Opinion

The Course of College

Truth in the Free Expression of Ideas

“When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths,” Justice Holmes states in his dissent to the court opinion in United States v. Abrams, “they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached ...

My Final Strategic Plan

I don’t do goodbyes well. So, I’m just going to skip that part. I may be sarcastic and cold on the outside, but I have a secretly squee core that I expose to no one. Kind of like Snape. Except like Snape in the Order of the Phoenix, not the end of the Deathly Hallows — I’m not ready to tell ...

I’m on a hill

Hello, Ladies. Look at the picture in this column. Now back to your man. Now back at the picture. Now back to… actually just keep looking at the picture. At this moment, you are looking at your future, nay, your destiny. You see the man your man could be. Not bad, huh? Before you respond, let me ...

Zero Place in a Liberal Education

On the final Saturday of my orientation last February, we gathered at the Snow Bowl. Fresh with the energy that comes with making new friends and eager to solidify our places in the group, we tore off our shirts to the strains of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” and ran out into the snow and sunshine ...

Death of a symbol: Osama Bin Laden - Hafsa Ahmad

September 11, 2001 is hardly a blur. I vividly remember the confusion and the chaos that ensued after school was released early and our mosque shut down. The subsequent days were the most trying of our lives. The pain of losing a dear friend of our family, our “Uncle” Tariq Amanullah (Allah Yarhamhu/May ...

Adjusting perceptions of alcohol use - Brittany Gendron

As a junior at Middlebury College — as a sister, daughter, peer and friend — who has seen the negative consequences of alcohol abuse on families and friendships, I have many mixed feelings about drinking. Because this week has raised reaction of all colors to both the Campus’ coverage of the Alcohol ...

How to train your Middkid - Peter Weinberg

Imagine you’re a parent, and you want to make sure your daughter never burns herself on a stove. Do you: 1) Try to hide every stove in the United States; 2) Teach your child that a stove can be used responsibly, or it can burn down the house and kill everyone in it. Do you want to raise a Julia Child, ...

Considering both sides of the alcohol issue

The open dialogue introduced by administrative leaders at Tuesday’s alcohol forum made it clear that a “dry campus” is not the only answer (let alone any). But no matter its intended interpretation, it’s troubling to initiate a conversation about collaborative action and personal accountability ...

Proposal for a social justice distribution requirement - Paloma Dugan

In a recent study about race relations at Middlebury, many students reported that the majority of prejudiced, racist or stereotypical actions of Middlebury students were primarily the result of ignorance. One student noted that when ignorance is involved, it means, “just not really knowing, and not ...

Considered Liberty

Since December of last year the Middle East has been the scene of mass revolt and rebellion. Liberty has become the byword of hundreds and thousands of people rising up against the oppressive and brutal regimes which have controlled their political destinies for far too long.  The heartstrings of the ...

Cartoon - Dylan Levy

Thank you for voting, now here’s your Obama pin

It’s no secret that Middlebury is a politically liberal institution. From the students to the faculty and even to the staff, an overwhelming majority of people here consider themselves progressive, liberal, leftist — or even a budding Socialist. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing — countless ...

Oh Em Gee. Dance Sandwich. Laugh Out Loud.

In the New Yorker last week, there was a great “Shouts & Murmurs” titled the “Wisdom of Children.” There were three segments that described certain seminal moments of everyday life through the innocent eyes of children. For example, “A Conversation at the Grownup Table, as Imagined at ...

My four scents

Coincidentally, several friends of mine have gone into the perfumery business.  They all just developed new scents and are in the process of marketing them.  I mentioned that they might take out an advertisement in the Campus, but they didn’t want to pay top dollar for a spot.  Instead, they convinced ...

Past Disgrace Should Not Be Forgotten

With this semester’s end,  spring  flowers and warm days comes the 20th anniversary of the infamous Middlebury College staff firings of 1991. A decade ago, when we noted the 10th anniversary of this shameful chapter in the College’s history, some asked why we were dredging up these unpleasant ...

Thoughts on race from a tourist - Chris Brady

Race is an issue that deeply interests me, but not because I feel like I have a huge personal stake in it. I think of myself as more of an ethnic tourist. It’s not that I don’t feel a distinct connection with an ethnic heritage: I never felt it more than when I left home and realized how special ...

Unsustainable Middlebury - David Reed

Middlebury has some of the best facilities and resources of any small liberal arts college in America, but not by chance. As our academic standing improved in the last decade, we invested heavily in our infrastructure. Our once modest campus was transformed through the large-scale building projects ...

P(resident)ial F(ace)book

Dear loyal Campus readers, Three more weeks left in the semester. Five more weeks before I graduate. It seemed only yesterday that I was a nerdy kid with big hair and big dreams fascinated by college, marble buildings and all-campus emails. Actually, that was yesterday. But it’s still terrifying ...

Editorial

The last year of a student’s time at Middlebury is distinct in many ways from his or her first three. Socially, seniors are given access to the best housing on campus, and can apply to live off-campus. Academically, they get priority registration and set out to complete work on a degree that has been ...