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(12/08/12 1:57pm)
Following the Old Stone Mill's end-of-the-semester showcase at the Crossroads Cafe, Middlebury Magazine's Stephen Diehl and Blair Kloman produced a video about the event. They write:
It may boast a stoic and traditional exterior, but behind the doors of Old Stone Mill, all kinds of crazy things are happening. Crickets are a nutritional snack, origami makes great jewelry, and ten strangers get together monthly for a dinner party.
Based on the premise that students need space to explore their ideas, the OSM, as it’s known, is a hub of student-driven activity. Interested students can present their non-academic and self-designed project ideas to the all-student board, who then select tenants for each semester.
Middmag went to OSM’s fall showcase and met up with some of the current tenants, including an app developer, a clothes designer, a group opening a beauty salon for women of color, and many other creative and ambitious young folks.
(12/06/12 1:24pm)
In a posting on The Eighth Man, "a quiddicth media site designed to bring together elements of strategy and sports analysis," Benny Nadeau discusses the implications of Middlebury's recent losses and failure in qualifying for the World Cup:
On November 17th, 2012 at the Northeast Regional Championship, the world stood absolutely still. While teams like Boston University and Hofstra University dominated and announced their legitimacy to the IQA community, there were also a few other pleasant surprises from pool play. The Boston Riot had put themselves in a good position to sneak into the World Cup and NYU came out of nowhere with an impressive set of first games. However, there was one team that everyone was talking about.
Middlebury didn’t survive the first day.
In April, for the first time in IQA history, there will be a new World Cup champion.
Middlebury, of course, created this game. Without them, this community that we’ve all come to love and obsess over might not even exist. To them, we owe everything. And yet, the world couldn’t help but act a little overjoyed that, for once, there would be no Middlebury at this year’s World Cup. However, they’re the one team that changed everything.
There have been five world cups and at the end of the tournament each year, it has been Middlebury hoisting our makeshift trophy while the rest of the world was forced to look on. Eyes fixated on their celebrations, the IQA community has made it their number one goal to dethrone the kings of our sport. At World Cup 4, I was a freshman on the Emerson College Quidditch team. I played only fifteen seconds at that weekend and I was still dreading the moment they took the title. What stuck with me to this day was what my coach, Michael Gray, used to tell us.
“Do you think Middlebury is practicing in the rain right now? No, they aren’t! We are the only team in the world that can beat Middlebury, but we have to want it.”
You see, the entire world wasn’t playing Quidditch to win a championship; they were playing to beat Middlebury. Beating Middlebury was the only way to be considered the winner. For better or for worse, the road to glory ran right through Middlebury. Emerson lost that year in the quarterfinals to Tufts and our team sobbed in our tents for over an hour. We weren’t entirely sad that we lost on a scoring miscalculation, we were sad that we didn’t get another shot at Middlebury.
Of course, that was a different Middlebury. The next year, they came in as underdogs and many people believe that they had absolutely no shot of winning a fifth straight title. With new elite powerhouses like Texas A&M, Kansas and Florida, there was no way the little liberal arts school could pull it off once more.
They lost, but not in the finals. In fact, their unfortunate snitch snatch loss against Michigan in pool play was impossibly bad timing. A quaffle goal mere milliseconds before UM pulled the snitch sent waves across Randall’s Island: they were beatable. Word of their loss, no matter how unlucky, spread like wildfire and teams were giddy with excitement. This was the year!
Then there was Marquette. In an event that will live in infamy, bracket creators stopped the game between Middlebury and Marquette in the round of sixteen after it had already started. As the story goes, Marquette was well on their way to a dominating performance and earning their title as the first team to ever eliminate Middlebury from a tournament. The bracket was re-made and instead of losing, Middlebury slipped by Boston University and pulled their snitches on the way to another improbable finals appearance once more.
“I hated that they got a second chance,” said Curtis Taylor, current Marquette University captain.
They made they the most of a second chance and won their unprecedented fifth title in a row. The community was fuming, how could they do it again? They didn’t even create an all-star team from tryouts like most other teams. Infamously, Middlebury always created their tournament team a week before the World Cup based on the winner of their house league. That only made the losses worse.
Vowing revenge, the IQA looked towards spring semester. Champions Series came in April and Middlebury decided to attend. Excitement began cropping up that Middlebury was actually going to compete in a tournament outside of the World Cup. Until now, it was mostly unheard of and teams were euphoric at the opportunity to see them face off once more against Emerson, BU, Villanova and Minnesota. Then, they hardly even sent a team at all. Middlebury’s team consisted of one senior and the rest of their single digit roster were freshman.
The Mattapan Muppets, the original Boston Riot team, eliminated them and became the first team ever to knock them out of a tournament, but it seemed hollow. That wasn’t the Middlebury that the world had come to fear. It wasn’t anything close. Most of IQA became irrationally upset, speaking upon notions of disrespect and hatred for Middlebury’s skeleton team—harboring even more loathing for the team that dominated the sport.
Everyone hated them for winning, but we still hated them when they lost.
Finally, this story culminated in an anti-climatic ending on November 17th, 2012. Throughout the fall season, Middlebury underwhelmed to the impossibly high standards set for them. They lost to UVM and McGill’s B team in October, most considered them done. Some believed that it was a classic Middlebury trick and that a superstar team would show up to regionals to dominate and show the haters they there were still the undisputed champions.
The last dominoes fell after losses to Emerson, Vassar College and Stony Brook University and then it was official: Middlebury would not be going to the World Cup. There would be no second chance. There would be no redemption for every team that had ever lost to Middlebury. Middlebury changed everything for a final team in November.
Of course, reactions were mixed.
“All of a sudden really, they’re not only out of the conversation, they’re out of the competition.” Jackson Maher, an Emerson College junior remarked, “Now, it’s just Emerson and a bunch of gigantic schools. It’s just kind of sad to me. I hope that they can make a comeback.”
For every person who jumped up and down upon Middlebury’s elimination, there were just as many who realized what the sport really lost. The sport lost a champion, at least for this year. Their elimination means that there will undoubtedly be a new winner come April. But are they really a champion if they didn’t go through Middlebury?
“It’s sad that people won’t have the opportunity to close the book on an old era.” Curtis Taylor said.
Other theorists say that Middlebury never wanted to continue playing Quidditch at such high level. Rumors swirled that Middlebury wanted to go out on top and say that they never lost in a tournament setting such as the World Cup. Once the game grew so much, so fast, they wanted out. Middlebury always claims that this wasn’t the sport that they created.
Perhaps, there is something to talk about there. We’ve revolutionized a sport from a fictional book and in a matter of years made it a worldwide phenomenon, but at what cost? Most of the teams that played for the fun, whimsical nature of it all are nearly gone. It was survival of the fittest, and once the big universities caught wind, many smaller colleges had no chance. We’ve all heard the stories, that it was just a fun game to play to pass the time.
Look at us now. Look at us and see how far we’ve come from nothing. Quidditch is an international hit, and it is undeniably Middlebury’s doing. Yet, all these years, teams have put targets on their backs. Beat them and you win. Well, we finally did, but did we win anything?
On Novemeber 17th, 2012, the fall of Middlebury was complete. Everything has changed in one fell swoop and Middlebury will not be competing at the next World Cup. From here on out, the culture of Quidditch will be forever different, even if Middlebury qualifies next year. If this is what we’ve wanted for six years, why aren’t we happier?
(12/05/12 6:42pm)
On Tuesday, Dec. 5 President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz sent the following email to students, faculty and staff with a subject heading, "On the College's Endowment":
This fall, several student groups on campus have raised questions surrounding the College’s endowment, specifically with regard to holdings related to fossil fuels. One group, the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI), has been meeting regularly with Patrick Norton, the College’s Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, and one of its members attends Investment Committee meetings of the Board of Trustees. Other groups, some part of a national movement on college campuses, have also engaged the College administration and community, hoping to learn more about the College’s endowment, how it is invested, and whether we should divest of our investments in fossil fuel companies.
As an academic institution, the College administration and the Board of Trustees are interested in engaging our students’ interest in the endowment. Such engagement, however, must be serious and be based in responsible inquiry and research. It must also be respectful and inclusive of all opinions. A look at divestment must include the consequences, both pro and con, of such a direction, including how likely it will be to achieve the hoped-for results and what the implications might be for the College, for faculty, staff, and individual students.
With input from several groups on campus, including ACSRI, we will set up and host panel discussions with experts in endowment management and divestment. It will include, for example, representatives from the firm that manages our endowment (Investure), veteran investment managers, and our own Scholar-in-Residence, Bill McKibben.
The management of Middlebury’s endowment is complex and has evolved over time. We are part of a consortium with other colleges and foundations whose pooled resources are invested in a number of “fund-of-funds” and therefore the College is very limited in either selecting or deleting any particular investment within its overall portfolio. Despite such limitations, the Investment Committee, the Administration, and Investure have been working with ACSRI to ensure that socially responsible investing is discussed and reviewed as a regular and ongoing part of the investment process. We have instructed Investure and the managers they engage to follow the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) principles that align investors with broader objectives of one’s mission and society at-large.
At the same time, the primary fiduciary responsibility of our investment committee is to maximize its investment returns to support vital programs including financial aid and staff and faculty compensation, while managing risk. Currently, the endowment finances approximately 20 percent of the College’s annual operating cost —approximately $50 million this past year. It is vitally important to understand both the risks and rewards of one’s investment decisions as we are the stewards not only of the endowment for the current generation of Middlebury students, faculty, and staff, but for future generations as well.
At present, approximately 3.6 percent of the College’s $900 million endowment is directly invested in companies related to fossil fuels. For those interested in the amount directly invested in defense and arms manufacturing, the share of our endowment in those companies is less than 1 percent—approximately 0.6 percent. I have included an explanatory note at the end of this communication to provide information on the methodology used to determine these percentages. I encourage you to contact Patrick Norton if you have any questions about this methodology or about the College’s endowment.
As President Liebowitz indicated, the email ended with a note on the utilized methodology:
Investure Managed Funds
Data on investments in fossil fuel and arms for Investure-managed funds (the “Investure Funds’) were provided by Investure, LLC (“Investure”) to Middlebury College upon request and only covers the underlying long holdings of the Investure Funds in those circumstances when information was available as described below. This information is presented on a lagged-basis, and does not include any underlying holdings in a client’s legacy fund portfolio. Moreover, this information is not based on a comprehensive review but rather is based solely on available information on the underlying long positions of the Investure Funds of which Investure has actual knowledge from third-party managers and/or reporting on the exposure of those underlying positions.
As a result, underlying positions may be missing from this analysis that, if included, could be material to an understanding of the College’s portfolio’s underlying positions in fossil fuels and arms. In those cases where Investure had actual knowledge of underlying holdings from managers and/or reporting on an Investure Fund’s exposure, Investure utilized a combination of third-party classifications, at its discretion, including but not limited to certain Standard Industrial Codes and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, to help identify investments in fossil fuel and arms companies. This information is solely for informational purposes, is not complete, and does not contain material information about the Investure Funds and a client’s portfolio. This information should not be relied upon in any way in making an investment decision. Investure reserves the right to make changes in a client’s portfolio at any time and Investure is under no obligation to update the estimated information included herein. With the aforementioned in mind, of the Investure Funds approximately 3.75% is invested in fossil fuels and 0.8% is invested in arms.
Non-Investure Funds (“Legacy Funds”)
For its Legacy Funds the College used the exact methodology to determine percentages invested in fossil fuels and arms as is described above for the Investure Managed Funds. With the aforementioned in mind, of the Legacy Funds approximately 3.2% is invested in fossil fuels and 0.1% is invested in arms.
Students received a forwarded version of the original email after "the all students address fell off." In what one can only assume to be a quip about the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee's (DLWC) hoax email, Liebowitz continued, "I guess I needed to get permission."
Media outlets quickly picked up the story, with Seven Days posting:
While the announcement isn't, by any means, a firm commitment to divest, the email sparked encouragement among students on campus campaigning for divestment. The divestment movement is spreading to college campuses across the country as climate activist and Vermont resident Bill McKibben headlines a bus tour to encourage schools, churches and foundations to strip their endowment funds of investments in the 200 top fossil fuel companies. McKibben told Seven Days last month that while divestment won't financially cripple the powerful industry, it could represent an "inherently moral call, saying if it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage."
McKibben, who also serves as a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College, responded to Liebowitz's email on Tuesday with a statement through his environmental group 350.org. "President Liebowitz used just the right tone and took precisely the right step," McKibben's statement read. "It won't be easy to divest, but I have no doubt that Middlebury — home of the first environmental studies dept in the nation — will do the right thing in the right way. It makes me proud to be a Panther."
The article continued with student reactions:
It's a step in the right direction, says Greta Neubauer, a junior history major at the college from Wisconsin. Neubauer is part of a new campus group called "Divest For Our Future" that has been pushing for divestment this fall. The group is asking the board of trustees to release a statement that they recognize divestment as a priority, and are working toward that goal.
"We think that this is really an unprecedented opportunity for Middlebury to lead in this movement," says Neubauer, citing the college's early creation of an environmental studies program and its pledge for carbon neutrality as previous examples of leadership. "We really hope that they continue in that leadership role, and recognize that this is a chance to do something exciting ... and be seen as a leader in a movement that could potentially create real change."
Sophomore Teddy Smyth of Georgia, an environmental studies major, applauded the college for unveiling some concrete endowment numbers. While he and Neubauer both admitted that actual divestment would likely be a slow process, he says the fact that the administration is talking about this "is a huge first step."
VT Digger featured another quote by Neubauer '14.5:
“We are excited to see the college commit to continuing the conversation about divestment begun this fall,” said Greta Neubauer, one of the organizers of Divest for Our Future, a student group on campus. “We are also appreciative of the work they have done to provide greater transparency and believe that this is a positive step. “We look forward to continuing this community-wide dialogue and working to make fossil fuel divestment a reality at Middlebury.”
The Montpelier-based online publication also discussed the larger impact of President Liebowitz's statement:
The Middlebury announcement could have ramifications beyond the college because the college’s endowment is managed by Investure, a firm that also helps manage the endowments of a number of other colleges, including Trinity College, Smith College, Barnard College, and major foundations, such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Carnegie Endowment. Students at Middlebury have already connected with students at other Investure managed schools to discuss how to work together to push the firm in a more sustainable direction.
“Every college in the country should be, at least as transparent as Middlebury about how much money they have wrapped up in the fossil fuel industry,” said Dan Apfel, Executive Director of the Responsible Endowments Coalition. “Students deserve to know how much of their education is being paid for by companies that are wrecking the planet.”
The announcement will also help build momentum for other fossil fuel divestment campaigns across the state of Vermont. This November, students at the University of Vermont asked their board of trustees to divest its $346 million endowment from the oil industry. The Vermont Public Interest Research group is currently analyzing what percentage of Vermont’s pension fund is invested in fossil fuel companies. Two state legislators, Rep. Kesha Ram (D-Burlington) and state Sen.-elect Chris Bray (D-Addison) — who both serve on the UVM board of trustees — are currently discussing divestment policies with the State Treasurer’s office.
The Burlington Free Press and Middblog commented on the announcement. On Wednesday, Middblog continued their coverage through interviewing Student Liaison to the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees Ben Chute '13.5 and Nathan Arnosti '13 of ACSRI. Chute and Arnosti provided some explanation for the more complicated aspects of the announcement:
MiddBlog: 3% of our endowment invested in fossil fuels, and less than 1% in weapons industries doesn’t sound like a lot to me. Is it less than you guys expected too? On the other hand, does that mean it will be more feasible to divest such a small part of our endowment? Or is it actually not that small?
Arnosti: I was also pleased to see that, according to Investure’s estimates, only 3.6% of Middlebury’s endowment is directly invested in fossil fuels, and .6% is directly invested in defense and arms manufacturing. These figures, certainly at the low end of SRI’s estimates, suggest that Middlebury’s endowment is not solely reliant on the fossil fuel industry for financial returns. Though our investments are spread across many vehicles – thus complicating the picture significantly – divestment from fossil fuels is more feasible when it comprises 3.6% of our portfolio than it would be with a larger percentage of these investments. That said, 3.6% is not trivial: with a $900 million endowment, that equates to around $32 million of investments in fossil fuels.
MiddBlog: Can you translate all the jargon at the end of his email into plain English? Where exactly do these statistics come from and what do they reflect? Are they showing the whole picture in your opinion?
Arnosti: To clarify the specifics of Investure’s reporting, Investure states that they have used “available information” from their many investments, meaning that these figures are approximated. It would be helpful to know what percentage of Investure’s investments were included in this approximation, as that would better indicate the potential margin of error. Also, it is important to note that these figures refer only to direct investments in fossil fuels and defense manufacturing. Thus, while Exxon Mobile might count as part of the 3.6%, a company that manufactures machinery for offshore oil rigs might not. Where we, as a community, draw the line with these industries is a crucial topic of discussion.
The New York Times also published an article about both divestment and McKibben, but made no mention of Middlebury or President Liebowitz's announcement.
Advocacy groups and activists similarly discussed the announcement. "Go Fossil Free," a project coordinated by a coalition of groups including 350.0rg, Energy Action Coalition, Responsible Endowments Coalition, the Sierra Student Coalition and As You Sow, reblogged VT Digger's summary. In the meantime, the DLWC also released a statement on their blog:
Liebowitz confirmed that Middlebury currently has at least $6 million and $32 million invested in industries of violence and environmental degradation respectively. Members of the College are working to reduce those numbers to zero, which would put Middlebury at the front of the pack in the growing national student movement calling for ethically invested endowments.
“One dollar invested in death, is one dollar too many,” says Tim Schornak of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee (DLWC), an organization of Middlebury students, faculty, parents and alumni working to align Middlebury’s endowment practices with its professed values.
Last October, the DLWC made national headlines for releasing a satirical press release claiming the College had chosen to divest from war in honor of the Dalai Lama’s visit to campus. Their action led the Middlebury College community to embrace the idea that investing in violence and environmental destruction is no joke. Alumni are weighing in with their agreement, pledging not to give a dollar more to the College until it does not go to war. Liebowitz’s remarks indicate that such a day may not be so far off.
(12/05/12 3:51pm)
After winning the study abroad photography contest, the Campus sat down with Matthew Dengler '13 to discuss his entry "Untitled," as well as Madeline Brooks '13 to discuss her entry "Bottles." Alexandra Siega '13 was unavailable for comment, but her entry "Magic Along the Canal" can also be viewed below. All entries are still available in an album on the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad Facebook page.
Untitled by Matthew Dengler (listen to him describe the photograph)
Bottles by Madeline Brooks (listen to her describe the photograph)
Magic Along the Canal by Alexandra Siega
(12/05/12 1:47am)
On Sunday, Dec. 2 Middlebury defeated Skidmore College 6-1 in the country's first intercollegiate logrolling competition. Although the top position went to Skidmore's Will Hoeschler, brother of Lizzie '04, Kate '05 and Abby '10 (who brought logrolling and provided the original logs to Middlebury), winning the second through sixth spots has resulted in a number one national ranking for the team. In the courtesy photograph above, Hoeschler competes with Middlebury's John Wyman '14.
(12/04/12 1:23am)
Middlebury College has named Bill Burger vice president for communications. Burger is currently associate vice president for communications at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. When he assumes his new role at Middlebury, on Jan. 1, 2013, he will direct communication efforts for Middlebury and for the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a graduate school of Middlebury College in Monterey, Calif.
(12/02/12 6:14am)
On Saturday, Dec. 1 New York-based bands Emefe and Mokaad played live funk music for a crowded Bunker late into the night; a sample of Mokaad's set can be heard above. The two bands were brought back to Middlebury through the MCAB Student Small Concert Initiative.
(12/01/12 5:32pm)
On Friday, Nov. 30 the Jupiter String Quartet performed for a large audiance at the Mahaney Center for the Arts Concert Hall. The quartet, comprised of Nelson Lee, Megan Freivogel, Liz Freivogel and Daniel McDonough, played W. A. Mozart's "Sting Quartet in D Major, K. 575: Prussian No. 1", B. Bartók's "Quartet No. 1, Op. 40, Sz. 40" and J. Brahms' "String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1." In addition to Friday evening's concert, the Jupiter String Quartet performed on Thursday afternoon, as well as worked with students in a music composition class.
(11/30/12 10:32pm)
On Wednesday, Nov. 28 the Middlebury African Music and Dance Ensemble performed in the Mahaney Center for the Arts under the direction of Assistant Professor of Music Damascus Kafumbe. The performance is the culmination of Professor Kafumbe's African Music, Dance, and Performance. "With emphasis on technique, style, and form, we will get hands-on experience playing various types of East African musical instruments," Professor Kafumbe writes in the course description. The sample above, entitled "Ennyana Ekutudde" ("A Calf Has Escaped" in English), features some of these instruments with Professor Kafumbe and his students playing four types of drums and many twelve-slab xylophones.
(11/28/12 10:37pm)
On Wednesday, Nov. 28 the Middlebury News Room announced the debut of Middlebury History Online, a growing digital archive capturing the College's past through historic writings and photography:
Chipman. Brainerd. Storrs. Atwater. Painter. Warner. Twilight. Names from Middlebury’s distant past, they all come to life in a new digital archive hosted by the college’s library, called Middlebury History Online.
Middlebury History Online (MHO), which was launched last summer, was first proposed in fall 2005 by Judith Tichenor Fulkerson, from the Middlebury College Class of 1956. She hoped to see the college create a digital archive from the many documents related to the history of Middlebury, beginning with its founding in 1800 through the early 20th century, that are found in the college’s Special Collections. The documents include manuscript letters, journals, diaries and archival records, as well as books, journals, other published works, and photographic images that directly relate to the College’s founders, faculty, students, alumni, and its relationships with the town and the state.
Fulkerson, an alum and former member of Middlebury’s board of trustees, had a special interest in this project even beyond her other ties to the college: Isaac Tichenor, the governor of Vermont who granted and signed the original Middlebury College charter in 1800, was an ancestor. Fulkerson made a donation to the college to establish the archive, her 50th reunion gift to Middlebury.
MHO, a collaboration involving the staff of Library & Information Services (LIS) and the Communications Office, remains a work in progress. As digitized archival materials are created, this online archive will continue to grow.
The archive is of particular interest for us here at the Campus, as it features many historic issues of our publication. We're looking forward to making use the resource in future articles and projects.
(11/28/12 3:50am)
The Campus will provide complete analysis of this week's affirmative action discussions in its issue to be released on Thursday, Dec. 6. In the meantime, summaries, opinions and photographs are available below.
(11/28/12 2:53am)
Nearly a month old with more than 11,000 views, the Huffington Post recently reposted "I Feel So Close to You!", a video featuring the Middlebury panther jumping out of portable toilets and hugging unsuspecting "bathroom goers." The video was originally posted on the YouTube channel of Will Gibbons '13 with filmography credited to Melake Getabecha '14. HuffPo writes, "Hugs are clearly the universal language. Why else would these people not freak out when a guy dressed as a panther jumps out of the porta potty and grabs them? Or perhaps the students of Middlebury College have such school spirit, their mascot is always a welcome site, unexpected or not."
(11/27/12 10:26pm)
Middlebury Magazine's Maria Theresa Stadtmueller recently published an interesting article about two Middlebury graduates' local startups:
Not all business start-ups incubate in the family garage. Gardens, kitchens, and J-term classes have inspired two recent Middlebury graduates and one student to explore the business side of improving local eating options and farmers’ bottom lines. Not surprising in this state, they often cross paths. Annie Rowell ’11 is the Farm-to-Institution Program Associate at the two-year-old Vermont Food Venture Center in Hardwick. While helping farmers process their fruits and vegetables, she sometimes teams up with David Dolginow ’09, who manages a new frozen vegetable line by Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall. And Suzanne Calhoun ’14 found Sunrise apples gave the perfect twist to several of her condiments, Suzanne’s Sweet Savories, which she cooks up at the Venture Center.
Annie Rowell ’11 was an internationally focused political science major — she speaks French and studied Arabic — when she realized the pull of her family’s Vermont farming heritage. While taking a closer look at the politics of food in her native Craftsbury, Rowell found a path into the food business. Associate Professor Bert Johnson, a specialist in local and state politics, helped her develop a senior thesis that held the lens of policy and economic change theories to Craftsbury’s proposed adoption of more locally sourced school lunches. “It was a really great experience studying my own community as an observer,” she recalls. A subsequent internship with the Center for an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick synched with the inauguration of its Food Venture Center and led to her current job. She still has a hand in the politics of food, especially through the state’s Farm to Plate strategic; but she also enjoys the physicality of production and “geeks out” over broccoli floret machines and vegetable wash conveyers that add muscle to the VFVC’s rentable commercial kitchens. “Our first year, we processed 1,700 pounds of bulk broccoli in a little under a day and a half; this year, we did 2,200 pounds in one day,” she recalls, scanning the data sheets she keeps in her office down the hall from the kitchen.
The VFVC offers professional equipment, food safety certification, and business know-how to entrepreneurs; Rowell also focuses on connecting farmers to schools, hospitals, and other institutions interested in serving what Vermonters grow. “This has been a huge production and data-gathering year,” she says. “It’s exciting what this means for Vermont’s future. For example, we know broccoli can grow well, and our equipment can process it well, and we have all this data to figure out institutional demand and how we can fill it.” Greater demand for local vegetables can mean more growing options for farmers. Rowell feels fortunate in her work, and not only because of the great aromas that waft into her office (”Yesterday was maple nuts—yum!”). “I can’t imagine having as much ownership elsewhere in what could be seen as an entry level position—doing the projections, managing relationships, and leading productions.”
As a student, David Dolginow ’09 was building environmental policy chops—working with the Sunday Night Group, taking a J-term class that crafted recommendations for Middlebury’s climate neutrality; he even took time off and worked at a Democratic lobby shop in Washington, D.C. The religion and geography major was co-teaching a J-term class on “Food and Justice in Vermont,” touring farms and hosting farmers to discuss their work, when he and one of those farmers, Barney Hodges ’91, started talking about the future of frozen vegetables. Hodges, the second-generation owner of Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, wanted to diversify his orchard business using their added asset of a refrigerated warehouse in Shoreham. Two years later, thanks to a USDA grant, Sunrise and Dolginow are doing just that. Sitting at the orchard’s farmhouse dining table, Dolginow notes their progress: “Our vegetable operation is still small compared with apples,”—a yearly average of 5.5 million pounds of apples and 50,000 pounds of vegetables—“but that’s double last year’s total.”
The business end is a natural for Dolginow, who grew up around his parents’ jewelry store in Leawood, Kansas. The natural end he learned interning in the College’s organic garden, working at a local organic farm post-graduation, and canning the harvest in the Weybridge House kitchen with friends.
“I remember thinking, ‘people en masse might not get back into home canning, so let’s do it for them, with the farms they want to buy from.’ That’s what we’re trying to do at Sunrise, and it seems to be working.” Dolginow calls Sunrise “a mid-tier supply chain partner” thanks to its two refrigerated box trucks, warehouse, and strong networks. “We buy produce from farms, move it to processors [like the VFVC], pick up the frozen products, and then warehouse and distribute them.” Customers include a network of 25 northeastern food coops and customers such as Middlebury, Fletcher Allen Hospital, and now food service giant Sodexo, which serves 10 million people a day in 7,000 institutions. Working the fine edge between price and volume, Dolginow says, it’s easy to see why the food industry has grown to such a scale. “Our solution is to work only with family farms in the northeast, period.” His job satisfactions? Chefs thrilled with their produce; a role in local food security; and the daily variety: “Produce is always changing—it’s tangible and dynamic, and that seemed a good use of my Middlebury College brain.”
They’re not your typical college-student road trips: driving from Maine loaded with 400 pounds of wild blueberries in your Outback; heading up to Hardwick to cook and can condiments at the Vermont Food Venture Center; making the rounds of farmers’ markets and coops to get people sampling your product. Suzanne Calhoun ’14 admits, “I have a high busy tolerance but I’m definitely pushing it.” What Calhoun is also pushing—tastefully—is reconnection with the fresh, clean flavors of fruits and vegetables in home cooking. Calhoun’s fledgling business, Suzanne’s Sweet Savories, features seven “piquant preserves” to liven up meals with tastes from tomato to carrot and pear to cranberry. Calhoun grew up gardening and canning with her family in Jericho, Vermont. Her desire to share those pleasures with others comes, in part, from her concern with the modern state of food: “We’ve become so disconnected from nature,” she says. “It really concerns me.” In contrast, a 6-year-old could recognize all the ingredients listed on Calhoun’s preserve jars.
Kudos from hungry friends and family started Calhoun thinking about scaling up into a business, but, she says, “I didn’t know what was involved or where to go.” Spending J-term in the MiddCORE leadership immersion course answered many of those questions and helped her establish ongoing relationships with business mentors. After further feasibility homework, she scored a MiddChallenge Grant and the suggestion to check out the VFVC. There, she found more connections through Annie Rowell: High Mowing Seeds just down the road from VFVC had tons of great tomatoes used for their seed testing; Sunrise Orchards had surplus apples perfect for cooking. As Calhoun develops savvy about marketing and sourcing, she remains committed to working with local farmers. Meanwhile, after a busy first summer, company headquarters (her parents’ basement) is well stocked with preserves for distribution so she can concentrate on studying math, computer science, vertebrate biology, and music. Meanwhile, she’s thinking ahead to new products to reconnect people with real food.
(11/27/12 9:34pm)
Dean of the College Shirley M. Collado incorporated the above recorded discussion on "the words we use" in a recent posting on her blog, One Dean's View. She writes:
(11/18/12 9:33pm)
On Thursday, Nov. 15 Olav Ljosne, a senior manager at Shell, delivered a lecture entitled, "Meeting Future Energy Needs: Conflict and Cooperation", at the Robert A. Jones '59 Conference Room. Mr. Ljosne now works in communications, but previously served as the Regional External Relations Director for Africa, as well as a diplomat at the Norwegian embassies in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
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Sunday: Following a weekend of comments on Gohl's and Noble's Middblog article, Ben-Abba writes an opinion piece, entitled "Between Gaza, Nigeria, and Middlebury".
Students and administrators have said repeatedly that they agree with the message but disagree with the means. To me this is a commitment to keep things as they are, in status quo, in “peace,” meaning that there is no disorder, disruption, doubt, discomfort, no justice. “War is peace,” as Orwell said, right? So let’s break the ends and the means and see what’s going on here. With our means we disrespected the $458 billion corporation’s right to express its opinion (of course, here Shell had more than enough time and space to express their stance, unlike at the University of Vermont, where the whole talk was disrupted). Our message is for divestment from unjust corporations and apartheid regimes in order to contribute to a world in which Arabs and Jews live in peace and equality and multinational giants like Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil don’t exist and resources are shared equally by all people regardless of their color and gun power. Divesting from Shell is disrespectful to Shell which in itself is disrespectful to humankind and the planet. The ends are as disrespectful as the means. Both means and message are about respect for basic human dignity and the environment and all living things. Therefore, if you don’t believe in our means, you don’t believe in our message. Separating the means from the message is intentionally misleading and disrespectful to victims of corporate crimes.
Friday: A "go/shellsofbullets" link is created and connects users to the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee's blog. Their latest post discusses the group's actions at yesterday's lecture, in addition to offering quotes and a copy of the honorary doctorate presented to Mr. Ljosne. The post ends with a link to yet another divestment group (focused on Middlebury alumni), called Not a Dollar More.
Middblog also publishes a post on the lecture, as well as an opinion piece, entitled "Enough is Enough: Reflections on Campus Activism". The post is co-written by contributors Cody Gohl and Olivia Noble, and generates a great deal of discussion among alumni and students alike within the comments section.
Before arriving at the final draft of this piece, we thought about writing about activism in general and what it means to be a “good” activist, but we realized that we’ve got more to say than just that. We’re done beating around the bush – the Shell Protest yesterday by the DLWC pushed us overboard. It was a destructive demonstration of students hijacking what could have been a constructive conversation and turning it into something isolating and embarrassing. Our major issue is not the message they were sending, but the means by which they chose to do it: they used a platform that was not theirs from which to preach and showed zero respect for an opinion that differed from their own.
This semester, the word “activism” has been thrown around a lot, either by the self-proclaimed activists of the DLWC who cite Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ghandi as inspirations for their actions, or by students who believe the DLWC’s activism to be misguided. It has become a buzzword on campus, a powerful tool whose simple utterance seems to justify any action or statement that is made as long as it was said or done under the guise of being “activism.”
Through the actions of these students, the idea of activism has been warped into something contrary to its spirit. True activism should (and must) come from a place of love: of love for a people or a nation or a place or a community. It comes from a deep and intense desire to not only change the mindset of a group of people, but to change with them, to grab hands and dive into something new together. It comes from the recognition that there is an inequality and that we do not need to accept the world and circumstances in which we are born. Our rights to free speech, to practicing whatever religion we choose, even our right to vote are all things that were won out of the activist spirit of a group of individuals working together. Activism is a beautiful thing and it should not be taken lightly.
Gohl and Noble continue:
The community by and large stands behind the message the DLWC promotes. We believe in divestment and in responsible investing, but actions like yesterday’s alienate an incredible swath of people on this campus. Despite the assertion that actions like this raise the profile of issues and bring more people into the movement, it is our belief they do far more damage than they do good.
There is a place for dialogue and action, a place for pushing one another to challenge the status quo and there is a place for constructive criticism. However, there is no place for the kinds of disrespectful activism that has been demonstrated by the DLWC this semester. They do not listen, they do not attempt to push or challenge or grow with the community; instead, they demand attention and villainize anyone who stands in their way.
A continuous stream of comments have both supported and challenged the critique. An initial "standing ovation" is followed by a defense of the "harmless" protests. Others call the group and their actions "isolating" and "disrespectful", particularly in comparison to the students who expected true discussion.
Midd Alum writes, "[t]hese actions truly make me embarrassed for my alma mater based on what I view as the sheer lack of respect that this group has exhibited, which I feel reflects poorly upon our entire Middlebury community," while Midd Alumna 2004.5 adds, "what sacrifices have these entitled children made and stated publicly to back up their foolish behavior. Do they buy gasoline? Use a computer with parts made of petroleum and petroleum products? Have they given up their cars and longer fly home or to 'the islands' for break?"
Following this criticism are two comments in support of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee and their actions, including one by Ben-Abba. The former challenges the idea that the group does not engage in discussion, citing their biweekly forums, while Ben-Abba writes, "The regurgitated phrase 'we agree with the message but disagree with the means' is an authoritative catch phrase used to de-legitimize any action. Disagreeing with our means is disagreeing with our message. I am sorry you feel uncomfortable with the opinions we presented. Were you comfortable with the content of Ljosne’s lecture?"
Finally, hand-written opinions are also appearing on the now fading advertisement for the lecture in front of Proctor Dining Hall (pictured below beneath Wednesday's update). Messages debate the meaning of respect, as well as who that respect (or disrespect) is directed toward. "... What Will You Ask?" now reads "... What Will You Ask a War Criminal US Diplomat Person?", indicating disagreement among those altering the sign.
5:52: Signing off from the RAJ Conference Room. Feel free to continue the discussion by commenting below.
5:50: Following this question, Saper stands and again thanks the lecturer with a speech similar to those of Ben-Abba and Koplinka-Loehr. During his minute-long conclusion, about half the crowd rises to leave. Professor of Geography and Director of the Rohatyn Center Tamar Mayer stands to officially thank Mr. Ljosne. Ben-Abba and Koplinka-Loehr are still laying on the floor, as people step over them to leave.
5:46: For the final question, there is a calm back and forth about a Nigerian perspective of "our land, our nation". Mr. Ljosne acknowledges this perspective, and reiterated Shell's local work, as well as international discussion.
5:44: Another student asked if there is anymore Shell can do, realistically. Mr. Ljosne states that he always considers this question, and indicates the company's online spill list and their work in local communities. They haven't done everything perfectly, but they've also faced a great many security challenges.
5:41: The next question related to divestment: were it to be achieved across American campuses, would it even have an impact? Mr. Ljosne cannot answer this question without knowing the amount in which the institutions are invested. However, he believes the discussion to be beneficial for the future.
5:39: Questions continue, with a student reading the quote of a Nigerian about changing lifestyles and landscapes within his country; the quote is believed to have come from a book on the impact of Shell within Nigeria. Mr. Ljosne states that Shell simply can't answer to these broad accusations. However, they certainly take responsibility for their company and employees, as well as the communities in which they work. Additionally, Shell is looking toward the future.
5:36: Amitai Ben-Abba ’15.5 and Sam Koplinka-Loehr ’13 of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee stand to begin another protest. They each give brief speeches on how Mr. Ljosne has "white-washed" all of Shell's actions. "We asked you to teach us how to white-wash our own crimes," Ben-Abba states. After speaking, they each fall to the floor, as if they were shot. Others may have been prepared to speak; however, a student interrupts their protest, calling it disrespectful of the College and asking for the lecturer to continue. This is met with applause from about a third of the audience.
5:31: Mr. Ljosne continues, discussing theft and corruption within Nigeria. The theft happens in two ways: 1) somewhat professionally through pipelines (through which the company loses $5 to $8 billion dollars each year), and 2) through local resale (causing additional politician). Professor McKinney follows up this question with one of corporate responsibility, to which Mr. Ljosne responds that Shell is responsible for their spills or other environmental impact, but not the broader issues faced by Nigeria.
5:29: On a side note, there's been a great deal of movement by certain students walking into and out of the Conference Room. I'm unsure of what they're planning.
5:28: The next question comes from Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography Kacy McKinney; she asks about Mr. Ljosne's personal experience in the Niger Delta. Mr. Ljosne begins with the state figures, and tries to explain Nigeria's complexity with regard to geographic, ethnic and religious divisions. Many Nigerians have something of an identity crisis with stronger ties to the family and tribe than the region and country. This was the context of the Biafran War of the 1970's, and oil's presence only further complicated things. According to Mr. Ljosne, Shell entered into this bumpy Nigerian history, the roots of which have been very difficult to determine.
5:22: The next question relates to Shell's oil reserves: why continue pumping, when Shell leads its competitors in reserves? Mr. Ljosne answers, stating that Shell must replace all the reserves it uses for energy security. He continues to discuss Shell's focus on gas, which is cleaner than oil and coal, as the corporation waits for further technological development in order to more efficiently use renewables. Mr. Ljosne also reminds the audiance of Shell's small size, in comparison to larger national corporations, such as ARAMCO. He concludes, stating that the next breakthrough will likely be quite small (i.e. transitioning from oil to gas).
5:17: The next question relates to Arctic drilling, in which Shell is presently participating through experimentation. Mr. Ljosne labels the situation delicate, geopolitically speaking. Many countries have an interest and claim to the area, which is full of vast amounts of oil and minerals; however, this is no legal framework, as the region was historically unable to be explored and resources utilized. According to Mr. Ljosne, Shell is waiting on this framework, and their current exploration relates mainly to science: how would accidents or unexpected situations be handled? What are the environmental impacts?
5:12: The lecture transitions into a period of questions and answers, which are open to any subject: human rights, conflict, investment. The first question relates to Shell's ongoing trial in the Supreme Court; how can Shell be for human rights, yet defend itself in this trial? The question is meant with snaps by many audiance members, as a sign of approval. Mr. Ljosne explains that Shell to be a Dutch company, headquartered in the Netherlands and on the stock exchange in London. Nigerians have the opportunity to raise a human rights case against Shell in Nigeria, as well as internationally. However, how is the corporation connected to the United States? And wouldn't it set a dangerous precedent to place United States law above that of the International Criminal Court? Additionally, the Supreme Court trial has to do with the legality of Shell's prosecution within the United States, as opposed to any actual human rights violations.
5:04: A student with "OGANI" written in red on her forehead takes advantage of a brief pause in the lecture and asks about Shell's involvement in Nigeria. Mr. Ljosne states that the lecture will soon conclude, at which time all will have the opportunity for questions and answers. He returns to discussing the amount of water necessary to produce various food and beverages consumed on a regular basis. Therefore, all must cooperate in order to conserve both energy and water in the future.
5:03: Speaking of research, Shell is looking into how to most efficiently recycle water; the corporation currently recycles 90% of all water used in biofuel production within Latin America.
5:00: Another potential crisis is the declining availability of water for both food and energy production. According to Mr. Ljosne, Shell thinks about theses challenges, as it's in the world's common interest. 'Governments and businesses must work together to find solutions.' Returning to the students, Mr. Ljosne again their work to be essential.
4:57: Mr. Ljosne continues, stating that there will be nine billion people in the world by 2050; this translates to 300 newborns every minute or a new Dallas every week for the next thirty years. Most of this growth will occur in cities, where all water, food and energy requirements will need to be meant; the greenhouse gasses of these same cities must also be addressed. These are the challenges of the future.
4:55: Greater demand is dangerous for the world, and thus, there must be lifestyle changes, in addition to a reduction in carbon dioxide levels. According to Mr. Ljosne, this is where students and their research become crucial: 'you need to find new types of energy,' especially as the global population begins taking energy's availability for granted.
4:51: Mr. Ljosne transitions to discussion of the future, stating that oil demand will only increase with time. This is due to a growing global economy and global population, in which many will expect a higher standard of living. These new lifestyles will feature technical upgrades with washing machines, for example. Using a great deal of energy and water, such upgrades "will put the world under extreme pressure."
4:47: As Mr. Ljosne continues discussing corruption within these states, there appears to be a problem with microphone feedback within the Conference Room. I'm unsure whether it's a true technical issue or another form of protest.
4:45: Faced with these challenges, Shell has certain principles with regard to human rights and politics; the corporation abstained from voicing an opinion in the recent presidential election. Nevertheless, Shell faces additional transparency and security issues due to the governments with whom they work.
4:40: Mr. Ljosne speaks about society's dependence on extractive energies, explaining that he, like most others, doesn't like it. However, the world is indeed dependent, and most extraction occurs in places where people would rather it did not. While conflicts are blooming in these countries, others (i.e. North America, Europe and Japan) gain the most from the extractive practices.
4:37: Protests begin before Mr. Ljosne even starts speaking. Wearing graduation robes and playing Pomp and Circumstance March, Anna Shireman-Grabowski '15.5 and Jay Saper ’13 challenge Shell's human rights and environmental record, as well as offer Mr. Ljosne a "Doctor of Humane Letters" degree from the College "in recognition for his involvement in multiple human rights violations, consistent with the practices of the Middlebury College endowment, including: working closely with the Nigerian government to quell popular opposition to Shell’s presence, using deadly force against the Ogoni people, destroying the marine ecosystem of the Niger Delta that millions of people depend on, and greenwashing corporate war crimes." Mr. Ljosne refuses to accept.
4:32: The Conference Room at the Robert A. Jones '59 House has reached capacity, and doors have been closed. A crowd gathers at the conference room's entrance to listen to the lecture, as Mr. Ljosne is introduced by Dr. Gail Stevenson of the Vermont Council on World Affairs, the lecture's sponsor.
Wednesday: Divest for Our Future prepares students for Thursday's lecture with signs featuring statistics and quotes about the company posted throughout campus, as well as representatives discussing the issue and distributing handouts near Proctor Dining Hall.
(11/18/12 3:25pm)
In two separate performances on Saturday, Nov. 17 the International Student's Organization presented "Mosaic: ISO Cultural Show 2012" in the McCullough Social Space. The two-hour performance featured students offering elaborate scenes of music, dance and costume from around the world, with examples ranging from the Peking opera and Latin American salsa to Bollywood dances and Psy's Gangnam Style.
(11/17/12 5:42am)
On Friday, Nov. 16 the Sound Investment Jazz Ensemble and the Swing Dance Club came together for an evening of music and dance in McCullough Social Space. The venue was full of participants, with a consistently full dance floor, as well as newcomers learning some quick steps in the lobby. In order to truly get a feel for the event, look at the above photographs while listening to a previous recording of the SIJE from 51 Main in October.
(11/15/12 5:00am)
Divest for Our Future prepared students for Thursday's lecture by Shell senior manager Olav Ljosne with signs featuring statistics and quotes about the company posted throughout campus, as well as representatives discussing the issue and distributing handouts near Proctor Dining Hall. The lecture will begin at 4:30 PM on Thursday in the Robert A. Jones '59 House Conference Room. The Campus Current will be providing live updates.
(11/15/12 4:51am)
Study abroad photography is currently on display in the Crossroads Cafe and on the Schools Abroad Facebook Page; voting is open on both Thursday and Friday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Crossroads, or you can simply "like" your preferences on Facebook. The pictures are categorized by person, place, and thing, and a winner from each category will be announced at a reception on Monday, Nov. 19. We'll feature the winning photography in our next issue, as well as interview the respective photographers online.
(11/13/12 5:28am)
On Sunday, Nov. 11 Dissipated Eight sang for a large crowd in the Gifford Annex. The College's oldest a cappella group performed a wide-ranging set, including Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons", and Little Big Town's "Boondocks". Above, you can listen to a sample of their opening, The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done".