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Saturday, Oct 3, 2026

Opinion


The Setonian

Put That Thing Back Where It Came From (Or So Help Me)

We need to treat our staff better. Right now, there is an extreme lack of respect for dining hall, facilities and custodial staff by students. It’s beyond unacceptable. Let’s take my hall this year for example. It’s home to some lazy people. If you leave plates around in your room, fine. Empty ...


The Setonian

Sharp Left: When ‘Dissent’ Is Distracting Hypocrisy

A sad day it is indeed when supposedly “liberal” publications like The New York Times and The Guardian are seen practically falling over each other singing praises of those bold Defenders of Democracy, the Senate’s newest Knights of Truth, Bob Corker and Jeff Flake. Seriously, if I sound mockingly ...


The Setonian

Letter: Racial Profiling by Public Safety

When you are a person of color engaged in an innocent activity and security officers leap to the conclusion that you are a dangerous suspect, it is hard not to conclude that you are a victim of racial profiling.


The Setonian

Wanted: Student Spaces

The Crest Room: formerly a meeting space for the SGA during some hours, arts and crafts center at others and ambiguous pseudo-lounge when unlocked and unoccupied. Now it is a faculty lounge from the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and a student lounge from 4:30 p.m. onwards. This makes the Crest Room ...


The Setonian

Sharp Left: When the ‘Common Ground’ is a Swamp

There is an intoxicating and surprisingly tenacious myth in American politics, one seemingly oblivious to the distasteful reality that increasingly contradicts it. Nevertheless, it continues to waft happily down the hallways of banks, Congress, and indeed this college. Behold the golden calf of centrism, ...


The Setonian

Why Do You Hate Us?

Millennials. Everyone hates us. Our propensity for arrogance and merciless decimation knows no bounds. Industries, products and practices we’ve “killed” — according to the internet — include: beer, Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee’s, golf, cars, home ownership, Harley Davidson, the 9 to 5 workweek, ...


The Setonian

Introducing: Observations of an Outsider

Before I came to the U.S. for the first time as an exchange student in grade 11, I had to attend a week-long seminar that was supposed to prepare us for the American culture waiting for us on the other side of the ocean. I very vividly remember one of the volunteers telling us that the biggest problem ...


The Setonian

Racism and Responsibility

In the last few weeks, administrators have heard numerous new reports, both on and off campus, of racism. Racism is present at Middlebury, and it will not be tolerated. We must come together as a community to address it. I argued in my inaugural address that inclusivity must be an everyday ethic — ...


The Setonian

Bookstore Blues

The college bookstore is an inevitable, unfortunate part of the Middlebury experience, contributing significantly to our school’s textbook problem. Middlebury does little to address the substantial burden of excessive textbook costs on students. Faculty can assemble booklists without regard for the ...


The Setonian

For the Culture: Savage

“Yo bro, that was an absolute savage move!” Person sinks the final cup in a game of beer pong. Spectators comment, “Savage.” “200 pages of reading?!? That professor is a savage.” No one will deny that these and other similar phrases are prevalent on Middlebury’s campus. I either hear ...


The Setonian

I Cover the Waterfront: On the Alt-Weekly

Three weeks ago I touched on the importance of original reporting in this column, and argued that the blogosphere would never replace traditional media because the very existence of news relies on reporters immersing themselves in their respective beats. In that column, I mentioned newspapers like ...


The Setonian

Introducing: What’s Got Me F****d up This Week?

The answer is a lot of things. From whitesplaining to people having conversations in doorways, I have a lot to say. If you know me personally, this isn’t anything new. If you don’t know me, well, now you know. The purpose of this column is to talk about issues I think are important. Topics range ...


The Setonian

Culinary Colonialism

There is nothing more celebrated at Middlebury College than a student-led business venture. Middlebury dedicates an enormous amount of its financial and human resources to entrepreneurship. This meticulously animated video perfectly demonstrates the way our school tries to attract prospective students ...


The Setonian

Counter to “Culinary Colonialism”

The critiques in Austin Kahn’s piece “Culinary Colonialism” are vital in a growing culinary scene dominated by young white male chefs who accumulate wealth and accolades through the sale of “global” and “ethnic” cuisines. As he rightly points out, Fiasco’s initial menus very much fell ...


The Setonian

American Protestor

Kneeling during the national anthem is a common form of protest right now — in the NFL and other settings. The contentious topic emerged in media and politics when Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, kneeled during the national anthem as an act of peaceful demonstration for Black ...


The Setonian

Student Reflects on Surviving Sexual Assault

Those who have gotten to meet me probably know that I am a 21-year-old freshman, that I took part in two gap years before coming to Middlebury, and that I am running for first year senator. I noted throughout the application process that during my second gap year I enrolled in a computer science course, ...


The Setonian

Notes From the Desk: Flags in the Wind

As a Chicago Bears fan, I’ve always found football season a source wasted hope and flat out disappointment. A blowout 21-point loss to the Green Bay Packers seemed like another fitting end for an aggressively mediocre team. The ending of the game saddened me, but it was the beginning that carried ...


The Setonian

Write Right: On Incentivizing Violence

As reported on the front page of last week’s Campus, the administration is changing its policy regarding guest speakers in the wake of the Charles Murray incident. Under the new policy, events or speakers may be cancelled if the event is “likely to be the target of threats or violence.” Policies ...


The Setonian

Response to ‘Germany’s Racist Wake-Up Call’

As the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) shattered the traditional political landscape by coming in as the third strongest party with 13 percent of the vote, last week’s German election continues to unsettle Germans and foreigners who fear for the tolerance and inclusivity that has characterized ...


The Setonian

On Political Correctness

In December of last year, at a town hall in Wisconsin with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Bernie Sanders was asked why Donald Trump had been so successful in the 2016 election. Sanders, regarded by many to be the savior of the Democratic Party (of which he is not formally a member), gave a surprising answer:  ...