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(04/22/20 9:52am)
I’ve been making lots of quarantine playlists with friends recently (an incredible procrastination activity, by the way), but I wanted a collection of songs specifically for when you need a little bit of love. I think everyone could use some love right now. I hope these songs can bring some joy to your day, like they do for me. Check out the playlist below, or click here.
— Nora Peachin
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ifgIia9Oe9iVv1x8m8ZKi
(03/14/19 10:32am)
MIDDLEBURY — Tranquility is perhaps the last word that one would think to associate with a teen center. However, before the kids arrive at 3 p.m., tranquility is exactly what one might experience at Addison Central Teens. Located at the Recreation Park near Mary Hogan Elementary School in Middlebury, the center has been running since 2008.
A pool table sits prominently inside the center, quiet and neatly organized with the cues standing in place on their rack. Cicilia Robinson, the center’s AmeriCorps member, prepares for the afternoon snack. She walks around the kitchen deliberately, as if competing in the final seconds of a televised cooking competition. Devon Karpak laughs with Cicilia about their shortage of paper towels, of which they had only just received a new delivery.
Karpak has served in his current capacity twice, once in 2017 and again with the recent departure of the center’s executive director. “My passion is serving youth, helping them with that transitional period in their lives, finding their passions, and making sure they make decisions that are going to benefit them in the long run while also making mistakes in a safe environment,” he said.
Karpak emphasized the turbulence of adolescence. “You’re gonna screw up,” he said. Through these failures, however, Karpak sees the potential for growth. To him, the teen center is a place where teens can make mistakes in a safe and nurturing environment.
“You don’t feel like the adults or the system is coming down on you,” Karpak said.
Robinson has been with the center since September of 2018 and also emphasized the need for supportive supervision that is not as harsh as at schools.
“It is a place where they can explore things like non-sexual intimacy, and we understand that is important for growing as a human being,” Robinson said.
The center serves a diverse community of teens in grades 7 through 12. Karpak said that one of the center’s greatest resources is its diversity. The teen center has grown dramatically recently, experiencing a threefold increase in participation over 16 months. Participants are from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and the center serves multiple LGBTQIA students.
“We are showing kids that it is cool to be themselves and that you can be friends with people who are not like you,” Karpak said.
Karpak attributed the growth of the center to the accepting space which the center offers.
“People feel comfortable here, we are filling a need in the community; we’re increasing our presence in terms of showing that people are welcome here,” he said.
Robinson is excited by the expansion of the program and its new ability to provide services to more teens who need them. In the past, the teen center has offered activities ranging from boat building to financial literacy.
“They are being really present and they are learning and they want to learn even after being in school all day,” Robinson said.
The center also hosts support groups for mental health and for LGBTQIA students. Karpak emphasized the need for these resources in rural communities like Middlebury and is excited that the center is growing to offer more resources for the teens.
“It is growing and filling into the places that are very needed in this community,” he said. The center relies on volunteers, and students from Middlebury College often participate.
Robinson is the only full-time volunteer, so help from Middlebury students expands the amount of work that can get done in a day. Robinson and Karpak noted, however, that Middlebury students have so much more to offer than simply being helping hands.
“The kids think [Middlebury students] are way cooler than the adults so they can relate to them,” Robinson said.
Karpak concurred, “Each Middlebury College student relates to a different group of kids within the teen center differently and really elevates the overall experience.”
Giulia Park ’19 got involved with volunteering for the center because of her experiences with after-school programs growing up. She found that the ability to connect with these students was one of the most valuable parts of her experience.
“I was able to bond with the teens that regularly came to the teen center, and it was super fun to watch them experiment with their identities and become more comfortable in their own skin as the weeks went by,” she said.
Park remembered building these relationships fondly.
“My co-volunteer Lizzy Vinton and I were in charge of the snack prep, which helped us get on the teens’ good side— there’s nothing like grilled cheese to put a smile on the face of a moody teenager,” she said.
Karpak was emphatic in his desire to continue growing the center’s relationship with the college. In addition to Middlebury student volunteers, a Computer Science professor also ran a course at the center and helped to install desktop computers.
“We want as much interaction with the college as we can,” Karpak said.
Robinson, a Middlebury alumna herself, stressed the importance of remembering to support the community that so strongly supports us.
“The kids need it and they’re worth it, they’re so worth it,” she said.
(02/14/19 10:58am)
Green Mountain College (GMC), a few miles down the road from Middlebury in Poultney, Vt., announced on Jan. 23 that it will be closing at the end of the 2018-2019 academic year.
As an institution, GMC dates back to 1833 and has offered bachelor degree programs since 1975. The college is perhaps best known for its dedication to environmental stewardship. It was named one of the top 20 “green” schools by the Princeton Review and was one of the founding members of the “EcoLeague” consortium for liberal arts colleges, a group of schools dedicated to ecologically-focused education and sustainability. Unfortunately, GMC’s dedication to the environment has not been able to keep the school afloat.
“Despite our noteworthy accomplishments related to social and environmental sustainability, we have not been able to assure the economic sustainability of the college,” said President Bob Allen in a statement on the college’s website.
Seven other institutions across the country, including Vermont schools Sterling College and Marlboro College, as well as Prescott College in Arizona, have expressed support for GMC students and are offering “teach-out” arrangements to help them finish their degrees. Through these programs, students may transfer their completed credits to their new institution without undergoing the traditional transfer process. Participating students will receive their degrees from their new institutions.
Vermont’s Castleton University will not participate in the “teach-out” program, but has organized information sessions for potential transfer applicants from GMC.
“We are hoping to help as many displaced students as we can,” Castleton’s Dean of Advancement Jeff Weld told The Campus. “For the students who wish to remain in our area we offer a great opportunity to continue their academic pursuits while matching tuition and making the transfer process as seamless as possible.”
[pullquote speaker="JEFF WELD " photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]We need to remain nimble in delivering meaningful education at an affordable price.[/pullquote]
Tuition will play an important role in the decisions of many students, and institutions poised to receive Green Mountain students have made arrangements to ensure that financial concerns will be mitigated. Sterling College has announced that it will provide equivalent financial aid packages as those that were provided by Green Mountain. Castleton University has also pledged that tuition would be equivalent to that paid in 2018-19 at Green Mountain so long as it does not fall below Castleton’s in-state tuition rate.
Two other Vermont institutions, Goddard College in Plainfield and the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, are facing similar financial challenges to those of GMC. Last year the New England Commission of Higher Education, which accredits colleges in six New England states, placed both schools on probation.
In his statement on the college’s website, GMC President Allen pointed out that such economic difficulties are not unique to Green Mountain, or to Vermont as a whole. “Financial challenges are impacting liberal arts colleges throughout the country and Green Mountain College is no exception,” his statement continued. “These financial challenges, the product of major changes in demographics and costs, are the driving factors behind our decision to close at the end of this academic year.”
Susan Stitely, the President of the Vermont Association for Independent Colleges (VAIC), wrote an article for VTDigger regarding the troubling trend of college closures. The VAIC is a voluntary association of private colleges and universities supporting higher education in the state.
Stitely attributed closures to a decrease in the number of college-age students. “We know that the number of traditional college-age students is declining and that Vermont is not immune,” Stitely said.
Castleton’s Dean of Advancement Jeff Weld told The Campus that these closures are troubling for the future of higher education and that institutions must remain vigilant.
“It’s very concerning when you see colleges and universities struggling to keep their doors open,” Weld said. “It’s a disruption in the industry and we need to remain nimble in delivering meaningful education at an affordable price.”
Stitely’s article also emphasized vigilance for Vermont’s colleges. “As a major engine in our state’s economy, our private colleges continually strive to restructure and reinvent themselves in a rapidly evolving higher education environment,” Stitely wrote.
These closures may have significant consequences for Vermont and its economy in particular. “Regardless of what 2019 may bring, Vermont’s private colleges remain one of the state’s most vital economic drivers,” Stitely said.
Christina Goodwin, the Dean of Advancement & Alumni Relations at Sterling College, agreed. “Colleges and universities are significant economic drivers in their communities and that higher education is one of the top reasons people move to Vermont,” Goodwin told The Campus.
The closure of GMC will have an especially large economic impact on the small, rural town of Poultney, which has a population of around 3,000 people. “It is likely that a ripple effect will be felt for a long time before there is a ‘new normal,’” Weld told The Campus.
Indeed, the college’s impact on the community is sizable and incredibly meaningful to locals. Rebecca Cook, the director of the Poultney Public Library, reflected on the college’s importance beyond its role as an economic driver.
“Green Mountain’s just always been right in the middle of the town. Physically and financially and figuratively,” Cook told VTDigger.
Although GMC’s closure is sad news for its local community, the state and the industry, Vermont is fortunate that other institutions are present and ready to accommodate displaced students.
“Vermont’s collective of higher education institutions offers Green Mountain College students the option for staying in Vermont to continue their studies, should they so choose,” Goodwin told The Campus.
Middlebury spokesman Bill Burger declined to comment on the Green Mountain closure.
(11/01/18 9:59am)
The current midterm election cycle has seen record numbers of women running for office across the country. There may be few Vermonters more qualified to speak on that topic to Middlebury students than Madeleine Kunin, the first and to this day only female governor of Vermont.
Kunin, who was Vermont’s governor from 1985 to 1991, visited the college last Tuesday to read from her second memoir, “Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties.” Kunin was greeted by a room packed full of students and town residents alike.
Ruth Hardy, the executive director of Emerge Vermont and a Democratic candidate to represent Addison County in the Vermont Senate, introduced Kunin. Kunin founded Emerge Vermont, which trains and provides resources for female-identifying Democrats seeking public office. Holding back tears, Hardy recounted her time working with Kunin, with whom she celebrated success and recovered from failure.
Hardy remembered the joy she and Kunin felt at Hillary Clinton’s success in winning the Democratic nomination for the presidency and their sadness at her loss four months later.
[pullquote speaker="Ruth Hardy" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]A woman in her forties has time to wait for the next big election, while a woman in her eighties may not.[/pullquote]
“As painful as it was for me, I knew the loss was far greater for Madeleine,” said Hardy. “A woman in her forties has time to wait for the next big election, while a woman in her eighties may not.”
The adversity that Kunin faced, however, has not dulled her impact in Vermont and beyond. As she concluded her introduction, Hardy’s message was simple and perfectly conveyed the success of Kunin’s work as a role model and advocate.
“Thank you for all that you have done for me and for women and girls across Vermont,” Hardy said.
Indeed, Kunin’s work to pave the way for women in politics is significant. Kunin was born in Zurich to Jewish parents and moved to the United States to escape the Nazis as a young girl. Hardy told the audience that as a mother, Kunin fretted for the safety of her young children as they crossed railroad tracks each morning to get to school. Her initiative to find a solution to this problem led her to politics. Kunin went on to serve as the first and only female governor of Vermont, and the only woman in the United States to serve three terms as governor. After her governorship, Kunin continued her work in government as the United States Deputy Secretary of Education and Ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein under the Clinton administration.
Kunin also hopes her memoir will tell a story beyond her political career. “You are caricatures almost in public life,” she said. “You are either liberal or conservative, good or bad [...] I think at some level, even though I’m shy about bringing it out to the extent I did, I also want people to know what my life and thoughts were — that I was more than this flatlined public caricature of a woman.”
The perspective is unique because Kunin is able to be more direct, noted Karin Hanta, Director of the Feminist Resource Center at Chellis House.
“She candidly reflects on aging through a gendered lens,” Hanta said. “She no longer feels like her words are ‘filtered through a fine meshed screen’ because her public life no longer depends on public approval.”
[pullquote speaker="Madeleine Kunin" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.[/pullquote]
Kunin also read from her writings in poetry and prose, which described her experience growing old.
“I want to stay in the brilliance, [but] there is also sometimes a desire to retreat,” Kunin said.
This sentiment was also reflected in her remarks on the importance of political engagement today.
“That is the most dangerous thing — that we get so depressed that we shut the doors and turn off the lights, and we can’t afford to do that,” Kunin said.
Hanta emphasized that Kunin served as a role model for people who identify as women asserting themselves in politics rather than fading into the background.
“In today’s political climate, Governor Kunin’s accounts of strength in the face of adversity — she was sometimes ridiculed and rendered invisible in her political life — inspire women to persevere in playing an active political role,” said Hanta. “By addressing a topic that is not often talked about, she inspires women to have courage and speak their truth.”
When asked about specific advice that she had for women in politics, Kunin responded first saying she was glad that someone had asked. She reflected on the fact that in the United States, progress for women in politics has been excruciatingly slow compared to other countries.
[pullquote speaker="Madeleine Kunin" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]That is the most dangerous thing — that we get so depressed that we shut the doors and turn off the lights, and we can’t afford to do that.[/pullquote]
This year, however, she believes that things are changing. She expressed her pleasure with the outpouring of women running for office this year and believes that we actually have President Trump to thank for this.
“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Kunin said, articulating her belief that the most effective and tangible remedy for the problems women face in the world is running for office.
Such experiences of invisibility in politics are all too familiar to Kunin, who recalled her testimony during the confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
“It was all men, the whole Senate Judiciary Committee, and we knew they weren’t listening to us,” Kunin said.
She recounted how powerless it felt to look up at the dais and to know that she had no impact. In spite of the adversity and challenges that Kunin sees women facing today, she remains hopeful.
“Despite the dark times, I would urge you to continue to believe in democracy — the pendulum does swing,” Kunin said.
Perhaps the dark times Kunin referenced reflect Yeats’s prophetic line: “things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” But Kunin concluded with a concise message of hope, elaborating that even in the hardest of circumstances, we must have hope and not give up on democracy.
“The centre will hold, but only if we are vigilant,” she said.
Kunin’s reading was made possible by The Vermont Book Shop and The Feminist Resource Center at Chellis House. College Democrats and Feminist Action at Middlebury also sponsored the event.
Editor’s Note: Ruth Hardy is the spouse of Prof. Jason Mittell, The Campus’ academic advisor. Mittell plays no role in any editorial decisions made by the paper. Any questions may be directed to campus@middlebury.edu.
(10/25/18 9:58am)
The counseling department at the Parton Center for Health and Wellness has formed a support group for students who are survivors of sexual violence.
The group will meet every Thursday beginning on Oct. 25. All of the services provided by this group will be free and confidential.
The support group formed as a result of efforts from both the Student Government Association (SGA) and Parton. Cece Alter ’19, the chair of the SGA Sexual and Relationship Respect Committee, told The Campus that the committee discussed the idea last year. This semester, Parton intern Alexa Szotka reached out to make the support group possible.
“I met with Alexa and we talked about what I thought would be valuable in the support group and ideas the committee has,” Alter said.
Recent protests have emphasized many students’ opinion that the college does not provide adequate support to survivors or punish abusers appropriately. Most recently, signs at the demonstration outside of Proctor on Oct. 4 read: “@midd stop protecting abusers” and “@midd support survivors” in the wake of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Alter said that these demonstrations reveal that the college needs to do more to support survivors.
[pullquote speaker="Dr. Mark Peluso" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]In addition to the medical and psychological support for survivors of sexual violence currently available at Parton, the new support group is another option that may appeal to some students.[/pullquote]
“The school has a ton of resources and using those to support those who need it is really important,” she said.
Dr. Mark Peluso, director of health services at Parton, also commented on the benefit of creating an additional space to facilitate healing for survivors.
“In addition to the medical and psychological support for survivors of sexual violence currently available at Parton, the new support group is another option that may appeal to some students,” Peluso said.
Szotka, who will facilitate the new group, emphasized the importance of offering group-based support.
“Support groups offer a means for students to share their experience, struggles, strength and hope with each other in a supportive and safe environment with counselors present to help facilitate healing,” Szotka said.
Alter also recognized that the existing resources the college offers in this area, such as Middsafe and counseling, are almost exclusively individual in nature.
[pullquote speaker="Cece Alter ’19" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]The experience of being a survivor on this campus can be really hard and lonely sometimes, so bringing people together can be helpful.[/pullquote]
“The experience of being a survivor on this campus can be really hard and lonely sometimes, so bringing people together can be helpful,” she said.
Alter said that nobody can know what is best for all survivors on campus, and that as a result, the group doesn’t need to be sterilized and clinical. She envisions it as a more creative space for healing that can go far beyond sitting in a circle.
“If people are interested in joining but are not sure what it will look like, they should know that it can look like what they need it to,” Alter said.
Depending on the interest in the group this semester, Parton plans on offering additional support groups next semester as well. More information including time and location can be found by calling Middlebury College Counseling at (802)-443-5141.
(09/27/18 9:50am)
The college received an $800,000 grant this summer from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund a faculty training program with a focus on techniques to better engage students with controversial topics. The grant will also help fund a collaboration with the Vermont Humanities Council, including a monthly statewide speaker series.
The program will consist of a six-person faculty workshop each semester over three years, culminating in 36 trained faculty members. Outside consultants will lead these workshops beginning in the spring of 2019. Faculty will be invited to apply to participate in the workshops in mid-October.
The idea of respectful engagement with controversial ideas has been at the forefront of the college’s collective consciousness since the protests of Charles Murray’s visit to campus in 2017.
Political Science Professor Sarah Stroup, the faculty head of the training program and one of the professors who prepared the grant application, said the college has two fundamental questions to answer: what are we going to talk about and how will we engage in those discussions?
“The passionate divisions around these questions were most obviously evident in the spring of 2017, but this challenge goes well beyond any one speaker,” Stroup said.
Stroup believes that the faculty training workshops will contribute to such a sphere by giving faculty the training necessary to facilitate open, respectful and equitable conversations. In moments of controversy in the classroom, for example, these trainings will help professors to better manage the discussions.
“The ability to facilitate those conversations is an acquired skill, but most of us, faculty and students, have avoided the costs associated with developing those tools. The Mellon money alters that equation,” Stroup said.
Stroup emphasized, however, that the program will go beyond faculty.
“The faculty fellows program is faculty-led but student focused. The content of the workshops will be determined based on input from staff, students, and faculty, and I hope to engage resident experts as well as students in the January and August workshops,” she said.
President Laurie L. Patton supports this use of funds to support a focus on participation in difficult discourse.
“Building a robust and inclusive public sphere is one of the defining issues of our time, and is the first part of our new vision statement,” she said.
Stroup also noted that the Vermont Humanities Council series is a great way for the community to get involved. The “First Wednesdays” series hosts monthly talks in nine different cities in Vermont, including Middlebury.
“Anyone can volunteer to help with facilitating the new format or to have their visiting speaker try out a new approach to audience engagement,” she said.
The Mellon Foundation was established in 1969 and is dedicated to supporting institutions of higher education in their pursuit to do forward-thinking work in the humanities and arts.
More information on the grant can be found at go/deliberation. The site also includes a section where people may offer input on the project.
(05/03/18 1:06am)
MIDDLEBURY - Vermont has a rich history of environmental sustainability - its residents pride themselves on their deep connection to the nature in which they live. Nowhere is this commitment to environmental stewardship more apparent than in efforts like “Green Up Day,” which has been a Vermont tradition for nearly 50 years.
Green Up Day, during which Vermonters volunteer to clean up the outdoors by picking up litter from roadsides, is the only statewide event of its kind in the United States. It is held the first Saturday of each May and is Vermont’s largest volunteer event.
In April 1970, former Vermont Governor Deane Davis launched the first statewide Green Up Day to tackle Vermont’s interstates. The state closed interstate highways from 9 am to 12 pm as volunteers cleared trash from the roadsides. Later, the event became a yearly tradition under the guidance of Vermont Green Up Inc., a nonprofit formed in 1979. Since then, Green Up Day has continued to gain participants. While only 1,000 people volunteered in 1979, today Green Up Day attracts 22,000 Vermonters in 239 towns and cities across the state; each year, volunteers clean over 13,000 miles of roadside, collecting 200 to 300 tons of trash.
Vermont Green Up Inc. distributes approximately 55,000 clean-up bags to Vermont communities annually, which may be picked up by citizens at a location determined by the town coordinator for the event. After they are filled with litter, the town coordinator arranges for the bags to be disposed of by the nonprofit. Anybody is welcome to pick up a bag and volunteer on Green Up Day.
The Middlebury community has participated in this event in the past, but there does not seem to be a great awareness of the event on the College campus. Bennett Pienkowski ’20.5, a member of the Sunday Night Environmental Group, which focuses on environmental problems and awareness on campus, noted that Green Up Day is not well known among their members.
“No one was aware of Green Up Day,” Pienkowski said, after speaking about it to other members of the organization.
Other Middlebury students are similarly unfamiliar with Green Up Day. Many first and second years were asked about the event, but none of those interviewed had previously participated in the event, and many had never heard of it.
Despite this lack of awareness, those introduced to the event showed interest in participating. Pienkowski said that Green Up Day is a very interesting idea, and hoped to speak about it during the group’s recent Sunday night meeting.
Brigid Connor ’21, was also very excited by Green Up Day and its potential to do good for the Middlebury community.
“I look forward to seeing the positive effects that the event will have on our community!” Connor said.
Such positive responses to the event are promising considering the future growth of Green Up Day in Vermont and in other states across the country as organizations strive to protect the environment. When asked why he got involved in Green Up Day, Steve Aikenhead, an organizer for 23 years, said simply, “I didn’t want to live in Verdump.”
This year, bags for volunteers from Middlebury will be available at the Town Manager’s Office and Library on May 5 and may be dropped off on the same day at the East Middlebury Fire Station and Department of Public works in designated trucks. Attendants will be available to assist volunteers. More information about participating can be found at the Vermont Green Up Inc. website.
(04/25/18 11:38pm)
Martin Luther King scholar Clayborne Carson addressed MLK’s unanswered question, “Where do we go from here?” in an April 17 talk about his legacy and the future of the civil rights movement. He said that the question remains open, but that we should not become complacent with civil rights victories while the question of human rights remains.
Carson, who is currently a professor of history at Stanford and serves as the founding director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, has devoted much of his life and work to the study of King. He founded the Institute in 2005 to expand the King Papers Project he began in 1985 after being selected by Coretta Scott King to oversee the publishing of her late husband’s speeches, sermons and other papers.
In reflecting on Martin Luther King’s legacy, Carson encouraged the audience to look beyond the victories of that time to the work that remains to be done.
He said that he believes, however, that contemporary issues, such as Black Lives Matter and mass incarceration, cannot be solved within the framework of civil rights.
“The issues of the twenty first century have much more to do with the unfinished business of human rights than civil rights,” Carson said.
He said that he believes that Martin Luther King foresaw this shift in the movement when writing “Where Do We Go From Here.” If he were only interested in civil rights, he would have retired after the passing of the Voting Rights Acts of 1965 but instead he remained committed to activism, Carson said.
Carson spent a significant portion of his lecture addressing the role Coretta Scott King played in defining Martin Luther King’s commitment to human rights. In evaluating a series of personal letters between the two, Carson saw their political views as a sort of glue which held their marriage together.
Despite growing up under vastly different economic and social conditions, Martin Luther King’ and Coretta Scott King’s politics converged. Carson argued that these unconventional political views brought them closer. Additionally, Coretta Scott King’s immersion in left politics of the late 1940s was critical in defining the roots of Martin Luther King’s activism.
“When we look at the kinds of things Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Bayard Rustin were trying to accomplish during those years, it had to do with moving beyond the civil rights movement of that time to a human rights movement which was global in scope,” Carson said.
Coretta Scott King shared this commitment and influenced Martin Luther King in his activism after the Voting Rights Act. The push towards a global human rights agenda was hindered by the downfall of the progressive party and the rise of the anti-communist movement. These events made it impossible for any leader in the United States to support a human rights agenda while working for civil rights, Carson said.
“The issue of African American civil rights was disconnected from the concern for global human rights necessarily,” Carson said of the period.
However, after his victory in 1965, Martin Luther King’s activism became more intense. He had achieved a huge victory, yet he still asked the question “Where do we go from here?” Carson said he believes that Martin Luther King understood that while the successes of civil rights were a great achievement, they did not expand the nature of rights. He was therefore interested in moving again toward a push for human rights, a move that was heavily influenced by Coretta Scott King.
Carson’s talk was this year’s Charles Grant Memorial Lecture, which is organized by the history department.
Correction: an earlier version of this article misstated the name of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.
(04/11/18 3:36pm)
In response to calls for more divestment, treasurer David Provost and representatives from Investure, Middlebury’s endowment manager, justified the college’s continued investment in fossil fuels.
Middlebury’s investments in fossil fuel corporations have been a topic of contention on campus since a divestment campaign began in 2012. Provost held a forum on April 5 for students to better understand the issue and the college’s commitment to sustainable investing.
Several representatives of Investure joined Provost. They immediately stated that the meeting would center on audience questions rather than a scripted presentation. The founder of Investure, Alice Handy, associate and sustainability researcher Grace Bennett, and managing director John Hill attended the forum.
Handy outlined Investure’s goals in their management of the endowment, emphasizing their aim to maximize long-term returns on investments.
One student interjected and argued against the description of the endowment as a resource for future stakeholders in Middlebury, arguing that investments in fossil fuels fail to take into account the impact of climate change on future Middlebury students. The student said that hoping fossil fuel stocks will perform better implies a lack of interest in the future of the environment and the future of students, contradicting their concern for future generations.
Handy responded to the student’s concern by arguing that fossil fuels are still critical to the energy sector in the U.S.
“We have a long way to go in this country,” Handy said. “Your board has said that if these are good investments, you should be making them.”
Provost presented the college’s decision to work with Investure as one attempt to increase sustainable investing.
“Significant steps were made to try to find more sustainable investments,” Provost said. One of these steps was Middlebury’s $50 million investment into a sustainability series managed by Investure, he said.
“We want this fund to be successful,” Handy said. This is in part to show other investors that sustainable investing can generate big returns.”
Provost also noted that in addition to investment, the college should be more conscious of its energy consumption on campus, noting that despite great gains, “we are not where you as students want us to be.”
The meeting concluded on a hopeful note about both sustainability at Middlebury and in the financial market.
Discussing investment in renewable energy, Handy said she was “amazed at how quickly it’s moving.”
This event fell under Middworks, a larger project spearheaded by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Senior Leadership Group (SLG). Middworks aims to organize events that encourage increased understanding between Middlebury’s students, faculty and staff.
(04/05/18 1:42am)
MONTPELIER — Last Friday, Vermont’s Senate voted 17-13 to approve a House version of S.55, giving final legislative approval to the expansive gun control bill. The bill will now be passed onto VT Governor Phil Scott, who has said he intends to sign it. This revised legislation will expand background checks for gun purchases, ban bump stocks, raise the minimum age of purchasing a gun to 21, and limit the size of magazines.
The debate over this bill was most contentious with regard to the provisions on magazine restrictions, which were not included in the version of the bill previously approved by the Senate. “This thing was written on the fly,” said Senator Dick Sears, a strong opponent to the provision.
According to the VTDigger, both Sears and Attorney General TJ Donovan expressed concern that this provision will be difficult to enforce because the ban only applies to the sale of such magazines— those already owned will be exempt. Despite this concern, Attorney General Donovan ended up supporting the bill.
S.55 is only one of three recent bills designed to address gun control in Vermont. Last Friday, the House of Representatives passed S.211, commonly known as the “Extreme Risk” bill, which allows police to confiscate firearms from anyone deemed a risk to the safety of themselves or others by a court. The same day, H.422 also passed a final reading in the Senate. H.422 allows police to confiscate firearms from individuals who have received a citation or arrest for domestic violence charges.
Governor Phil Scott has expressed his support of all three of these bills and says that he intends to sign them into law pending review by his attorneys. The shift in Gov. Scott’s tone on gun control is dramatic, as he ran on a platform opposed to such legislation. Reflecting on his intent to sign these bills into law, Gov. Scott noted the importance of such events as the shooting in Parkland, Florida and the attempted shooting in Fair Haven, Vermont in motivating his decision.
He said of the Fair Haven plot, “After reading the affidavit and coming to the conclusion that we weren’t insulated from this type of horrific incident—that this could happen in Vermont— I made a commitment to keep an open mind, let the legislative process work.” Scott maintains, however, that these measures do not infringe on the Second Amendment rights of citizens.
Vermonters, especially students, also played a large role in the passage of this legislation. Clai Lasher-Sommers, the executive director of GunSense Vermont, an organization dedicated to reducing gun violence, told the VTDigger that it was mainly the students who acted in response to Parkland and Fair Haven and whose “involvement has made the difference.” In February, students rallied at the Vermont Statehouse to demand action on gun control. The agitation of students continued, as on Saturday, March 24, both Middlebury and Montpelier held March for Our Lives rallies.
Despite this support, the measures passed by the legislature are far from unanimously supported. In response to the proposed legislation, hundreds of Vermonters gathered at the statehouse last Saturday to protest restrictions on gun ownership. At the rally, the Executive Director of Recoil Magazine, Rob Curtis, began to distribute gun magazines which could be used in weapons such as the AR-15. This protest echoed contention over the clause in S.55 that bans such magazines. Those who received magazines at the protest may keep them in accordance with the new law, which only restricts new purchases.
(03/22/18 1:39am)
MONTPELIER — On Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing 17 students and wounding 17 more. This act of what Florida governor Rick Scott termed “pure evil” has sparked become a watershed moment, national action for gun control.
On Mar. 14, a month after the massacre, thousands of high school students across the country walked out of their classes to demand action on gun control from Congress. However, the walkout was not limited to high schoolers; many college students joined in support of gun control legislation, including many Middlebury College students and faculty.
Closer to home, a foiled school shooting attempt in Rutland, Vermont also brought gun control to the attention of the Vermont legislature. Just days after the Parkland shooting, Jack Sawyer, a former student of Fair Haven Union High School, plotted to commit a similar shooting there. It was only through a tip to the police from a friend that his intentions were discovered. Sawyer, 18, had purchased a 12 gauge shotgun and had written of his willingness to follow through on the plot in a diary he titled “Journal of an Active Shooter.”
This foiled plot, on top of the Parkland shooting, has brought a great deal of attention to the national conversation about gun control. On the VT Senate floor, Democratic Senator Phil Baruth recently noted that “mass shootings are a viral phenomenon, and Vermont has caught that virus, like every other state in the union.”
In the face of this phenomenon, Vermont’s state house has responded by taking action in the Senate. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, Vermont’s Senate unanimously passed a bill that would permit police to confiscate firearms from any individual whom a court deems an “extreme risk” to either themselves or others. Senate Judiciary chair Dick Sears sponsored the bill and conveyed the impact of recent shootings, telling Seven Days that “Fair Haven jolted us all.”
The widespread support of this bill is another indication of the impact these recent school shootings have had on Vermont; all seven Republican members of Vermont’s Senate voted for this bill. Republican Senator Randy Brock supported the bill along the lines that it was not gun control, but “lunatic-control.” Even Governor Phil Scott’s tone on gun control has been subject to change in the face of these events.
The passage of this “Extreme Risk” bill in the Senate is intimately related to a similar bill passed by the VT House of Representatives a year ago, which would allow police to confiscate firearms from perpetrators of domestic abuse. Sears, who sponsored the “Extreme Risk” bill, was skeptical of the domestic violence bill because of its possible infringement upon due process. His recent bill, therefore, requires a court order before any confiscation can take place.
While the Senate has refused to act on the domestic violence bill since last year, the House added the “Extreme Risk” bill and language from the domestic violence bill to their own H. 675. Lawmakers must now decide on which language to accept or compromise.
While the “Extreme Risk” bill gained a great amount of traction in the Senate, other measures taken in response to the Parkland shooting and Fair Haven plot have not had such united support. On Mar. 1, the Senate narrowly approved an amendment to another bill (S. 55) to include language regarding universal background checks in purchasing firearms. Seven Days reported that the amendment would require the purchaser of a firearm to undergo a federal criminal background check.
This amendment faced some opposition, passing by a vote of 17 to 13. Republican Senator Joe Benning, an opponent of the bill, took the Senate floor to emphasize the ineffectiveness of background checks by reading off a list of school shootings committed by individuals who underwent such checks. Senator John Rodgers also opposed the bill on the grounds that the use of a background check would impose additional costs on those attempting to purchase a firearm.
The day after the Senate’s vote on the universal background check amendment, the Senate passed another measure to S. 55 to increase the age of purchasing guns from 16 to 21. Seven Days reported that the bill was championed by Senate President Tim Ashe with 15 cosponsors. Ashe addressed the Senate, saying that the bill was designed to prevent young people from doing harm to either themselves or others with such dangerous weapons.
This bill passed more comfortably by a vote of 21 to 9; however, it still faced some opposition from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. Senator Benning, who also opposed the amendment to include universal background checks in S. 55, dissented to this measure, likening it to his time protesting the Vietnam War. He recalled that the protests occurred because one could be drafted into the military at 18 but could not vote until 21. It would be similarly outrageous, he said, that one could be drafted into the military while not being able to purchase a firearm. Senator John Rodgers offered a similar critique, saying that by drafting individuals at 18, the government recognizes their maturity.
Gov. Scott has also changed his tone in response to recent events. Seven Days reported that Gov. Scott campaigned on an anti-gun control platform, but has now called for reform. At a press conference on Mar. 1, Gov. Scott said, “I think Vermonters are looking for us to do something.” Taking action, he said, “sends a message that we care, we can put politics aside and do what’s right.” Seven Days reported that Gov. Scott said he would probably support both universal background checks and raising the legal age to purchase firearms to 21.
(03/08/18 4:16pm)
Three professors from Harvard and New York universities held a discussion on Feb. 21 addressing the importance of debate on college campuses. The talk, called “Building a Robust Public Sphere,” is part of the “Critical Conversations” series, which was created in 2017 to discuss issues relating to freedom of speech and inclusivity.
President Laurie L. Patton, who delivered the opening address, noted that in this era of fake news and changing concepts of identity, she hoped this conversation would help create a new ethical ideal of citizenship.
Professor Jill Lepore of Harvard University noted that this conversation has been going on for hundreds of years and is essential to society.
The conversation then moved to a discussion of liberal arts education. Lepore said that liberal arts education is about confronting ideas and beliefs different than our own and that colleges have historically been places to learn to debate.
Professor Jonathan Haidt of New York University raised the question of when authority can stop people from speaking.”
In response to Haidt’s query, Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah indicated that the First Amendment is irrelevant in the classroom. Since the classroom is structured to advance understanding of the topic of study, speech that does not contribute to this goal is therefore not allowed.
The question then arose of who decides what contributes to this goal. Appiah’s response was simple.
“I’m in charge, it’s my classroom,” he said.
Haidt then explained what makes universities so unique: They allow for the expression of differing perspectives.
“If you put a bunch of people together that are all on the same team and you ask them to find the truth around something that matters to them, they cannot do it.” This, Haidt explained, is due to confirmation bias, where groups only search for information which supports their beliefs.
Universities provide an environment for these biases to break down through the sharing of contrasting beliefs. Haidt called this “institutional disconfirmation.”
“If that breaks down, then that whole field of scholarship has broken down and is not reliable and cannot be trusted,” Haidt said.
According to Haidt, one threat to institutional disconfirmation is when individuals outside of the dominant political makeup of an institution are uncomfortable speaking up in class.
“The best way to test ideas is to face them up to serious arguments against them,” Appiah said. However, Appiah acknowledged how difficult this is for students. He said that the easiest way to test ideas is “to find someone who actually thinks [the counterarguments] are the right arguments.”
Appiah stated that his place as a professor is to ensure that discussions function properly. Haidt agreed, saying that if the professor allows students to control the classroom, discussion could quickly devolve into a declaration of war on those whose opinions do not align with those of the majority. This, Haidt warned, would mean the end of the university.
(02/15/18 1:47am)
MIDDLEBURY — Students may now dry their eyes because although chili fest will be missed, it is being replaced by a new event called WinterFest. WinterFest will be held on Feb. 24 at the Middlebury Recreation Park (located near the Mary Hogan School). WinterFest is set to be packed with events and activities from 12 pm to 6 pm ranging from building snowmen, face painting, ice gem digging, and tug of war. The event will also feature a mini sledding hill, snow sculptures, a bonfire, fat bike demos, and many wintery treats.
Admission is $5 a person (5 year olds and under are free), and the proceeds will go towards fundraising for the Better Middlebury Partnership. The Better Middlebury Partnership is a civic organization dedicated to bettering Middlebury through events throughout the year that center on community building. Many of these events are free. Event Director Karen Duguay said that the goal of WinterFest is to bring together the Middlebury community to enjoy the town during the colder months.
Ms. Duguay hopes that WinterFest will have a positive effect on Middlebury by giving residents and students “another reason to love where you live and feel connected to your community.” She also noted the benefit of including local organizations and businesses in WinterFest, and hopes that it will strengthen the connection between businesses and their customers in addition to the businesses themselves. The funds generated from WinterFest will also have a positive long term impact on future Better Middlebury Partnership events. Ms. Duguay hinted at a free outdoor movie series, a free outdoor concert series, promotions for dining and shopping locally, Halloween events and Christmas events among those being considered. Each of these events will continue to help build Middlebury’s community.
The Chili Festival was a beloved tradition, and many students are disappointed that it will not return. Sandra Luo ’18 recalled that the event was a highlight of their time at Middebury. “We all enjoyed the different kinds of chilis that people made. My favorite part about the event was that my friends and I kept track of how many cups of chili we had in order to compare who ate the most when we were all done,” she said.
Anthony Salas ’20 recounted that he did not even attend Chili Fest. “I’m not that crazy about chili and I don’t think standing in the freezing cold for hours would be worth it,” he said. With more various activities and events, WinterFest may have a broader appeal to Middlebury students.
This is the inaugural year for Middlebury’s WinterFest, and event planners hope that over the coming years it will grow from a single afternoon affair into a multi-day event offering even more diverse activities.
The activities by day spill into a pub crawl that lasts into the evening. Local businesses like The Marquis and American Flatbread will offer a variety of snacks and drinks meant to warm the event goers after a day of outdoor activities.
As WinterFest begins to develop, Ms. Duguay hopes that Middlebury students will participate in not only this event, but also those in the future. Middlebury College students are a substantial part of the community and WinterFest is a great opportunity for student engagement. She also expressed interest in hearing students ideas for the future of WinterFest, and is flexible to the desires and aspirations of the college community. The Better Middlebury Partnership has planning spots available for WinterFest and Ms. Duguay extended an invitation to Middlebury students to fill them in the future. Volunteer positions are available this year to students, and the sign up can be found online at (http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4cadad28a4fc1-middlebury).
With exciting events, good music, and fun activities, Winter Fest is a great opportunity to appreciate winter together as a community. Attendees can look forward to snow painting, lawn games, and relay races to be followed by free hot cocoa, cookies, and s’mores. More information and the official flyer for WinterFest can be found on the Better Middlebury Partnership website.
(01/25/18 12:13am)
MONTPELIER-- After the revelations of sexual misconduct by such public figures as Al Franken, Harvey Weinstein, and Matt Lauer, the #metoo movement continues to carry momentum, prompting action to prevent sexual harassment. On Dec. 22, Vt. Gov. Phil Scott, updated his office’s ethics policy to require executive branch employees to complete sexual harassment prevention training by the end of 2018.
Previously, training was optional and only accessible online. The new mandate requires in-class training. The Vermont Digger published that since 2014, Vermont has investigated 52 cases of sexual harassment reported by state employees.
“What we’ve seen and heard about the prevalence of harassment and assault from many across the country is disappointing, and it is clear we must all take a strong stand against this abuse,” Scott said in a statement last month.
Beth Fastiggi, the Vermont Department of Human Resources Commissioner, is optimistic that this change in policy will have its desired effect. “The updated Executive Code of Ethics and the mandate to provide sexual harassment training will go a long way towards creating a workplace culture of respect, dignity and professionalism,” she said.
Although Commissioner Fastiggi recognizes that training on the issue may lead to an uptick in complaints, she commented that this was acceptable “if it signals that employees are better educated on the subject matter and that leadership will not tolerate inappropriate behavior at work.”
The Governor’s directive parallels a surge of local responses to sexual assault by elected officials across the country. A similar order was made by Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser who, only a few days prior to Scott, mandated that 30,000 city employees undergo online sexual harassment prevention training. Although this order covers more government employees than Scott’s initiative, Vermont’s in-class approach may prove to be more influential than online sessions.
Deborah Katz is quoted in a recent Washington Post article on the matter citing research that online prevention training is ineffective because it may make “harassers more inclined to harass” in the sense that it provides a “how- to” guide on harassment. Fastiggi says that Vermont has taken the in-classroom route as opposed to approaches like Bowser’s “because the in-classroom experience lends itself to rich discussion and the ability for participants to ask questions of presenters.”
The Governor’s order is not the only action that Vermont’s government is taking to implement sexual harassment training. Vermont Business Magazine reported that on Jan. 9, Vermont’s House of Representatives received sexual harassment training. The Speaker of the House also made clear their intent to make Vermont’s sexual harassment policies the “gold standard” by ensuring their continual improvement.
The Vermont Senate also received a briefing on its sexual harassment policy. Although noted by many officials as an important discussion, Seven Days reported that the issue of sexual harassment has ignited some tension in the Senate. Senator Dick Sears told Seven Days that the confidentiality with which cases are treated is an apt measure to protect victims, but it is unfair to the senators because any one of them could appear culpable.
Despite the problems that Vermont and other states will face going forward in combating sexual harassment within government, officials have recognized the success of the #metoo movement in igniting this policy change.
Vermont Senator Mollie Burke (D), the chair of the sexual harassment panel in Vt.’s House of Representatives, told WCAX3 that the #metoo movement has been important in empowering victims of sexual harassment, and that policy should facilitate their ability to come forward. She added that she is hopeful that the House of Representatives will be able to take such action.
Commissioner Fastiggi also recognized the impact of the #metoo movement. “The movement and surrounding discussions caused us to review our policies and refresh our training so that it was most effective,” she said.
With such high-profile allegations as those leveled against the aforementioned U.S. Senator Al Franken, and the 52 cases of harassment reported by Vermont state employees, it is timely for state governments to take measures aimed at addressing this issue. When briefing the House of Representatives, legislative council Katie McLinn emphasized that sexual harassment “is a form of sex discrimination.” Taking steps to prevent sexual harassment may help to restore faith that those at the highest levels of government do not participate in discrimination and as such it will not be reflected in their legislation or governance.
Fastiggi concluded that there will be more done in the future and that a “culture of respect starts at the top.” She indicated that because uncivil behavior can lead to harassment, the state training center will make Civility in the Workplace training, which “focuses on work- place etiquette, diversity awareness and cultural sensitivity,” available to all state employees within the next year.
Fastiggi is con dent that “the combination of sexual harassment awareness and prevention training and workplace civility training will have a significant and positive impact on workplace culture in Vermont state government.” However, It is unclear what future action state governments plan to take in addressing sexual harassment not related to government employees. The governor’s office did not respond for comment.