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(02/27/20 11:43am)
Presidential primary in Middlebury
Polls for the presidential primary will be open in Middlebury on March 3, 2020, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Recreation Center, 154 Creek Road, Middlebury, Vt..
What is the presidential primary?
The presidential primary is a series of state-by-state inter-party elections to nominate a presidential candidate from each party to appear on the ballot in November. Although President Trump is virtually uncontested in the Republican primary, Vermont has three Electoral College delegates to offer the top-voted Democratic candidate in a winner-take-all contest.
How do I vote in Vermont?
Polls for the presidential primary will be open in Middlebury on March 3, 2020, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Recreation Center, 154 Creek Road, Middlebury VT 05753. All those registered to vote in Middlebury can show up at any time during this period. No ID is required – your name will be on a list at the polling place. Expect to line up, state your name and possibly address, and cast a ballot.
What if I’m not registered to vote, or am unsure of my status?
You can check whether or not you’re registered to vote in a certain state on vote.org. If you’re registered elsewhere, you may need an absentee ballot, which can be requested on a state-by-state basis. Unfortunately, it may be too late to request one in the mail from your home state. Luckily, if you’re still determined to vote in the primary, Vermont has same-day online registration available to all residents including students.
Who can I vote for?
Whether you’re registered to vote in Vermont or another state, the primary ballot will look relatively the same. Vermont is an open-primary state, which means you don’t have to declare a party affiliation beforehand and can choose to vote in the Democratic or Republican primary at will. If you choose to vote in the Democratic primary, you can choose from the eight remaining viable candidates or a write-in, including Vermont’s own Senator Bernie Sanders.
Town meeting in Middlebury: Australian Ballot
Polls for the Middlebury “Australian ballot” will be open in Middlebury on March 3, 2020, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Recreation Center, 154 Creek Road, Middlebury, Vt.
What is the “Australian ballot”?
The Australian ballot is a part of Middlebury’s annual Town Meeting Day, though there’s no meeting involved. Unlike the “floor meeting,” the ballot is a paper yes-or-no vote and will take place alongside the presidential primary vote at the Middlebury Recreation Center on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Who can participate in the Australian ballot?
Any voter registered in Middlebury is eligible to cast a vote. Residents are not required to have attended the Town Meeting Day “floor meeting” to vote in the Australian ballot.
What will be on the ballot?
The town of Middlebury released a “warning” for the six issues that will be presented on the ballot. They are as follows:
- Should an amount of up to $2,500,000 be issued to finance construction of water system transmission and distribution improvements surrounding the Court Square area?
- Should an amount of up to $2,000,000 be issued to finance refurbishment of flood resiliency measures?
- Should an amount of up to $850,000 be issued to rehabilitate the former wastewater treatment facility and related surrounding amenities?
- Should an amount of $5,000 be issued to the Turning Point Center of Addison County to assist them in aiding Vermonters in recovery from substance abuse and addiction?
- Should an amount of $5,000 be issued to the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) to assist them in aiding town residents in need of support regarding housing, fuel and food?
- Should nominees for town official positions be elected as required by the Middlebury Town Charter?
Hattie LeFavour ’21 is a local editor for The Campus.
(02/20/20 11:02am)
The town meeting, a Vermont tradition conceived earlier than the state itself, is fast approaching. Occurring annually in nearly every Vt. town, the meetings provide Vermonters a chance to congregate as a local community to deliberate and vote on budgets, election of town officials and civic issues. Middlebury’s “floor meeting,” or in-person gathering, will be held on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at Middlebury Union High School. The following day — Tuesday, March 3 — Middlebury will host an “Australian ballot,” or paper vote, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Recreation Center. The event will coincide with the Vermont presidential primary.
The floor meeting, which gives Vermonters a chance to adopt proposed articles, initiate discussions and propose amendments in person, leaves room for more nuance than a yes-or-no vote like the Australian ballot.
Vermonters have the legal right to take off from work or school to attend, and while only registered voters may deliberate and vote in the Australian ballot, non-voters are welcome to attend as well. This year, the floor meeting will address issues such as the fiscal budget for the upcoming year; water system improvements; and allocation of funds to civic projects, including new police equipment and the maintenance of the Cross Street Bridge.
The Australian ballot, which is cast separately from the floor meeting, will address topics such as the repair of flood walls, maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities and allocation of funds to nonprofits. Nonprofits include the Turning Point Center of Addison County, which works to combat substance abuse, and the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, which provides housing, food and fuel security to Vermonters living below the poverty line. The Australian ballot will also allow residents to elect local officials, including the seven members of the Middlebury Selectboard, who chair the annual floor meetings, and town clerk, treasurer and auditor, among others.
Middlebury’s floor meeting was bittersweet last year as former Governor Jim Douglas stepped down from his 33-year stint as moderator. The appreciation for his service was palpable. Selectboard Vice Chair Nick Artim spoke warmly of the retiring moderator and said that Douglas will be missed for “his calm demeanor, his dry sense of humor and his amazing ability to know and remember the names of almost everyone in the audience.” Although the position of moderator is voted on each year, this year’s moderator is expected to be Former Middlebury Selectwoman Susan Shashok, whom Douglas endorsed as a replacement.
Although the tradition of town meetings is considered a mainstay of local Vermont politics, turnout has dwindled in recent years. Many worry that as fewer people attend, more towns will begin opting for Australian ballots only, foregoing floor meetings altogether. In a statement to the Addison Independent last year, Douglas expressed these concerns himself.
“If we have a model and a place where you can learn to be civil and respectful within your own community, that broadens out into the wider culture and informs our national discourse,” he told the paper. “I think we are losing that.”
Although the Australian ballot typically sees higher voter turnout than the floor meetings, each is dependent on factors such as the issues at hand, weather and timing. This year, the Australian ballot falls on Super Tuesday, a day that is host to Vermont’s and many other states’ presidential primaries. The impetus to go to the polls may increase this year’s Australian ballot turnout.
(02/20/20 10:54am)
When the Middlebury College Bookstore stopped stocking physical books in 2018 — some say the ensuing collective groan still echoes in the hills — a large part of its rationale was students’ increasing use of Amazon. As a result, the bookstore replaced its concrete, in-person services with an online supplier called MBS Direct; Amazon orders swelled. While students have always scrambled to get their school books in time for the start of classes each semester, the Middlebury College Bookstore once provided the most convenient on-the-spot option that guaranteed timely access. By removing this source, the college has created space for Amazon’s fast delivery and low prices to occupy an even greater portion of schoolbook sales than it once did. Whereas students once used Amazon in take-as-needed doses, the college has now essentially written the campus an open prescription to mainline it, leaving the hazardous side effects to fall on the book industry.
Many already revile Amazon for its laundry list of legal and ethical vices, though few are aware that the company had its not-so-humble beginning in book sales. CEO Jeff Bezos chose books as a jumping-off point because they were a uniquely exploitable commodity due to vast variety, worldwide demand and low unit price. The company has been dealing despotic blows to publishing houses and their authors ever since. After significantly expanding its merchandise, Amazon now relies on book sales for just a sliver of its revenue. However, the website is responsible for more than half of all books sold worldwide. So, while Amazon doesn’t rely on books, the company enjoys unparalleled leverage over book sales, including the ability to manipulate publishing houses and authors and abuse supply chains.
An example might help. As a student studying English and American literature and political science, I was required to order a total of 16 books for the spring semester — mostly novels and nonfiction titles published by single authors through conventional publishing houses. One item on my list is “Caucasia” by Danzy Senna, a phenomenal contemporary novel published in 1999 by Riverhead books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. A used copy, ordered through MBS Direct, costs $12; a brand-new copy of the same edition costs $5.88 from Amazon via a third-party supplier.
On paper, ordering “Caucasia” in better condition for half the price may seem like a no-brainer. But what does “third-party supplier” mean? Amazon intentionally leaves the answer murky. Oftentimes, these books are promotional copies circulated without permission; others are simply counterfeited. One thing that every purchase of a book from a third-party supplier has in common is that the publisher and author do not see a single penny of profit. Despite countless complaints, Amazon has excused itself from the responsibility of vetting these sources for such infractions, claiming that it is the suppliers’ responsibility to “ensure that [their] content doesn’t violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights.”
[pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Whereas students once used Amazon in take-as-needed doses, the college has now essentially written the campus an open prescription to mainline it, leaving the hazardous side effects to fall on the book industry. [/pullquote]
Beyond the problem of third-party suppliers, the scope of Amazon’s business model allows it to routinely take intentional losses in book sales, often pricing books lower than the wholesale price it paid the publisher and making up for the profits elsewhere. The company then uses the sheer quantity of customers to strongarm publishing companies into agreeing to disadvantageous wholesale and royalty contracts. A notable example is a dispute between Amazon and major publishing house Hachette that occurred in 2014, during which Amazon raised listed prices of Hachette books and delayed delivery times by weeks — all the while advertising cheaper and faster-shipping books from other houses — to injure Hachette’s sales until the house was willing to renegotiate.
Publishing houses rely on the revenue generated by big-selling titles. In turn, these revenues provide publishers room to experiment with content, diversify their repertoires, take on new authors and publish the higher-quality, medium-to-low-selling content. These are the works that often win prestigious awards like the Pulitzer, Booker and Nobel Prize in Literature (and that we are often assigned at Middlebury). When Amazon uses its leverage to skimp publishing houses on profits or sells new copies from third-party suppliers, not only are these houses less able to produce high-quality, wide-ranging content, but new and diverse authors are dissuaded from entering the field at all due to lower financial rewards.
I am aware that, for many students, the cheapest option is the only viable option. Whether the bookstore is online or on campus, Amazon often fills this role, and I do not intend to shame students who use it for this purpose in any way. The problem is that, though the old Middlebury College Bookstore was not necessarily the most affordable, it was frequently the most convenient. By transitioning to an online supplier, the college makes room for Amazon to occupy this role as well. Thus, in the wake of the bookstore’s digitization, the student pivot to Amazon is unfortunately reasonable, as it is often the only service that can deliver books as quickly and cheaply as required by Middlebury’s quick-moving academic calendar and rigorous homework schedule — in one of my literature classes, for instance, my professor told students not to bother attending class until they have the book in hand.
By clearing the bookstore’s shelves and ushering students to the internet, Middlebury has raised a de facto white flag to Amazon’s literary abuses, inviting the company into our classrooms at the expense of the very books we study.
Hattie LeFavour ’21 is a Local editor for The Campus.
(01/23/20 11:03am)
Otter Creek Bakery, a bastion of baked goods and cardinal coffee counter in the town of Middlebury since 1989, is preparing to take its first steps without the guidance of founders Ben and Sarah Wood. After serving as the business’s right and left hands for more than thirty years, the couple has sold the culinary mainstay to Middlebury native and Bowdoin graduate Ned Horton. With the purchase, the new owner is taking on a unique challenge: preserving the bakery’s beloved core while bringing new flavor to its edges.
“We’re real old-school,” said Sarah Wood, who arrives in the kitchen at 3:30 a.m. each day to start baking. “I mean, we’ve been doing the same thing for 33 years. I think we definitely need a little, y’know —”
“Dusting off,” said Ben Wood, her husband, who also works in the kitchen daily to marshal Otter Creek Bakery’s savory items.
This is just what Horton intends to do. Although beloved staples like their West Coaster sandwich and chunky cookie selection aren’t going anywhere, Horton plans to augment the menu with new savory breakfast items, specialty coffee vendors, and gluten-free and vegan options. He also hopes to undergo construction to expand indoor seating and is considering a heated outdoor area for wintertime use.
“A group of us worked on a plan to help make a transition,” said Horton. “We need to understand everything about it that makes it so successful and why everybody loves it so much.”
“Yep,” added Sarah Wood, apron-clad, as she bobbed between trays of fresh croissants and cinnamon-blanketed dough. “We’re just supporting the transition until we get fired.”
Aiding in the switch is new manager Chiyo Sato, who previously worked under the Woods for three years as a baker and was brought back as a familiar face with new ideas. A dependable employee who knows the ropes, she is looking forward to helping the bakery move forward.
“Chiyo’s a different generation that has things she wants to try for sure,” said Horton.
“She’s great,” added Sarah Wood.
Sato, a cheerful, purple-haired 29-year-old who offers wide smiles from under a baseball cap at the counter, knows all of the Otter Creek Bakery regulars. She is also glad to have each of the old 13 full- and part-time employees remain on staff through the transition, and her presence provides peace of mind to owners both new and old. The Woods, who have worked in synchronic rhythm in the kitchen for three decades, are currently training Sato in fulfilling the many roles it takes to run the bakery.
“It’s your typical small business,” said Ben Wood, to which Sarah added, “You have to have ten trades.”
This is not to say that Sato will take it on single-handedly, however. Although Horton will not be doing any kitchen work, he plans to bring on several new staff members to assist with baking and working the deli under Sato’s leadership. Horton is also seeking part-time help for the summer rush and is considering bringing on a full-service waitstaff after special expansions, though he wants to be careful to preserve Otter Creek Bakery’s notoriously all-hands-on-deck operations.
“Everybody is interacting with the customers. If somebody’s waiting in line –” Horton said, to which Sato finished, “Any one of us back here will step up to the plate, y’know?”
For many, the allure of the establishment comes from this formula: familiar service plus familiar food. Many of the couple’s recipes have gone unchanged over the last three decades and have continued to bring in regulars. The Woods have even made wedding cakes for couples — and then, years later, the couples’ children.
“We have people coming in two, three times a day for thirty years, so we pretty much know everybody,” said Ben Wood, who is as dedicated to his regulars as they are to the bakery. “When people didn’t pick up their special orders for Christmas because it was snowing hard, I just put them all in the truck and just dropped them all off,” he laughed, adding, “I’m like, okay. If you can’t come, I can drive!”
Another time, the bakery made a custom cake for a local man who then took the confection to Albany. Shortly after he picked it up, Ben said, “He calls me up and he has a special favor to ask. He said, ‘I think I left the door unlocked to my house. Would you go over and lock it for me?’” So, naturally, Ben took a break from work, drove to the man’s house and locked up for him.
“This is a full-service bakery, by the way!” laughed Sarah.
Although Horton intends to keep favorite features like the devoted staff (and the honey-cornmeal scones, of which Sato lovingly says, “It’s like eating the top of a corn muffin. Just the top.”), he also hopes to bring a little extra energy to the space.
“I’d definitely like to see some music playing both inside and outside,” said Horton, who was once given a WRMC show as a local Middlebury ten-year-old.
For the Woods, Horton, and Sato, it’s crucial that the Otter Creek Bakery keep its substance. Even through the menu additions and special reconfigurations, the biggest change will be the absence of Ben and Sarah Wood’s welcoming faces. After having been found behind the counter and in the kitchen pouring themselves into their second home for the last three decades, they haven’t quite said goodbye. For now, the couple will continue to train new employees until they’re sure the bakery can stand on two feet.
(01/23/20 11:01am)
Lt. Governor David Zuckerman announced Monday that he will run for governor of Vermont in 2020 in an effort to oust incumbent Governor Phil Scott. Zuckerman, a Progressive who has served as lieutenant governor since 2017, will join former Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe on the Democratic ticket. Zuckerman cited the climate crisis as his primary motive for entering the race, claiming that Scott’s moderate republican approach has been insufficient.
“I think the urgency of our climate crisis has not really been felt in the political process,” Zuckerman said in an interview with Vermont Public Radio last week. “When we talk about the climate crisis, we can also talk about economic opportunity and investing in our future.”
Although Governor Phil Scott, who has served in the position since 2017, has not formally announced his candidacy for the 2020 race, his team has started fundraising operations and his entry is likely. A markedly popular governor who, according to Morning Consult, currently enjoys a 65% approval rating for his center-right ideology, Scott would be seeking his third two-year term. He most recently defeated Democrat Christine Hallquist, the first openly transgender candidate for governor in America, by a comfortable margin of 14.9 points in 2018.
The first challenger to Phil Scott for the 2020 election was Rebecca Holcombe, former Vermont Education Secretary, who announced her candidacy in July. Originally appointed to the position in 2013 and reaffirmed under Gov. Scott upon his election, Holcombe resigned in March 2018 in protest of Scott’s education agenda, which included a voucher program she believed would deepen inequality across the state. Now, she is running against him.
“I want to put it to work for every Vermonter in every corner of the state – not just the areas that are already doing well,” Holcombe told Seven Days after her announcement. “I’m gonna win by showing everyday working Vermonters that it’s not enough to talk.”
Zuckerman and Holcombe will face each other in Vermont’s gubernatorial Democratic primary later this year. If Gov. Scott officially enters the race, it is all but assured that the popular incumbent will represent the Republican party, though lawyer and farmer John Klar has also announced a bid for the nomination. Like Zuckerman and Holcombe, the political neophyte is running on the assertion that Gov. Scott’s moderate approach has been lackluster, though Klar believes the missing factor is traditional Republican values. “Vermont’s state government has grown unwieldy and wasteful,” Klar’s website reads. “In order for Vermonters to thrive economically, these swollen tax and regulatory burdens must be lifted.”
As these candidates vie for the top seat in Montpelier, a queue has already formed to fill Zuckerman’s lieutenant governorship position. Most notable among them thus far is the Vermont State Senate’s President Pro Tem Tim Ashe, a Democrat who was first elected in 2008 and has led the governing body for three years. After spending 2019 advocating for a $15 minimum wage and abortion rights legislation, Ashe seeks to use the new position to focus on “revitalizing small communities, trying to lift more people out of poverty.”
Also running for the lieutenant governorship are progressive activist Brenda Siegel, who was defeated in the gubernatorial Democratic primary in 2018, and Republicans Meg Hansen, Dana Colson and Dwayne Tucker. The race may continue to grow as many other potential candidates announce their campaigns publicly.
Although technically the second in command, the title of lieutenant governor is mostly ceremonial and not as policy-oriented as the governorship. Vermont is just one of two states, alongside New Hampshire, that holds gubernatorial elections every two years instead of four — and does not have term limits for top positions, allowing Gov. Scott to run indefinitely yet leaving significant room for challengers.
From the left, Gov. Scott has garnered some support for banning bump stocks, passing pro-choice legislation and frequently criticizing President Trump. However, the same groups have condemned the Governor for other times wavering on these issues and taking a leisurely approach to the climate crisis. He has avoided passing sweeping legislation and was quoted in fall 2019 saying that going forward he is “not looking to come out with something dramatic,” despite a recent poll from the Vermont Public Research Interest Group that shows 76% of Vermonters are worried about global warming. Both Zuckerman and Holcombe plan to capitalize on this discrepancy.
Zuckerman has proposed a marginal tax surcharge for Vermont’s wealthiest residents, the money from which he plans to allocate toward weatherization, solar panels and grants for working-class residents to access environmentally-friendly resources such as lectric cars.
Likely to back such measures is Independent Vermont Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has endorsed Lt. Gov. Zuckerman in past elections. Although Sen. Sanders has yet to comment on the race at hand, Zuckerman has already endorsed the senator’s bid for president. The pair’s relationship dates back more than 30 years, and they have often aligned on initiatives and worked alongside one another in office. Sen. Sanders also helped Zuckerman campaign in the past. In a fundraising email blast from 2018, the Senator shared a 1992 photo of himself and Zuckerman and wrote, “We need leaders like him who fight for what is best for all of us, not just the wealthy and corporations.”
It is speculated that Sen. Sanders’s corresponding presidential campaign will bolster Lt. Gov. Zuckerman’s chance at defeating Gov. Scott with the hope that the politicians can align on the ballot in November.
“Win or lose,” Zuckerman told the VTDigger, “It’s important that we get out there, we talk about these issues, and we put them on the front-burner.”
(09/12/19 10:04am)
“What does Middlebury need?” That is the question that the Old Stone Mill at 3 Mill St. has answered over time, as its tenants have come and gone with shifting town demands. Now, the answer to that question is Mexican food, and the Old Stone Mill plans to deliver.
Starting in October, Vermont-based taqueria Mad Taco will take over the downstairs restaurant space formerly occupied by Storm Café. The second floor will house The Arcadian To Go, Dedalus Wine Shop, interior designer Slate Home and Lost Monarch Coffee in a public marketspace.
The Old Stone Mill was purchased from the college earlier this year by Community Barn Ventures, a firm owned by Middlebury businesswomen Stacey Rainey and Mary Cullinane. The building has since undergone extensive renovations in order to fit their vision for the space. In addition to Mad Taco and the public market, the third floor will serve as a collaborative membership-based workspace, and the fourth floor will hold four Airbnb units.
“We hope to bring to the community a place where they can come together and celebrate where they live,” Rainey said. “Where they can have access to high-quality products and experiences that were otherwise difficult to have access to here in Middlebury.”
Mad Taco owners Joey Nagy and Wes Hamilton opened the restaurant’s first location in Waitsfield in 2010 and have since expanded to Montpelier and Essex. Known for its smoked meats and strong margaritas, the restaurant’s Middlebury branch will offer a full menu of tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more, made with fresh ingredients from Nagy’s own Marble Hill Farm. The space will hold about 25 seats, and the outside deck has been expanded to fit picnic tables.
“To have Mexican food in an iconic building on a great deck overlooking the Otter Creek River with your friends and family surrounding you? It’s going to make for a perfect afternoon,” Rainey said. Cullinane and Rainey believe that Mad Taco’s emphasis on local food systems aligned perfectly with their goals for the Old Stone Mill.
“Our company was started because we wanted to help local businesses grow and support the economic underpinning of this community,” Rainey said.
After several town businesses closed over the last year, the pair sought to minimize the risks for the shops they will introduce. The Daily Grind coffee shop, which replaced Carol’s Hungry Mind after its closure last year, was forced to shut its doors less than a year after opening due to lack of staffing. The public marketplace will mitigate this concern by employing a joint check-out counter to be used by every shop, with the exception of Lost Monarch.
“That was part of what we saw as a key piece to attract some vendors to come down here – that they wouldn’t have to staff that space,” Cullinane said.
The Arcadian, an Italian restaurant that proved successful after opening last fall in the space formerly occupied by the Lobby, will offer a small-scale rendition of their signature fresh meats and house-baked bread in the form of to-go sandwiches and other items.
The restaurant’s owners, Caroline and Matt Corrente, also follow the shop-local ethos, using as many Vermont-produced ingredients as they can. “In a small town like this, we all have to work together to help meet the needs of our local customer base,” Matt Corrente said.
“The goal is just to develop a reputation for consistency and to really establish ourselves as a place where people feel like they can make a habit of coming to.”
Lost Monarch will offer to-go drinks and snacks to the marketplace’s shoppers. The store is a sister of Royal Oak Coffee, which was opened in Middlebury by owners Matthew and Alessandra Delia-Lobo in May of this year.
Dedalus Wine Shop, a Burlington-based store offering a wide variety of wines as well as cheeses and charcuterie, will occupy two stalls of the public marketplace. The store prides itself on stocking goods for many different price points, including bottles under $25. Dedalus will also offer wine clubs and catering.
The Burlington-based design firm Slate Home will also be found in the public marketplace, offering home decoration products and services. The store’s website advertises that the store is a place to shop local. “We care about what we buy and to whom we sell, about our spaces, our connections and each other,” it reads. Slate Home will be designing the four Airbnb units that will be found on the top floor of the Stone Mill. One of the units will feature a handicap-friendly bathroom, and all levels will be accessible by elevator.
The addition of such features was one of the most significant part of the renovations undertaken by Community Barn Ventures, who ensured that the entire building was ADA-compliant. In addition to the elevator, the building will also be equipped with wheelchair-friendly entryways and outdoor spaces.
The third floor will be an open-space workplace that will boast high-speed WiFi, chairs, desks, conference rooms, printers, scanners and office supplies that will be available to members 24 hours a day. Along with the collaborative workspace, the floor will also hold two personal offices up for rental. Applications to access the space will be collected this month.
Overall, the greatest challenge that Cullinane and Rainey faced was getting everything done quickly. Construction began in April and the Stone Mill is on track to open in October. “The sooner, the better,” Cullinane said, emphasizing that she wanted the shops to be open for Vermont’s beautiful fall season.
“There’s just a lot of good stuff going on in Middlebury,” Rainey added. “And I’m excited for adding to that.”
(05/09/19 10:34am)
The day after Bernie Sanders was elected mayor of Burlington in 1981 by a tenuous margin of 10 votes, he told his colleagues, “We can’t survive. We’re going to have to develop our own media.” As a somewhat ridiculed far-left candidate, Sanders was not receiving the policy-driven coverage he had sought. Instead, he took office feeling scorned by reports he saw as bombastic “junk” from mainstream Vermont news outlets.
As promised, a few years into his run as mayor, Sanders began his own television show called “Bernie Speaks with the Community,” his way of taking over the narrative surrounding his anomalous socialist ideology. By controlling his own unilateral platform, his messages could no longer get lost in translation in two-minute news bites and offhanded articles.
Three decades later in 2015, Sanders saw these same messages bring him national fame as Democrats across the country sang his praises and policy-makers began paying attention. Although “Bernie Speaks with the Community” has long-since been discontinued, his cynical let-me-drive attitude toward the media has proven unremitting.
Most of Senator Sanders’s public rhetoric on the matter now focuses on deriding corporate media for propagating useless, corrupt political narratives. He is also known among reporters for decrying negative stories and shying away from difficult questions, but nothing demonstrates his unabashed media spurn like his neglect for Vermont newspapers.
Last week marked four years since he last granted an interview to Seven Days, a Burlington-based weekly that is the most circulated local press in Vermont. Contradicting his own stance on corporate media, he dismisses Seven Days and other local papers like the VTDigger as “political gossip” and instead grants interviews to large news outlets like ABC, Time and CBS.
Seven Days Political Editor Paul Heintz is among those most shut out by Sanders.
“I find it ironic when he goes out of his way to talk to corporate media but refuses to speak to his home-state independent press,” said Heintz in an interview with The Campus. “If he really wanted to support the independent media, he could just talk to us.”
Unlike President Trump, Senator Sanders does not threaten the freedom of the press or challenge its autonomy. But it seems he may misunderstand its role -- not for himself, but for Vermonters.
“His ideal coverage is essentially for us to reprint his press releases and to just quote verbatim his policy proposals,” Heintz said.
VTDigger Senior Editor Mark Johnson agrees. “He uses the media to further his agenda,” he said, adding that Sanders’s ideal reporter would serve as a simple stenographer.
On a timeline of Senator Sanders’s career history with the press, this makes sense. Even through years of criticizing Vermont media as mayor and senator, Sanders granted local interviews and held press conferences to communicate his policies to his constituents. This practice ended abruptly when he stepped onto the national stage with the announcement of his first run for president on April 30, 2015, which was the very last day he spoke to Seven Days.
Nowadays, Sanders knows he’s not in any position to lose support among Vermonters. He swept the state in the 2016 Democratic primary with 16 delegates to Clinton’s zero, and he won re-election to the Senate in 2018 without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, since his constituents know and support his ideology, Sanders sees the local news as having exhausted its utility.
“He doesn’t need the Vermont press, but it’s not a question of what he needs. It’s a question of what the people of Vermont need,” Heintz said. “A reporter from CNN is not going to be asking him about what he is doing in the Senate to support the Vermont dairy industry. That’s our job.”
Mark Johnson expressed a similar sentiment. “There’s not really much up-side for him to talk to the Vermont media at this point,” Johnson said. “Vermont readers are losing out.”
By lack of cooperation with Vermont press since entering the national spotlight, Sanders is impassively disconnecting himself from the loyal home base that elected him as their senator. Even before his run for president, however, Sanders was quick to shut down topics he didn’t want to discuss. While serving as mayor in 1985, he accredited President Reagan’s popularity to his avoidance of difficult questions. Adopting this policy himself, Sanders frequently dismissed even substantive, policy-based inquiries from reporters if they weren’t on the topic he wanted to discuss that day.
After the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, for example, when Sanders was criticized for his resistance to extensive gun legislation, he refused to grant Seven Days an interview for two-and-a-half months. When he finally spoke to them, he moved quickly past the topic of gun reform.
This treatment from Sanders is not always just a simple disregard for these outlets. It has sometimes verged on outright animosity. Seven Days and VTDigger both reported on the long-term federal investigation of Jane Sanders, the senator’s wife and one of his top political advisers, after a seemingly fraudulent $10 million land deal she made during her time as president of the now-defunct Burlington College. Although the investigation was closed last year without charges, Sanders vehemently opposed news coverage of the story and dismissed it as “gossip.”
Paul Heintz disagrees with that label. “That’s not reporters probing into salacious details of their personal lives,” he said of Seven Days’ reporting on the investigation. “That’s asking reasonable questions about the legality of people who pay a very prominent role in a senator’s political operations.”
The rejection of this coverage encapsulates the break between Sanders’s perceived role of the press and its real purpose. He lauds the hypothetical concept of the media for its democratic service yet pushes back hard against stories that report anything beyond cut-and-dry policy. Although the press serves an important role in truthfully reporting politicians’ messages, equally important is its role in pressing tough issues, asking uncomfortable questions and telling the whole story.
“Reporters are essentially a stand-in for the public,” said Heintz. When Senator Sanders ignores local reporters, he ignores his local base. He may not need Vermont leading up to his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination, but he’s still our senator, and we still need him.
Correction Nov. 1, 2020: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Sanders sought self-published media in 2015. It has since been amended.
(05/02/19 10:30am)
The beloved Middlebury Farmers Market turns 45 this summer, and it’s sharing its birthday present with the whole community. Along with its usual array of locally sourced fruits, vegetables, baked goods and crafts, this year the market is vying to serve as more than just the best source for fresh baked bread and in-season berries. Starting with its grand opening for the outdoor summer season on Saturday, May 11 at the VFW Post on Exchange Street, it will also be teaming up with local organizations, non-profits, musicians and new vendors in an effort to connect every corner of the community.
“Our theme for this year is to make the market a destination,” said Middlebury Farmers Market President Elisabeth Woronzoff. “The whole purpose of the farmers market is to provide a positive investment for the community.”
Although the Middlebury Farmers Market operates year-round, the indoor winter market usually sees 10 to 12 vendors and offers mainly dairy, meat, eggs and wool. In the summer, the number of vendors swells to between 30 and 40 as it continues to offer winter items while adding fresh produce, plants and flowers among a growing list of other locally produced goods.
Right beside these vendors will be booths set up for area non-profit organizations to raise awareness for their causes and connect with Middlebury residents. The market is also starting a new initiative with the Ilsley Public Library, which plans to set up a booth allowing shoppers to check out and return books on site. The books offered will all pertain to the market, including subjects like gardening, the food industry, food waste and healthy recipes.
“What this demonstrates is the versatility of the market,” Woronzoff said. “The Middlebury Farmers Market is small but nimble, so we can adapt and try new things.”
New vendors will also enter the scene for the upcoming summer, including Green & Gold CSA, a community agricultural program that will serve as the market’s only 100% organic produce vendor. The market will also welcome Triple K Farm for meats, honeys and syrups, as well as Marguerite’s Flower Garden and herbal remedies producer Breathing in Wellness.
The market is working on initiatives to reduce food waste and increase composting as well. “It’s super cool,” Woronzoff said. “I’m excited about it.”
Despite these shiny new additions, the market’s foundation is still grounded in its long-term vendors. The oldest returning farmer is Joan Cook of South Hardscrabble Farm in Bristol, who has sold vegetables, berries, sweet corn and baked goods at the Middlebury Farmers Market for over 30 years. Sharon Kerwin of Orange Cat Soaps in Cornwall and Violet LaFountain of Ledge Hill Farm in Weybridge have both also sold at the market for over 15 years.
“They’re so committed to contributing positively through food or culture to the local economy,” said Woronzoff of these vendors. “They are awesome, awesome members of the farmers market community.”
The market is also planning to continue its tradition of live music, which plays from open to close, beginning with local musician PapaGreyBeard who will appear at the grand opening. Another musician who will be featured later in the season is Middlebury College student Aidan O’Brien ’20, who began playing guitar and singing for the farmers market in fall 2018.
“I love it,” said O’Brien. “I like that it’s really relaxed.” He will be performing at the upcoming summer market on June 15 and July 27, and he’s looking forward to doing farmers market shows again. “I think they’re good for working out new originals and covers I haven’t tried before because I get to play for the whole time the market’s going on,” he said, adding that he also likes them because vendors will sometimes give him free vegetables.
Market tradition will continue this year with the annual celebration of Dairy Day, to be scheduled for June, which is a Vermont initiative to honor dairy farmers and their products. Along with fundraisers and informative booths about the dairy industry, there will also be free samples of chocolate milk and other products.
The market has added two new celebrations as well, beginning with Red, White & Blue day around the Fourth of July. Later in the summer, the market will host First Responders Day, dedicated to honoring the efforts of first responders within the community.
Besides branching out for the market’s 45th year, these new additions are also efforts to curtail the downward attendance trend that the market has seen over the last eight summers. Last year’s move from its downtown-proximate location at Marble Works to the less walkable Exchange Street VFW Post hasn’t helped.
“Some people aren’t happy with it because it physically took the market out of the community,” Woronzoff explained. “That’s another reason we’re really trying to make community involvement a huge piece this year – to kind of bridge that space.”
Nonetheless, the Middlebury Farmers Market is resilient, and everyone is looking forward to the summer. “There’s this sort of leisurely joy to the summer market,” said Woronzoff, emphasizing her zeal for local food. “What can’t you love about that?”
(05/02/19 10:00am)
2020 ELECTION PREFERENCES: TRUMP
It is no secret that President Trump is not particularly popular among Middlebury’s student body — the Zeitgeist poll shows that less than 3% of students approve of the way he’s handling office. On the other end, Trump’s campus disapproval rating hovers north of 90% — compared to 41% nationally — while around 4% of students describe themselves as neutral.
There are quite a few factors that could explain these results. Middlebury College can be somewhat self-selecting in terms of ideology, often attracting students with its environmental programs and reputation for liberal student activism. Then there is the phenomenon known as “social desirability bias,” in which survey respondents may underreport opinions deemed socially unacceptable. Although the existence of social desirability bias cannot be proven here, 51 students reported themselves to be “neutral” and 23 chose “I prefer not to answer,” indicating that there may be some undisclosed ideological tendencies among a student body that is not always particularly open to conservatism.
2020 ELECTION PREFERENCES: TRUMP BY SOCIAL AND FISCAL VIEWS
As expected, there is a strong correlation between students identifying as socially liberal and disapproving of the Trump administration. This is also by far the most popular pair of stances. Even among the 45 students who identified as socially conservative, only 18 approved of the job President Trump is doing in office.
Overall, there were many more students who identified as fiscally conservative — 207 respondents — yet only 25 of them approved of Trump. By the numbers, most of these fiscally conservative students identified as socially neutral or liberal. Nationally, voters with this combination of views tended to swing right and vote Trump in 2016, so why do Middlebury students not reflect the same trends?
It could be that Middlebury students feel much more strongly about their social views. Almost 400 respondents identified as the most liberal possible option when asked their social views, whereas less than half that number identified themselves as the most liberal fiscally, instead opting for more center-left gradations. Because of this difference, some students’ support for President Trump’s economic policies may be outweighed by their disapproval of his social conservatism.
2020 ELECTION PREFERENCES: DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
With many months left before the Democratic primary and a historically large pool of diverse candidates, Middlebury students can’t be blamed for favoring the option “I prefer not to answer.” The first-choice candidate, however, is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a predictable choice for Middlebury and one that mirrors national polls. (Or, really, mirrors polls as closely as it can, given that former Vice President Joe Biden, who has topped recent primary polls after entering the race, was excluded from the Zeitgeist survey due to his late announcement. Nationally, Sen. Sanders currently polls second.)
The next choice for Middlebury students, California Senator Kamala Harris, also mirrors some national trends. Some nationwide polls show Sen. Harris to be neck-in-neck with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for third place. However, Middlebury students chose Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke before Buttigieg, who came in fifth. Again, this may be attributed to the timing of the survey, as Buttigieg’s popularity saw a spike after the survey was closed. Besides these top five candidates, none won more than 5% of the student body.
FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS: SOCIAL VS. FISCAL
Like other campus groups, financial aid recipients were further left on the social scale than on the fiscal one. Still, the majority of financial aid recipients considered themselves to be fiscally liberal. Overall, the most common response among this group was the most liberal possible option in both categories.
VARSITY ATHLETES: SOCIAL VS. FISCAL
Following school trends, Varsity athletes pretty consistently tended toward the left side of the political scale in terms of social views. There was greater variability in response to fiscal ideology, though a considerable majority still mostly identified as fiscally liberal. However, a greater percentage of athletes identified as fiscally conservative than the overall campus. Overall, however, athletes still tended toward liberalism.
ECONOMICS MAJORS: SOCIAL VS. FISCAL / TRUMP APPROVAL
Although most Middlebury students identified as fiscally liberal, Economics majors were not so quick to swing left. Out of 112 respondents, the (slim) majority of Economics students identified as fiscally conservative at 58 tallies, as compared to 50 who consider themselves fiscally liberal. This contrasts strikingly against the general student body, confirming the common quip that Economics majors are socially liberal but fiscally conservative. Regardless, Zeitgeist data has shown that there is not a correlation between Middlebury students’ fiscal conservatism and support for President Trump.
*Editor’s Note: During the period in which the survey was open to responses, Joe Biden had not yet declared his candidacy for president.
(05/02/19 10:00am)
DINING HALL: OVERALL
The dining hall debate has long served as a campus identifier — are you a Proc person or a Ross person? — accompanied by silent judgement from both sides. In the end, more students favor Middlebury’s oldest, coziest dining hall, according to Zeitgeist results.
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With nearly 40% of the vote, Proctor Dining Hall was crowned the favorite among the student population, and Ross wasn’t even in second place. Atwater Dining Hall polled second with 33% favorability, while Ross lagged behind with approximately 27%.
So what is it about Proctor? Maybe not the food. Although it’s popular for its well-utilized panini presses and consistent fare, Ross menus are usually more expansive and students often quip that Atwater’s are “fancier.” Out of the three, Proctor is even ranked last on the college review site “Niche” in the category of Middlebury’s “best on-campus food options.” On the other hand, Proctor boasts the shortest lines, low ceilings and a diverse range of seating choices from the lounge to the booth room, giving it an intimacy that Ross and Atwater might lack. Proctor is the welcoming space you can walk into in pajamas after a night out. The meat of the matter is that Proctor simply doesn’t judge. (And it will be served with kettle chips.)
DINING HALL: ATHLETES VS NARPS
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In contrast to results showing students’ overall preference for Proctor, varsity athletes opted for Atwater 40% of the time, They diverged from their non-athlete peers to rank Proctor second (and Ross last, again). Atwater, Middlebury’s newest dining hall, was constructed in conjunction with the notoriously sports team-populated Atwater suites, providing them with a convenient stop at perhaps the campus’ most upscale stop for breakfast and lunch. It also exclusively offers round tables that allow for larger groups.
DINING HALL: CLASSES
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While first-years prefer Proctor slightly more than upperclassmen at 43% favorability, Middlebury’s oldest dining hall retains a remarkably consistent 38% of votes among sophomores, juniors and seniors. Ross Dining Hall loses favor as students grow older. Atwater picks up the loyalty that Ross loses. This leaves seniors as the only class that prefers Atwater. Ross tallies less than 20% of favorability amongst seniors. Ross Dining is often favored by those who conveniently live in the Ross dormitories, which contains less housing for seniors than for other classes. This may explain the eight-point drop between junior and senior Ross favorability, and why it’s most popular among first-years.
GRADES / SLEEP / SOCIAL LIFE
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The “work hard, play hard” attitude is ingrained in Middlebury students before we even arrive on campus. As it turns out, it’s more than a stereotype — data tells us the same story. When asked to choose two of three options out of good grades, sleep and social life, Middlebury students chose good grades three quarters of the time, usually paired with social life. Although the overwhelming focus on good grades may reflect well on Middlebury students’ academic integrity, it’s troubling when paired with low prioritization of sleep. This high-stress, no-rest duo can easily jeopardize students’ mental and physical health, which is particularly concerning when accompanied by Middlebury’s “busy-ness” culture, documented below.
UNENJOYABLE CULTURES: GENERAL
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The “busy-ness” game is one that’s all too familiar to Middlebury students. From loudly complaining about upcoming problem sets at lunch to half-bragging about hours logged at Davis, more than 40% of students reported participating in “busy-ness” culture, even though they don’t enjoy it. Defined as a competition to appear busy that often comes at the expense of mental or physical health, “busy-ness” pervades Middlebury and has the capacity to push students beyond their means in an effort to be perceived as productive. Middlebury’s infamous hook-up scene also tops the list, with 235 students, or 16%, participating despite not enjoying it. This culture is often paired with drinking, in which 15% of students report partaking despite disliking it. These statistics reflect a social pressure that informs choices that are meant to be personal, which has the potential to foster unhealthy or dangerous relationships to sex and alcohol.
UNENJOYABLE CULTURES: CLASS
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“Busy-ness” culture is reported at above 40% even for first-years, but the bad news is that it doesn’t really get better. In fact, its prevalence steadily increases as students get older. The classes of 2019 and 2019.5 reported almost 50% participation, perhaps as a result of increased pressure to complete graduation requirements, boost resumes and find careers. On the bright side, participation in unwanted “brand-name apparel” culture steadily decreases in an ascent through the class years, tallying at 14% in the class of 2022 and 2022.5 and dropping to around 9% among seniors.
Drinking, drug and hook-up culture all remained relatively consistent across the grades, as did a pressure to appear “outdoorsy,” which consistently polled below 10%.
10 PAST TEXTS
In a question asking students to count how many of their past 10 texts were with someone of their own race, it was found that white students’ texting habits tended to be far more insular within their own race. More than 85% of white students reported that more than half of their past 10 texts were solely with other white people, with a majority reporting that eight, nine or all 10 texts were exchanged within their race. Non-white students, on the other hand, most commonly reported that zero, one or two of their past 10 texts were exchanged with people of their race. Middlebury’s student body, for reference, is approximately 64% white. These statistics are also useful in displaying how “othering” takes place at Middlebury, leading non-white students to feel removed from the mainstream campus community at a predominantly white school.
(03/14/19 10:36am)
MIDDLEBURY - As the town poured into the Middlebury Union High School auditorium at 7 p.m. last Monday night for the annual Town Meeting, energy was high. Some brought their knitting, some brought brownie-wielding toddlers and all brought their own perspectives to add to the night’s nearly three hour discourse. Joining towns across Vermont in a tradition over 200 years old, the 2019 Middlebury Town Meeting used direct democracy to tackle issues such as the budget for the upcoming year, infrastructure initiatives, environmental proposals and the election of local officials.
This year, Middlebury joined Burlington and Manchester in passing a long-awaited and hard-fought article to advise the Selectboard to ban single-use plastic bags in retail locations. The article, which was spearheaded by local resident Amy McAninch and Middlebury student Amelia Miller ’20, was approved on Tuesday’s Australian Ballot vote at Town Hall. It passed in Middlebury with a vote of 838 to 211. At the meeting itself, attendees unanimously approved Articles 1-7. This included a long-debated town budget of $11,155,400, spending plan approvals and the allocation of a $400,000 surplus from the Cross Street Bridge Reserve Fund to be put toward capital projects and to serve as a property tax cushion.
For some, this year’s gathering was bittersweet. Former Governor and longtime Middlebury resident Jim Douglas ’72 has moderated Middlebury’s Town Meeting since 1986, and after 32 years serving the town, 2019 was Douglas’ last. Before public debate began, the Selectboard dedicated their annual town report to Douglas among cheers and a standing ovation from the attendees. Selectboard Vice Chair Nick Artim lauded the retiring moderator for “his calm demeanor, his dry sense of humor and his amazing ability to know and remember the names of almost everyone in the audience.”
As the meeting continued, it became clear what he meant. Douglas moderated discussion with a cool hand for almost three hours, calling on most townspeople to speak using a first-name basis. Much of this time was spent deliberating over fiscal Articles 2-4, which included use of the Cross Street Bridge Reserve Fund surplus, purchase of new town vehicles and the adoption of the proposed budget for the upcoming year. Each of these articles passed, including a friendly amendment to Article 4 on the provisions of the town budget.
Articles 5-7 were approved with less discussion. These included means of collecting local taxes and, in Article 7, authorization of a loan of up to $100,000 for the Memorial Sports Center. This article passed with a friendly amendment as well, which will allow for the renewal of the loan as needed.
It was around 9 p.m. by the time Article 7 passed, and parents had begun quietly carrying their sleeping kids out of the auditorium. The night wasn’t over yet, though. Article 8, the final item on the night’s agenda, was not a vote but rather a chance for discussion of pertinent town topics.
State Senator Ruth Hardy spoke first, standing to read a resolution in honor of the Foster Brothers Farm for having recently become the first New England farm to receive the national Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year award.
Article 8 also allowed for discussion of the articles that would be voted on in the following day’s Australian ballot election. This included time for the candidates for town government positions to introduce themselves, and for Middlebury student Amelia Miller ’20 to give a presentation on her proposal for a town-wide ban on single-use plastic bags.
The ban, which passed by a significant margin of votes the next day, proved to be compelling to the crowd. Many stood to voice their support for the article after Miller’s plea to consider the environmental impact of non-reusable plastics. Middlebury resident Steve Gross even stood to add, “I believe this is almost a no-brainer.”
Inspiring winces and sighs from the attendees, Miller explained that in a town like Middlebury with a population of 8,598, the ban would annually reduce the use of bags by 4.6 million, eliminate approximately 120 metric tons of greenhouse gas and save retailers $182,000. “We just use an exorbitant amount of plastic bags,” Miller remarked.
Despite the Article’s passage, the town of Middlebury will still allow use of specific recyclable or reusable plastic bags such as those used for dry cleaning. The town will instead eliminate single-use bags such as those provided in grocery store check-out aisles, and paper bags will still be permitted.
Other Articles passed in Tuesday’s Australian Ballot vote included a motion to appropriate $3,000 to the Habitat for Humanity of Addison County to support affordable housing and a motion to advise the Selectboard to send a letter to the Vermont Statehouse in support of the 350VT Climate Solutions Resolution. Article 10 was comprised of a motion to advise the adoption of the same Climate Resolution locally, including initiatives to reduce energy usage and to install solar panels on town and school buildings. Each of these Articles passed with a significant majority.
Several town officers were also elected in the Australian Ballot, including Listers Gary F. Baker and Elizabeth J. Dow; Selectboard members Nick Artim, Victor Nuovo and Heather J. Seeley; Ilsley Library Trustees Alice L. Eckles, Joe McVeigh and Catherine P. Nichols and, taking over for former Governor Douglas as Moderator, Susan E. Shashokm
It was nearing 10 p.m. when the meeting finally concluded with cheers from the sprinkle of residents still in the auditorium. For some, this year’s Town Meeting was yet another continuation of a tradition they have known their whole lives. For others, this year’s meeting brought renewed hope to improving Middlebury’s infrastructure, community and environment. And for retiring Moderator Jim Douglas, the end of the meeting marked his last motion on the town stage. “The ‘ayes’ have it, and the annual meeting stands adjourned.”
(03/07/19 11:36am)
EAST MIDDLEBURY — When Chef Paul Dow left his job working for Middlebury College dining after 20 years to open his own barbecue restaurant, he wasn’t expecting to fill a student niche. Paul’s Deli and BBQ, officially open as of Feb. 11, is nestled in East Middlebury where restaurants are spread thin. For Dow, this location just makes sense. The store is within walking distance of his house and has next-to-no culinary competition. For hungry Middlebury students returning from a day at Snow Bowl, the stop-in restaurant also makes sense, but for a different reason: it provides a much needed reprieve from settling for a bag of gas station chips on the way home from the ski slopes.
Paul’s Deli and BBQ, located at 51 Ossie Road at what was formerly the Down Home Deli & Market, is still evolving, but it’s already serving some serious fare. Dow’s current specialty is his pulled pork. After being slow-cooked for hours, it’s served either straight up, in a bun with homemade coleslaw, in a Cuban sandwich or in the customer-favorite style: on a fresh waffle.
“I’m trying to do as much as I can homemade,” Dow said. “It’s coming out really well.”
Dow’s current menu also includes items like breakfast sandwiches made with sausage, bacon or tomato; grilled cheeses; sides like macaroni and cheese, baked beans and potato salad; cookies and brownies; and daily specials. He also makes his own sauces, including a maple barbecue sauce that’s prepared with maple syrup made by his family just up the street.
For now, all of this is a one-man show. Open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Dow runs nearly everything himself. Luckily, Dow’s culinary background makes it easy. He grew up learning to cook from his parents, who both worked in Middlebury College dining.
He started working for the college himself on a part-time basis when he was 14, beginning as a dishwasher before moving to the kitchen in Proctor dining hall. He then attended Johnson and Wales University to study pastry for a semester before transferring to the New England Culinary Institute where he received his degree.
After graduation, he returned to Middlebury College for a total of 20 years of full-time service. He began at the juice bar, which has since been replaced by Crossroads Café. He then moved on to work in Ross and Atwater dining halls, at Bread Loaf and in on-campus catering before serving as the night manager of The Grille for the last eight years. (When asked what it was like working weekend nights there, Dow left it at “I have seen a lot of things.”)
For Dow, leaving The Grille was a pretty significant transition. “I went from getting done at 3 o’clock in the morning to getting here at 6:30 in the morning,” he explained, adding that he’ll have to show up even earlier once he starts adding long-cooking items like brisket to his menu.
But he doesn’t seem to mind. “It’s something I’ve always wanted I think,” Dow said. “I’ve been (making barbecue) as a hobby for probably 10 years now.”
Although pulled pork has been the central dish so far, Dow has lots of ideas in the works. He’s waiting on a new smoker that will allow him to add different kinds of meat to the menu. “I can’t wait to start doing brisket because I don’t really see much,” Dow said, explaining that he slow-cooks it for 16-20 hours to get it just right. “I love brisket a lot.” He also plans to offer chicken and ribs, as well as pre-order to-go dinners.
For the summer, Dow is considering adding a charcoal grill to prepare hamburgers and hot dogs. “I’d like to get into some sort of homemade ice cream and milkshakes type stuff,” Dow said.
In a neighborhood lacking quick-bite options, Paul’s Deli and BBQ has been well-received. The restaurant already has customers that come in daily and a 5-star Google review. One customer, who ordered a Cuban sandwich, raved, “It was by far one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in the area! The pork had just come out of the smoker when I arrived. It doesn’t get any better than this.” Other reviews cited the breakfasts, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork sandwiches and Dow’s homemade maple barbecue sauce as particularly tasty.
Dow expects that the restaurant will pick up even more during the summertime, when he hopes to add outdoor space and see more foot traffic. For the winter, it makes for a convenient and hearty stop for skiers returning from the Snow Bowl.
Paul’s Deli and BBQ is still gaining its footing, but it has started off strong in the somewhat precarious Middlebury restaurant scene. Chef Dow is positive about the future, and he’s happy to be able to finally cook and serve what he loves. In a place like East Middlebury, Dow said, “It’s nice to have something a little bit more homemade.”
(02/28/19 11:32am)
MIDDLEBURY – In the 1800s, Middlebury residents faced a problem: pig protocol. Should local pigs be allowed to freely roam the streets? Would it be more beneficial to keep all of them fenced in? Unable to come to a conclusion, those residents did the same thing Vermonters will do next month: they took the issue to that year’s Town Meeting.
Held annually for over 200 years, the meeting is a rare holdout of direct democracy designed to allow the voices of Middlebury to be heard on the issues that affect them, their families and their jobs. Although every town in Vermont now holds their own meeting, the first was held in Bennington in 1762, making the tradition older than the state itself (VT was created in 1791.).
The meetings are cornerstones of the town’s sense of community, allowing its residents to come together to tackle civic issues. Vermont government employees even get a holiday to attend, and the state grants students over 18 the right to skip school if necessary in order to participate. In fact, many public schools give their students a day off for Town Meeting Day.
So, how does it work? The meeting takes place in two parts. The first is a floor meeting, which features town-wide discourse that gives residents the opportunity to voice their opinions on proposed articles and issues facing the town. This is where most of the action takes place. This year’s floor meeting will be held on Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the Middlebury Union High School auditorium. Anyone registered to vote with a Middlebury address is encouraged to attend, speak and vote.
This includes any Middlebury College student who is registered in Vermont.
Alexander Giles ’21, who studied the floor meeting’s style of government in the 2019 Winter Term class “Democracy, Deliberation and Global Citizenship,” believes it’s an invaluable process. “Direct democracy still has great value in localized settings,” Giles told The Campus. “It’s a great example of bringing the community together in deliberation.”
The second part of the town meeting is the Australian Ballot. Separate from the floor meeting, this is a specific way to vote on proposed articles and mirrors a traditional voting process. The Australian Ballot will take place the following day on Tuesday, March 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the town offices at 77 Main St., and any Middlebury voter is welcome to stop in to cast a vote.
Although the floor meeting is more involved, the Australian Ballot process offers another opportunity for political engagement as it often takes on citizen-led initiatives and allows every vote to have an impact in such a small election. The Campus spoke to Brian Carpenter, the Chair of the Middlebury Selectboard (a team of seven elected at the meetings to collaborate on the town’s issues throughout the year), about the process. Carpenter expressed that he thinks these votes are particularly valuable.
“Votes will count pretty significantly based on the average turnout,” Carpenter said. “It’s an opportunity to be heard and either affirm or redirect priorities within the town.”
But if not pigs, then what issues are going to be taken on during this year’s meeting? As usual, there are plans to vote on a town budget for the upcoming year. There will also be a vote to reelect three members of the Middlebury Selectboard.
Beyond the meeting’s typical business, though, this year’s floor meeting agenda also includes a vote to allocate funds toward improving the Memorial Sports Center and purchasing new town vehicles, along with other topics to be proposed by residents.
The Australian Ballot is particularly compelling this year, and primarily addresses environmental concerns.
The Middlebury College Sunday Night Environmental Group, or SNEG, has been vocal in encouraging students to turn out on March 5 to support these measures. “Let your voice be heard — help Middlebury take the steps necessary in creating a cleaner, better future for all,” read a post on the group’s Facebook page.
The vote will address an initiative to ban plastic bags from all Middlebury businesses, which has been spearheaded by Middlebury student Amelia Miller ’20 and town resident Amy McAninch.
The ballot will also include a vote to advise the Selectboard to write to the Vermont state leadership in support of the 350VT Climate Solutions Resolution. This act would halt the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and aim to achieve 90 percent renewable energy by 2050 in an equitable fashion. Voters will also decide whether the town of Middlebury should commit to efforts to install solar panels on town and school buildings, encourage landowners to implement carbon-responsible practices and appropriate $3,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Addison County to bolster affordable housing. These Articles will all be on the ballot on March 5.
Selectboard Chair Brian Carpenter encouraged any eligible Middlebury students to participate. “There are issues that I believe many of them are passionate about,” he said. “And it’s something quite unique about Vermont.”
(02/14/19 10:59am)
Almost 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade granted the right to abortion, pro-choice Americans continue to be on the offensive. The Court’s new conservative majority has caused many to worry that its stance on abortion will swing to the pro-life right, and promises from President Trump to restrict abortion rights have prompted Vermont lawmakers’ determination to defend the right to choose.
In a nod to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22, Vermont Representatives Ann Pugh and Maxine Grad introduced bill H.57 to the Vermont Statehouse floor, a bill that would establish the fundamental right to abortion for every Vermont individual under any circumstances. Its introduction adds Vermont to a growing list of states rushing to safeguard the right to abortion, and its approximately 90 tripartisan co-sponsors make it likely to exceed the 76 votes needed to pass.
The bill was drafted in conjunction with Planned Parenthood and may be accompanied by a parallel amendment to the Vermont state Constitution in the future. However, because an amendment’s passage through the House and Senate is a much more arduous process, the House is focused on pushing H.57 through first.
According to VTDigger, Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson addressed the Statehouse in support of the bill shortly after its introduction, telling her colleagues, “We need a Vermont where every Vermonter should feel free to make their personal decisions about their sexual and reproductive health care.”
[pullquote speaker="TIM ASHE" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]Taking action ... will ensure that reproductive rights are not diminished the moment the Supreme Court rules.[/pullquote]
That’s not to say that Vermonters don’t already enjoy these rights. The bill will not actively change anything about the state’s current abortion policy, which is famously liberal. This has left some wondering why the bill is necessary and whether it is worth the Vermont legislature’s time in the first place.
Tim Ashe, President Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate, spoke to The Campus about the two reasons why he thinks the legislation is critical anyway. He expressed concern for the Supreme Court’s newly precarious position on abortion.
“Taking action in anticipation of [federal restrictions] will ensure that reproductive rights are not diminished the moment the Supreme Court rules.” Ashe continued, “Legal rights are always stronger and less ambiguous when put in statute rather than left to the vagaries of court cases.”
Vermont has no laws that fully ensure reproductive choice, and Ashe referenced cases such as the 1989 Vermont Supreme Court decision of State v. Oliver, which set a precedent that greatly restricted the rights of a fetus in the state, but which could also be easily modified since it is not a law. Bill H.57 originally included a clause reinforcing this decision and thereby eliminating all independent rights for fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses, though it has since been removed during revisions.
Vermont is consistently ranked as the least religious state in the U.S. and has a population that overwhelmingly supports the right to choose, according to polls conducted by Gallup and the Pew Research Center. Both such factors contribute to the tremendous support from Vermonters and legislators alike for H.57. But not everyone is so eager to get behind it. H.57’s opponents in the House have questioned the bill’s necessity and phrasing, and its opponents on the streets have vehemently protested its sweeping content.
On Jan. 26, the Vermont Right to Life, an organization led by Executive Director Mary Beerworth, held a procession of several hundred people from St. Augustine’s Church to the Vermont State Capitol in protest of the bill, during which the group prayed and demonstrated for restrictions. H.57 has also gained national attention from right-leaning news outlets including Fox News, The National Review and The Daily Caller, the latter of which ran the headline, “If You Think Virginia’s Infanticide Bill is Crazy, Wait Till You Get a Look at What Vermont is Pushing.”
These criticisms stem from the broad nature of the rights within H.57, partially because it lacks specifics regarding a fetus’s viability in the case of a third-trimester abortion. Opposition groups believe this exclusion takes the bill too far.
The bill’s proponents fight back against these objections by pointing to the fact that in Vermont, a state that comprises merely 0.2 percent of the United States’ abortions, far fewer than one percent of these procedures are completed within the third trimester, and they are often necessary for the safety of the mother.
Many agree that abortion rights are a complicated topic and not a black-and-white issue that should be either granted in entirety or restricted completely. “There are a lot of gray areas which I don’t think are acknowledged,” said Elise Park ’21. “But restricting abortion rights doesn’t stop abortion. It just makes it less safe and puts women in danger.”
These gray areas are exactly what’s stopping Governor Phil Scott, a self-described “pro-choice Republican,” from taking a firm stance on the bill. Although he originally said that he would likely support it, Scott has since expressed uncertainty thanks to pushback from Republican colleagues on some of the bill’s provisions.
Nonetheless, H.57 easily passed in the House Committee on Human Services in an 8-3 vote and will be taken up by the House Judiciary Committee this week. The House has held public hearings to debate its content, though its overwhelming support makes it likely to pass with a comfortable majority in the House and move to the state Senate. It is probable that its content will continue to evolve throughout the process, but Representatives Pugh and Grad have already succeeded in sending their message that a women’s right to choose is non-negotiable. Now they just want to set it in stone.
(01/17/19 10:55am)
A storm of internal controversy at the Burlington-based sexual assault help center HOPE Works led every employee and, as of Friday, Jan. 11, executive director Cathleen Barkley, to resign from the organization.
Despite concerns over the lack of resources, much of the community has come out in support of the eight former staff members of HOPE Works. The group has made its story public, sharing its frustrations on a collective Facebook page where it posted both the legally filed formal grievance that preceded its strike and, on Friday, Jan. 4, its resignation announcement. Its Facebook page now has over 400 likes.
Within the announcement, the former staff expressed their sadness at having felt no other option but to leave. They also unapologetically renounced the actions of executive director Cathleen Barkley and the HOPE Works board. The posts alleged that these parties discriminated against gay, trans and minority staff members, made threats against employee organizing and repeatedly manipulated and emotionally abused their workers.
Also cited in their Sunday, Dec. 16 formal grievance were accounts of carelessness, gaslighting and policy breaches on the part of executive director Cathleen Barkley, all of which caused the team of eight to walk out. This group included three victim advocates, two clinical therapists and three educational and developmental workers, some of whom had been with HOPE Works for as long as 18 years.
HOPE Works had previously served approximately 75 Vermonters per month as Chittenden County’s primary resource center for victims of sexual violence, and the organization’s newfound lack of staff has left many concerned for assault survivors who may now struggle to access resources.
HOPE Works has been active in the Burlington area since 1973, providing victims of sexual violence with a 24-hour hotline, personal advocates, individual and group therapy and an online emergency chat line. Since the mass resignation of eight staff members on Jan. 4. following a three-week strike, however, HOPE Works has been forced to limit its services.
Mary Cronkite, a sexual assault survivor and medical assistant at a local health center, told VTDigger that there has been no known therapy, education or advocacy services from the organization since the staff went on strike. Although the hotline has remained open, incoming callers may now experience delays in service. Victims have been encouraged to consider seeking assistance from Voices Against Violence in Franklin County and WomenSafe in Addison County if HOPE Works is found to be unavailable.
Of the organization’s leadership, the group claimed in its Jan. 4 Facebook post, “They have demonstrated that they have no intention — nor did they ever — of participating in this work with sincerity, empathy or integrity.”
The post goes on to explain that several of the former employees are also survivors of sexual violence and that many of Barkley’s actions have been triggering, adding, “We know that when we choose our safety we choose survivor safety.”
The posts have received a shower of support from the community including messages of thanks, solidarity and job offers. The group has also created a GoFundMe to cover living and legal expenses for the affected staff, which has raised more than $19,000 in the last month.
According to VTDigger, the eight staff members first left HOPE Works after victim advocate Lucy Basa was allegedly fired for messages shared on her private Facebook account, in which she called the organization’s leadership “comic book evil.”
The messages, which were posted but have since been deleted from the group’s Facebook page and are supported by the whole ex-staff, called for her fellow employees to organize against the board’s proposal of selling the HOPE Works lawn and green space to real-estate developer Eric Farrell. Basa explained in the messages that these outdoor areas were often used for therapy purposes. Her firing was considered the last straw for the rest of the former employees, who went on strike shortly thereafter, requiring that HOPE Works both reinstate Basa and terminate Barkley in order for them to return.
Former employee Jas Wheeler explained to The Campus that there were also internal struggles over how much emphasis to place on HOPE Works’ dedication to serving marginalized victims. The employees’ prioritization of intersectionality allegedly clashed sharply with the leadership’s reluctance to take an outspoken stance.
“We found ourselves consistently blocked by our leadership when we tried to institute change,” Wheeler said. This divide is evidenced in the group’s formal grievance, which, among other incidents, cites that Cathleen Barkley barred the staff from posting support for the Black Lives Matter movement on HOPE Works’ now-deactivated social media accounts, which the staff vehemently disagreed with.
Wheeler said, “Retaliation for this work is what pushed us to strike. Dismissal of this work is what pushed us to resign. Commitment to this work is what pushes us into our future as advocates,” said Wheeler of the staff’s efforts to expand inclusion. Wheeler went on to express the staff’s ongoing dedication to helping sexual assault victims and their need for the organization to restructure its approaches toward such issues.
One of the group’s main demands during the strike — the removal of Cathleen Barkley — came to fruition as of Jan. 11, when HOPE Works announced Barkley’s resignation, though she will continue work for the time being. In a statement, the former staff renounced Barkley’s continued attachment to the organization and the lack of further progress from the board, stating, “Cathleen’s leadership was one part of the problem. HOPE Works continues to be an unsafe place to work until the Board intensely and permanently transforms.”
The eight former employees announced that they would meet with the board on Tuesday, Jan. 15 to discuss the future of the organization, though they claim that they are still unsure of what the future holds for them and have shown no sign of returning to the organization. For now, the group has shared that it is taking time to heal, and implores that the HOPE Works board make changes so that the brunt of the fallout no longer has to fall on Vermont’s sexual assault survivors.
(12/06/18 10:56am)
[gallery ids="42216,42218"]As any Vermonter knows, a cornerstone of surviving the winter is good, honest carbs. Caroline and Matt Corrente, married co-owners of the newly-opened Haymaker Bun Co. and The Arcadian restaurant, know this well. The two businesses now co-inhabit the space at 7 Bakery Lane, formerly occupied by The Lobby. Entering in the morning, however, you’d never guess the dual purpose of the space. Greeted by a charming pastry counter stacked with Caroline’s fresh-baked buns, an espresso bar and lines of succulent-clad wooden tables, you’ll see crowds of early birds from Middlebury students parked on laptops to sticky-fingered toddlers digging into their breakfast.But between the hours of 11:30 a.m., when Haymaker Bun Co. closes for the day, and 4:30 p.m., when The Arcadian opens for the night, Caroline and Matt Corrente turn the place on its head. The barista behind the counter is replaced with a bartender, dough-kneading becomes pasta-pressing, and the fresh white walls once filled with natural light take on a glowing, cozy ambiance to become an elegant Italian restaurant.The businesses opened their doors earlier in November, and, as the Correntes told The Campus, it’s been going great. “We’ve had nothing but awesome support from people,” said Matt, to which Caroline added, “It’s a little nuts, but it’s been a great turnout from the community.”This all may seem like a lot to take on, but the Correntes are no strangers to the Vermont food scene. Matt is a Middlebury College alumnus of the Class of 2006.5, and Caroline graduated from the University of Vermont in 2012. Caroline formerly worked as a baker at Otter Creek Bakery, and Matt is the former head chef of Two Brothers Tavern and opening chef at Notte.Asked if these connections remain important to them, Matt immediately replied, “Absolutely.” At a time when many Middlebury businesses are struggling, Matt is glad to fill an unoccupied niche.“We saw that as an opportunity to provide the community with something that wasn’t currently here, rather than competing with somebody else,” he said.More than that, though, the Correntes are both seizing the opportunity to do what they love. “Cinnamon buns are my favorite pastry,” Caroline told The Campus. She previously attended Le Cordon Bleu pastry school in Paris, where she perfected the brioche dough she uses to make them. Matt, too, said of deciding on a pasta-based menu, “It was an easy decision. We said, ‘Let’s do what we love to do.’”[gallery ids="42222,42220,42225"]By now, both businesses have established their core menu items, having been thoroughly taste-tested by the third owner, their two-year-old son. For Haymaker Bun Co., it’s the “OG Bun,” a quick-selling classic that’s well-represented on the pastry counter. For The Arcadian, it’s the homemade pasta dishes complete with fresh seafood. But the couple is excited to keep developing their repertoires.Seasonal flavors are well-represented from morning to night on 7 Bakery Lane, beginning with Caroline’s specialty buns. She has already begun baking the “Gingerbun Man,” inspired by the classic holiday cookie. But, Caroline said, “Why stop there? Why not do all the flavors?” She plans to have eggnog- and mint-chocolate-flavored buns too, and is excited to be able to incorporate fresh local produce in the spring and summer.Matt shares a similar sentiment and added that he’s looking forward to adding seasonal specials to the Arcadian menu. He can’t wait for tomato season, though neither business imports much produce — because of their heartfelt connection to Vermont, the Correntes use locally-sourced ingredients as much as they can.That doesn’t mean The Arcadian’s winter menu isn’t colorful. One of Matt’s favorites is the Tricolore Salad, a Caesar-style salad that’s true to its name with red, white and green lettuces. Both the Correntes also gave their official seal of approval to the lamb neck, which Matt described as “the perfect food for a snowy November.” The two businesses are also planning to start collaborating on Sunday brunch beginning Dec. 9.Beyond just good food, though, the Correntes want to create a space that welcomes people from all corners of the community. They have already seen locals turning into regulars, and love the idea of the space, which seats 75-80 people, becoming a hangout spot. They also offer free WiFi. “It makes me really happy to see people hanging out and doing work,” Caroline said.The Arcadian will be hosting the graduation party for the Middlebury Feb class of 2018.5, and Matt, having graduated Middlebury as a Feb himself, can’t wait. The restaurant’s reservation list is also already filling up for spring graduation, but the Correntes have even more in store for Middlebury students.The Arcadian, usually serving traditional Italian food, will be hosting “Throwback Thursdays” during January, aligning with the college’s J-Term. Not much must have changed since Matt’s time as a Midd Kid, because looking back, Matt remembers the frenzy that chicken parmesan would incite at the dining halls. He plans to serve the dish on a menu of Italian-American comfort foods, recognizing the need for warm carbs and melted cheese during Vermont’s coldest month.Haymaker Bun Co. and The Arcadian have both started off strong in the town’s somewhat precarious food scene, and Matt and Caroline are hoping to bring them nowhere but up. Both businesses welcome Middlebury students with open arms and, as Matt reminded, “If you can make it to Twilight, you’re five minutes away.”
(11/01/18 9:59am)
“You are part of the performance,” artist Néle Azevedo told the crowd of students, professors, community members, children and a few dogs that gathered at the base of the Davis Library steps last Tuesday evening.
At the center of the crowd were two large freezers holding 400 eight-inch-tall figurines of men and women made of ice, the centerpieces of Azevedo’s renowned installment titled, “Minimum Monument: Art as Emergency.”
The piece, which involves ceremoniously “sitting” all of the figurines in line to then watch them gradually melt, is an environmentally-conscious performance event that serves as a visual metaphor for climate change.
Azevedo handed the first figurine to a little girl, commencing the display before crowds swarmed the artist and her team in order to take part. When first placed, the figurines held a crisp ghostly frost, sitting firmly on the steps where they were positioned. Once they began to melt, however, they slowly turned transparent and thinned ominously in unison. It was for this reason that Azevedo chose ice as her medium, describing it as poetic material for the installment.
Each figurine is made using a mold, after which Azevedo and her team hand-file and chip away at the ice to get the perfect shape. She described the process as grounding and meditative, emphasizing the importance of working with volunteers and members of the community that the piece is taking place in. It is this process that gives each figure an unmistakable human presence, making the piece both eerie and powerful as the frosty, featureless figures sit with their heads bent to watch the melted water slowly drip from their toes. Azevedo uses this facelessness to emphasize the unity of man, claiming, “I celebrate the anonymous figure” rather than any singularly powerful person. This is why the piece presents many small figures instead of one large one, she continued.
“I conceived this work subverting the characteristics of the official monuments,” she said. “It is an anti-monument.”
Azevedo was invited to make her U.S. “Minimum Monument” debut by University of Vermont Professor Maria Woolson, who hosted the exhibit’s first showing on the school’s campus before coming to Middlebury. Prior to the Vermont installments, however, the monument had made a global name for itself. Azevedo has brought her art to countries throughout Europe, Asia and South America and frequently showcases the ice sculptures in Brazil, her home country. The largest was a display of approximately 5,000 figurines in Birmingham, UK in 2014.
Azevedo applied a broader context to her art by addressing the crowds about the threats facing the Amazon rainforest in her home country of Brazil.
Although the installation’s message is widely interpreted as a metaphor for the broad topic of climate change, the piece is meant to be somewhat interpretive, and it is not the first time “Minimum Monument” has been used as commentary on specific events.
Once, at a performance in Italy, it coincidentally took place in the midst of a protest on school privatization and was thus interpreted by the crowd as a metaphor for the children within Italy’s education system.
Again, though more intentionally this time, the piece was used in Brazil to protest plans for a construction of a dam that would uproot indigenous people from their homes. It was there that the monument took on its most blunt message as Azevedo molded one solitary female figurine out of her own blood to melt among the water. It was not until 2009 that the piece became distinctly known for its message on climate change, though Azevedo believes this interpretation to be paramount.
“Words are not enough,” said Azevedo on climate change.
Although the “Minimum Monument’s” figurines typically take 40 minutes to melt after they’re set up, the sunless mid-40s Vermont afternoon was not so obliging. The piece was still vaguely visible about four hours later on the Davis steps, though this became a part of its power.
Like climate change, the piece does not always present a clear and blatant progression. Instead, it gradually transformed over time.
The change was even more pronounced hours later as the melting and broken figures glowed in the fading twilight.
(11/01/18 9:56am)
Less than a week away from the midterm elections, 481,111 Vermonters are registered to vote. In October, the state reached a record high, with 92.5 percent of its eligible voters registered for the upcoming election, according to VTDigger. Vermont now leads the national registration rate by about 20 percent.
Vermont has been making a concerted effort to expand its voter rolls since January 2017, when the state instituted a new system allowing for automatic voter registration when receiving or renewing an ID at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Of the more than 30,000 new Vermonters who have registered to vote since that time, over 16,000 of them used the new system. With driver’s licenses set to be renewed every four years, the state expects to see a continued uptick of registration throughout the next few election cycles.
“The goal is we’re going to get as many eligible Vermonters as possible to be registered to vote,” Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos said in an interview with VTDigger.
Condos’s efforts are coming to fruition. More than 7,000 new voters have also registered through the state’s new online system, and flexible registration deadlines have also contributed to Vermont’s leading rates. Vermonters are permitted to register any day up until and including Election Day, a privilege only granted in 14 other states. The state allows for early voting and absentee ballots upon request.
“It’s just a way of making it easier for people to vote,” Condos told VTDigger.
Vermont is also one of just two states, along with Maine, that does not restrict felon voting rights. These states not only protect felons’ right to vote, but allow them to do so from behind bars via absentee ballots, according to NBC News.
[pullquote speaker="Jim Condos" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]The goal is we’re going to get as many eligible Vermonters as possible to be registered to vote.[/pullquote]
It’s because of these factors that the MIT Elections Performance Index, a nonpartisan, empirical evaluation of state elections, recently ranked Vermont’s election management to be first in the nation.
It’s a great feat to reach a higher percentage of eligible voters than any other state, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the state will see the nation’s highest turnout rate on Nov. 6.
Despite Vermont’s record registration numbers, how many of the state’s automatically registered yet previously politically inactive citizens will actually go to the polls? The answer, according to Bert Johnson, professor of Political Science, is complicated. Although improved access to voting can only improve participation, he told The Campus, new voters are historically the least likely to turn out.
“Probably not all of them will, because without the habits in place to vote, you may not necessarily think to do it when Election Day comes,” Johnson said.
It doesn’t help that Vermont’s midterm elections are not particularly competitive, Johnson noted. Despite nationwide efforts to mobilize voters, turnout usually correlates with the closeness of the election. In Vermont, there are no closely contested U.S. House or Senate seats. Sen. Bernie Sanders is functionally uncontested in retaining his position, and Rep. Peter Welch is expected to be re-elected as well. The race for governor is slightly more competitive, as political newcomer Democrat Christine Hallquist challenges Republican incumbent Phil Scott. However, polls still show Scott at a solid 14 points ahead, making his re-election the more likely outcome at this point.
At the college, however, efforts to get out the vote have extended beyond state lines. Many student organizations are working toward greater voter registration and absentee ballot access, including the College Democrats, College Republicans, the Student Government Association and Sunday Night Environmental Group, among others. Most dedicated to this cause, though, has been MiddVote, a student-led non-partisan group whose main goal is to register as many students as possible before Nov. 6 and to provide the tools, information and assistance to get students to the polls.
Center for Community Engagement Program Director Ashley Laux ’06 has spearheaded MiddVote’s efforts throughout the fall election season, emphasizing the need to establish habits of political engagement that she hopes will follow students throughout their lives.
“MiddVote’s person-to-person, relationship-focused outreach has been very useful,” Laux said. “While of course this year is important, my overarching goal is supporting democracy initiatives.”
The group has also contributed to Vermont’s new voter registration record by reminding students that they can register to vote in Vermont at any time regardless of their home state — a message they plan to continue to spread up until Nov. 6.
(10/25/18 9:59am)
MIDDLEBURY — At dil Yoga Sanctuary, yoga is for everybody. The studio opened its doors on Oct. 13, welcoming the residents of Middlebury with the message that dil is a place for those from all corners of the community. Its grand opening attracted around 200 people into the 700-square-foot studio, launching the business in the same way that the owners hope to run it – as a space of acceptance and warmth.
The studio — named “dil” (intentionally spelled lowercase), carrying the Persian and Hindi meanings of heart, soul, courage, generosity and wish – was started by sisters Jaime and Jennifer Parmelee and their close friend Bronwen Kent, all of whom are also instructors in several weekly classes at the studio. Both of the Parmelees graduated from Middlebury Union High School and have practiced yoga for two decades, having taught professionally in New York City before returning to Middlebury. Kent, too, has avidly practiced yoga before dil, and met the Parmelees through training as a yoga student.
“It has been beautiful to see the community coming together and experiencing what we’ve put our heart and soul into,” Jennifer said, reflecting on dil’s first few days open.
Bronwen agreed that the new yoga sanctuary provided the town with a new means of community building. “In a place like Middlebury, I sometimes feel like I know everybody in town, so meeting all these new people is so nice,” she said.
In terms of community involvement, the studio’s location helps. Situated adjacent to Middlebury Bagel and Deli and two doors down from the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, dil’s central location allows it to integrate into the town’s structure and its residents’ lives. Dil takes up the 13 Washington Street address, previously “Ollie’s Other Place,” a gift store that stocked books, toys and educational games for kids, which closed this past June.
[gallery ids="40889,40891"]
The studio is currently offering what Jennifer Parmelee described as “a bouquet of classes depending on what the community’s needs are.” These classes range from those suitable for beginners that focus on the mental benefits of yoga, to higher-level classes with titles such as “Sweat and Surrender” that emphasize yoga’s physicality. Regardless of type, every class aims to take a holistic approach in hopes of retaining yoga’s original purposes.
The goal is to “keep mind, body and spirit centered and grounded,” said Jaime. “It’s yoga as it’s intended to be.”
In addition to regular classes, dil also has several workshops planned, including a Beginner’s Workshop on Nov. 10 and a Singing Bowls & Healing Restorative Workshop on Nov. 3, open to anyone in the community. They are also offering 200-hour yoga teacher training sessions led by the owners.
The variety of classes and workshops offered is a crucial part of dil’s identity as a yoga studio, as it offers classes not only for each level of student but also for those of all ages and abilities. This includes pre- and post-natal yoga, classes aimed at middle schoolers and sessions specifically for the elderly and differently abled.
Dil’s owners also intend to develop a relationship with Middlebury College students. The Parmelees and Kent have been in contact with the college’s Yoga Club and hope that the classes they are offering will attract its students. From overstressed students to in-season varsity athletes, the Parmelees and Kent believe in the restorative powers of yoga in every aspect of life.
Jaime Parmelee said she loves working with athletes, and is excited to reach those on Middlebury’s campus and from Middlebury Union High School. While teaching yoga in New York City, she often worked with professional athletes in private sessions. Of this work, Parmelee said that the yoga “strengthens your body and connects your mind to your space, and it really shows in their performance on the field.”
Walking into the sanctuary, you can see why. The instructors are warm and welcoming, and the softly-lit wooden room relaxes guests before classes even begin. A few of Middlebury’s students have already given dil a test run, including Elizabeth Callaway ’21, who attended a Self-Discovery Level 1-2 class taught by owner Jaime Parmelee. After the class, Callaway complimented the instructor for being “able to fit the yoga experience to everyone in the class. It was very customizable, and it was a great reprieve from student life.
“A little joy is relaxing and we want to make [everyone] feel as welcome as possible,” Kent said.
This has proven to be true so far. “All of the instructors are so friendly and conversational — they want you to have fun in the class, and you do,” said Middlebury College Yoga Club member Olivia Sommers ’21, who has already attended a few classes at dil. “It’s so much fun but still so calming.”
As dil sets out to connect with the community, it wants others to find their own connections to both yoga and themselves. Above all, the owners hope to create a space that allows people from all walks of life to experience yoga. They want students to be laughing and smiling in classes while also discovering themselves and finding inner balance. As Jennifer said, “Everyone has a specific connection to yoga in some way.”
(10/11/18 9:58am)
The cast of “You Are Here,” the 23rd annual First Year Show, launched their Middlebury acting careers this past week with timely messages of self-exploration and love. The show, written entirely by students and alumni, took place in the Hepburn Zoo from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6 and consisted of short plays cut with dramatic performances of poetry. The segments were thematically strung together by the concepts of identity and belonging, giving both the show and cast a feeling of cohesion.
The first short play, titled “The Meaning of Things,” written by Emily Ma ’21, expertly hammered down the persisting theme of human experience and introspection with a scene familiar to most college students. Featuring Liv and Kiera, played by Cecelia Scheuer ’21 and Melanie Chow ’22, respectively, the scene takes place in the back room of a party where the two girls mock the seeming frivolity of their college lives and provide passionate commentary on the “fuzzy in-between world of clamped down impulses” that we live in. The familiarity of the characters and Liv’s ardent calls to let yourself feel and want, unsubdued, provide the light that the rest of the show is seen through.
The remaining performances include an array of topics such as ambivalent phone calls to Mom, an existential debate surrounding classification of an “unclassifiable” person in an alternate world, our place within the changing seasons and two lovers who seem to have known each other in another time.
Pulling the most laughs was a short play titled “Sam and Ava” written by Cole Merrell ’21 featuring Sam, a man looking for relationship advice played by Gibson Grimm ’22, and Ava, the Siri-esque artificial intelligence voice that provides it, played by Ryan Opelia-Young ’22. Of his role, Opelia-Young said that he’s glad he could start his Middlebury acting career with a “more comedic character,” which quickly became apparent to the audience. Ava provides advice in the form of cheerful, attitude-ridden quips that contrast the complex emotional issue faced by Sam, reinforcing the universality of our experiences while also providing some lighthearted relief.
The most notable of the poetry, all of which was written by Sam Boudreau ’19, is titled “F-A-T” and is performed through a “dance party” in celebration of body fat. The cast emphatically screams their appreciation for their own bodies while dancing around in piles of Oreo wrappers, conveniently left over from the previous scene in which a girl destroys the anthropomorphized version of her own guilt by finally allowing herself to enjoy Oreos without wishing she hadn’t. (It’s reported that, along with the many hours of rehearsal put in by the cast and crew, they had the arduous task of eating all of the Oreos together beforehand.)
The final play, “Sam and Madeleine,” also written by Merrell, was the most personal and elegant of the show. This heartfelt scene, featuring Francis Price ’22 as Sam and Nimaya Lemal ’21.5 as Madeleine, was a pure conversation between two lovers getting to know each other. Lemal described the scene as “honest and simple and hopeful,” and said that she felt attached to the scene for the feeling it emoted of “looking for one beautiful, reliable thing in your life that is simply good — and wanting to share it with someone you love.”
The scene drew in the audience emotionally while physically drawing in the rest of the actors, who rose from the side-stage shadows to gather around the two characters. Here the show ended, with the cast echoing the final line of the play: an answer to the question, “If you could go anywhere in the universe right now, where would you go?” to which Sam and the rest of the cast reply: “I’d stay right here.”