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(10/03/19 10:02am)
If you need a CD player, you can check one out at the Circulation Desk in the Davis Family Library.
Solange Knowles’ “A Seat At the Table” is one of the Blackest albums I’ve ever heard in my life. What do I mean by that? Solange consciously infuses her album with ideas of legacy, empowerment and the often invisible burden and impact of discrimination felt by Black peoples. She does all of this in one album, taking a portrait of Black people’s lived experiences and translating them into music.
Solange is popularly known as Beyoncé’s passionate younger sister. She made quite a shocking scene in 2017 when she attacked her rapper mogul brother-in-law Jay-Z in an elevator. She publicly addresses conversations that center trauma against the black body. And, reportedly, shirking traditional gender norms, she was the one to initiate a courtship with her husband, video music producer Alan Ferguson. All this is to say that she is fearless. Also, as the sister who often lives in the shadow of her powerhouse sibling, she likely has more leeway to voice everyday injustices in an explicit and unapologetic manner. She uses her musical platform as an opportunity to host a collective therapy session and, as “we” say, “I’m here for it.”
“A Seat At the Table” had to grow on me. Listeners learn that they can’t go to Solange’s oeuvre looking for Beyoncé’s repertoire. Their styles are completely different. While Beyoncé has some “shake-your-booty” hits and some ballads, Solange is giving us slow, melodic, minimalist and most importantly contemplative songs. A theme that you sense on this album is that the message of the music supersedes the sound. Music is the medium, but sharing the message is the point. Solange’s voice is subtle — never strained, no wild riffs, no feats performed to demonstrate range. She’s gentle and potent all at once. A unique feature on the album is the use of interwoven interludes featuring personal narratives from No Limit Records rap mogul Master P and her parents, Tina and Matthew Knowles. Master P, for example, talks about entrepreneurship, the efforts he made to own his own label and how pursuing his dream allowed him to liberate other members of his family from unfavorable socioeconomic conditions. Where have you seen this before? It’s as though Solange wrote a letter to America and said, “Hey, listen: my seat of privilege does not divorce me from the sufferings of my people and I will use my platform to advance our causes.” It is bold. It is beautiful. It is appreciated.
For a similar sound, search YouTube for Lianne La Havas for gentle, feminine vocals and acoustic accompaniment or Ella Mai for a familiar R&B sound, a more sophisticated production value and lyrics with an edge. For throwbacks of similar sounds, see Tamia or Myá.
(09/26/19 10:06am)
VOLLEYBALL
By: HEATHER BOEHM
Women’s volleyball came up big this weekend, cruising past two NESCAC rivals. The Panthers tallied a 3–0 victory over Colby on Friday, Sept. 20 and closed out a 3–2 win over Bates College on Saturday, Sept. 21. They boast a 2-0 NESCAC record after the wins, and a 7-2 overall record.
If the Panthers were going to make the long trek to Maine, they were going to show up on court. Despite a rocky last weekend, the women were ready to take on their first NESCAC battle. Although Middlebury took the first three sets, each one was a fight to the very end.
Corley Doyle ’22 and Maggie Wise ’22 lead the squad to their sweep, putting up eight kills each. Gigi Alper ’20 protected her side of the net with 23 digs.
Middlebury’s matchup against Bates was a much tougher five sets. The Panthers bested the Bobcats in the first set before Bates stole the next two. The Panthers were able to respond by picking up the next two sets.
Wise proved to be a crucial part of Saturday’s win with 19 kills, while Alper dove around the court to a season high, recording 40 digs.
Beth Neal ’20 commented on the team’s excitement after a decisive weekend.
“Coaches and players were thrilled with the results of this weekend,” Neal said. “Our focus up until this point was to get ready for NESCAC play. The fact that we were able to come off of a seven-hour bus ride Friday night and leave with two conference wins is definitely a positive sign of what’s to come for the rest of the season.”
The women now look to next weekend’s challenge: Amherst. Middlebury will have some nice views on the road to the home of the Mammoths on Friday, Sept. 27.
Neal spoke about the team’s focus for this week’s practice.
“We have always matched up really well with Amherst,” Neal said. “With that in mind, we are definitely going to work on limiting our unforced errors in the coming week. Having no midweek game, we are set up perfectly. We have ample time to focus on the quality of our reps, rather than the quantity. Once we are able to make these minor adjustments and hone in on the potential for our deeply skilled team, we will be unstoppable in the conference.”
MEN'S SOCCER
By ERIK ARVIDSSON
After coming up without any goals in their past two contests, the luck of the men’s soccer team was due for a change.
Their busy last week began on Sept. 17 with a 1–0 win over Mount St. Mary of New York. Then, on Saturday, Sept. 21, the Panthers earned their first NESCAC win over Hamilton. Ben Potter ’20 scored in the 59th minute, and the Panthers held on for 30 more minutes to earn the win.
“I especially have been impressed by Ben Potter, or ‘Pawtah’ as he is called in the locker room,” former player Kye Moffat ’19 said. “He has been scratching together goals, not turning his back on any scoring chance.”
On Sunday, Sept. 22, the Panthers hosted Vermont rival Castleton University. The boys brought it to their opponents, winning with a final score of 7–1. Jake Labranche ’21 scored two goals.
“I saw the opportunity to score, and I told myself, ‘Come on Jake, you can do this,’ and then I did it, and then everyone gave me high-fives!” Labranche said.
Next up, the Panthers play Connecticut College at home on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Amherst on the road on Sunday, Sept. 29.
WOMEN’S GOLF
By MICHAEL SEGEL
This past weekend, eight players from the women’s golf team competed in the Mount Holyoke College Invitational. The Panthers earned an impressive second place finish out of the 16 participating teams, which included NESCAC rivals such as Bates and Bowdoin and some out of conference teams such as NYU and Vassar.
Williams won the two day event, finishing under 600 strokes with 599, leaving Middlebury and NYU in a second place tie with 622 apiece. Leading Middlebury to this near–top finish were Chloe Levins ’20 and Katie Murphy ’23. Levins tied for fourth out of a staggering 86 participants (73 on Saturday, 78 on Sunday) while Murphy put up a strong performance herself, rounding out the weekend with a four way tie for ninth overall (79-76). Kayla Li ’23, Anna Zumwinkle ’20 and Elizabeth Kenter ’23 all placed within the top 27, making it a strong weekend all around for the squad.
On another promising note, five of the eight Middlebury contestants tallied a lower score on Sunday compared to Saturday. The Panthers are back in action next weekend where they will host the Phinney Golf Classic, their last tournament before the NESCAC Qualifier.
MEN'S GOLF
By JACK KAGAN
The Middlebury men’s golf team is coming off a 16th place finish out of 25 teams after this past weekend’s Williams Fall Invitational. The tournament featured fierce rivals such as Williams, Trinity and Hamilton, all of whom finished in the top 10. Teams from 13th–16th place were separated by only a couple of strokes, with Middlebury finishing three strokes behind 13th place St. Lawrence University.
A bright spot of the weekend was standout captain Jeffrey Giguere ’20, who tied for ninth in the tournament overall. His performance is even more impressive considering he finished the first round tied for 14th. The next highest Panther finisher was Sean McGarrity ’23 who tied for 51st.
After a promising third-place finish last weekend at the Duke Nelson Invitational, Middlebury will need to avoid another middle-of-the-pack performance. Doing so could have significant implications for the conference standings, as they head to Wayland, Mass. for the NESCAC Championship Qualifier on Saturday, Sept. 28–29.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
By JENNY LANGERMAN
Women’s soccer struggled at Hamilton this past weekend, finishing with a 1–1 tie on Saturday, Sept. 21.
After some missed scoring opportunities by Middlebury, Hamilton got on the board first with a rebound shot midway through the first half. The Panthers then responded with a goal by Simone Ameer ’21. Ameer currently leads the team in scoring.
Nonetheless, Hamilton’s seasoned goalkeeper continually frustrated the Panthers’ attacks. Gretchen McGrath ’21, Eliza Van Voorhis ’21 and Ameer had strong chances to score, but all their shots were skillfully knocked down. Panther goalkeeper Ursula Alwang ’20 also held down Hamilton, with multiple saves throughout.
The Panthers hope to remain relevant in the rankings when they play against Connecticut College and New England College on Sept. 28 and 29.
CROSS COUNTRY
By JORDAN HOWELL
The Aldrich Invitational, hosted by Middlebury, gave the men’s and women’s cross country teams an opportunity to showcase their fighting spirit before friends, family and other members of the Middlebury community. The Invitational took place on Sept. 21.
The men’s squad achieved third place. Top finishers included Zander Kessler ’22 and Connor Montgomery ’20. Kessler took fifth place amongst all runners with a time of 26:52.4. Montgomery, meanwhile, finished in 13th place with a time of 27:25.8.
The women’s squad attained first place. Talia Ruxin ’20 got a time of 2:43.5, allowing her to capture second place. Chloe Smith ’21 came in right after Ruxin with a time of 23:50.6.
“I was pretty happy with it!” Smith said, when asked about her performance. “I’m excited to continue to build on my base this season and to race in spikes next week.”
The season continues as the men and women will compete in the Purple Valley Classic at Williams on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“Going into Purple Valley, we are excited to put together a full roster and spike up for the first time this season, because despite having three meets, we haven’t really competed at our full capacity yet,” Kessler said.
FOOTBALL
By LAUREN BOYD
Football shut out the Bates Bobcats 28-0 this past Saturday, Sept. 21, in its first away match of the season. The team will look to improve its record to 3-0 this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 28 against Trinity at home.
Middlebury dominated the offensive and defensive games, scoring 28 unanswered points. Led by quarterback Will Jernigan ’21, the Panthers tallied 292 passing yards compared to the Bobcats’ 94. Alex Maldjian ’23 led the rushing game with 141 yards, which was more than all the rushing yards produced by Bates. In total, Middlebury rushed for 176 yards.
Defensively, a plethora of Panthers contributed to keeping the Bobcats away from the end zone. Jack Pistorius ’21, Pete Huggins ’21, Zander Bailey ’21 and Nate Stewart ’21 each recorded four tackles, while Bailey and Huggins each earned a sack.
The first two scores of the game came from the Panthers’ pass game; on the first drive, Jernigan connected with Maxwell Rye ’20, followed by a second touchdown pass to Aidan Power ’20. After Maldjian rushed for a 4–yard touchdown, the Panthers were up 21–0 going into the half.
Both teams went scoreless in the second half, until Maldjian scored a 49–yard touchdown. With four completed PATs from Carter Massengill ’20, the Panthers finished the game with a 28–0 win, improving their record to 2–0.
For their next game, the Panthers will play the Trinity Bantams at home, hoping to avenge last year’s loss.
(09/26/19 10:02am)
The first time I read this work, at 14 or 15, I had an extremely limited understanding of colonialism. But I returned to it, twice, years later, having met a variety of African people and having visited the continent twice. If you did not cross paths with “Things Fall Apart” in high school, the work, Chinua Achebe’s magnum opus, tells the fictional tale of a West African people/village/tribe/group/region, Umuofia, and its first encounters with European colonizers. No, that’s not quite right, is it? It tells of Umuofia’s traditions, language, society, hierarchies, fashion, celebrations, structure, folk tales, myths, religious and spiritual beliefs, law, diplomacy and habits of war. And then, and only then, does it tell of its first encounters with white, religious European colonizers. That’s really quite better put, as one of the unspoken theses of the work is that African peoples had a “before.” A past. An identity. A cosmos and universe before contact with Europeans. Africans’ stories did not begin when Europeans arrived to the lands inhabited by black peoples. Isn’t that an extraordinary thought? One not enough of us in the United States or around the world sit and grapple with nearly enough.
Why do I love this book? Its creation feels like an act of love and a gift to all people who have been disenfranchised by the imperialist ventures of the last few centuries. It addresses the idea of “erasures” on a global scale. It wrestles with the idea of gender roles and suggests that their suffocating strictures are hardly new. The plot of “Things” is not what I would call “speedy” or “dynamic.” However, while Achebe’s artistry and plot are leisurely, the author is nothing if not deliberate. Every word is intentional and reflects his skillful craftsmanship. I’d recommend this work to anyone enrolling in a postcolonial literature class, anyone studying abroad in West Africa or South Asia and anyone wanting to study historical periods that highlight contact, encounters and clashes between cultures. For more works that treat contact between Africa and Europe, I highly recommend the film “Paradise: Love,” directed by Ulrich Seidl, which covers sex tourism in Kenya.
(09/19/19 10:04am)
Brilliant. Having the opportunity to listen to it read by the author on the very first days of 2019’s Black History Month was a special and meaningful treat. Published to mass acclaim, author Ta-Nehisi Coates — and Middlebury College French Language Schools alum — writes a letter to his son, Samori, that is a testimony and a word of caution to a young black boy growing up in a society — ours — which is regularly hostile to Blacks. Coates spends time detailing how the culture surrounding his youth in Baltimore forced him to adopt an ill-fitting code of conduct that engaged violence and mandated that he navigate his city blocks with a hypervigilance that would protect his body. He also describes his time at Howard University, calling it a “Mecca,” as it welcomed, oriented, fed and sustained college students from every corner of the worldwide black diaspora. This “epistle,” in many ways, is a memoir that traces multiple ways that the black male body can encounter violence in a society whose tradition and heritage is designed to destroy it.
Coates’ work is intelligent, deft and of value to every American of any shade because it underscores how we can live under one flag and have markedly different experiences. The gold of “Between the World and Me” for me, however, is the discussion it engages regarding education — something that takes place in and outside of the classroom. When Coates was growing up in Baltimore, one of his main concerns was getting to and from school safely, as one misstep could lead him into dire straits. Once he made it to class, he studied a curriculum that included French and its verb conjugations. His quandary centered on the sharp and contrasting disjuncture between the social and environmental education — between his need to make it home alive and the formal, bookish education he needed to earn the good grades necessary for upward socioeconomic mobility. What served him in one world, perhaps bravado, aggression and street smarts, would likely punish him in another, say, the world of white collars that may favor approachability, cooperation and studiousness. But as a black boy/man wanting to escape danger — be that danger the violence of the streets or the school to prison pipeline — he was required to master both worlds.
In this work, Coates poignantly asks what aim mass education serves: to allow space, opportunity and structure for agile minds to explore what is curious, or to prepare a broad body of meek, obedient automatons towards lives of compliance — a worthy chunk of fat to chew for any student. Coates also makes a distinction between the rigidity of a curriculum and the free, unlimited knowledge available in libraries, spaces where students can direct their own learning. You have at least three ways to engage with “Between the World and Me” in our collection: print, ebook or audiobook on go/overdrive/. Feel free to ask any librarian at the Research Desk about accessing the audiobook collection. For another work that poses the important questions of “What is an education?” and “Who sets the curriculum?,” see Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, available in print and as an audiobook.
(05/09/19 9:49am)
(05/02/19 12:12pm)
Pia Contreras
(05/02/19 12:11pm)
Pia Contreras
(05/02/19 10:00am)
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(05/02/19 9:58am)
May is mental health awareness month, so I’ve selected a CD in our collection called “Mental Illness” by my favorite artist, Aimee Mann. If you like beautiful melodies with acoustic guitar, keyboard and strings, check out this collection, which won the Grammy for best folk album in 2017.
Why would she call it “mental illness?” Mann has been public about her own lifelong struggle with depression, something rather common amongst artists, musicians, actors and people from all walks of life and occupations. In “The Making of Mental Illness” interview (available on YouTube), Mann gives us a hint about what the songs are about — some of her own experiences as well as people she has known who live with and manage bipolar disorder and other mental health disorders. She says her song “Goose Snow Cone” was written while she was “on tour in Ireland, and it was snowing and cold and depressing outside” (much like Vermont in winter) … and she was feeling “lonely and homesick.”
In writing her music, she says she wants to understand people’s complicated feelings and, in turn, have people understand hers. Besides covering the theme of mental illness in just her music, she has discussed her struggles with depression, anxiety and writer’s block as a guest on the podcast “The Hilarious World of Depression,” which includes interviews with other famous and not-so-famous people who have suffered from depression.
Back to the album, Aimee Mann is a musician known particularly for her skill at songwriting. My favorite song on “Mental Illness” is “Lies of Summer” with its beautiful melodies and the steady drive of perfectly timed percussion. Many of its lines directly reflect struggling with mental illness: “Now you’re waiting for the meds to take, but it / Takes a miracle to heal this break...” Another great song is “Patient Zero.” It has lines to which I think we can all relate, such as “Life is grand, and wouldn’t you like to have it / go as planned.”
Her song “Simple Fix” resonates with its lines reflecting paralyzing doubt, uncertainty and hopes for a “simple fix”: “So here we go again / But let’s call a spade a spade, I’m going nowhere / I’m stuck in this hole afraid to make a move / So once more around the track, another lap / And I think I can get it back, to where we prove: There’s a simple fix / For the wrong mix…”
“Stuck in the Past” also has a familiar theme whether it be missed opportunities or circumstances gone awry. And the lyrics and piano on the song “Poor Judge” are particularly well done: “You might have had some other reason / To leave me in that dark ravine / My heart is a poor judge / And it harbors an old grudge…”. Also performing on her Mental Illness album (and co-writer of a few songs) is Jonathan Coulton. You can also check out his new album “Solid State” in the library (and yes, I’m a big fan of him too).
So if any of this appeals to you, give it a listen. And if you want to take a break from the stress and listen to more great music, use the subject search option in MIDCAT (the library catalog) and type in some of these subjects: folk-rock music; rock music — [date range]; or popular music — [date range]. Happy listening and good luck with those final papers and exams!
Brenda Ellis is a Research & Instruction Librarian in the Davis Family Library.
(04/25/19 9:59am)
Editor’s Note: The below statement represents the views of more than 50 student organizers. The Campus granted them anonymity due to the security concerns cited by the administration in their decision to cancel yesterday’s lecture by Ryszard Legutko.
To preface this release we would like to reiterate the first paragraph of our April 17th, 2019 Statement of Protest Intention:
Our intention for the protest was to create an affirming, nonviolent space for marginalized people (particularly those impacted by Ryszard Legutko’s hateful rhetoric) to celebrate themselves and each other. Middlebury’s elevation of Legutko to a legitimate academic platform echoes the events concerning Charles Murray in 2017, and once again represents an attack on Middlebury students of marginalized identities and their sense of both safety and value. We had no intention of preventing Legutko from speaking, nor preventing our peers from attending. Rather, we wanted to provide information to contextualize his talk and detail Legutko’s history of hateful speech against LGBTQ+, Muslim, and Jewish folks, as well as women and POCs. We planned to create a non-disruptive, respectful counter-space to create a place of healing and inclusivity in the face of prejudice.
[pullquote speaker="" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]We had no intention of preventing Legutko from speaking, nor preventing our peers from attending.[/pullquote]
In the past 24 hours we have received several emails from the college concerning the talk by Ryszard Legutko. We are appalled by the college’s representation of the events and, specifically, their portrayal of our role in the talk’s cancellation. We have decided to release this statement in an attempt to clarify the situation, legitimize our perspective, and uphold how these events have affected us as a group and as individuals.
Organizers worked throughout the week to develop a protest that would comply with the college’s policies in order to ensure that the administration and the public would not find fault with student activists. Student activists were transparent with the administration throughout the entire planning process. We complied with Public Safety regulations and took every precaution to ensure the safety of protesters and those attending the talk, all while working directly with administrators. We dedicated ourselves to a nonviolent and non-disruptive protest, and fully planned on honoring that dedication throughout the protest itself.
Student organizers were notified that the event had been canceled by the same email that was sent to the Middlebury College community at 1:23 pm on Wednesday, April 17. The notification caught us by surprise and its failure to explain who or what constituted “a security threat” unsettled us. As we were collectively committed to non-disruptive, nonviolent action, the undefined security threat could only have been a threat against us, against our bodies. We spent the day afraid for our safety.
After receiving notification that the event had been canceled, we immediately suspended our gathering. Preventing Legutko from speaking was never our intention, and we did not want to celebrate its cancelation. Given the unspecified safety concerns, we also feared for our safety in hosting a highly visibly event at another location. We are unhappy with the lack of transparency on the part of the administration in its decision to cancel the event. We believe that our planned response to Legutko was to be an act of critical engagement and free speech—an act which we were denied.
Student organizers only discovered that Legutko had been invited to speak to Professor Matthew Dickinson’s class through the Facebook Live Stream recorded by The Campus. Organizers immediately went to the administration for information and answers, only to find that Administration was not aware of the fact either. Conscious decisions were made to not protest the live stream or interrupt the talk.
Numerous requests that the administration specify publicly that protesters’ actions did not constitute the “security threat” were ignored. All administrative statements maintained an ambiguous (and highly misleading) articulation of the protesters’ role in the event’s cancellation.
We hope that this statement will serve to clarify our original plan and intentions, which media and administrative representations have mystified. We also hope that this will highlight the ways in which national media and the College are attempting to capitalize on a false narrative. We stand with all students whose identities and experiences have been fundamentally invalidated, and we condemn the irresponsible misrepresentations of both our actions and intentions.
(04/25/19 9:57am)
In a collection including over two dozen actors’, writers’ and activists’ stories of being “hyphenated Americans,” former television star of the U.S. adaptation of Ugly Betty America Ferrera presents “American Like Me.” Every author included scribes a short, autobiographical retelling of the ways their rich, negotiated and transnational identities shaped the path of success they are on now.
Many of the writers lament their inability as children to value the differences that made them stand out whether they pertained to their families’ linguistic, religious, culinary, fashion or other differences from the North American mainstream and hegemonic culture. For several, it was not until their adulthood that they realized how the tenacity they witnessed in their parents, the frugality of economically difficult times and the extraordinary work ethic instilled in them launched them forward and sometimes ahead of peers who experienced fewer obstacles.
I didn’t read this work cover-to-cover. I spent my time prioritizing the vignettes written by people whose names I recognized:
- Michelle Kwan, a former U.S. Olympic figure skater with parents from Hong Kong and Guangzhou,
- Issa Rae, a Senegalese-American television writer and actor,
- Roxane Gay, a Haitian-American writer and
- Uzo Aduba, a Nigerian-American actor.
I read a few by people who were less familiar to me: Geena Rocero, a Filipina beauty queen, Bambadjan Bamba, an actor from the Ivory Coast, and Jenny Zhang, a Chinese-American writer. Collectively, their stories tell of an ongoing struggle to reconcile the ways they inhabit multiple cultures at once and sometimes how the dualities conflict. Issa Rae, author of “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” wonders if she’s practicing Ramadan, an annual and Islamic period of fasting, for the right reasons. Along with her family, Jenny Zhang, author of “Sour Heart,” struggles in weighing how unlimited, cheap food in a U.S. restaurant chain may be fattening her wallet but doing a disservice to their health. And, initially, Uzo Aduba of “Orange Is the New Black” laments the gap between her two front teeth that in her mother’s culture is a sign of honor.
I like the work and I’m glad it exists, particularly at this moment when, at the time of this writing, we as a nation are re-examining what birthright citizenship means. I’d recommend this work to any student whose parents come from another country. I’d recommend it to international students who are considering remaining in the United States beyond their time at Middlebury. And I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the stars who share about their lives within.
As a person in the Middlebury community who has a parent who is an immigrant, I realize many of the ways that the prioritized narratives, stati, origins and accepted ways of being in this country are infrequently my own. This is an encouragement to anyone who finds him/her/themselves among these marginalized groups.
Is there any way that the book fails? Well, I wouldn’t say “fail,” per se. What I would say is that it does not lend to reading it from cover to cover. This anthology is made for savoring it in morsels. Also, as a 309-page hardback, it’s not quite the type of work you see someone reading for leisure on a train. For me, I also think it might not make it to the “coffee table” genre because the narratives are text-heavy and just a little too long for casual paging. I think readers are likely to pull this book off of a shelf looking for a specific someone’s narrative than reading it from beginning to end. For more works like this one, see Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street,” Eddie Huang’s “Fresh Off the Boat” on go/overdrive/ or Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies.”
Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer is liaison to the Anderson Freeman Center, the Arabic Department, the Comparative Literature Program, the Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies (GSFS) Program, the Language Schools, the Linguistics Program and the Department of Luso-Hispanic Studies.
(04/19/19 2:24am)
Editor's Note: The below statement represents the views of more than 50 student organizers. The Campus granted them anonymity due to the security concerns cited by the administration in their decision to cancel yesterday's lecture by Ryszard Legutko.
To preface this release we would like to reiterate the first paragraph of our April 17th, 2019 Statement of Protest Intention:
Our intention for the protest was to create an affirming, nonviolent space for marginalized people (particularly those impacted by Ryszard Legutko’s hateful rhetoric) to celebrate themselves and each other. Middlebury’s elevation of Legutko to a legitimate academic platform echoes the events concerning Charles Murray in 2017, and once again represents an attack on Middlebury students of marginalized identities and their sense of both safety and value. We had no intention of preventing Legutko from speaking, nor preventing our peers from attending. Rather, we wanted to provide information to contextualize his talk and detail Legutko’s history of hateful speech against LGBTQ+, Muslim, and Jewish folks, as well as women and POCs. We planned to create a non-disruptive, respectful counter-space to create a place of healing and inclusivity in the face of prejudice.
In the past 24 hours we have received several emails from the college concerning the talk by Ryszard Legutko. We are appalled by the college’s representation of the events and, specifically, their portrayal of our role in the talk’s cancellation. We have decided to release this statement in an attempt to clarify the situation, legitimize our perspective, and uphold how these events have affected us as a group and as individuals.
Organizers worked throughout the week to develop a protest that would comply with the college’s policies in order to ensure that the administration and the public would not find fault with student activists. Student activists were transparent with the administration throughout the entire planning process. We complied with Public Safety regulations and took every precaution to ensure the safety of protesters and those attending the talk, all while working directly with administrators. We dedicated ourselves to a nonviolent and non-disruptive protest, and fully planned on honoring that dedication throughout the protest itself.
Student organizers were notified that the event had been canceled by the same email that was sent to the Middlebury College community at 1:23 pm on Wednesday, April 17. The notification caught us by surprise and its failure to explain who or what constituted “a security threat” unsettled us. As we were collectively committed to non-disruptive, nonviolent action, the undefined security threat could only have been a threat against us, against our bodies. We spent the day afraid for our safety.
After receiving notification that the event had been canceled, we immediately suspended our gathering. Preventing Legutko from speaking was never our intention, and we did not want to celebrate its cancelation. Given the unspecified safety concerns, we also feared for our safety in hosting a highly visibly event at another location. We are unhappy with the lack of transparency on the part of the administration in its decision to cancel the event. We believe that our planned response to Legutko was to be an act of critical engagement and free speech—an act which we were denied.
Student organizers only discovered that Legutko had been invited to speak to Professor Matthew Dickinson’s class through the Facebook Live Stream recorded by The Campus. Organizers immediately went to the administration for information and answers, only to find that Administration was not aware of the fact either. Conscious decisions were made to not protest the live stream or interrupt the talk.
Numerous requests that the administration specify publicly that protesters’ actions did not constitute the “security threat” were ignored. All administrative statements maintained an ambiguous (and highly misleading) articulation of the protesters’ role in the event’s cancellation.
We hope that this statement will serve to clarify our original plan and intentions, which media and administrative representations have mystified. We also hope that this will highlight the ways in which national media and the College are attempting to capitalize on a false narrative. We stand with all students whose identities and experiences have been fundamentally invalidated, and we condemn the irresponsible misrepresentations of both our actions and intentions.
(04/18/19 9:56am)
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(04/18/19 9:52am)
(04/18/19 9:51am)
(04/11/19 9:57am)
While it is not directly referenced in the book, I feel certain that the title of this graphic memoir refers to the common parlance phrase we use, “to lose one’s marbles.” It’s a euphemism used to avoid saying things like “schizophrenic episode,” “hormonal imbalance,” “depression,” “suicidal thoughts” and many others that carry *weighty* stigmas and may seem scary or overly clinical when rendered bare. Herein, cartoonist Ellen Forney bravely chronicles a journey spanning almost 4 years of attempting to manage her bipolar disorder with a combination of medications, exercise and a human support system after receiving her diagnosis.
Ellen fears how her parents might receive her diagnosis, what her friends will think and also how her creative bursts of energy will be impacted if she treats herself with mood stabilizers. After all, there are certain characteristics resulting from her disorder that she rather enjoys.
However, she knows both what it is to be intensely “up” and what it means to be miserably “down.” As Ellen regularly meets with a psychiatrist to try and find the right dose of lithium, Tegretol, Klonapin, Depakote, Zyprexa and other prescribed drugs, she draws cartoons that attempt to depict what is happening in her mind and in her heart.
The result is this black and white tome that is perhaps appropriately “uneven.” At the beginning of the work, Ellen shares vignettes from her life in which she gets a tattoo, has her 30th birthday party with drag queen attendants and stages a nude photo shoot in a swimming pool locker room.
In other moments, she visits a library and learns about other artists whose lives seem to suggest destabilized emotional and hormonal states.
And in others, she painstakingly documents the impact of each drug and how its side effects differ from others so she can share this information with her psychiatrist.
Overall, the work is certainly brave, needed and makes efforts to mirror her experience closely.
On a critical note, I would *not* say the work is “beautifully drawn” or particularly artful. It feels like a wealth of amateur sketches that happen to engage a compellingly original storyline.
How many graphic novels can you name that address a personal narrative of coping with bipolar disorder? Not many, I suspect. What I love about this work is that Forney teaches a broader audience about bipolar disorder, revealing that one can be high functioning and have a mood disorder; one can be hesitant for a variety of reasons to disclose their diagnosis with loved ones; and while one can value his/her/their creativity, they can still embark on a successful journey of learning to manage it.
Ultimately, I must ask myself, “What does a reader need from this work and does it deliver?” I think readers with and without the disorder need to know that it is okay to fear change, mind-altering prescription drugs and how a disorder can impact the self and relationships. Forney certainly gives us that.
For other works like this, see Allie Brosh’s “Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations,” “Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened,” a graphic narrative work that is a memoir and written by an author who experiences depression or Fabien Toulmé’s “Ce n’est pas toi que j’attendais,” another memoir written by an author whose daughter was born with Down’s Syndrome which leads to developmental, emotional and cognitive disabilities. “El Deafo” by Cece Bell is another graphic memoir that discusses hearing impairment.
Literatures & Cultures Librarian Katrina Spencer is liaison to the Anderson Freeman Center, the Arabic Department, the Comparative Literature Program, the Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies (GSFS) Program, the Language Schools, the Linguistics Program and the Department of Luso-Hispanic Studies.
(04/11/19 9:52am)
Happy (kind of) spring everyone!
Old and New Notes:
1. Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback or ideas with go/heysga. We encourage everyone to use it as a resource.
2. Election season is upon us! Please be sure to check your emails for the candidates’ statements of intent. Also, if you are interested in being part of SGA in a non-elected position, please keep your eye out for opportunities.
3. As we reach the end of the year, please take advantage of opportunities for feedback, whether it be talking to your senators or filling out surveys. Students in leadership positions put a lot of time and energy into their work and can serve the student body when frustrations and ideas are shared.
That’s all for now! Wishing you all a smooth landing as we transition into a new season.
(04/11/19 9:50am)
(04/11/19 9:49am)
Members of the Special Olympics club hosted their first spring basketball practice of the spring. The team meets each Sunday from 4 to 5 p.m. in Pepin Gymnasium.
(03/27/19 6:07pm)
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