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Saturday, Oct 3, 2026

Opinion


Zarai-Zaragoza174

Admissions Transparency: Pros and Cons

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 ...


The Setonian

The Mail Center Isn’t Working

 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 ...


The Setonian

The SGA Works for You: Cast Your Vote

“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, ...


The Setonian

Does Middlebury Make Us More Moral?

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 ...


The Setonian

Re-evaluating Obama’s Budget

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 ...


great-accomplishment

Weighing New Developments in Housing

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 ...


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 ...