I came very close to passing up Bernie’s big dreams for the sake of rationality last week. But in the end, I sent in my ballot for the Vermont primary with a vote for Bernie, thanks to my naive faith in America’s most unreliable electorate (I’m not kidding). Like many millennials, I initially ...
Issues related to race, privilege and language have been frequently and publicly discussed on our campus in the last few months. Town-hall forums were orchestrated by Miguel Fernandez, Chief Diversity Officer and Professor of Spanish. Numerous op-eds have been published. Some of these op-eds have incited ...
I write at the start of a new semester to address an important and timely issue relating to diversity and inclusivity in higher education—one that is of great relevance for us here at Middlebury. Sometime before the end of June, the United States Supreme Court is likely to issue a decision in an ...
Just prior to the start of February Break, SGA President Ilana Gratch sent an email to notify the student body of a SGA Senate Resolution condemning Supreme Court Associate Justice Scalia’s comments during the Oral Arguments in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. I’m writing to address both ...
You may notice 100 new faces walking around Campus this week: the new Febs. We know what you’re thinking and, yes, this is another editorial on how to improve the Feb program. The Campus welcomes the Class of 2019.5 and would like to wish them luck in fielding the inevitable small-talk staple, “What ...
January was National Mentoring Month! We at Community Engagement wanted to say: Thank you to our Middlebury College mentors! National Mentoring Month (NMM) was created by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MENTOR in 2002. The month aims to focus national attention on the need for mentors, ...
I am a white student who has “white privilege” and who has committed hundreds of “micro-aggressions” throughout my life due to my “ignorance” of other cultures. There. That’s what most of you want me to say. But now, please allow me to say what I really feel. I warn you, though, you may ...
I am writing as a white student in response to the editorial written last week by Eli Susman. When I talked to Eli over dinner, he emphasized that his intention was to foster open listening and unify the campus against racism. Unfortunately, many of the things he said were hurtful to our fellow ...
Since returning for J-term you might have noticed that your dining hall coffee is better than usual. But you may not know just how much better it is. Dining Service’s recent switch to Vermont Coffee Company represents more than an improvement in taste. Your new morning brew also happens to be fair ...
Dear Middlebury Community, Through this letter I want to address a previous op-ed named “Letter to the Middlebury Community.” I would like to thank the author for writing this article and his good intentions, but I would like to address some things that need to be clarified. I would like to disclaim ...
“Middlebury is not a charity.” Critics of Go/Refuge, the movement for the College to take an active role in the world refugee crisis, have presented this argument. The criticism, though not yet fully elaborated, seems to base itself on the idea that an institution of higher education’s only obligation ...
In the midst of a refugee crisis, driven in large part by turmoil and civil war in Syria, the provision of safety, food and shelter for displaced persons is a priority for conscientious segments of the international community. And rightfully so. Communities around the world are eager to lend a hand ...
With J-Term more than halfway over, many of us have accomplished a great deal: we have plowed through new Netflix series (Making a Murderer, anyone?!), spent afternoons at the Snow Bowl and caught up on much-needed sleep. But while many enjoy this brief respite from the busyness of the spring and fall, ...
My dear people of Middlebury, I saw an 18-year-old white woman crying in front of 800 people in Mead Chapel; she’d been publicly berated for wearing a hat. Not out of spite. Not out of hate. She had been attending Middlebury for a matter of weeks and did not yet learn that wearing a sombrero was ...
Dear Editors, I’m writing today to discuss the role that the Student Government Association (SGA) plays in addressing sexual and relationship respect. Last year, after a series of conversations with other institutions in the Northeast, the SGA decided to increase its commitment to promoting sexual ...
Terrorists are attacking America and they are winning. There’s a certain image people think of when they read “terrorist.” However, I was not thinking of Osama Bin Laden or ISIS, although they are certainly terrorists. I was thinking of people like Mr.Donald Trump. Obviously, Donald Trump is not ...
I am ashamed. Part of me got swept away with the media portrayal of refugees coming into Europe. It all scared me. The hundreds of thousands crossing the Mediterranean at night, sleeping rough on the streets, trying to get into Britain by sneaking onto the back of trucks or walking the channel tunnel. ...
As the New Year arrived, the Syrian Crisis entered the fifth year of its genesis. With a UN estimate of 6.5 million dis- placed within Syria and 3 million fleeing refugees, no near end is in sight. Older teenagers and adults, however, reminisce to a time of malaise when the Jordanian capital (Amman) ...
Last Friday, the Middlebury faculty voted to indefinitely renew the Pass/D/Fail program. The program permits students to take two courses for college credit, receivng a “Pass,” D or “Fail” in lieu of a traditional grade. The faculty also extended the deadline to invoke the Pass/D/Fail option ...
“Have you been feeling depressed or down for most of the day nearly every day? Are you experiencing a loss of pleasure in activities you usually enjoy?” After a full summer of conducting phone interviews in a neuroscience lab that studies depression, these questions are burned into my memory. And ...