Middlebury Campus 2001-01-31 : Volume 99, Issue 14

28 Pages·82 MB·English

by  Middlebury College

mn jltfcitileprp Campus;
No.
VOL. 99 14
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31,2001
SINCE 1905
Chairman of Library Committee presents progress report to SGA
By Becky Ruby Andres said the new building to this place," said Andres. "At the
Staff Writer will be large horizontally rather same time, this is a forward-look-
The Middlebury College Board than tall. ing statement for the campus, and
of Directors committed $40 mil- The idea is to create a building is new in a lot of ways."
lion to the construction of a new that would serve as an entrance to One way the building is signifi-
library for the College. the campus, and not cut off the cantly different from many build-
The new proposal, however, is view from the town to Old Stone ings on campus is the level of tech-
much more than just a building, Row as the old Science Center cur- nology the plan calls for. All study
Glen Andres, chairman of the Li- rently does. carrels will have Internet connec-
brary Planning Committee, told While noting that, "These de- tions, there will be several elec-
the Student Government Associa- signs are still evolving," Andres tronically enhanced group study
tion (SGA) in a meeting on Jan. 21. showed the SGA some of the plans rooms and the building will house
The new building will be named for the new library. four "smart classrooms," specially
the Library and Technology Cen- The building itself is being de- designed for computer and inter-
ter (LATC). signed to fit in with the architec- active media work.
It will house not only existing li- tural integrity of the campus as a In addition, Andres said that
brary collections, but also Infor- whole. because ITS would be housed
mation Technology Services (ITS), Andres said that certain sec- within the building, students
Media Services, Instructional tions of the building will be sized could quickly get help with any
Technologies and a Writing Cen- proportionally to the other struc- technology problems they may
ter. Andres also noted that the new tures around it (such as Voter Hall have there.
library is being designed with the and Munroe Hall), so that the large Andres said other amenities in
hopes that it will become a center structure will appear congruent the tentative design for the LATC
of activity on campus. with current buildings.. include a cyber café, a sizable hall
The proposed new library In addition, the designers of the and an impressive staircase struc-
building will be built on Storrs Av- LATC took the hemisphere shape ture at the entrance of the build-
enue, where the old Science Center from the Warner Science building ing, a web-broadcasting class-
Ben Brouwer currently stands. This structure as an influence for the building's room, two major reading rooms,
will be demolished, and the sever- shape. multiple small and large group
The proposed library will occupy the site of the old Science Center but will
al houses along Storrs Avenue will "We want to have a building that study spaces and mezzanines of
also require the removal of several trees and a few structures.
be relocated. comes from this place and belongs study carrels.
Puri to head Alumni and Parent Programs office Work on the LATC building will
begin in the spring of 2002, and is
scheduled for completion in the
RBwy DPenttenrr CS iî m»•»•-o»/-n» » •» Frr om 119 a8n9n to 1,9 a9a2-«, Pnu ri work»e d • ch,a ir for her 10th reunion. was as a counselor at the school's summer of 2004.
Staff Writer as assistant director of admissions Puri left Middlebury in 1992 to college guidance office, Puri also As for its place on campus, An-
Anya Puri '88 will be returning to for the College. Dur- work at the taught a class titled "Diversity and dres said that the new library will
Middlebury to work as the College's ing her time in the Lawrenceville the American Dream" from 1993 to be easily incorporated into cam-
new director of Alumni and Parent Admissions Office, School, a college 1997, and helped coach Softball, pus life. Chapel Walk - the side-
Programs. she was responsible preporatory school field hockey and aerobics. walk that leads from Mead Chapel
Puri graduated cum laude in May for implementing a located in In addition to her work experi- down the hill past Old Chapel -
of 1988 with a degree in American volunteer student ad-
Lawrenceville, N.J., ence, Puri also brings to Middle- will be extended to end at the front
Civilization. missions organiza-
where she served in bury impressive academic creden- door of the new library building.
After graduation, she worked in tion.
several different ca- tials, including a Master's degree in "It will be more accessible be-
Battell as a residence hall advisor She has also served New Dmctor ofAlumm and pacities. educational administration, plan- cause a library has to be," said An-
and later completed an internship in
as class agent, class Parent Programs Anya Puri. While her main ning and social policy from Har- dres. "The [entrance hall] will be a
the Student Activities Office. secretary and social — —— role at Lawrenceville vard. very energetic kind of place. The
new building will be a place of ac-
Islamic Society looks
tivity because of all the different
things stationed there."
beyond Middlebury
Andres' presentation is one of
many in recent weeks from Facili-
ties Planning exhibiting the Col-
By Tim McCahil! able to work together to amelio-
lege's expansion plans.
News Editor rate some of the harder issues re-
The last presentation was held
After a fruitful meeting with lated to promoting understanding
at Le Chateau, revealing plans for
the Dartmouth Muslim student of their faith, its followers and its
the expanded Atwater Commons.
organization Al-Nur two weeks history.
The plans show new residence
ago, Middlebury's Islamic Society Another important milestone
halls and a full-service cafeteria.
(IS) has decided to create a for- for the group will come after Feb-
Plans to renovate Nelson Arena
malized network of Muslim stu- ruary break. The IS, in concert are also in the works for this sum-
dent groups from Northern New
with Middlebury Dining Services, mer. The improved structure
England's colleges and universi-
has arranged to have Hal'al meat would include a climbing wall.
ties.
featured in the Freeman cafeteria
Plans for the LATC are available
The IS invited Al-Nur, along two days a week. The meat would
at the Web page: www.middle-
with members of the Muslim be placed alongside other hot bury.edu/~latc.
community in Burlington, to the meals in the entrance to the cafe-
annual Eid al Fitr dinner, a cele- Index
teria. To use a popular analogy,
bratory feast marking the end of Hallal meat is to Muslims what Local News 6
the Muslim holy month Ramadan, Features 9
kosher meat is to members of the
Opinions 14
held at McCuliough on Jan. 19.
Jewish faith. Arts 18
The two groups discussed the
According to tradition, Hallal Sports 28
problems they faced in increasing
meat comes from animals sacri-
awareness of Islam on their re- The Campus is printed on recycled smf^L
ficed by the name of God, or paper. It is also recyclable.
spective campuses, and examined
Allah. Hallal meat excludes pork During a meeting of the Middlebury and Dartmouth Islamic organizations,
methods by which they might be
(see Islamic Society, page 4) conversations focused on establishing a network of Muslim students. please visit our Web site at:
www.Middlebury.edu/~campus
Inside...
Features Sports
Author Robert Cohens
Thrilling overtime victory
The case of the missing lounges way with words opens
caps successful week for
critics' eyes
men's hockey
page 14 page 9
page 27
Page 2 FEATURES
January 31,2001
COLLEGE Conference spotlights digital society
By Devin Zatorski Over the course of the month, Trinity College, the University of
News Editor students planned seven panel dis- Vermont and others, each operat-
The Digital Bridges 2001 Con- cussions on issues ranging from ed by a site manager who earns a
ference, the second in a new annu- Middlebury alumni who have commission based on the volume
al gathering of the "movers and started their own dot-coms to the of local business advertisements.
shakers of the Internet economy," spiraling popularity of Napster. "I closed a deal the day before
By Devin Zatorski started as the brainchild of veter- my 24th birthday taking the con-
News Editor an Economics Professor Michael New kids in e-biz: cept on the road to the next level,"
Claudon and is fast becoming a alums.com said Adler, whose goal is to make
Double homicide of Dartmouth professors
fixture of Winter Term at Middle- his sites the "portal of choice at
remains unresolved
bury. The inaugural panel of the con- each school" and to maintain a
On Jan. 27 and 28, the confer- ference, moderated by David See- "pure and clean niche market."
ence convened in Bicentennial ley '02 and comprised of three en- Graham Balch '97 has a quite a
Half and Susanne Zantop, a German émigré couple teaching at Dart- Hall in hopes of introducing real- terprising alumni who have taken different vision: as founder and
mouth College in Hanover, N.H., were found dead in their home on Sat- world experiences into an acade- the plunge and started their own chief executive of ChangeAd-
urday, Jan. 27. Kelly Ayott, chief of the homicide unit of the New Hamp- mic setting, one facet of dress.com, he aims to in-
shire attorney general's office, declined to comment to The New York a college-wide initiative troduce efficiency into the
Times about the investigation, saying only that it was making progress to develop what Professor of Economics Michael process of changing your
with over 30 investigators working full time. Authorities told the Times Claudon has dubbed a address, catering to as
that they advised Dartmouth that there was no specific reason to be- new "liberal arts para- Claudon said one of the hallmarks Of many of the 44 million
lieve that students were in danger and that it did not need to increase digm for a digital soci- the conference was that "students people who move each
security. ety." were stakeholders in producing year as possible.
However, Dartmouth President James Wright said, "An event such as The conference was After a stint as a con-
this shatters for many a sense of confidence, of optimism and of secu- the centerpiece of something totally new to them." gressional intern and a
rity." Dartmouth has taken several measures to increase security, in- Claudon's Winter Term corporate strategy con-
cluding offering rides to students 24 hours a day instead of only at night course Digital Bridges sultant, Balch "did the
and increasing the visibility of the security staff. Susanne, the chair- 2001, and the product of 20 stu- dot-coms, spoke to how "the way hardest thing I have ever done"
woman of the German department, and Half, an earth science profes- dents' month-long preparation. we are packaging the liberal arts is and started his dot-com company.
sor, were both known for helping their colleagues and students and for really preparing our graduates for At present, his treasury holds a
always keeping the doors of their offices and home open to friends, stu- Students as principal the new economy," noted Claudon. balance only sufficient to pay his
dents and acquaintances. stakeholders Ted Adler '99, president of the staff for two more weeks, but his
Burlington-based firm is on the verge of winning a
On the first day of class this Jan- CollegeXtra.com and co-founder $467,000 pilot contract with the
Boston University professors fume over
uary, Claudon threw down the of middkid.com, was first to ad- United States Department of De-
office hour requirements
gauntlet: "You've got a conference dress a crowd of stalwarts who fense, which could eventually lead
to put together in three weeks," he rose at 8:45 a.m. to attend the to a $17 million deal that would
told a wide-eyed classroom full of panel. The audience soon learned allow all soldiers to use Balch's ser-
Boston University Provost Dennis Berkey proposed that faculty students, among them representa- just how far Adler has come since vice.
members be required to maintain office hours four times per week to tives of every class year. his first entrepreneurial foray: a "If you don't believe, no one else
ensure that professors do not ignore student needs once they have "I'm not lecturing," he said, but lemonade stand at age eight. will," stressed Balch, who chose to
earned tenure. Professors allege that the proposal is yet another attempt "I will be a mentor and I will get Well-known around Middle- focus more on the lessons and
of the administration to weaken the tenure system, the latest in a long you resources." bury for his popular site midd- challenges of his experience rather
history of faculty-administration clashes at the university. One profes- The reaction was one of kid.com (15 percent of the student than on the specifics of his busi-
sor claimed that he doesn't get "paid for hanging around" in the office, "stunned silence," Claudon said. body checks it daily), Adler spoke ness model.
but rather for preparing lectures and publishing in scholarly journals. Jason Ienner '01, who moderat- of how he transformed this initial Calling on his "ability to endure
ed a panel discussion on Napster concept into a profitable business hardship" and his persévérant,
and the P2P phenomenon, re- plan. character, he continues to forge
Yale to boost T.A. stipends
members the day well. "That's ex- His company now creates simi- partnerships with other business-
actly what [Claudon] did," said lar "for students, by students" web- es like moving.com to heighten the
Ienner of Claudon's frank intro- sites that include easy links to aca- visibility of his company—a self-
In response to teaching assistants' efforts to unionize, Yale Universi- duction to their task. demic and athletic information, made marketing apparatus of
ty announced it would increase stipends to Ph.D. students this month. And that's exactly what original-content features, dining sorts, he said.
The Graduate School Dean said the increase was motivated by Yale's de- Claudon was trying to do. The 30- hall menus, candid course evalua- With a final statement of en-
sire to remain competitive among schools of similar caliber. Yet those year faculty member said one of tions, local restaurant guides and couragement to aspiring entrepre-
who have advocated unionization take this as a signal that their efforts the hallmarks of the conference even the local weather forecast. neurs, Balch concluded his talk,
have not fallen on deaf ears. "All of what we are doing is working," said was that "students were the stake- What started with appropriately titled "Pushing the
one graduate student who is also a spokesman for the Graduate Stu- holders in producing something Middkid.com has grown to in- Envelope."
dents and Employees Organization (GESO). that was totally new to them." clude sites for Cornell University, He said,"Entrepreneurship is in
(see Digital, page 5)
SGA Briefs
State budgets starve public colleges
The tight fiscal year anticipated by Louisiana, Mississippi and the By Becky Ruby
Carolinas has public college administrators worried that their tax-sup- Staff Writer
ported binding will decrease drastically. The Mississippi State Board The Leadership Committee held its first of a series of dinners in the Chateau for the presidents and vice
of Trustees for State Institutions of Higher Learning announced that presidents of campus organizations. The first dinner was on the topic of collaboration between organiza-
hundreds of faculty and staff positions are on the "chopping block" as tions on campus. Future dinners will be held in the spring, including one on Feb. 21.
the state ponders declaring a full-fledged fiscal emergency. Mississip-
pi's public institutions face cuts of 3 percent this year and 14 percent in Glen Andres, chairman of the Library Programming Committee, reported to the SGA on the progress
2002. * of the new library. The library, to be built on Storrs Avenue where the Old Science Center currently stands,
will hopefully be finished by summer 2004. To be renamed the Library and Technology Center (LATC), it
will house not only the library collections, but also Information Technology Services ( ITS), Media Services,
Department of Education report uncovers rise in Instructional Technology and a Writing Center. In addition, the tentative library designs include a cyber
campus drug and alcohol arrests café, group viewing rooms, media labs, 375 study carols, two large reading rooms and four technology en-
hanced "smart" classrooms. Andres will be coming to Commons meetings in the next few weeks to solic-
it student input on the library plans. The floor plans and architecture of the library proposal can be viewed
The Department of Education's first report on college crime shows on the Web www.middlebury.edu/~latc.
that arrests for liquor and drugs continued to rise through 1999. Drug \
* . .. -
i arrests at colleges across the country increased 6 percent, while drug ar- Tom Reece '01.5 reported to the SGA on the final report findings of the February Self Study Commit-
rests climbed 0.4 percent. In response to the report, The Chronicle of tee. The committee sent out a survey to every mid-year graduate from the past five years, as well as inter-
Higher Education studied colleges with thehighest crime rates, finding viewed admissions and budget staff to find out the costs and benefits of the program. The committee's find-
! that "Michigan State University had the highest number of liquor ar- ings included that 97 percent of mid-year graduates said they would choose to be a Feb if they had to do
rests and the University of California at Berkley topped the list for drug college all over again, and that Febs have a higher participation rate in leadership positions at Middlebury
arrests." than do May graduates. The committee was formed because some Febs felt the program was under attack
from the administration. The committee concluded that the Feb program is beneficial to the College be-
cause it brings more views and diverse people onto campus. The committee also reported that it feels the
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education College does not do enough to promote the programs, which could be a "great benefit in the recruiting
process," Reece said. The SGA voted to pass the report findings to the dean of Admissions, John Hanson,
and to the secretary of the College, Eric Davis.
OPINIONS
January 31,2001 Page 3
WRMC nominated for famed independent radio station award
Mike Hodson Hogan said the station was thrilled Hogan.
Staff Writer to be nominated. Other non-commercial stations
WRMC 91.1 FM, Middlebury "This shows that while we may nominated were WBER, broad-
College's radio station, was recent- not be accorded much respect casting out of Rochester, N.Y. and
ly nominated for a PLUG Inde- within the college community, we WFMU of East Orange, N.J.
pendent Music Award in the cate- are given huge respect in the sub- WRMC was one of nine college
gory "College/Non-Commercial community of independent radio," stations nominated, the others
Radio Station of the Year." said Hogan. "We are one of the few being Boston College's WZBC,
The PLUG Cartel, the group college stations to get some labels' Michigan's WCBN, Georgia State's
that gives the award, refers to music, in part because we are held WRAS, the University of Washing-
"those music directors, disk jock- in such high regard." ton's KCMU, the University of
eys and programmers, columnists, Hogan felt that the station's up- Missouri - Kansas City's KCUR,
fanzines, publishers, film- the University of California
makers, artists and indepen- - Irvine's KUCI, UC -
Many of the other stations
dent labels around the world Berkeley's KALX, and Loy-
who make important con- nominated transmit at higher ola Marymount's KXLU.
tributions to the indepen- Many of these stations
wattages than WRMC, making
dent music community in transmit at higher wattages
WRMC's nomination even more
ways that give it a voice in than WRMC, increasing
the music world," according special. their broadcast range be-
to the PLUG Independent yond that of their college
Music Awards website. communities, making
The Cartel chooses and votes grading to 29,000 watts played a WRMC's nomination even more
on candidates, but fans with Inter- part in the nomination, although special.
net access can also vote for .three station management is mystified For more information on the
Eric Skovsted
people's choice awards. as to who nominated WRMC or PLUG Independent Music Awards
Brad Pryba '01 directs newscasting and hosts a talk radio show at WRMC.
The PLUG Independent Music why. or a chance to vote next year for
Spirit Awards are held in Park City, Twelve stations were nominat- the People's PLUG Music Award or
cso
Utah, concurrently with the Sun- ed, with the winner being KCRW, PLUG's Voice of the People Music
dance Film Festival. "a huge non-commercial radio Award, visit their website at
WRMC Rock Director Nate station in L.A.," according to www.plugawards.com.
Career Services Office
Adirondack House~443.5100
www.rniddlebury. edu/~cso/
Hepburn residents voice New Community Relations won't have to be reviewed so often.
concern over loss of lounges Counselors named "We're in part becoming more
like other places and it also will Spring Term is coming!
A group of Hepburn Hall resi- Director of Health Education mean that [faculty] won't feel
dents met with Residential Systems Yonna McShane announced the they're being reviewed all the time," Spring Term is coming!
Coordinator Hikaru Kozuma, As- appointment of four new Commu- Moss said.
sistant Provost Tim Spears and nity Relations Counselors who will The faculty has already engaged
Interested in public policy?
Brainerd Commons Dean Joianne serve as "contact people around ha- in preliminary discussion about
Smith to voice their disapproval rassment issues." the issue and the Council has been Apply before THURSDAY, February 14
with the re-conversion of lounge The counselors, part of a pro- given "the go-ahead" to propose
space on the second and third gram that has been in place for a language, said Moss. Charles Q. Koch Summer Fellow Program
floors of the dormitory into rooms decade, represent a cross-section of Moss said the council plans to www.TheIHS.rg/intern
for incoming February first-year the Middlebury community and present a proposal to the faculty at
students. are drawn from the ranks of the the February faculty meeting.
WEDNESDAY, February 14
The two lounges, which had faculty, staff and student body. The different divisions of the
been designated as social spaces The four new student members faculty will meet throughout the WORKSHOPS
late last fall, were outfitted with are Christopher Atwood '03, Brain month of February to discuss the
new furniture and a television. Ac- Hamm '02, Yara Luna '03 and Kate proposed language. Moss said the Internship <& Summer Jobs
cording to an e-mail sent to Spears Fitzpatrick '03. council hopes to vote on the pro-
Career Services AND Student Employment
by Micheal Stahler '03.5, Hepburn posal at the March faculty meeting.
representative for the Brainerd Faculty Council discusses 4:30, Sifford Lounge
Commons Council, dorm residents change in tenure review
had been using the newly equipped process College awards Thomas Root Cover Letters <& Resumes
lounges "frequently for studying Perkins Award for Excellence
Meet our CSO Counselors
and socializing." The College's Faculty Council is in Teaching
5:00, CSO Library
Shortly after the lounges were currently working on a proposal
Adirondack House
outfitted it was decided that the that would reduce the number of Professor of Biology Thomas
space would be re-converted into tenure reviews for faculty members Root was named recipient of the
Career Conversation w/Alumnus
two two-person rooms. from three to two. 2001 Perkins Award for Excellence
Students attending the informal According to Kevin Moss, co- in Teaching. Dick Fuld, Wall Street Journal
meeting said that they were disap- chair of the Faculty Council and According to a press release is-
3:30, Chateau Grand Salon
pointed at being so marginalized professor of Russian, currently fac- sued by the Office of Public Af-
by College administrators, and ulty members awaiting tenure are fairs, the award "alternates between Fact: CSO has Drop-ins
voiced hope that some sort of res- reviewed in their second and a faculty member in the mathe-
(15 minute visits)
olution could be found by the Res- fourth years before a final review in matics department and computer
idential Systems Office. their seventh year when tenure is science department and a faculty 3:00 5:00, Tuesday - Friday, All day Mondays^
Housing is short on campus, either granted or denied. The new member of the four departments" Hot Internships:
and with numbers of incoming proposal would review tenure can- in the natural sciences - namely,
February first-year students once didates once in their third year and biology, chemistry, geology and Alaska Conservation Foundation
again exceeding the College's pro- again in their seventh year for final physics. Website Developer - Asst. Camp Habitat Director
jections, administrators are strug- approval or rejection. Root joined the Middlebury Run for the Refuge Coord. - Researcher of Dams
gling to accommodate all com- Moss said the change in number faculty in 1979 as an assistant pro- For more information see www.experience.com
plaints. of reviews was initially suggested in fessor of biology.
Good Reading:
The conversion of social space a recent external review of the Col- From 1985 to 1990 Root served
to residential space has been fre- lege. Most other colleges review as both associate professor of biol- Savvy Grads Go Global Without Leaving Home
quent over the past six years, de- tenure candidates only once before ogy and health professions advis-
www.CollegeJournal.com/n/SB979680684284298136-main.html
spite constantly being addressed by the final review, so Middlebury is er; he was named professor in
students and administrators alike. in the minority of schools with 1990. Since then Root has received Website of the Week:
Spears and Kozuma urged con- three total reviews, Moss added. numerous grants, served on re- Trot around the globe - do an international internship!
cerned Hepburn residents to wait He also said that two reviews in- search organizations and was the http://international.monster.com/workabroad/
until an appropriate decision could stead of three will take pressure off director of the animal facility at articles/toplO/
be made. of faculty members since they the College.
NEWS
Page 4
January 31,2001
Islamic Society and contemporaries envision regional network
((ccoonnttininuuede d ffrroomm ppaavgee 11) ) NNoorrtthheerrnn NNeeww EFnngullaanndH rreommaaiinnse t»hke„ Mx*u„sclii;m.v . Students Aas sociation in andj outside t.h. e re•l igi.o us com- E»v, ents planned . fo. r this meeting
or any kind of pork product; "the least developed in terms of (MSA) National; this entity, based munity. Rahman said he also include a tour of the college with a
however, unlike in Judaism, the activism and networking." This is in the United States and Canada, is hopes Hhat larger conferences dinner to follow.
meat and dairy products can be largely due to the fact that Muslim responsible for supporting cam- could be organized once the re-
mixed in the preparation of populations in this part of the re- pus life for Muslim college stu- gional network becomes more es- A revitalized Islamic
foods containing Hallal. gion are much smaller in relation dents. tablished, as well as special events Society?
Until this Winter Term there to larger - and therefore more in- This entails planning confer- like an Islamic Awareness Week.
had been no formal codification fluential - Muslim communities ences on topics pertinent to stu- Yousuf Haque, president of The success of the dinner meet-
of supplying dining halls with in-^laces like Boston, New York dents' faith, increasing awareness Dartmouth's Al-Nur, expressed ing two weeks ago marks an opti-
Hallal meat, but according to and Montreal. of Islam for non-Muslim students similar hopes. "We have common mistic turnaround for the IS. The
Wasim Rahman '02, president of The meeting with Dartmouth and creating task forces to push concerns and challenges, as well as group was plagued by a series of
the Islamic Society,"The need for "is our move towards furthering for the resolution of religious con- similar numbers and comparable acts of vandalism last semester, in-
Hallal had been there for a long Muslim student networking and flicts involving Muslims in places situations," Haque wrote in an e- cluding the November destruction
time." unity in this region," Rahman like Iraq, Israel and Kashmir. mail Sunday. of one its posters in the McCul-
Rahman estimated that there wrote in an e-mail on Monday af- Colleges with Muslim student "What does it mean to network lough mail room.
are approximately "seven to
groups that are with Middlebury? It means we Earlier last fall the group met
eight" observant Muslims who New England remains "the least
part of the MSA have found a place where we can with controversy after posters it
need the specially prepared developed in terms of activism and are divided into go to, and friends who can visit us. put up highlighting the plight of
meat, a number substantial
networking,"according to Islamic zones according to It means that there is a wider sense Palestinians in the Israeli peace
enough to apply significant
their geographic of community in each of our crisis were openly criticized by ju-
pressure on College adminis- Society president Wasim Rahman '02.
locations; these groups, and that we can benefit nior Katya Levitan.
trators to accomodate the stu-
This is largely due to the fact that zones are divided from one another's experiences The controversy sparked a de-
dents.
Muslim populations in this part of the further into small- and hope to tap into a common bate over the freedom of campus
In light of recent plans to ex- er regions. pool of resources." religious groups as well as other is-
pand IS contacts with New region are much smaller.
The College's Is- While contacts with Dartmouth sues regarding freedom of speech
England colleges, Rahman said
lamic Society, and other college Muslim groups and the College's policy on
in an interview Monday evening ternoon. therefore, belongs to the New Eng- across New England have just posters.
that his organization represents a Since inviting Al-Nur to Mid- land region of the MSA Eastern started to be made, no structure "What happened disturbed
more "advanced stage" than dlebury two weeks ago, the IS has zone. for the network envisioned by every single member of the Islam-
Dartmouth's Al-Nur as it is more been busy contacting other Mus- Muslim student organizations Rahman has been put in place as ic Society," Rahman said. "[The
widely supported by the College lim student groups across colleges like the Islamic Society and Al- of yet. events last semester] also made us
in terms of financial assistance in Northern New England. These Nur are themselves referred to Haque wrote that "more sub- a stronger and more cohesive
and its well established reputa- include, among others, organiza- more generally as MSAs. stantial networks [would be estab- group. We got past it and gelled to-
tion as a student organization. tions at the University of Vermont, IS president Rahman was until lished] within the next few gether as a group."
The IS is also an older group, Williams, Clemson and St. recently the MSA representative months" and an overarching orga- The IS has also made other
founded in 1983, whereas Dart- Michael's College. for its Eastern zone, and in this ca- nization for New England MSAs strides towards increasing its pres-
mouth's was established in the
pacity was responsible for coordi- "is something we would all like ence on campus.
1990s. The network: structure
nating events across the eastern very much." During the holy month of Ra-
While the discussions between and substance seaboard. It wasn't until his meet- Rahman mentioned that having madan, a period in which obser-
Al-Nur and the Islamic Society ing with members of Dartmouth's a loose confederation of New Eng- vant Muslims are expected to fast
were held in an informal setting, While no formal agreement has Al-Nur that Rahman realized land MSAs would be the best from sunrise to sunset, the organi-
the talks proved both enlighten- been made yet on the precise na- more needed to be done for Mus- method of "combining efforts to zation arranged to have meal cred-
ing and beneficial for future co- ture of the larger network envi- lim students attending colleges in increase awareness" while bring- its transferred to cash credit at The
operation according to members sioned by the IS and Al-Nur, Rah- rural New England.
Grille so that Muslim
from the two organizations. man said he hopes to base it "It's hard to access ac- It's hard to access activism from the students could be acco-
Besides talk of what kinds of loosely on the confederations or tivism from the grassroots grassroots working with the MSA modated for meals lost.
problems both groups faced on "councils" of Muslim student working with MSA Na-
National. With a regional network,we The IS also holds
their respective campuses, the groups located in "active tional," Rahman men-
daily prayer services, a
discussion focused primarily on hotspots" like Boston and Albany, tioned in an interview could feel free to contact each other
simple yet crucially im-
increasing contacts between the N.Y. Monday evening. "It's not for ideas and support, as well as to portant feature of
different Muslim student organi- Most Muslim groups on college pro-active. With a regional
advise each other. members' faith.
zations across New England cam- campuses across the country are network we could feel free
While Rahman
puses. According to Rahman, part of a larger organization called to contact each other for —Wasim Rahman'02
maintained that these
ideas and support, as well as ad- ing greater structure to the re- events do not represent a "re-ener-
vise each other." gional grouping. gizing" of the Islamic Society,
Rahman went on to say that in- The next step, according to there is little doubt that an in-
creased exchanges between MSAs both Rahman and Dartmouth's creased, presence on and off cam-
in Northern New England would Haque, will be a meeting between pus will do much to raise aware-
be one approach to increase the IS, Al-Nur and other Muslim ness of both the organization and,
awareness of Muslim issues both groups at Dartmouth on Feb. 17. more broadly, Islam.
Ready. ..aim...fire!
6 0, g o, g et
y o ur Mo J o!
Eric Skovsted
Looking with concentration towards his instructor, Chris Kautz '02 cradles a 22-caliber rifle at a firing
range in Castleton. Students in the hunter education workshop learned the basics of firearms last Saturday.
NEWS
January 31,2001 Page 5
Digital bridge forged by
Middlebury students
(continued from page 2) ucts.
your blood.. .but it's a trial by fire." "I'm not asking you to throw a
Humberto Garcia-Sjogrim '96, bouquet to alma mater," said Mc-
founder and chief operating offi- Cardell, but rather to reflect on
cer of giveashare.com, offered the how a liberal arts education has
third and final account of the dot- aided you in your journey.
com world. Adler cited the importance of
His company seeks to automate being able to find common
the manual process of giving stock ground with many different peo-
to charity, which is a much more ple, a skill he credits Middlebury
tax savvy way of donating, he said. for teaching him. Garcia-Sjogrim
His goal is to make his company said his experience as president of
the "Visa or Mastercard of stock the International Students Orga-
giving." nization as pivotal to the develop-
Yet Garcia-Sjogrim is aware of ment of his leadership skills.
the great risk involved in manag- Balch summarized,"I may have
ing a dot-com startup: "Chances come to Middlebury because of
are one in six million that an idea the Environmental Studies major,
for a high-tech business will even- but I left with the ability to think."
tually become a successful compa-
Andrew Corrigan
ny that goes public." Napster craze: effects on
In the inaugural panel discussion of the Digital Bridges Conference, Humberto Garcia-Sjogrim '96 retraces his
As the panelists' presentations the music industry
steps from Middlebury College to success in the the high-tech Internet economy.
gave way to questions from the au-
dience, Middlebury College Pres- In the panel that brought the
ident John McCardell identified a two-day conference to a close, services like Napster threaten the and Whitehead is awaiting their bels, citing the "imbedded rela-
recurrent theme in the discussion. moderator Ienner guided a dis- music industry. final decision. tionship with the artists" that his
Each panelist had admitted cussion that addressed whether "Music is the soundtrack to our "What we're seeing now is the company strives to achieve.
that, when they started their busi- freely downloading music consti- lives," said Ienner, "and we have tip of the iceberg in terms of on- Jason Fiber, vice president for
nesses, they knew little about tech- tutes an infringement of intellec- reached a cross-roads in its distri- line music distribution," said digital strategies for
nology or their particular prod- tual property laws, and whether bution." Whitehead, who foresees a gradual checkout.com, a music retailer, an-
Last December alone, he said, movement towards a legitimate ticipates that online music and re-
consumers bought 33 million music distribution model. tail sales of CDs will balance, cre-
blank CDs from Best Buy, a retail- Clay Shirky, a partner
Campus Security Log Claudon views the conference
er with stores nationwide, so the for technology and prod-
implications for record companies uct strategy at the Accel- as a platform to build and
The Department of Public Safety responded to the following are clear. erator Group, likens the maintain community, with the
As consumers download free Napster craze to "massive
incident reports. overarching goal of making
music, record labels scramble to civil disobedience," draw-
• recoup dwindling royalties, Ienner ing a comparison with new connections.
01/17/01 Confiscated an illegal keg from Atwater.
said. the 55 mile-an-hour
01/18/01 Transported an intoxicated person from Davis to
Ienner, who aspires to work in speed limits and the prohibition ating a coexistent market.
the Health Center.
the music industry, said that, in movement. He also characterized Napster
01/18/01 Transported two intoxicated people from Pearsons
preparing for the panel discussion, "The driving force of democra- as the "metaphor for taking joints,
to Porter ER.
he was working with purely theo- cy is complacency," Shirky con- shoving them in a cigarette box,
01/18/01 Received a report of a stolen jacket from
ry-based information. Napster is tended. The difference between 55 putting them behind the counter
McCullough.
popular and its based on piracy, he miles-per-hour and 70 is the dif- and selling them despite the fact
01/18/01 Received a report of a stolen backpack from the
said, but other than that "we did ference between most people that its against the law."
Field House.
not have much to go with." being willing to break the law and
01/19/01 Received a report of missing furniture from a first-
Nonetheless, Ienner knew he most people being willing to obey The conference, in sum
floor classroom in Wright.
could do much
01/20/01 Responded to a report of an underage person
to dispel popu- Claudon views
drinking in Gifford.
lar myth that the Digital
01/20/01 Responded to a report of an underage person
Napster means Bridges Confer-
drinking in the Gifford Annex Lounge.
the end of ence as a "plat-
01/20/01 Responded to a report of suspicion of marijuana
record labels form to build and
use. /'f
and retail sales. maintain com-
01/21/01 Confiscated drug paraphernalia from a room in
John White- munity, with the
Battell. <'Y\SN
head of the overarching goal
01/21/01 Responded to a report of an underage person
Anti-Piracy of making new
drinking at the Mill.
Council of the connections and
01/21/01 Transported an intoxicated person from Shannon
Recording In- reestablishing old
Street to the Health CeoiÇE^ "T^JJ^r
dustry Associa- ones."
01/21/01 Transported an intoxicated person from Allen to
tion of America, Even though
the Health Center. I-f. .
shed light on the this year's confer-
01/21/01 Responded to a report of vandatism in Coffrin.
evolution of In- ence came on the
01/21/01 Responded to a report of suspicion of marijuana
ternet music. heels of the
"use. j
"A few years "bloodbath of
01/23/01 Responded to an auto accident on Old Chapel
ago, Internet 2000," which saw
Road.
music meant a the disappear-
01/25/01 Responded to a report of an unregistered party in
few clips with no ance or absorp-
Centeno.
variety of tion of 65 percent
01/25/01 Confiscated some illegal kegs from Palmer
artists," he said, of the dot-coms,
House.
until the sum- it was "every bit as
01/25/01 Received a report of a stolen jacket and pair of
mer of 1999 stunning a con-
jeans from the Field House.
when MP3 shar- Eric Skovsted ference as last
01/25/01 Received a report of a stolen wallet from the Field
ing services like jqm Representative Kris Decker '00 and other recruiters from Internet year's, which
House.
Napster began companies filled Bicentennial Hall Friday for the Digital Bridges career fair. came at a time
01/26/01 Received a report of a stolen backpack from the the "massive dis- when economic
Field House. conditions were much more favor-
tribution of unlicensed audio it, he said, predicting that the Nap-
01/27/01 Responded to a report of an illegal party in Battell. able.
files." ster controversy will be quelled by
01/27/01 Responded to a report of an illegal party in Battell.
Since then, Whitehead's organi- finding acceptable compromise Claudon urges all who missed
01/27/01 Responded to a report of a person driving on the
zation has initiated legislation between the current piracy and the conference to visit www.digi-
sidewalk by the New Dorms.
against Napster, winning a prelim- buying retail CDs. talmidd.org to view archived video
01/27/01 Received a report of a stolen jacket from The
inary injunction against Napster Mark Ghuneim, senior vice recordings of each panel discus-
Grille.
from District Court of Northern president for online and emerging sion.
If you have any information on the above incidents, please
California. technologies at the Columbia With better publicity next year,
contact the Department of Public Safety at extensions 5911
But currently the Ninth Circuit Records Group, represented the he said he hopes to draw more stu-
or 5133.
court has stayed the injunction, sentiments of the major record la- dents to the conference.
LOCAL NEWS
January 31,2001
Page 6
Fifield explores his brother's past
An exceptional journey from Cambodia to Middlebury
By Ashley Elpern refugees fleeing the war-torn coun- out thoroughly," said William. "It
Local News Editor try in the early 1980s, as their was interesting going through the
All too often, the town of Mid- church and others in the area came dynamics of deciding if we wanted
dlebury seems like a homogeneous together to sponsor several families. to adopt Soeuth, but I must say it is
environment. The recently pub- Soeuth originally lived with anoth- the best thing our family ever did.
lished account of Middlebury native er family that had worked very hard After we saw the picture of Soeuth
Adam Fifield's experiences with his to adopt him, but he did not take to in the labor camp, holding his iden-
adopted Cambodian brother, their strict rules. tification number in front of him,
Soeuth Saut, is a testament to his Soeuth's Cambodian friends we knew we had to take him in."
family's desire to embrace diversity convinced him to run away from his Soeuth arrived at the Fifield's
and to help those in need. first family, telling him they were not home a few days before Christmas
In his book, "A Blessing Over treating him like an adult. His foster in 1983. "We didn't know what to
Ashes: The Remarkable think about Soeuth when
Soeuth's walls slowly came down,
Odyssey of My Unlikely he arrived," said Adam, on a
Brother," Adam weaves the especially after he began fishing phone interview from
story of Soeuth's early life with Adam and David. Instead of Brooklyn, N.Y.
in Khmer Rouge labor "He was withdrawn and
using fishing poles, Soeuth got in
camps with his transition mysterious and with my ac-
to art Americanized the river and caught the fish with his tive imagination, I saw him
lifestyle and how the Fi- bare hands, amazing his brothers as a strange and exotic fig-
fields were impacted by ure and thought a lot about
with his agility and quickness.
their Cambodian son. what his life in Cambodia
William and Jean Fifield moved family, aware of the Fifield's passion was like."
to Middlebury in 1979 with their for taking in students, contacted For months, Soeuth hardly com-
Courtesy of the Fifield Family
sons, Adam and David. William, a them and asked if they would like to municated with the Fifields. Adam
Above, Soeuth Saut as a child in a Khmer Rouge child-labor camp. This
family practitioner, and Jean, a re- take in Soeuth. remembers that Soeuth spent most
photograph played a pivotal role in the Fifield's choice to adopt Soeuth.
tired speech pathologist, always wel- of his time alone in his room, only
comed visitors into their home. For- Soeuth's arrival at the Fifield home coming down for meals. Even that was much harder for him than it Soeuth arrived, panicked that his
eign exchange students, a Fresh Air was troublesome, as Soeuth wanted was for us," Jean said." We spent a lot role as the oldest might be lessened.
child, touring musicians and the oc- Soeuth was under the care of the to eat rice at every meal, and also of time with his social worker, Bob More than that, Adam was curious
casional runaway all found comfort Spectrum Youth and Family Ser- have hot meals three times a day. Silverstein, learning how to make to find out about Soeuth's life in
in the Fifield's home. vices, hired by the state of Vermont "Even though he had been in him comfortable." Cambodia. "He had this look in his
The Fifields were involved with to arrange foster care for the Cam- Middlebury for over a year before The Fifields admit that they had eyes. They were very wise and still.
the immigration of Cambodian bodian refugees. "They checked us he came to our home, the transition no idea of the scope of Soeuth's It was like a man staring out of a
childhood until Adam's book was child's eyes," he said.
written. Soeuth frequently thought Soeuth's walls slowly came down,
he saw the ghosts of his family, especially after he began fishing
which he believed had died in Cam- with Adam and David. Instead of
bodia. He was only six when his fa- using fishing poles, Soeuth got in
ther sent him to a child labor camp. the river and caught the fish with his
"Bob convinced us to build Soeuth hands, amazing his brothers with
a shrine to comfort him," said his agility and quickness. "It was
William. "We bought incense and a then that the bond of brotherhood
By Adam Waite little Buddha for him to pray to emerged," Adam said.
StaffWriter when he got scared." "Soeuth picked up things so
quickly," William said. "After two
The bond of brotherhood forms downhill ski lessons he looked like
Ben & Jerry's co-founder hospitalized a pro. He excelled in volleyball, soc-
Adam and David never had any cer and especially Tae Kwan Do." All
On Jan. 19, Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben 8c Jerry's, underwent heart bypass surgery at Fletcher Allen Health problems with Soeuth, but Adam three boys took Tae Kwan Do
Care in Burlington. The Rutland Herald reported on Jan. 25 that he was in good condition. Company spokesman admits feelings of jealousy when (see Soeuth's, page 8)
Duane Peterson told The Herald that Cohen did not have a heart attack or "any kind of an emergency." The
Native dance
surgery was performed after tests revealed that Cohen had coronary heart disease that necessitated the proce-
dure. Cohen used his situation to lobby for better medical care for all, commenting that, "I'm really lucky to be
getting all this great medical care." He added that, "A lot of people in this, the world's richest country, would be
up a creek without a paddle because they don't have health insurance. I'm more convinced than ever that's got
to change so every American gets the health care they need." Cohen left the hospital later last week. His surgery
comes after an active year for Ben & Jerry's, one in which the company was acquired by the conglomerate
Unilever. Cohen reportedly received about $39 million for his share of the company, but feared that Ben & Jerry's
would "become just another brand like any other, soulless, heartless, spiritless brand out there."
Abortion pill makes its way to Vermont
RU-486 recently arrived in Vermont clinics, according to Rebecca Brookes, vice president for communications
at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Also known as mifepristone, RU-486 is used to perform med-
ical abortions in which a miscarriage is chemically induced. The treatment entails three visits over a two-week
period, followed by a miscarriage. Mary Hahn Beerworth, executive director of Vermont Right to Life, while re-
gretting the arrival of the pill, acknowledged to The Burlington Free Press that her organization focuses on pass-
ing a state bill requiring parental notification for abortions received by minors. Brookes and Beerworth are both
interested in the action that President Bush will take regarding abortions. This comes days after a Bush staff mem-
ber said that some important abortion policies would be reviewed by the administration. In 1998,1,870 abor-
tions were performed in Vermont; 1,517 were performed in clinics, 342 in doctors'offices, and 11 in hospitals.
Brookes told The Free Press,"We plan to continue to expand it to other sites." Some doctors will not provide the
pill due to safety or moral concerns, or because of a lack of equipment or distaste for political controversy.
Local students earn UVM scholarships
The University of Vermont (UVM) is awarding full tuition to the top-ranked student in every school in the
state, reported The Burlington Free Press on Jan. 20. The program is part of President Judith Ramaley's plan to
enhance UVM's academic-reputation. Each scholarship is worth over $33,000. UVM's tuition for in-state stu-
dents was $7,692 in 1999, the highest in the nation among public universities. There are currently 29 valedicto-
rians in UVM's undergraduate program. Forty percent of the UVM's students are from Vermont. UVM
spokesman Will Mikell said that some of the selected students have agreed to attend UVM. For others, the offer
is not enough to change their minds. Brian Wannop, of Woodstock High School, was admitted to Harvard and
did not apply to UVM. He said.'T love Vermont, but 1 want to go somewhere else to get a feel for another part
of the country." IsaBeall Quella, of Gailer School in Shelburne, is still undecided. She said.'T wasn't planning on
Eva Moller
staymg in Vermont. I want to check out the urban scene. But it's awfully tempting: free tuition."
Dancing to the rhythms of Native American Music, a Middlebury stu-
dent and Native American dancer prance across the McCullough stage.
January 31,2001 OPINIONS
Page 7
Local politics comes alive in Kunin's Winter Term experience
By Ashley Elpern away from the center of it all."
Local News Editor Last Winter Term, Kunin taught
As far as Winter Term classes go, a course on women's autobiogra-
most are geared toward providing phies but wanted to share her polit-
Middlebury College students with ical experience with students. She
interesting courses not offered designed the course in the spirit of
during the rest of the academic Winter Term and believes it is ideal
year. Bicentennial Scholar in Resi- due to the time spent off campus.
dence Madeleine Kunin, also a for- "It would be difficult for this course
mer governor of Vermont, teaches to be offered during the regular
such a course term with the
From their questions and
State and hour-and-half
comments I think they [the
Local Govern- trip to Mont-
ment in Ver- students] are enjoying the pelier," Kunin
mont. said.
course. It gives them an
Students The guest
divide their opportunity to think about speakers and
time between politics and how they can legislators
discussions who allowed
participate in the system.
on campus students to
and at the -Madeleine Kunin, shadow them
capitol in for a day have
bicentennial scholar in
Montpelier, been a posi-
where they sit residence tive addition Eric Skovsted
Madeleine Kunin jokes with students as she passes back a major paper during her Winter Term class in Geonomics.
in on legislative sessions, hear guest to the course, Kunin asserted. "I
speakers and learn the ins and outs know most of them through my ment in Vermont works. This her political roots are. She believes professor."
of Vermont politics. own political journey in Vermont," should be of interest to all students, the growth of the women's move- What both students noticed was
she added. said Kunin, because it is now a na- ment, as well as the struggle to pre- the respect that Kunin still gar-
Kunin's philosophy for the course Kunin feels the lecturers and leg- tional issue that Vermont initiated. serve Vermont's environment pro- nered in Montpelier. "She is a very
islators added to the learning ex- pelled her into politics. clear leader," said Day. People were
"The point of this course is to perience. "There were all terrific The experience in Montpelier Born in Switzerland, Kunin ar- always stopping her in the halls and
give a hands-on experience of how and very cooperative," she said. rived in the United States in 1940. thanking her for what she had done
state and local government works," "They like to work with students One day in Montpelier was spent She came to Vermont in 1958 as a in Vermont."
said Kunin."We have a living lab in because they see them as future learning about the civil union issue, reporter with The Burlington Free Day felt the day spent shadowing
Montpelier for politics. Vermont is leaders." with attorney Susan Murray, who Press. In 1972, she ran for the Ver- a legislator was worthwhile. She
a special place in that you can get The students focused on the re- argued the case before the Vermont mont House of Representatives shadowed Nancy Chard, D-Wind-
up close in government because cent civil union law as a case study Supreme Court. Two of the plain- representing Burlington and won sor, the chair of the Health and Wel-
there are no formalities to keep you to see how the system of govern- tiffs in the case, Stan Baker and her first election. fare Committee. Day found Chard's
Civil unions, abortion Peter Harrigan, then told their side Midway through her third term discussion of compliance testing
of the case. in the House, Kunin decided to run with merchants to combat the sale
"I wanted the students to see for lieutenant governor. Four years of alcohol to minors especially in-
focus of legislative debate
how this issue became a law in Ver- at this level pushed her to run for teresting.
mont," said Kunin. "It is important governor in 1982. Her defeat by in- Chard has been with the legisla-
By Adam White House Speaker Walter Breed's of- to see how to take a new concept, cumbent Richard Snelling did not ture for many years and gave Day
Staff Writer fice Jan. 22, "telling him to get with especially one not adopted in any dissuade her from running in 1984, insight on the process. "She reflect-
in the past weeks, the Vermont the program," referring to the anti- other state or federal arena, and when she won the seat, serving for ed on the freshman legislators and
State Legislature has been dealing civil unions movement. Stertzbach turn it into legislation." three terms. In her six years, the constant transition in each ses-
with issues related to civil unions, operates a political, action com- Tom Little, the chair of sion," said Day.
Before coming to Montpelier, the
abortion and Act 250. mittee called "The Vt. Defense of the committee that wrote Johnston shadowed Fran-
On Jan. 18, Rep. Nancy Sheltra, Marriage PAC." He mailed 30,000 the civil union law, spoke to class discussed competition in cis Brooks D-Montpelier, the
R-Derby, introduced a bill that letters throughout the state, aided the students, allowing them government, but we saw that only African-American in
would repeal the civil unions law. by "the Public Advocate of the to see the dynamics that the House. "When the legis-
much can be accomplished.This
The bill states, "A civil union or US "a conservative direct-mail or- went into its drafting. lature was debating the
reciprocal beneficiaries relation- ganization based in Virginia, On Jan. 18, the students has given me faith in politics and a Ashcroft confirmation, he
ship established pursuant to the He said that he believes that witnessed Republican Rep- stood up and gave a speech
better understanding of how local
act shall be void." According to The what he calls the "radical homo- resentative Nancy Sheltra opposing Ashcroft's confir-
Rutland Herald, the House Judi- sexual lobby" is seeking to jail reli- sponsor a resolution to be politics works. mation," said Johnston. "He
ciary Committee will review the gious figures: who call homosexu- sent to the U.S. Senate, urg- —Sarah Day '01 has been on the Appropria-
bill, as well as six or seven other ality a sin; revoke the licenses of ing the confirmation of for- tions Committee [which ap
bills that would change the civil businesses that do not "service the mer Missouri Senator John Kunin's achievements included fur- proves the budget] for many years
unions law. homosexual marriage industry"; Ashcroft as attorney general. thering reforms in education, envi- and has been in the legislature for
Judiciary Committee Chair- and force churches and day cares "There was quite a discussion over ronment and children's services. 20 years."
woman Peg Flory, R-Pittsford, is to hire homosexuals "even if they Ashcroft, especially if he would be In 1994, Kunin was appointed The experience gave Day and
introducing a bill that would ex- have AIDS" of interest to Vermonters," said deputy U.S. secretary of education Johnston a heightened appreciation
tend the protections offered under His letter also criticizes Repub- Kunin. "The resolution was defeat- and was instrumental in enacting for Vermont lawmakers. "It has
the civil unions law to other cou- licans who do not support repeal ed, and it was interesting for the President Clinton's education re- been great to see that government
ples, including relatives,; of the civil unions law. Stertzbach students to see the deliberations." form program. She became U.S. works," said Day. "Before coming to
However, Chief Assistant Attor- Kunin is "very impressed" with ambassador to Switzerland in 1996, Montpelier, the class discussed
ney General William Griffin be- ; ed to support a repeal of the law the student's level of scholarship. facilitating the return of Swiss bank competition in government, but we
lieves that such a broadening of based on the support of anti-civil "They are enthusiastic, ask good account funds to Holocaust sur- saw that much can be accom-
the law would not he consistent union voters for Republicans in questions and are sharp," she said. vivors in the United States. plished. This has given me faith in
with the decision in Baker v. State the November election, "From their questions and com- politics and a better understanding
of Vermont Griffin said, "1 think ments I think they are enjoying the Students express enthusiasm of how local politics works."
tire bottom line is the easier case to course. It gives them an opportuni- Johnston concurred, pointing to
defend is if you created a third sys- ty to think about politics and how Kunin's credentials impressed the fact that Vermont has a citizen's
tem for this group you describe." v. Wade. Meanwhile. Sheitra they can participate in the system." her students. Katie Johnston '02 legislature, where the legislators
Earlier in the week, Beth Robin- a bill requiring She feels that there is heightened was interested in the class because only meet for six months out of the
son, one of the lawyers in Baker, ol skepticism and cynicism regarding she knew about Kunin's history in year, as a reason why many were so
was quoted in The Herald as stat- for minors. She said, "A politics, and the only hope for a Vermont politics. "I was also very open. "They were all so approach-
ing/'We don't seek from this body ents are concerned their strong democracy in the future is interested in finding out about how able and happy to talk to us during
any bill this session. Vermont has power is being us 1 think that "this generation of young peo- politics works on a state and local their breaks and at lunch about po-
been through a lot. I think we're all parents want to have knowlei ple must be willing to be engaged in level, and wanted to get an idea litical issues," she said.
ready to heal" ;.; : any medical procedure beini er- participation." She is confident that about how laws were made," said She was impressed that many
She made her statement in re- formed fon their children]." "in this microcosim of Vermont, Johnston. legislators sent surveys to their con-
sponse to the urgings of Rep. Dun- Leslie Black, Vermont chair- you can achieve change enough to Sarah Day, '01 found the ap- stituents asking how they should
can Kilmartin, R-Newport to ex- woman of the National Abortion the time to keep you optimistic." proach to the course appealing. "I vote and were very active in local
tend full marriage rights to Rights Action League, said that the was intrigued by the experiential activities.'Tt is refreshing to see that
same-sex couples. proposal "means that many of Kunin's political background part and wanted to witness what they represent their constituents
David Stertzbach, the pastor of them could be seriously injured took place in the state house," said and it is nice to see that there are
the Trinity Baptist Church in and some could die all in order to For Kunin, it is interesting to go Day. "I had also heard that pure forms of democracy practiced
Williston, delivered petitions to avoid telling their parents." to Montpelier, because that is where Madeleine Kunin was an excellent in Vermont," she concluded.
LOCAL NEWS
January 31,2001
Soeuth's early life brings reflection
(continued from page 6) Soeuth had been enrolled in the ed scope and lack of controversy;
Do." All three boys took Tae Kwan Hannaford Career Center at political figures were protected
Do lessons, and it became a way for MUHS, a regional vocational pro- from press coverage.
Soeuth to combat the teasing that gram. "He loved working with his In the fall of 1995, Adam began
he attracted in school. Once his hands to fix things," said William. an internship with Wayne Barret at
skills became known, he rarely en- After graduating, Soeuth worked at The Village Voice in New York City.
countered any harassment. local car garages before becoming After the internship, he became a
In 1984, Soeuth entered sixth a certified mechanic with Ryder full-time reporter. During his stay
grade at the age of 15, after nine Trucks in Burlington. at The Voice, he began writing a
years without any formal educa- "Soeuth has done very well," said piece about Soeuth, but due to a
tion. He learned to read, but as William. "He is married and lives a change in editors it never ran. At
William stated, few of the Cambo- successful life." As a supervisor in a this time, he had applied to Co-
dian children became fluent. His factory in Maiden, Mass., Soeuth lumbia Journalism School.
talent in math, however, was re- has "a responsible job and works
markable. Soeuth tutored Adam, in hard to support his family." The book becomes a reality
algebra, another bond shared be- William maintained that Adam
tween them. and David learned much from Adam entered Columbia Jour-
Soeuth's work ethic. "He studied nalism School but it was a brief
Adam and Soeuth move in different constantly to improve his English," stay. "One of my professors was
directions said Jean. "As a speech pathologist, Sam Freedman, a former writer for
it was hard for me to see him strug- The New York Times',' Adam said."I
Jean and William noted that gle, but his diligence paid off." gave him my article on Soeuth as a Courtesy of the Fifield Family
Adam always had a flair for writ- Adam attended Bates College in sample, and he told me it had po- Soeuth Saut (middle) sits outside of the Fifield family's farm house in
ing. He began by writing "Choose Lewiston, Maine, majoring in po- tential as a book. Sam advised me Middlebury with his adopted mother Jean and his brother Adam.
Your Own Adventure" books and litical science and theater. He par- to drop out, found me an agent and
moved on to being the editor of ticipated in the newspaper and got me a book deal in April 1997." A Blessing Over Ashes was list- Bosnian refugees hosted by
The Tiger's Print at Middlebury eventually branched out to work In writing his book, Adam re- ed on The Los Angeles Times and Soeuth's first family. Aida wanted to
Union High School (MUHS). on the local Lewiston paper as well. connected with Soeuth. They had The Washington Post's Best Books find a family to take her sister, who
"I was a real straight-arrow in seen each other on the holidays, of the Year list. "That was surpris- was unable to attend high school
high school," Adam admitted. His Adam's flair for writing flourishes but lived different lives. Adam's ing, because there are so many because Sarajevo was under siege.
activism gained him a reputation, awareness of Soeuth's childhood books printed each year," Adam Ibricevic was unavailable for com-
as he took it upon himself to ban "In terms of my transition to grew throughout the years. said. "For me, this is a book about ment as she is away for Winter
smoking at MUHS. "Many of being a writer, I always wanted to One important aspect of this oc- brotherhood, which can be a very Term.
Soeuth's friends became my adver- be either a writer, a political ac- curred when Adam returned to elusive bond. It is also about the "Having Soeuth and Amila has
saries since they were smokers, but tivist or a politician," said Adam. Cambodia with Soeuth in 1997. Fi- journey to adulthood for Soeuth given us an appreciation of living
he never confronted me and con- "While working with my high field describes this vividly in his and myself." in this country," said William.
gratulated me when I succeeded." school's paper, I realized that I book, showing Soeuth come to "Soeuth went through more trau-
As editor of The Tiger's Print, liked influencing public opinion. terms with his birth family. The Fifield's legacy of helping ma in his first 15 years than we will
Adam tried to "shake things up" by Later on, I realized that writing was "Soeuth would say things here others continues go though in a lifetime."
discussing racism and hate crimes. the best way to do that." and there about life in Cambodia "Their experiences of living in
He founded a civil rights group to After graduating from Bates in and I read books about life under The Fifield's took in Bosnian war-torn places give us a perspec-
promote the issue at MUHS. He at- 1994, Adam took a job as a reporter the Khmer Rouge, but stuff came Amila Ibricevic '01 in 1993, con- tive of how easy our lives are," Jean
tributes the liberal atmosphere in in the San Juan Islands off the coast out in our discussions that I could tinuing their legacy of caring for said. "We didn't have any idea what
the community to his success of Washington. He was one of two have never imagined," he said. "I others. Her sister, Aida, was attend- we were getting into when we took
After Soeuth graduated, he and reporters for the local paper, but must have spent over 1,000 hours ing Middlebury College at the time in Soeuth, but we took a chance
Adam went in separate directions. found it confining due to the limit- talking to him about his early life." and met the Fifields at a. party for and felt secure about our decision."
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January 31,2001 OPINIONS
Page 9
A u t h or Robert Cohen's w ay with words opens critics' eyes
By Claire Bourne ously attempting to complete her
Features Editor dissertation on Thoreau.
Have you ever experienced one Bonnie's problem? She can't
sleepless night after another, tossing sleep."I wonder whether anyone has
and turning and trying desperately done insomnia so well since Gilbert
to drift into slumber? What if there and Sullivan's 'When You're Lying
existed a remedy—a miracle drug Awake With a Dismal Headache,'"
that not only guaranteed satisfying wrote Richard Eder of The New York
sleep, but also thrilling dreams and Times.
a sense of refreshment and reinvig- In an age when medication exists
oration in the morning? Would you for any and every ailment—mental
take it? or physi-
I don't dismiss plot, but it's not
This is cal—it is
the ques- my primary interest. I think no sur-
tion prise that
fundamentally a book is made
Robert Bonnie
Cohen, as- out of words, so the words have turns to
sistant to do something on the page. Professor
professor Howard
Characters don't exist, so they
of English Heflin's
at Middle- only matter if words bring them "super
bury, ex- mood
to life.
plores in pill" in
—Robert Cohen, assistant
his latest hopes of
novel, "In- professor of English curing her
spired insomnia.
Eric Skovsted
Sleep." Released this month to an It works - for a while. But all good
Robert Cohen's latest book, "Inspired Sleep," released this month to inspiring reviews in The New York Times.
encouraging review in the Jan. 12 things must come to an end, and it
issue of The New York Times, Cohen's is through these ruins of Bonnie's come chapter one of "Inspired depressant drug." the story is until the end of the first
story focuses on 39-year-old Bonnie life, not to mention the underhand- Sleep.""I liked dealing with the pro- How does Cohen mold these draft."
Saks, a divorced mother of two who ed way in which Heflin obtains gov- tagonist [Bonnie], and I wanted to characters? "Intuitively?' he respond- Real life plays a minor role in
is now pregnant by a man she ernment approval for his drugs, that spend more time with her," he ex- ed. "I begin with a vague thematic Cohen's character sketches. For in-
loathes. Struggling to pay her bills, Cohen reveals a"satiric attack on the plained. The concept for this novel sense of what's wrong with them. stance, he applied several "juicy lit-
Bonnie earns a meager salary at a ethics of the drug industry," Eder was born when Cohen fused his I'm interested in putting them in sit- tle details that came from one or an-
lesser-known Boston college teach- commented. original character with the fact that uations that put pressure on their other friend" to personages in the
ing literature courses to "culture-de- A few years ago, Cohen wrote a "almost everyone I knew on the problems. It's a slow way of writing novel. He also incorporated "some-
prived" students, while simultane- short story that was destined to be- planet was on one or another anti- because I literally don't know what thing I do with my kid to make him
go to sleep" to add a personal touch.
F r om d u sk 'til d a w n: a danee*a*thon diary After creating credible charac-
ters, Cohen looks next to the story
line. "Plot is an important element
By Kristine Palmero hungry for attention, filling the social space with heavy fog. Brouwer, because I'm not particularly good at
Staff Writer #202, introduces himself and begins dancing using his entire body. it. 1 don't really think that way," he
"In about three to four years when this dance-a-thon is the biggest Most of us, in contrast, consciously pace ourselves, doing a few Tae-Bo admitted. "I don't dismiss plot, but
fundraising event on campus," said Lindsay Gardner '03, "we can say moves and shifting our weight from left to right foot. "He's going to it's not my primary interest." It is
that we were the first ones to dance 'til sunrise." burn out soon if he keeps that up," Luna says. I think everyone in the simply a device "just to keep people
From 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Jan. 26-27, during Middlebury's first room is a little worried about his early exhaustion. awake—a vehicle to get where I'm
dance-a-thon, 10 students raised more than 800 dollars in pledges to Midnight. Food consumed: two blue cotton candies, a handful of going." Central to Cohen's work,
help Addison County's fuel assistance program. goldfish and three plastic cups of water. There are now about 15 stu- however, is language. "I think fun-
The town of Middlebury was the greatest supporter, with gift cer- dents on the dance floor. None of us can believe that we have been damentally a book is made out of
tificates from Fire & Ice, Ben & Jerry's, Rosie's, Moody's, Noonies and dancing for only three hours. Ben "DJ Hektik" Weber '01 plays Britney words, so the words have to do
Dada, an airline ticket to anywhere in the continental United States Spears's "Oops! I Did It Again!" and for the next two hours, I feel an something on the page; otherwise
from Accent Travels and overwhelming amount nothing else matters," he explained.
a pair of silver earrings of love and affection for "Characters don't exist, so they only
from Middlebury Jewel- him. "I have a lot of re- matter if words bring them to life."
ry and Design. spect for what you guys Inherent to the writing process is
9:15 p.m. McCul- are doing," he shouts out the task of revising. Cohen knows
lough. Mandatory pre- over Jennifer Lopez. this well. "You have to make self-
dance meeting. Rhonda "Make your requests." doubt your friend," he said. "If you
Moore '01, Middlebury 1:45 a.m. I am deliri- can't handle self-doubt, you're going
College Activities Board ously tired and so are to be defeated by it." He tackled draft
(MCAB) social chair the two other members after draft of manuscript revisions -
and event organizer, on my team. We have five in total, not to mention rewrit-
gives us our tee-shirts been dancing for almost ing a page here and a page there. In
and we pick a neon four straight hours. fact, the author maintained that he
number, to pin to our Three people—who spent more time revising than actu-
backs. Moore reads the have just arrived—walk ally penning the first draft "by a lot."
rules: at least two-thirds by and tell us to keep In the end, it took Cohen three
of the team must be dancing. One reminds years to perfect Bonnie's story.
dancing, no leaning us, "Just remember "Writing a book takes a really long
against furniture or the you're doing this for a time," he explained, emphasizing the
stage, 15-minute good cause." I tell him, amount of concentration needed to
stretching breaks every and anyone else who will complete this sort of project. "Plus,
couple of hours. I imag- listen, about my heart you feel like you're missing it nine-
ine a 10-hour night Den orouwer condition—nothing se- tenths of the time."
straight out of American participants the first annual MCAB Charity Dance-a-Thon muster smiles last Sunday. rious, but it seemed like As for publishing the book, aspir-
in
Bandstand. MCAB, — —— - the only legitimate justi- ing writers "should know as little as
which had originally brainstormed the dance-a-thon idea during a fall fication I had for sitting on the windowsill in front of the boys' bath- possible about the publication
orientation meeting looked to different colleges' dancing and fundrais- room and mumbling expletives under my breath. It also seemed like a process because it will discourage
ing projects for ideas. Using the University of Michigan's annual char- fine way to guilt-trip the people who said in their high-pitched voices, them," Cohen asserted. He left it at
ity dance as a model, Moore, with the help of Lisa Bennett '02, Corinne "Get up and dance." I also wanted their pity. that.
Lemay '04, Craig Pittman '04 and the social committee, began work- 2 a.m. All doors of McCullough are locked. Limbo contest. Cohen is aware of his weakness-
ing out the details over the last few weeks of fall semester. 3:05 a.m. Two-thirds of the team is sitting on-stage. Brouwer is still es and his strengths. Eder's only
I open my overnight bag: eye drops, a bottle of water, flannel paja- dancing at the same rate at which he started five hours earlier. He rolls qualms with this book were the
mas, a toothbrush and leave-in conditioner, which I had inadvertently up his pants legs and drinks out of his water bottle. We are green with plot's "noticeable fictional bumps."
grabbed instead of a foot massager. "Come on, team!" Moore says. "We jealousy over his energy."There must be something in the water," Watts The author's attention to language
can do it!" I look around. The collective team consists of eight other says. As I am lying on the stage, I remember an earlier conversation with paid off, as Eder proclaimed the
students: Gardner, Ben Brouwer '04, Jill Anderson '01, Yara Luna '03, a friend about Suzanne Sommers and Thigh-Master infomercials. I try work a "talented novel," "incitingly
Hilary Watts '01, Lindsay Perlmutter '03, Sommerville Johnston '02 and to move my left leg but it is asleep. My eyes follow suit 34 seconds later. well written" and referred to Cohen
Ginny Hunt '03. 3:12 a.m. I wake up. I look at my watch and am a little disappoint- as an "acute and fresh-voiced novel-
10: 23 p.m. The lights are turned down low. The smoke machine is (see 'Heroes,'page II) (see Cohen, page 11)
FEATURES
Page 10
January 31,2001
Pack reads cosmic poetry Snowy saunter
What
in Middlebury 'paradise'
About
By Megan Michelson Life and Beyond." With presenta-
Bob? StoffWriter tions by professor of Biology Sallie
A lot has changed at Middlebury Sheldon and Professor of Physics
College over the last 35 years. One Rich Wolfson, the discussion gave
man who has been around to wit- insight into the latest scientific un-
By Bob Wainwright ness those changes is Robert Pack, derstandings of the evolution of
Sports Editor
professor emeritus of English and the universe, while incorporating
Recently, many people have talented poet, who taught at Mid- Pack's recitation of his original
been asking me, "Hey, Bob! Why dlebury from 1964 to 1998. poems on biological and cosmic
does The Campus only come out Throughout his years here he evolution,
every other week during J-term? was able to accomplish a tremen- For Wolfson, who has worked at
And by the way, may I just add dous amount, leaving a long lasting the College for 25 years, it was a
that you look great today!" Well, impact on the college community, great experience to be able to work
since there's no better time than Pack recently returned to campus for the first time with both Pack
the present to answer such a for one nd Shel-
a
query, here you go. week to i love working with young don. "The
Back in 1891, when Adolphus
help teach a people. It keeps me feeling presentation
Campus {for whom the paper
was named, obviously) was edi- ST fresh and youthful. - ££
tor-in-chief, he decided that course, par- Middlebury is a part of me; it's was a good
since the average student sleeps ticipate in a way to get
a t Qf p s y c he
twice as much during January présenta- r ' r '
fo-
than the rest of the year, two Jan- tion on cos- —Robert Pack, professor ^rested in
uary weeks are really only one mic evolu- emeritus of English the subject
week when it comes down to it. tion, — matter," said
If you still don't understand, just
conduct a poetry reading and visit Wolfson. Working with Pack was
think about people you know
old friends and colleagues. also an additional advantage to Andrew Corrigan
who were born on Feb. 29, and In his years working at the Col- raising awareness and interest in Surrounded by dancing snow flurries, a Middlebury student treks
try again in a few minutes. So lege, Pack played an important role the ideas of evolution. He contin- across campus last Thursday in front of Ross Commons.
even though the newspaper is
in the English Department. He ued, "Pack has done a lot for the
technically bi-weekly during Jan-
founded the creative writing pro- College. He speaks his mind open- expression, but it's also a form of lieve that those who love teaching
uary, realistically it is still coming
gram and served as director of the ly and is a rigorous advocate of communication,"said Pack. He cer- should never give it up entirely,"
out every week.
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference for making this a more academic and tainly communicated his utter pas- said Pack. He appreciated the op-
Personally this is a HUGE 22 years. thoughtful place." sion for writing to his audience. portunity to return to Middlebury
issue for yours truly, because this Upon returning to campus, he Pack himself also enjoyed the Pack is now able to spend a little and work on a very part time basis,
happens to be my 25th "What noticed many improvements and opportunity to engage in a sympo- more time developing his passion "I love working with young peo-
About Bob?" While it seems like changes but said he also appreciat- sium that combined poetry and and engaging in the activities that pie. It keeps me feeling fresh and
only yesterday that I wrote my ed what has been preserved. "It's scientific beliefs. "I like to think of he loves best. He is currently living youthful," he said. Being back on
very first column on how taking bigger and more difficult to find a science as another form of story- in Montana campus
a philosophy class can screw you parking spot, but the students are telling," he said. Physics and read-
up for the rest of your life, it was still as driven and focused as they ings on evolution have actually in- S and [The campus] is bigger and ^
actually 343 days ago, to be exact. always were," said Pack. spired some of Pack's poetry. "I teaching it's more difficult to find a back some
So, the more I think about it, Pack also enjoyed the opportu- take material from evolutionary
courses on parking spot, but the students memories
this is probably the most impor- nity to see old acquaintances. "It ideas and find ways to work that
tant piece of work Fve done for was a wonderful visit. I have really into lyric and narrative tech- and^iitera- are still as driven and focused ^
the newspaper since my sixth missed my old friends. If I had niques," said Pack. Some other of ture part- as they always were. "Middle-
column, which holds a special stayed any longer it would have Pack's influences include Vermont time at the bury is a
place in my heart, for it was when been too hard to leave," said Pack. landscapes, family relationships, University part of me.
1 started using verbs. Yeah, those During his visit, Pack con- human intimacy and his years at of Montana —Robert Pack I've given so
verbs really spiced things up. Of tributed to Stan Bates' Freud and Middlebury. in Missoula. much of
course, "What About Bob?" did Philosophy Winter Term class. Author of 18 books of poetry "I have a little more time for myself for 34 years that it's a part of
miss one issue in March of last "It was nice to work with Mid- and countless critical essays, Pack reading and writing, which is a my psyche," said Pack. Although he
year, due to an unfortunate cir- dlebury students again. They are shared some of his poems at a po- good thing for me at this time in enjoys living in Montana, he will
cumstance, in which I was given always very involved," commented etry reading in Mitchell Green my life," he explained. always fondly remember his years
a weeklong leave of absence for Pack. Lounge on Jan. 18. Poetry has al- Writing and teaching have al- at Middlebury. "Give me a lively
continually forgetting to end my Pack also read poetry during a ways been an outlet for his ways gone hand in hand for Pack, group of students and a great liter-
paragraphs with periods
joint presentation titled "Cosmic thoughts and a way for him to ex- who still finds pleasure in instruct- ary text and I'm in paradise," he
This particular column also Evolution: from the Big Bang to press himself. "Poetry is a form of ing college students. "I strongly be- said.
finds me in a little bit of sadness,
for it was only yesterday that the
Cleveland Browns... oops, 1
mean the Baltimore Ravens,
C A M P US
grabbed my Cinderella-story G-
men by the throat and, in re-
sponse to my pleas for a Super
Bowl, shouted "Nevermore!" For
What was the most important
those of you who do not follow
football, this was heralded as the
most unlikely of Super Bowls,
television event of Winter Term?
because the Ravens made it to
the big game using only defen-
sive players ail season. And the
Compiled by Claire Bourne Photos by Alex Westra
Giants, who looked horrible in
certain games, such as the one
with the Rams, were actually
made up of former members of
the Swarthmore football team,
who were booted off-campus
following their season this tall.
The turning point for the Gi-
ants came when the team had
just suffered a devastating loss to
the Rams, After the game, coach
Jim Fassell told reporters, "It will 'The presidential inauguration The Super Bowl because it "Temptation island' because it's The engagement of Jack and
be a fluke if this team even makes because of Laura Bush's dress." entailed eating lots of free chick- nice to see creative new shows Jill."
en wings at The Grille." that confirm why TV was invent-
the playoffs. From now on, we
ed."
will play with regulation size
(see Misses, page 13) -Uzay Topuz '03 -Ryan Denertey '03 -Rick Jamgochian '03 -McKalyn Garrity '04