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Thursday, Apr 25, 2024

Opinion


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Student death is now part of the routine at Middlebury

Ivan Valerio ’26 passed away last Tuesday. Evelyn Mae Sorensen ’25 passed away in mid-September. Yan Zhou ’23 passed away of apparent suicide on Oct. 20, 2021.  After three deaths in two years, student death on campus is beginning to feel like a normal part of life at Middlebury.  While ...


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An unexpected defense of the Middlebury P.E. credits

As I hustled along South Street, dripping with September sweat after underestimating both the heat and the distance to Middlebury’s Ralph Myhre Golf Course, I regretted enrolling for Beginning Golf this fall. Although exacerbated by the blazing sun that day, this has largely been my long-standing ...


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Let’s talk font

The other day I was sitting next to a classmate. Together, we were reading their typed document when I couldn’t help but notice their preposterous font choice: Calibri. When I pointed this out, they sang its praises, describing how much they loved the sans-serif font with its minimalist nature and ...


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We need thoughtful views, cautiously stated

Middlebury seems to be an institution that values justice. We certainly talk about it constantly, so if one can infer importance from repetition, we do value it. Climate Justice, Reproductive Justice, Housing Justice, Environmental Justice. But to be able to have productive discussions about those topics, ...


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On the Middlebury community’s response to the Israel-Gaza war

At Harvard University, the administration and student groups have been engulfed in controversy and doxxing after issuing statements on the Israel-Palestine conflict. At Dartmouth College, two students were recently arrested for camping out to protest the school’s approach to the war. And at Columbia ...


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SPECS Panther Column #2 – 5 sexual-health myths to debunk

Throughout one’s experience at college, there are many opportunities to choose to engage — or not to engage — in sexual relationships. Different students across campus have widely varying backgrounds in sexual health education, and misinformation might be encountered along the way. SPECS strives ...


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Sarah Says: The diversity statement is an educational imperative

I tried hard to write my Common App on race.  It seemed like the smart choice. Early in my college admissions process, I had gotten the sense from educators and peers that my biraciality was the only aspect of my personality that distinguished me from the hundreds of other straight-A private school ...


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The Story of Us: Me, Taylor Swift and “The Eras Tour”

Taylor Swift is my role model. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Is a pop star with 46 Grammy nominations (including 12 wins) and an estimated net worth of over $1 billion really an appropriate role model for a graduating English major in rural Vermont? But let me explain.


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An open letter to the Board of Trustees

With the Board of Trustees on campus and meeting throughout this week to discuss institutional priorities and planned spending, we want to take advantage of this opportunity to directly address the people who have a major role in deciding how the funds raised by “For Every Future: The Campaign for ...


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Campus flow

Middlebury has a campus problem. While the majority of people might not notice some of the flaws with our campus, I believe that the physical layout of our sidewalks presents a logistical nightmare for lawn maintenance. By no means am I saying that the grounds crew that works day-in and day-out to pick ...


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People or place: My changing perceptions of Middlebury

I hang no pictures in my room, only uninterpretable Ernst and Bosch paintings. I keep the postcards Vlera has gifted me in a shoe box, along with Christmas cards from my mother and a silver gelatin print of my two best friends, Atticus and Dylan. If someone were to ask me to describe my Middlebury experience, ...


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One year senior

I’ve only had one full year on Middlebury’s campus, and I am a senior. Let me elaborate. I started at Middlebury in the fall of 2019 and was only there until we all got sent home for Covid-19 in March 2020. The following year, I decided it would be best for me not to enroll for the spring semester ...


The Setonian

Why meditate?

I have found myself as a president of a club I never attended, on a subject in which I am not well-versed. For me, meditation is an aspiration, not something one can achieve. It is a method by which people search for inner peace and connection to the world around them. Meditation is, simply, a thought ...


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Johnson renovation: A triumph

John McLeod and his team have achieved remarkable success with their expansion and renovation of the Christian A. Johnson Memorial Building. In 2004, Carl Larson ’03, Anne Callahan ’03, Jon Coble ’06, Buck Sleeper ’05 and I organized Johnson Week, a symposium celebrating the building, headlined ...


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Sarah Says: I didn’t like my semester abroad

The night after I was mugged, I clipped my chin on the Canal Street pavement.  We were heading home from one of our favorite pubs, slightly drunk, when one of my friends got the idea to give me a piggyback ride. Though I protested a little, these were new friends, study abroad friends, and I was ...


The Setonian

Free Expression over Cancel Culture

At Middlebury, we are committed to educating students in the tradition of the liberal arts, which embodies a method of discourse…[emphasizing] reflection, discussion, and intensive interactions between students and faculty members,” the “About Middlebury” page on the college website states.  Or ...


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Poll of Midd students about the use of AI says…

As a Sociology student at Middlebury, since AI tools became a big part of my education I have been interested in the multifaceted relationship between Artificial Intelligence and society.  I recently conducted a poll on my Instagram account among Middlebury students to assess their sense of Middlebury ...