Alcohol Task Force Members Chosen
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The Middlebury Campus Vol. 110, No. 6 Thursday, October 20, 2011 Since 1905 Recca elected SGA president in runoff him an unfair edge over the candi- By Kyle Finck dates who refrained from breaking News Editor the rules.” Vin Recca ’12 is this year’s Stu- Associate Dean of Students for dent Government Association (SGA) Residential Life and Student Life Pol- President, defeating Nathan LaBarba icy Doug Adams said he first received ’14 in a run-off election 452 votes to the campaigning violation on Mon- 231 on Oct. 14. day, Oct. 10. “This election demonstrated that “I sent it to the elections coun- students want an experienced leader cil, which is where it’s supposed to that will make the SGA do what it’s go, and the elections council met on supposed to do,” Recca said. “This is a Tuesday to discuss it, and again on mandate on experience.” Wednesday,” he said. “Officially the None of the five presidential elections chair can make the call, but candidates won more than 50 percent since the regulations were so new she of the votes, prompting a run-off be- [Caroline Regan ’12] didn’t want to tween the top two vote getters. make it by herself so they called the Andrew Podrygula, Photos Editor While Recca and Mugo Muto- meeting.” Over thirty members of the College community marched in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protest Oct. 13. thori ’12 received top votes in the first Mutothori said his dismissal election — 380 and 212 respectively stemmed from text messages he sent — Mutothori was disqualified for to his friends. Occupy Wall St. hits Middlebury campaigning after polls opened, vio- “I just told people to vote lating Section VI Articles 4 and 5 of through a text message and they By Adam Schaffer with the Occupy Wall Street pro- sions for everyone to follow.” the campaign rules. [SGA] used that as grounds for dis- News Editor tests through conversation and Sparking conversation, not hand- In an Oct. 12 email, the SGA an- qualifying my candidacy,” he said. Students and faculty joined action. ing down an agenda from the top, nounced the first-year senator elec- Mutothori said candidates have together Oct. 13 to march in soli- Last week’s Occupy has been the goal so far. tion winners and Mutothori’s dis- done far worse in the past. darity with the Occupy Wall Street Middlebury events were orga- The conversation at the soli- qualification. “Last year, we all got an email protests in New York. Entering its nized by a group of five students darity march began with a few “Several allegations were made telling us to vote for a certain can- fourth week of protests against — Hanna Mahon ’13.5, Kristina comments by the student orga- to the Elections Council about Mugo didate, and the year before, we all economic inequality and injustice, Johansson ’14, Adam Jones ’13, nizers, emphasizing the general soliciting votes after the designated got Facebook messages to vote for a the Occupy Wall Street movement Grace Wildermuth ’14 and Jessica premise of the protests. campaigning period ended,” said the certain candidate. How come they has spread to over 100 cities in the Munyon ’13 — who traveled to “Right here and right now we Council in a statement. “As a Council weren’t disqualified?” he said. “No- United States and throughout the New York to see the protests first- are using our agency as human we felt that not only was this in direct body stops talking to their friends world. hand. However, they emphasize violation of the rules, but also it gave The march at the College, that the movement belongs to the See Occupy, page 2 See Mutothori, page 2 which was followed by a panel students. discussion of the broader implica- “We’re not trying to be the tions of the movement on Oct. 14, leaders of a movement,” Wilder- Orientation trips’ future is unclear muth said. Johansson added that, stemmed from a loosely organized By Paul Warnke contract the SGA had with the MMC not wanting to set the precedent like the Wall Street protests, they group on Facebook called Occupy Staff Writer has come to an end, putting the exis- that it would become a permanently Middlebury. Though not engag- want this to be a “real grassroots The Student Government As- tence of an orientation trips program funded SGA operation,” said Nathan ing in any long-term occupation, democracy … [without] people sociation (SGA), Middlebury Moun- in jeopardy. LaBarba ’14, the SGA’s liaison to the group seeks to show solidarity behind the scenes making deci- tain Club (MMC) and Old Chapel MMC and SGA conceived of OINK. are reworking the funding for a first- OINK as a transitory operation that Last winter, Anne Runkel ’11, year pre-orientation trips program. provided incoming first years the senior class senator, submitted a bill Alcohol task force Since the College cut Middlebury opportunity to explore Vermont’s to the administration proposing the Outdoor Orientation (MOO) and its natural beauty while giving the ad- formation of a new mandatory trip successor, MiddView, from its budget ministration time to devise a new program embedded in orientation. in 2008, the Middlebury Mountain orientation program. Dean of the College and Chief members chosen Club (MMC), with funding from the In its essence, OINK was a Diversity Officer Shirley Collado rec- SGA, assumed the management of “band-aid solution,” said Joanie ognized the importance of orienta- lege community, Collado described its own student-run orientation trips Thompson ’14, senator and Speaker tion trips, and noted that the admin- By Kara Shurmantine of the Senate. Editor-in-Chief the task force as “a working and program, Outdoor Introduction for action-oriented group” and enu- New Kids (OINK). But the three-year “SGA stepped in to fund OINK In a campus-wide email sent See Mandatory, page 3 merated the questions to which she Monday, Oct. 17, Dean of the Col- expects it to devote its energies, such lege and Chief Diversity Officer as “review[ing] the quality and va- Shirley Collado announced the riety of social options on campus, names of appointees to the recently assess[ing] the positive and negative formed Task Force on Alcohol and role that alcohol plays in the student Social Life. social experience” and proposing Dean of Students Katy Smith- policies and presenting new ideas Abbott and Bob Ritter, head coach to address student, faculty and staff of varsity football and assistant concerns. coach of varsity men’s lacrosse, will Student appointees expressed co-chair the committee, which is their enthusiasm for working on comprised of seven students, three the task force and for bringing their faculty and three staff members. own unique perspective to bear on “We wanted to be thoughtful its mission. about how we could get students “I’m excited to be a part of the from all walks of life on the task [task force], and I’m looking for- force,” said Collado. “I think we have ward to the first meeting,” Becca a good assortment of people who Shaw ’12, a varsity field hockey bring with them different expecta- and ice hockey player and a Super tions of the social life at Middlebury.” Block member, wrote in an email. The task force represents the “I am eager to represent two athletic culmination of a yearlong effort teams, the social houses and the rest Sopheak Chheng on the part of the administration of the students.” StudentS deScend on Middlebury in queSt for Snitch to address the role alcohol plays in Josh Taylor ’12 tackles snitch Chris Johnson ’12 to end the game during the first annual Middlebury student life. In her email to the Col- See Task force, page 4 Classic on Sunday, Oct. 16, on Battell Beach. Read more about snitches, quaffles and injuries on page 3. The flavors of Vermont Asking Tony Poetry at Mead Read about Tony and the Vermont Get the scoop on Vermont’s ice Former poet laureate Billy Collins Children’s Hospital Miracle Network, cream celebs, Ben and Jerry, gives a reading to the College, page 14. page 6. page 17. this week this 2 20 October 2011 campusnews Occupy Middlebury stirs debate Continued from page 1 He was echoed by Nick Smaller ’14 Oct. 14 panel discussion on Occupy Wall who was filming. Street, arguing that the movement should beings to challenge the system that contin- “There’s almost just a feel of doing it specifically work with and strengthen the ues to fail people worldwide, moment after because they feel like they need something student-led Advisory Committee on So- moment, and day after day,” Munyon said to protest against,” he said. cially Responsible Investing (ACSRI), to the crowd. Other students focused on the move- which has some — though minimal — in- beyond Mahon followed, reminding the partic- ment’s lack of tangible goals, and ques- fluence on how the endowment is invested. ipants that this protest was not something tioned why the protesters were not imme- Of the $4 million committed to these new, but rather the “investments that generate long-term so- the bubble continuing of a tra- There’s almost a feeling cial, environmental, and economic value,” by Melanie Haas dition of civic action Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Staff Columnist at the College that of doing it just because Patrick Norton wrote in an email, $2.4 mil- has included such lion has been invested. Despite the disapproval from the Euro- they feel like they need actions as protests Organizers were open to the idea of pean Union, Russia and the United States, a against apartheid in partnering with ACSRI, though resisted Kiev courtroom sentenced Yulia V.