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Monday, Dec 8, 2025

Opinion


The Setonian

It’s Actually Just a Really, Really Great Game

As a two-sport student-athlete, I was deeply disturbed by the recent opinion this paper ran entitled “It’s Actually Just a Game” and by the student body’s response to it. As a native to Chapel Hill, NC — home to UNC, a university whose athletic integrity is currently being questioned — I ...


The Setonian

Liquor Ban Won't Change Culture

 NOTE: I would like to take a paragraph this week to apologize for a line in my last Op-Ed. While many of you were focused on the strange new rivalry between NARP’s and athletes, a poorly thought-out, badly phrased hypothetical appeared at the end of my piece. Had it been merely an opinion that was ...


The Setonian

Look Before You Leap

I am Jake Nidenberg, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. and a junior here at Middlebury College. I am a declared Mathematics and Economics double major and a member of the Men’s Varsity Basketball team. I am writing in response to “It’s Actually Just a Game,” the Notes from the Desk by Hannah Bristol ...


THEREALEST

Obama Proposes Bloated Budget

When most people think about early February they probably think of the Super Bowl. Believe me, I love the Super Bowl; and I am happy the Seahawks lost. However, something much more important happened the day after the Super Bowl. On the first Monday in February, the president submits to Congress his ...


TRAIN

Finding the Constant in Your Life

Recently I’ve found myself describing my life as a runaway freight train. At some point in the last year, it began changing so rapidly and in so many ways that I basically threw up my hands, gave up trying to make sense of it and simply went with the current of my life. New experiences presented themselves ...


bigkitty2

Making Affordability a Priority

Not long ago, Middlebury was one of the most expensive schools in the United States. We charged a higher comprehensive fee than any of our peers and, as a result, began to accrue a reputation of extreme wealth and financial exclusivity. Then, in 2009 the school adopted its CPI+1 policy. The program ...


The Setonian

Look Before You Leap: A Response to "It's Actually Just a Game"

I am Jake Nidenberg, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. and a junior here at Middlebury College. I am a declared Mathematics and Economics double major and a member of the Men’s Varsity Basketball team. I am writing in response to “It’s Actually Just a Game,” the Notes from the Desk by Hannah Bristol ...


gunrange

At the Gun Range

My family members have never been “gun people.” Nobody has ever owned one; it is doubtful any of us could tell you how to load one and it is highly unlikely any of us will be buying one in the future. I was always told as a boy that guns were like needles on the street or strangers, that you should ...


The Setonian

Election 2016: An Outlook

Tuesday night, Barak Obama gave his penultimate state of the union address. The Obama administration is almost over, and the 2016 elections are coming up. That may seem far off, but the shuffling and sorting is well underway for both parties.  Before I get into who I think is in and who I think is ...


The Setonian

Reading Davis Family Library

The purpose a building serves is generally quite clear from the moment one enters it. The vacuum-sealed doors and laboratories of Bi-Hall denote science education, the gyms and courts in the Athletic center indicate the activities housed therein and so forth. However, the layout and contents of a building ...


The Setonian

The Middlebury Seal: Here To Stay

To the Editor: In the two weeks since Middlebury announced its new identity system, I’ve heard from several students and alumni who said they were confused at first about one important point: the status and future of the Middlebury seal. As we have said in every statement about the new system, in ...


divestment

Divestment Politics 101

We all know fossil fuels are contributing to Climate Change, but do you know how much power they hold in Washington? Generally, our democratic system allows for voters to communicate with and affect those who represent them in Washington by writing letters, fundraising and voting. Unfortunately, the ...


The Setonian

Who's To Blame?

The Hebdo attacks in Paris were heinous and unjustifiable. Acts of terrorism are tactless and cowardly because they use murder to convey beliefs. Killing the people you disagree with is not especially difficult. Conversely, it is hard to challenge opinions and address conflicts through speech, writing ...


The Setonian

It’s Actually Just a Game

At Middlebury, we claim to prioritize balance. Students here are not only students, but also actors, journalists, artists, unicyclists, and of course, athletes. But not all of these traits are created equal, both in the admissions process and on the Atwater dance floor.  The divide between NARPs and ...


moneybags

‘Fiscal’ Education Credits

Of all the ways to divide a student body, Middlebury often finds itself separated into two camps: athletes and NARPs (non-athletic regular person). Student culture plays a large role in perpetuating this divide — often the Middlebury party scene falls along team lines — but administrative and monetary ...


The Setonian

Divestment: The Financial Argument

This January is set to be a big month for the Middlebury Divestment from Fossil Fuels Campaign, otherwise known as DivestMidd, as we lay the groundwork for a presentation to the members of the Board of Trustees in the spring, when we will ask them to once again to consider and vote on divestment. In ...


The Setonian

Thank You Coach Wanner!

If you happen to walk by the Middlebury Crew Team Sweatshop in the early afternoon, chances are you will see a former U.S. National Team rower plugging away on the ergometer with Middlebury students. Noel Wanner, the Head Coach of our crew team, is one of those coaches who believe that in order for ...


realyouthambivalence

Youth Ambivalence

Have you seen the movie Boyhood? I watched it on my plane ride back to school this January — United had free movies for once, shocker! — and the film left an impression on me. For those who don’t know, it follows a boy, Mason, over a twelve-year period as he grows to be an adult. Boyhood therefore ...


Peshawar-Cartoon-Real

The Punishment of Being Innocent

Here I stand with a lit candle at this vigil along with 30 other Middlebury students, staff and faculty to remember and pray for the 132 innocent children and the eight teachers who lost their lives and 122 who received bullet injuries in a school attack by the Taliban in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. ...