When endorsing a candidate for Student Co-Chair of Community Council (SCOCC), it is essential to define the position within the context of the college community. What does this student, a representative elected by peers, actually have the power to do? At first glance, the answer appears somewhat discouraging. ...
Before I begin, remember that I write this with the utmost love for the College and its athletics programs. We need a new mascot. There is nothing about the panther that's specific to Middlebury or to Vermont. There is nothing about the panther that's specific to anything, really. According to Wikipedia, ...
In a routine conversation with my grandmother last year, I mentioned that I was considering adding a women's and gender studies (WAGS) major to my already-declared history major. I thought – given my grandmother's thoroughly feminist background as an astronomy professor who sued her university ...
It was 1987. After a 14-2 regular season, the New York Giants advanced to the Super Bowl. After a hard-fought game, they finally won their first-ever Super Bowl, defeating the Broncos in a 39-20 victory. After the game, Phil Simms of the Giants coined a phrase that is now common currency in the land ...
In just 50 days, millions of Americans will head to the polls to choose the nation's next president. They will line up to exercise the right that is theirs by virtue of citizenship. In doing so, they will fulfill that fundamental civic duty so vital to the health of our democracy. For many of us, this ...
As I made my way down Route 7 last week, I couldn't help letting my eyes wander occasionally. At first, the seemingly endless fields of corn caught my attention. However, my gaze quickly advanced towards the thin line separating the crest of the Green Mountains from the sky. On my way to campus, each ...
Last fall, a few classmates and I spent a lot of time on a project that tried to identify why Vermonters seem particularly predisposed towards involvement in environmentalism. It was a continuation of a series of studies by [Professor of Economics] Jon Isham and [Stafford Professor of Public Policy] ...
In last week's "The Elephant in the Room" column, Ben Kinney '15 offered a litany of what he perceived to be the failures of the Obama presidency. He claimed that the President's re-election campaign "no longer [inspires] hope" and that the man "lacks the foresight necessary to properly lead this ...
What's so bad about feminism? Feminism. Does this word scare you? Is it off-putting to you when others identify as feminists? Let's talk about it. Shouldn't it be a problem that feminism has turned into a dirty word, particularly among our 18-24 year-old age group? Well, I think it's a shame and I'm ...
Last semester, prior to final exams, a professor of mine surprised the class by providing each student with two mix CDs. A sweet gesture – we now all had new jams to carry us through our ten-page research paper and gut-wrenching three-hour final exam. But, really, why had he taken the time? Although ...
In the beginning of August, I found myself with no job, no place to live and, somewhat unexpectedly, no boyfriend. Was this my welcome into this mystifying time period known as the "Super Senior Feb semester?" Having one class a week while my graduated friends observed Ramadan in Tunisia and started ...
During the health and wellness presentation of my freshmen orientation three years ago, 500 other first-year students and I were given two memorable pieces of advice to get us through our first few weeks at Middlebury. First, we were encouraged to aim for a seven on a ten-point scale of appetite. That ...
Just a few months ago, when I was still a senior at Middlebury, I felt pretty cool. I had a really loud best friend. Sophomores re-tweeted me a lot. I ate with intimidating people in Atwater, and we pretty much monopolized off-campus parties (at least for anyone who'd heard the word "Alpenglow"). ...
Like those Hollywood sequels that never live up to the originals, President Obama's re-election vision outlined at the Democratic National Convention appeared flat compared to the optimistic, inspiring and defined rallying cries of 2008. The goals of last week's speeches were, firstly, to unite Democrats ...
The weird part about writing my column this fall is that I will never see it in print. I am spending the semester in Australia, but I decided at the end of last year to continue writing this column, assuming – incorrectly – that the upcoming election would be both interesting and centered around ...
Welcome home, Middlebury. "Home" has a different definition for all of us. For the first-years who only just pushed over-eager parents out the doorway of a new dorm room, the idea of calling this place home may seem a little far-fetched. For the seniors who feel like they've been here forever, and ...
Upon returning to campus every September, students are confronted time and again with some form of the question, "what did you do this summer?" And, after hearing countless responses, a general theme begins to emerge: students don't lose their intensity over the summer. Why else would the most commonly ...
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I arrived at Middlebury College almost four years ago. I had just spent my senior year of high school in Israel, hiking, washing dishes, attending rallies, exploring cities, learning another language and another way of being. Arriving in Vermont, I was skeptical as to how much I could learn about the ...
Sometimes the most fruitful forums are those that yield no concrete solutions. The forum in McCullough this past Tuesday addressed alcohol use and dorm damage through a faculty-student discussion in an attempt to address some recurrent issues. The quality and breadth of the dialogue is both promising ...