As we approach a month since the troubling and startling suicide of 16-year-old Olivia Scott of Bristol, Vt., the newspapers, media and other news outlets are noticeably absent of any content related to teen suicide, bullying or harassment. This is a common pattern after tragic events such as this occur. ...
“I love Middlebury College because it is in Vermont: everything seems to work here, I feel like I’m far away from those sad things that we see in the news!” That was one of the first things I heard from a Middlebury student, back when I was applying to the College. Indeed, on a campus that abounds ...
We’ve become largely desensitized to words like ‘10,000 likely dead.’ It’s not our family, our friends. But can we stop for a minute and recognize that people have died and will continue to die, as Typhoon Haiyan razes Southeast Asia because of a storm greatly exacerbated by climate change. ...
For any of my readers, the next time you see me, I expect consistency in the way you approach me and others on this campus. If you are going to make an effort to greet someone once, why not make the effort to greet the person in the same manner for the other times you shall surely come across them on ...
Editors' Note: The following article contains offensive language. 1: Is the word “faggot” a homophobic slur? 2: That’s an easy question. Yes, it is. 1: Is it homophobic if a Caucasian says it? 2: Yes, it is. 1: Is it homophobic if an African-American says it? 2: Yes, it is. 1: So why, then, ...
Like many other students on this campus, I went to the Chance the Rapper over the weekend. I danced and yelled and had a great time. I even listened to him perform the controversial lyric in his performance of “Favorite Song.” And so, now that Chance has come and gone, let us assess: what has changed? ...
We know that preservation of the South American rain forests is a necessary step in ensuring our future a stable climate. Why, then, is illegal logging in the Amazon still so prevalent? Two weeks ago, the New York Times published a story explaining a recent chapter of Peru’s struggle to combat the ...
A friend of mine once described “fun” as looking forward to an event and reminiscing about that event. Anticipation and nostalgia, he thought, were more important to explaining our experience of fun that the actual experience. Daniel Kahnman’s research, including his most recent book Thinking ...
All across America, Conservative commentators are jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air, pointing at glitches in the month-old roll-out of Obamacare and yelling “I told you so!” Republicans are so eager to turn attention away from their destructive shenanigans in the budget and debt ...
Part of our fascination with innovative people is the almost palpable buzz of potential that surrounds them. Every insight that slips out is valuable in and of itself, but each nugget of wisdom’s true value is as a clue to the thought process that shaped it. These bright people have diverse identities, ...
During one of my first weeks in college, I did what every self-respecting Middlebury freshman did: I signed up for every and any club I thought I might find even remotely interesting. Although I naturally cut most of the clubs off my list, one standout was Socially Responsible Investing Club. The club ...
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The following text contains vulgarity.] There are certain things we cannot discuss openly at Middlebury. Given that we are a small, close-knit community, there is a sweeping obligation to maintain an atmosphere of civility in order to allow the members of our community a sense of security. ...
In a classroom packed with people sitting on the windowsills, students, faculty and administrators gathered on Monday to engage in an honest dialogue unpacking the controversy surrounding Chance the Rapper’s performance Saturday night. This discussion, which has dominated campus debate for the past ...
Earlier this semester, a Middlebury student found a note threatening violence and sexual assault against her on the basis of her sexual orientation taped to her door. Now, just weeks later, the College prepares to welcome Chance the Rapper, a musical artist who refers to himself as a “slap-happy faggot ...
In light of the current debate surrounding Chance the Rapper’s performance at the College the idea of artistic freedom in conjunction with hip-hop has arisen in a big way. By telling Chance he cannot perform a certain song or say a certain word on our campus, are we not then limiting the very artistic ...
Books teach us that culture matters. This truth, as the late Democratic New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan observed, is fundamentally conservative. But liberals would also do well to take account of it. Any attempt to improve society through political means must recognize the limits and restraints ...
What do we carry with us? What do we take into classrooms, dining halls and dorms? How are we perceived by others and to what extent do we validate that perception? I have no idea what any of these answers are. If you look closely at the — ahem — “Middlebury experience,” I am sure many of you ...
I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the letter “S.” That’s right, scandal. As Edward Snowden nestles up in Moscow using his own father as a media battering ram, and Julian Assange is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy launching vain campaigns to run as an Australian senator whilst ...
A friend on the MCAB Concert Committee wrote to me after middbeat had posted my email, “I love to mess around as much as you do, but saying ‘let’s get these fascists’ doesn’t really allow for an honest discourse that could make the entire process better, rather than immediately trying to make ...
On Oct. 1, the Obama Administration launched healthcare.gov, a government-run website aiming to provide Americans with easily adopted and inexpensive healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). From its conception, ‘Obamacare’ prompted intense partisan divisions, impassioned political ...