuning up your snowboard,” says the company’s hiring page.
“I’ve always been in awe when around Jake because of his admiration of life, passion for sport and the lifestyle associated. His personality as a whole — it will forever live on in all of us,” said Darcy Sharpe, silver medalist in the 2018 X Games Aspen and FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships, in an Instagram post. Four years ago, in an article by The New York Times, the three-time Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White called Carpenter the “cool dad of the sport.”
At Burton’s retail shop in downtown Burlington, I quickly got a feel for the company’s easygoing yet passionate attitude toward life and snowboarding. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by a golden retriever whose name tag said “Bean, Burton Guide.”
The shop resembles more of a cozy mountain cabin than a retail store from one of the biggest snowboard companies in the world. It is furnished with wood with retro snowboards, which hang all over its walls; the staff wear flannel shirts and beanies. An activity wall features all the store’s monthly parties, shredding events and board demos. When I left the shop, I noticed a big sign outside that said “Rest in Powder” with the hashtag #RideonJake.
Maeve Byrne, an employee at Burlington’s flagship store, reflected on her experiences at Burton. “Burton extends so much further than the hard and soft goods we sell,” she said. “Even though I’m just a retail employee amongst over a thousand employees globally, I hold a lot of pride in being able to work for Burton and help get customers as stoked about snowboarding as we are.”
Torah Bright, an Olympic gold and silver medalist in snowboarding, offered her own condolences in an Instagram post. “I am just one of the millions whose lives were changed by your vision and your passion,” she wrote. “May the mountains, snow, and gravity continue to guide the way. Shred on Jake.”
(12/05/19 10:58am)
“There’s always this whirlwind of things that come to my mind when people ask ‘where are you from?’,” said Elsa Korpi ’22. Korpi lived in Finland until she was six, moved to Berlin for four years of school and then moved to Brussels and Helsinki before attending United World College Hong Kong and eventually coming to Middlebury.
“It’s hard to decide on a place to say where I’m from,” said Jackson Evans ’22, who was born in the US and lived in Melbourne, Australia for the last seven years of his life.
I also find the question “Where are you from?” a difficult one. I was born in Shanghai, China, moved to Hong Kong for high school and then New Zealand after I graduated. Now, I go to school in the States. Any answer that only references a single country feels like a lie. Not only that, but it is a lie constantly in danger of exposure by my ignorance of the good restaurants in Shanghai, my broken Cantonese or, if I say I’m from New Zealand, my lack of a kiwi accent. As a result, I have learned to spill my entire life story in a five-second-long, well-rehearsed answer to avoid questions such as “Who’s your favorite All-Blacks?” or an enthusiastic, fluent reply in Cantonese that leaves me with nothing but an awkward laugh.
I have always felt like an imposter, stuck between these nationalities and the stereotypes they carry. At Middlebury, I found many other “country-hoppers”. It’s comforting, but it also reveals a growing trend of global migration in the international community that needs recognition and support. “Breaking down those pre-formed ideas of you needing to be from one place is important,” Evans said to me. Especially at Middlebury, where many international students have prior study abroad backgrounds, national stereotypes are becoming increasingly inaccurate and misleading. Rejecting that requires effort from both the international and domestic students.
As a first step, it’s important for international migrants to be okay with developing a sense of identity without a sense of nationality. “I have roots in Chinese culture and a Chinese passport, but I don’t perceive myself as being loyal to the Party, ” said Katelyn Mei ’22, who was born in China and went to a public high school in Brooklyn, NY. “I am just a human being with mixed cultural backgrounds. I don’t think I belong to any specific nation.”
For a long time, I struggled with this lack of belonging. I have given a single response to the question: “Where are you from?” and tried to play along with the stereotypes of that specific nationality. I have also tried to force a sense of belonging by watching rugby or faking an accent until I realized after many failed attempts, that roots can’t grow out of anywhere and identity can exist without belonging to any particular region. “We are the weird foreigners in our own country,” said Korpi. At some point, I stopped “home searching” and started valuing these pieces of places that I carry with me. In the face of globalization, we may be increasingly obliged to shed the comfort of having roots in any one place. Still, this is not necessarily a bad thing: it’s only when you stop trying to fit into one box that you can truly embrace the fullness of international migrant identity.
For me, refusing to play along with stereotypes myself was a first step that allowed me to ask others to reject the stereotypes or simplifications they imposed on me. I realized I must learn to appreciate my own identity first before I can really show others how to understand or respect it.
Personally, I’m not offended by people’s initial assumptions based on my nationality — it’s hard to avoid stereotypes when they are often the grounds with which we use to assess others. However, it gets frustrating when your repeated attempts to correct such biases are ignored. “People wanted to box me into something that I know is untrue,” said Korpi.
Being ethnically Chinese, I very often feel the weight of tags like “brainwashed”, “nationalist” and “locked behind the firewall”, even after frequently emphasizing that, by being at Middlebury, we have the same access to the news sources like The New York Times. “There are certain political meanings to the Chinese identity that no one can avoid. I don’t think to be Chinese means that I am a Communist or I endorse everything my government does,” said Kexin Tang ‘22.5, a Chinese student who grew up in Chengdu, China and went to high school in UWC New Mexico. “I feel like most of the time people don’t listen. They come with preconceptions of what China is like and they only seek to confirm them.” Very often, I feel that my opinions are valued more when I identify myself as kiwi as opposed to Chinese– that’s a problem. We should learn to separate individual values with their nation’s political reputation. The fact that we are at Middlebury College is proof of our intellectual capacities and our ideas should be valued based on their content, not our nationality.
It’s not an easy transition to make but it’s an important and necessary one in order to accommodate the changing nature of internationality on campus. Middlebury has always campaigned for diversity and global education. It’s time for us to realize that diversity should be more than a statistic on the school’s admission’s website, but a mindset and an environment that is open to challenging stereotypes and giving students equal opportunities of expression regardless of nationality.
Editor’s note: Elsa Korpi, quoted in this piece, is an Arts & Academics editor for The Campus.
Florence Wu is a member of the class of 2022.