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 ...
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
I first got into sneakers towards the end of middle school, when my friend Lucas and I would spend hours looking through Eastbay magazine (a kind of SkyMall for high school athletes) comparing the different shoes, picking out our favorites on each page. As I got older and able to do things like decide ...
Je suis Charlie. These words echoed across France in cities across the country, and around the world, on Sunday Jan. 11, as people proudly protested Wednesday’s shocking terrorist attack on the headquarters of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. “Still no terrorist attacks in France? ...
I first met Dean of the College Shirley Collado at an event about hardships low-income students face at Middlebury. I was moderating the event, and Dean Collado was getting grilled by students asking for more financial transparency. Dean Collado repeatedly reminded students that because Middlebury is ...
Each horrifying act of violence that occurs in the world cuts at us. Each example of cruelty takes our conceptions of security and turns them around. Violence makes us question those places where we feel comfortable, our ideas about the world and our values. We often wonder how it is possible for such ...