Most of us probably came to Middlebury in order to have our beliefs challenged. We wanted to confront situations that would make us think and take on problems from different perspectives. We wanted to expand our ability to consider critically and to learn from the people and places around us. But we ...
College admissions have been a source of controversy for decades, but the topic has been of particular interest to this campus over the past month. Students and faculty have long wondered which traits the College prefers and whether the biases that shape these preferences are racist, classist or otherwise ...
“We strive for 105% support,” chuckled first-year Taylor Cook after reading the section of the most recent Campus feature regarding students opinions on divestment from fossil fuels. Cook’s comment referred to a large info-graphic, which allegedly claimed in bold that, “55% of students support ...
Taken aback I was when I read all the hullabaloo regarding the benefits of being an athlete on campus. I find the apparent miscommunication between athletes and non-athletes to be particularly shameful, considering how moderate and levelheaded Middlebury students tend to be when discussing social issues. ...
I recently participated in Midd Uncensored. For those who don’t remember this event, it is basically an intense get-to-know-you activity. The most notable exercise is a “stand up, sit down” game. In it, a facilitator reads prompts and asks the audience to stand up if they identify with the statements. ...
Happy Black History Month! As part of the United States Bicentennial in 1976, the U.S. government recognized Black History Month, which was formerly unacknowledged throughout most of the country. President Gerald Ford’s announcement was intended to urge all citizens to honor the achievements of blacks ...
After an article in the Campus last week revealed that students could view their admissions files under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the College Admissions Office has been flooded with student requests to view their files. On Wednesday, the first students to request access ...
It is obvious to anyone who has tried to pick up a package this semester that the way the mail center functions is unacceptable. For most of the afternoon there is a long line that snakes through the mail center, up the stairs, and back towards the Grille office. My personal experience with the mailroom ...
“Decisions are made by those who show up.” That line has been attributed to people as various as Benjamin Franklin, Harry Truman and President Bartlet of The West Wing. Whoever said it first, it applies just as well to national politics as to student government at Middlebury. This Friday and Saturday, ...
Not so long ago, colleges made a promise that sounds a bit strange today. Administrators and faculty promised not just to teach students knowledge and skills, but to make them better people. Our communications department might like to highlight the good Middlebury students do, but few students enter ...
In his last piece, Phil – to use an expression picked up over Feb Orientation – “yucked my yum.” He took us through what he painted to be President Obama’s “harmful budget,” paying special attention to the tax increases, ending of sequestration and community college plan. While I won’t ...
Last Tuesday, representatives from Kirchoff Campus Properties, the Dean of Students Office and Facilities Services unveiled new plans for a long-awaited housing project. The proposed Adirondack Apartments and new Ridgeline construction will be available in 2016’s upperclassmen housing lottery. These ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Dear Hannah and Isaac, I read your piece, “It’s Actually Just a Game,” with more than a touch of bemusement. I am the straw man you address with a strange amount of earnestness, stereotyping and half-truths, your qualification that it is “less a reflection about individuals" or should I say, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...