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Saturday, Oct 3, 2026

Opinion


The Setonian

Letter: Response to "Setting the Record Straight"

Re "Setting the Record Straight" (fourth page, Nov. 30) Allow me to be more precise, for the record. “The CHAIR OF THE Sociology/Anthropology Department sought to rally the community to censor the Political Science department by demanding that we withdraw our co-sponsorship. In so doing, they abandoned ...


The Setonian

It Happens Everywhere

We’re living in a powerful moment if you have been affected by gender-based violence or know someone who has — so, everybody. Since New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey first exposed film director Harvey Weinstein, 35 men and counting have been accused of sexual misconduct. Emboldened ...


The Setonian

Setting the Record Straight

In her October 26, 2017 testimony to a U.S. Senate committee about the Charles Murray talk at Middlebury College, Prof. Allison Stanger stated: “The Sociology/Anthropology Department sought to rally the community to censor the Political Science department by demanding that we withdraw our co-sponsorship. ...


The Setonian

Community Forums, Racial Accusations and Mirroring the Enemy

We’ve all heard about the Salem witch trials. If you go into the scholarship, it turns out there were no witches in Salem — only victims of sorcery accusations. If Salem’s problem with witchcraft did not include actual witches, could Middlebury College’s struggle against racism not include actual ...


The Setonian

Don’t Be Fake

It is Monday morning after a break and you can hear the echoes of people exchanging pleasantries from Cornwall. Why do we ask how people are or how the break was if we are not concerned enough to hear the answer? At the beginning of the school year, I ran into someone and we did the common dance of ...


The Setonian

Beyond the Town Hall

Last Thursday, Nov. 9, hundreds of members of the Middlebury community gathered in Mead Chapel for a town hall meeting. The event was originally planned by Women of Color and the Black Student Union with support from SGA and was subsequently co-opted by the administration, who claimed it had been already ...


The Setonian

Notes From the Desk: On Critique

There has not been room to talk about the importance of students’ roles in this issue with administration, so I’m going to make it. For context, this will stay aligned with Thursday’s town hall, but is applicable to other situations. First I want to thank students who share and continue to give ...


The Setonian

From the President’s Desk

In recent weeks there has been much discussion on our campus about Middlebury policies and processes prohibiting acts of discrimination and harassment, including those based on race. I write today to state clearly my position and the position of my administration. I am steadfastly committed to rooting ...


The Setonian

Our Community in Context

Last spring, I was elected by the student body to co-chair Community Council. This is sometimes surprising to me given how few students know what Community Council is. I can’t help but also notice that Community Council is sometimes nebulous for faculty and staff. In this column, I will share and ...


The Setonian

I Cover the Waterfront: On Finding Bibles

In a class last week, I co-led a discussion on “Travesties,” Tom Stoppard’s play partly inspired by “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Being the studious student I am, I brought with me “The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde” in case I needed to reference his work and/or pretend to be more ...


The Setonian

Middlebury Dies in Darkness

The administration has criticized this paper’s coverage in public and private, and to our editors. They have implied that this paper contributes to negative perceptions of our school. They have shown discomfort and grown defensive when community members have shared their stories. The administration ...


The Setonian

Still Waiting for Answers

We, a group of more than 40 Middlebury faculty, wish to publicly express our outrage and disgust at the images of racist and violent graffiti discovered in a classroom last week, as reported in The Campus on November 1. Moreover, as we stated in our September editorial, we stand with Addis Fouche-Channer ...


The Setonian

For the Culture: On Misogyny

The following piece is directed towards cishet (people who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth and are straight) men: I want to be intentional about not speaking for anyone who experiences sexism, whether they are women, trans women or queer men. Though I sympathize and strive to be ...


The Setonian

Observations of an Outsider

Middlebury College is a truly strange and absurd place when it comes to campus politics. To the outside world — including potential students abroad, first-year and transfer students — Middlebury is marketed as this progressive, liberal, environmentally-friendly, socially-aware place. And once you ...


The Setonian

Open Letter to President Patton

Dear President Laurie L. Patton: The hateful graffiti photographed by a student in Munroe Hall undoubtedly relates to the incident of racial profiling involving Addis Fouche-Channer after the Charles Murray protests. The graffiti also implicates Bill Burger, who is known to have driven the escape vehicle ...


The Setonian

Making Mountains Out of Knoll-Hills

In response to the Editorial Staff’s ‘Wanted: Student Spaces’ from October 18th: We agree that there are fewer spaces on campus now with converted lounges and changes to the Crest Room. We take issue, however, with the use of the Knoll as the “best example” of this trend. The Campus claims ...


The Setonian

I Cover the Waterfront: On Joan Didion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99NaRJQzXiM I am embarrassed to admit that I had not heard of Joan Didion until May of this year, when Sue Halpern (the college’s favorite scholar-in-residence) gave me a copy of her essay collection, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem.” As I made my way through Didion’s ...


The Setonian

Dialogue in Atwater Dining

Last spring, in the wake of Charles Murray’s visit to campus, Provost Susan Baldridge convened a group of faculty, staff and students to form an independent committee dedicated to the task of considering the issues of speech and community on campus. Since then, we, the members of what came to be called ...


The Setonian

The Twin Bed Problem

First things first, figure out the roommate problem. Now that you’ve cleared the room, affirmed consent, and done what evolution commands, you’re just sweaty and cramped up in a twin bed. Most students on this campus sleep in a twin extra long bed 39” x 80”; barely enough room to fit you and ...