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(03/14/19 9:51am)

Women’s Ice Hockey Comes Up Short Against Williams in NESCAC Championship

(03/07/19 11:00am)

The Middlebury women’s hockey team wrapped up their year this weekend, placing second in the NESCAC tournament and missing out on an NCAA tournament bid after an excellent season.In the semifinals, the 10th-ranked Panthers beat out Hamilton to go to their fifth title game in a row. After a scoreless first period, sophomore Shayla Coates got Middlebury on the board with a redirected shot from senior captain Jenna Marotta for her first collegiate goal. Just over halfway through the period, junior Sidney Portner sent another redirection past the Hamilton goaltender on the powerplay to double the lead. In the third period, first year Jenna Letterie received a breakaway pass from sophomore Madie Leidt and lifted the puck into the net for a short-handed goal. Less than a minute later, Hamilton’s Nancy Loh scored on the powerplay, bringing the score to 3-1. The semifinal win sent Middlebury to seek their fourth consecutive NESCAC crown against first-seeded Williams, who had won the season’s previous two contests 2-1.The championship game started off with even play in the first period. Middlebury got on the board first as Letterie won an offensive zone faceoff and found Leidt, who fired a shot from the top of the circle past Williams’ goalie Chloe Heiting with just over three minutes remaining. Two minutes later, Williams retaliated with a shot from Brynn Puppe that slipped through traffic and past junior goaltender Lin Han. In the second period, Williams took their first lead of the game with a power play goal just over three minutes in. Halfway through the period, Middlebury took advantage of a 4-on-3 opportunity to even the score. Junior Anna Zumwinkle’s shot hit bodies in front of the net before slipping past Heiting. In the dying minutes of the period, Han came up with a big save on a one-on-one breakaway opportunity for the Ephs, keeping the score 2-2 to start the third period.Williams broke the tie nine minutes in as Meghan Halloran one-timed a shot inside the post after a cross-ice pass. Head coach Bill Mandigo pulled Han for the extra skater and, with a minute left, Middlebury once again enacted some late-game heroics and appeared to score a game-tying goal. Marotta’s shot from the right point appeared to have crossed the goal line after bouncing around in front of Williams’ net. However, after a lengthy meeting, the officials waved off the goal, cutting off Middlebury’s last chance for overtime by citing the use of a high stick. Williams won its second NESCAC title in program history (previously in 2014) and will go on to the NCAA tournament.The Panthers finished an excellent season with a record of 16-8-3. Marotta and Leidt were named First-Team All-NESCAC selections - Marotta’s second straight and Leidt’s first after being named Rookie of the Year last season. Though the Panthers will lose a valuable group of four seniors in Marotta, alternate captain Rachael St. Clair, Katherine Jackson and Katarina Shuchuk, a strong group of underclassmen look to continue Middlebury’s legacy of success.

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(03/07/19 10:57am)

Speaker Series Sheds Light on China’s Economic Rise

(03/07/19 10:57am)

Speaking to a full audience in the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs Conference Room, Changyong Rhee P ’21, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), asserted that Asia must not be ignored in the 21st century.“I strongly believe that your generation cannot miss the opportunity of China and Asia as a whole,” he said, drawing on his background as an academic, economist, policy advisor and parent.Rhee’s is the first lecture in the China@70 speaker series, a five-part set of lectures designed to provide a deeper perspective of the People’s Republic of China in light of the 70th Anniversary of its founding and the 40th anniversary of U.S.-China relations.Allan Lei ’21 played an integral role in designing the speaker lineup. Lei attributes the current tensions and problems between the U.S. and China to people’s lack of understanding about the country. “With this series, I’m hoping to help bridge that divide and allow students to have a more clear understanding of the nation and its growth,” he said.Before his position at the IMF, Rhee served as the Chief Economist at the Asian Development Bank and the Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission of Korea, among other roles, and holds a PhD in Economics from Harvard University. The lecture —titled “Can Asia Be a Growth Pole in the Global Economy in the 21st Century?” — revolved around the central question of whether Asia’s immense growth in the past two decades can be sustained. Rhee said that this trend is likely but not pre-ordained, and there are numerous opportunities, risks and challenges.With a series of maps, Rhee explained that the U.S., Europe and Asia are three regions that dominate global trade and that China’s growth since 2001 was a result of China joining the World Trade Organization and accessing the global market. “This is a reason why the global trade tensions between the US and China started,” he said.However, despite China’s fast growth, its income per capita is lower than that of advanced economies. “China’s a big country, sure. But are they a rich country? Not yet,” Rhee said.Elaborating on China’s diverse economic regions, Rhee outlined the dichotomy between the country’s coastal regions with high economic productivity and development issues throughout other parts of the country. This represents a difference in opinion between the U.S. and China — while China would like to still be considered a developing country, the U.S. argues that it has surpassed that status.Expanding to the larger Asia region, Rhee presented statistics on economic development in India (or the “elephant,” as he called it) and Asia accounting for two-thirds of global growth.“Whether you like Asia or not…somehow because of the linkages and the growth you cannot completely ignore Asia,” he said.Despite this optimistic picture of growth, Rhee said that there are risks associated with the rise of Asia on the economic world stage. Trade tensions, especially in light of the U.S.-China trade war and the recent summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un in Vietnam, could place global economic flows in a state of crisis. “So how is this going to go? We’re really worried about it,” he said.According to Rhee, additional tariffs placed by the U.S. on China could have a significant impact on the global economy, with China losing as much as 1.5 percent in negative GDP growth. “Our conclusion is everyone will lose. Our managing director said that there are no winners in this trade war,” Rhee said.With the global economy slowing down, Rhee said that there are key challenges in the trade and financial market that could result in the possibility of a sharper-than-expected China slowdown. Another risk is the aging population in many Asian countries, including China and Japan. Rhee attributes the growth rate in Asia to high productivity of workers. “Our growth rate is due to perspiration, not due to inspiration,” he said. With the rise of the digital economy and mobile payment software such as Alibaba’s Alipay, Rhee stressed that Asian countries will need to overcome problems by investing in new technology and education. “Asia has been doing very well,” he said, but “you cannot just be a copycat.”Professor of economics and moderator William Pyle said that the series focusing on China’s rise could not be more timely. “He really brought into focus just how important Asia, generally, and China, specifically, have become to the fortunes of the global economy,” he said. Pyle agreed that there are “very real” challenges that the region must confront over the next generation. “Aging populations might be the biggest one,” he added.The next lecture in the series will be Friday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m. in Axinn 229. Professor Suisheng Zhao, Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation at the University of Denver, will speak on the evolution of Chinese nationalism and its implications on foreign policy.

Men’s Lacrosse Pounced by Bates

(03/07/19 10:56am)

After a long and cold pre-season, Middlebury men’s lacrosse finally began their campaign for the 2019 season. NESCAC conference play started the first weekend of March, as Middlebury drove up to Lewiston, ME to take on Bates. Despite early success, Middlebury was unable to keep up with Bates’ fast-paced offense and lost 17-10, ending their three year streak of opening day wins.Despite the loss, the team showed many signs of hope as the majority of their goals came from the younger players. The Panthers were able to grab onto an early 2-1 lead after first-year Tyler Forbes scored twice in the opening minutes -- his first ever collegiate goals. He later went on to tally 4 goals in the game, quite an accomplishment for his rookie debut. After Bates was able to tie the game back up at 2, Middlebury went on a run to close out the first quarter. They scored three in a row to take a comfortable 5-2 lead. Bates then went on the attack. The Panthers failed to gain momentum in the second quarter and limped into halftime down 6-5, being shut out in the second.With the Panthers being within just one score of the 25th ranked team in the nation at halftime, confidence and hopes remained high in the locker room. Although the Bobcats scored the first goal of the second half, Middlebury’s Aldrerik van der Heyde ’21 responded at the 8:30 mark. After the trade of goals, Bates again went on the offensive and scored a commanding 5 straight. Despite a beautiful shot by sophomore Will Brossman for the Panthers, the score entering the 4th quarter was held by the opponent 13-7.The Panthers closed the gap to 4 after goals by van der Heyde and Forbes but the home team was able to quickly shut any hopes of a Middlebury comeback, tallying the final 3 goals. Middlebury senior Charles Midgley tallied 7 saves on 20 shot attempts. In addition, junior Jake Madnick garnered 5 ground balls, alongside Zeke Emerson ’20 who had 4 ground balls.Despite the loss, Middlebury has a long and exciting season ahead of them. They saw contributions from every class in their season opener and look to continue to grow as a team as they play up to their potential. Middlebury will travel to Connecticut College next Saturday, March 9, to take on another NESCAC opponent. The Panthers will not host their first game on Youngman Field until March 23, when they take on the Bowdoin Polar Bears.

Wesleyan Defeats Men’s Hockey in Quarterfinals

(03/07/19 10:54am)

The men’s hockey team finished up their season on Saturday, February 23 with a 1-4 loss to Wesleyan in the 2019 NESCAC Championship quarterfinals. Despite a tough loss, this was the first time the Panthers have made the tournament in two years, pointing to potential for next year.“I am happy with how the season went,” said Kamil Tkaczuk, a senior captain. “We have come a long way in the last year and keep making strides in the right direction.”The addition of scrappy, talented freshmen played a key role in this transition. Despite the loss of talented seniors, the return of underclassman leaves the team feeling hopeful for future years and the prospect of building upon such potential. The team is on an upward trend and have all the right tools to only go up from here.

Women’s Squash Competes in CSAs

(03/07/19 10:53am)

The women’s squash season came to an end with a resilient finish two weekends ago at the CSA Team Championships. This past weekend, a few Panthers were selected to compete in the CSA Individual Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. Co-captains, Beatrijs Kuijpers ’19, Alexa Comai ’19 and a first year, Ideal Dowling ’22, were among the many talented players competing for a title.Comai unfortunately dropped her first match against George Washington but quickly rebounded and took the win in the next round over Cornell in the consolation quarterfinals (11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 13-11). In her last match, Comai battled before losing in five games against Virginia (10-12, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6, 13-11), ending her season with a 13-9 record.Next up was Kuijpers, who made an amazing run and advanced all the way to the main draw quarter finals before being edged out by Yale’s Aishwarya Battacharya (15-13, 11-6, 11-4). In the first round, she tallied a win for Middlebury by defeating Brown in three games (13-11, 11-9, 11-7). This concluded her season with a 10-10 record and a successful career as a collegiate athlete.Finally, Dowling’s first time competing at the CSA Individual Championships proved to be a rather challenging experience. Pitted against University of Pennsylvania’s Jamila Turner in the round of 16, Dowling fell 11-6, 11-8, 11-8. In the consolation round, the first-year Panther lost a tough battle to Drexel in four games and brought her first season to an end with a 9-12 mark. Given Dowling’s freshman status, one could only expect her to improve throughout the rest of her Panther career.

Direct Democracy, Previewed: This Year’s Town Meeting Day

(02/28/19 11:32am)

MIDDLEBURY – In the 1800s, Middlebury residents faced a problem: pig protocol. Should local pigs be allowed to freely roam the streets? Would it be more beneficial to keep all of them fenced in? Unable to come to a conclusion, those residents did the same thing Vermonters will do next month: they took the issue to that year’s Town Meeting.Held annually for over 200 years, the meeting is a rare holdout of direct democracy designed to allow the voices of Middlebury to be heard on the issues that affect them, their families and their jobs. Although every town in Vermont now holds their own meeting, the first was held in Bennington in 1762, making the tradition older than the state itself (VT was created in 1791.).The meetings are cornerstones of the town’s sense of community, allowing its residents to come together to tackle civic issues. Vermont government employees even get a holiday to attend, and the state grants students over 18 the right to skip school if necessary in order to participate. In fact, many public schools give their students a day off for Town Meeting Day.So, how does it work? The meeting takes place in two parts. The first is a floor meeting, which features town-wide discourse that gives residents the opportunity to voice their opinions on proposed articles and issues facing the town. This is where most of the action takes place. This year’s floor meeting will be held on Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the Middlebury Union High School auditorium. Anyone registered to vote with a Middlebury address is encouraged to attend, speak and vote.This includes any Middlebury College student who is registered in Vermont.Alexander Giles ’21, who studied the floor meeting’s style of government in the 2019 Winter Term class “Democracy, Deliberation and Global Citizenship,” believes it’s an invaluable process. “Direct democracy still has great value in localized settings,” Giles told The Campus. “It’s a great example of bringing the community together in deliberation.”The second part of the town meeting is the Australian Ballot. Separate from the floor meeting, this is a specific way to vote on proposed articles and mirrors a traditional voting process. The Australian Ballot will take place the following day on Tuesday, March 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the town offices at 77 Main St., and any Middlebury voter is welcome to stop in to cast a vote.Although the floor meeting is more involved, the Australian Ballot process offers another opportunity for political engagement as it often takes on citizen-led initiatives and allows every vote to have an impact in such a small election. The Campus spoke to Brian Carpenter, the Chair of the Middlebury Selectboard (a team of seven elected at the meetings to collaborate on the town’s issues throughout the year), about the process. Carpenter expressed that he thinks these votes are particularly valuable.“Votes will count pretty significantly based on the average turnout,” Carpenter said. “It’s an opportunity to be heard and either affirm or redirect priorities within the town.”But if not pigs, then what issues are going to be taken on during this year’s meeting? As usual, there are plans to vote on a town budget for the upcoming year. There will also be a vote to reelect three members of the Middlebury Selectboard.Beyond the meeting’s typical business, though, this year’s floor meeting agenda also includes a vote to allocate funds toward improving the Memorial Sports Center and purchasing new town vehicles, along with other topics to be proposed by residents.The Australian Ballot is particularly compelling this year, and primarily addresses environmental concerns.The Middlebury College Sunday Night Environmental Group, or SNEG, has been vocal in encouraging students to turn out on March 5 to support these measures. “Let your voice be heard — help Middlebury take the steps necessary in creating a cleaner, better future for all,” read a post on the group’s Facebook page.The vote will address an initiative to ban plastic bags from all Middlebury businesses, which has been spearheaded by Middlebury student Amelia Miller ’20 and town resident Amy McAninch.The ballot will also include a vote to advise the Selectboard to write to the Vermont state leadership in support of the 350VT Climate Solutions Resolution. This act would halt the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and aim to achieve 90 percent renewable energy by 2050 in an equitable fashion. Voters will also decide whether the town of Middlebury should commit to efforts to install solar panels on town and school buildings, encourage landowners to implement carbon-responsible practices and appropriate $3,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Addison County to bolster affordable housing. These Articles will all be on the ballot on March 5.Selectboard Chair Brian Carpenter encouraged any eligible Middlebury students to participate. “There are issues that I believe many of them are passionate about,” he said. “And it’s something quite unique about Vermont.”

The Lookbook: Business Casual

(02/28/19 10:57am)

This week I am featuring a new dress that I recently bought from Zara. The dress is bright red, long-sleeved and features covered buttons and a pussycat bow neckline. Working in the Admissions Office as a Senior Fellow, I have to wear business casual attire at least once a week. Given that professional clothing can be very expensive, I was super excited to find this dress on clearance for less than twenty dollars. I felt that it was the perfect dress to match my preppy style while also looking office appropriate.I find that many companies are adopting inclusivity and wellness practices into their work environments. One main component of this is allowing employees to dress in a way that allows for self-expression and comfort. “Business casual attire” is supposed to be the happy medium between business professional and casual clothing. Clothes that are informal enough for you to feel at ease, but professional enough not to disrupt the work environment. Despite my past internships and career bootcamps, I still sometimes struggle to discern which articles of clothing I should wear to the office. What clothes are suitable and which are pushing the limits of professionalism? I find that many people my age and across industries, struggle when deciding what to wear to work in the mornings. This is why I wanted dedicate a column to unpacking and explaining what it means to adopt a business casual attire.So, here are some tips for how to navigate the business casual work space:1. Skirts and dresses above the knee are typically not acceptable, but capri cut slacks and khakis are fine. Never jeans.2. Collars on shirts are nice but are not required. Feel free to wear a stylish blouse or shirt of your choosing--just stay away from anything too revealing. Polos and short sleeves are acceptable. Ties are optional.3. For shoes, please stick to closed-toed dress shoes. Peep-toe sandals and mules are typically acceptable, but flip flops, slides and sneakers are a no-no.4. Wrinkles are never acceptable, so allocate time to ironing your outfit in advance. Also, “distressed” anything is definitely unacceptable. Stay away from ripped, bleached or cut up garments.5. Business professional attire typically only includes dark and neutral colors. So, business casual attire means you have room to experiment with colors and patterns. Be careful not to go overboard–but this gives you room to experiment.6. When it comes to jewelry, have fun, but in moderation. A nice necklace, watch, lapel pin or belt can add a pop of style as long as they aren’t too distracting.7. Makeup is also acceptable in moderation. Feel free to sport a bold red lip, but don’t come to the office looking ready for the Grammys.8. I believe that everyone should at least own a blazer or suit jacket for initial interviews but it is not needed for the office. A nice cardigan or vest is all you need.9. In the name of sustainability, I recommend shopping at thrift stores to find clothes. Especially when you’re on an intern salary or just starting your career.10. Finally, stockings are typically required for business professional settings but not business casual. Leggings as pants are never a good idea in the workplace but may be a nice option to wear under your work dress.While these tips provide an idea of how to dress appropriately, these aren’t fixed rules. Above all else, I recommend being a tad over-dressed for the first day. This not only helps you make a good first impression but saves you from unknowingly wearing something too informal.Also, because every company is different, no one work culture is the same and neither are their definitions of business casual. Take at least a week to feel out the company. Take mental notes of what other employees are wearing and maybe even have a chat with the Human Resources representative to learn official company policy on clothing. This way you can find the happy medium between professionalism and personal style.

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(02/28/19 10:56am)

Indoor Track Teams Crack the Top Five in Boston

(02/28/19 10:55am)

The track and field teams put forth a strong performance when they competed in the Division III New England Championships on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23. The men got fifth place in a total field of twenty-three teams, while the women got fourth place in a total field of twenty-six teams. “DIII New England’s was a great start to the postseason for both the women’s and men’s teams,” Rory Kelly ’19 said, when asked about the outcome of the meet. “Some of the team is shifting their focus to the outdoor season with our first meet less than a month away. Others are looking to get in another fast race to either improve their times against some strong competition or to qualify for nationals. While individuals on the team have different goals during this period at the end of indoor and before outdoor, we still remain a very cohesive team and support each other.”The men’s squad ended their meet with 64 points, with MIT finishing first, Tufts in second, WPI in third, and Southern Maine in fourth. Jimmy Martinez ’19 came in fifth in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.50. Jon Perlman ’19 captured first place in the one mile run with a time of 4:10.82. In the 3000 meter run, Will Meyer ’20 got third place with a time of 8:34.36. Harrison Knowlton ’19 secured fourth in the 5000 meter run with a time of 15:13.40. The Panthers also did well in their relays, since the “A” team got first in the 4X400 meter relay with a time of 3:21.94. This team was composed of Martinez, Arden Coleman ’20, William Robertson ’21, and Matthew Durst ’21. In the 4000 meter DMR, the “A” team also captured first with a time of 10:10.99. This team was comprised of Meyer, Coleman, Perlman and Nathan Hill ’20. Other crucial contributors were John Natalone ’19 in the pole vault event, Nathaniel Klein ’21 in the shot put event and Minhaj Rahman ’19 in the weight throw event. “This being a championship meet, there was very strong competition, so it was incredible to be able to win the mile and DMR,” said Perlman. “Our team put a lot of emphasis on doing well at this meet and I think across the board we performed really well.”The women’s squad finished with 57 points, and placed fourth overall. Ahead of them were Williams, who came in first, MIT and Tufts. Ava O’Mara ’21 and Lucy Lang ’19 both did well in the 600 meter run, getting fourth and fifth place respectively. O’Mara had a time of 1:37.64, while Lang had a time of 1:38.56. In the 800 meter run, Cassie Kearney ’22 came in second place with a time of 2:13.36. Behind her were Meg Wilson ’20 in fifth place with a time of 2:15.97 and Anna Willig ’20 in seventh place with a time of 2:17.61. “I felt really great and surprised about my performance in the open 800 race,” said Kearney. “I didn’t do indoor track in high school, so this sport is new to me and I’m not used to running throughout the winter. I thought that how I did this past weekend really showed how my hard training has paid off over the past few months and I definitely realized the potential I have going further into the postseason.”Katelyn Pease ’22 had a time of 2:59.20 which got her sixth place in the 1000 meter run, while Tasha Greene ’21 had a time of 5:02.24 which got her fifth place in the one mile run. Kelly came in second in the 3000 meter run as she had a time of 9:47.28. It is also important to mention that the “A” team came in third in the DMR with a time of 11:54.82. This team was composed of Kearney, Kelly, Abigail Nadler ’19 and Gretchen McGrath ’21.On her performance in the 3000 meter run, Kelly said, “I was very excited by my 3k on Saturday. It was a challenging race and it was truly my teammates cheering me on every lap that got me through. They were critical to my successful performance.”Perlman concluded by saying, “At this point in the season, we just need to make sure we’re feeling rested and ready to compete. We’re still hoping to get a few more qualifiers for NCAAs.”Next week, on Saturday, March 2, the Panthers will be competing in the Tufts Last Chance Meet in order to get more qualifiers. After that comes the biggest meet of the indoor season, the NCAA Championships.

Women’s Squash Defeated at CSA Championships

(02/28/19 10:54am)

Following a third-place finish at NESCACs earlier this month, the 15th-ranked Middlebury women’s squash team headed to the CSA Team Championships this past weekend in hopes to win the Kurtz Cup. The three-day national team championships were hosted by Trinity in the Kellner Squash Center.Middlebury entered their bracket as a huge underdog as they had to compete in the B Draw against teams ranked nationally 9th-16th. The tough weekend began when they faced 10th-ranked Virginia in the quarterfinals, who the Panthers lost to 9-0 earlier this season. The Panthers did not manage to claim a single point, falling 9-0 again. However, Alexa Comai ’19 fought back from a two-game deficit, bringing her match at No.3 to a decisive fifth game, while Natalie Madden ’21 managed to claim a game at No.5.While the Panthers fell to Virginia, their morale and competitive spirit remained high. In the consolation semifinals, they had the opportunity to come out on top against 14th ranked George Washington. During regular season, the Panthers narrowly missed the win in a 5-4 heartbreaking loss, in which all the matches were competitive and tight. The tide changed when Middlebury fought tooth and nail at the CSA Team Championships, defeating the Colonials in a crushing 6-3 win.Very quickly, the Panthers secured the win by claiming the first five matches. Mira Chugh ’20 won by default at No. 9, while Natasha Lowitt ’20 doubled the Panther’s edge with a three-game victory one spot above over Anna Moscovici (11-4, 11-5, 11-6). At No.6, Anne Glassie ’20 scratched her way back from a two-game deficit to tally another point for the Panthers (5-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-7). Comai showed the same spirit in her five-game triumph against Emma Tyron in the third position with a score of 4-11, 6-11, 11-5, 1--6, 11-8. For the match-clinching fifth match, first-year Gwen Davis secured this decisive point via a three-game sweep at No.7 (11-8, 11-3, 11-8).The Panthers moved on to play Williams, vying for 13th/14th place spot in the national rankings. Unfortunately, they fell by a score of 7-2 on Sunday. The match took place at Wesleyan’s Rosenbaum Squash Center and marked the third time this season the two teams have had to play. In the first encounter, the Panthers were victorious at home with a 6-3 win. In the NESCAC Semifinals, they were not as fortunate and fell 6-3.In a grueling and mentally tough atmosphere, Middlebury unfortunately lost 7-2. The Panthers claimed their first point when Beatrijs Kuijpers ’19 won and Davis followed close behind with a five game triumph at No.7 against Kathryn Wright (9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 10-12, 11-9). Many other matches, though did not post a win, were extremely close. At No. 2, Ideal Dowling, a first year with an outstanding first season, fell in a tough four-game match. Virginia Schaus ’21 and Chugh followed similar fates.Reflecting on the tournament and her final season, co-captain Comai states, “This season obviously had its high and low points. I felt that overall the team really came together both on and off the courts.”Coach Lewis agrees. “In the match against George Washington, we put in a really strong performance. Overall the season was good. Every team member had some wins and in their losses hopefully walked away with some valuable takeaways.”Contributing factors to a solid season for the Panthers boiled down to great leadership and strong performances from the underclassmen.“We had a lot of great first years and sophomores who had an enormously positive contribution to the team and I am excited to see how they can help us to be even better next year,” Comai said.“This year we had amazing leadership under our captain, as well as the rest of the senior class. We feel super grateful for everything that they have done for us and will miss them dearly,” Dowling said.The women’s squash team is officially finished with their season, except for a select few competing in the Individual CSA Championship in Providence, Rhode Island Feb. 28-March 2. The tournament will be hosted by Brown and the Moses Brown School.After a grueling and competitive season, the Panthers undoubtedly deserve a break but are also looking forward to continue training hard, preparing for the next season.“I think after a little break, we want to try to do a lot of match play and captains’ practices this spring to keep our skill and fitness level high. We also want to try to incorporate a lot of mental fitness training this spring and fall in order to allow each of us to be in our best competitive headspace come season,” Comai said.

Track Picks up First in Middlebury Team Challenge

(02/21/19 10:59am)

The Middlebury Panthers hosted the Middlebury Team Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 16, where they once again displayed their prowess against tough competition.The women’s squad was able to win first place in a field of five teams, where they had a total of 200 points. In the 600-meter run, the Panthers were able to get the top two spots. Lucy Lang ’19 came in first with a time of 1:38.36, while Ava O’Mara ’21 came in second with a time of 1:38.92. “This was my first 600m of the season, and I went into the race with the goal of running a good time to place me well at New England DIIIs,” said O’Mara, when asked about her performance. “I think the team performed well as a whole. Our depth as a team in all events is very evident.”For the 800-meter run, Cassie Kearney ’22 came in first place, Emily Bulczynski ’22 came in second, and Meg Wilson ’20 came in third. Their times were 2:17.97, 2:20.95 and 2:21.20, respectively. Also, the Middlebury “A” team won the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:04.68. This team was comprised of Kearney, Bulczynski, Katelyn Pease ’22, and Nicole Johnson ’22. Kreager Taber ’19 was able to get first in the pole vault event with a vault of 3.35 meters. Other important finishers at the meet were Tasha Greene ’21, Abigail Nadler ’19, Katie Glew ’21, Rory Kelly ’19, Alex Cook ’20, and Helene Rowland ’20.Rowland has been a consistent top finisher so far in the shot put event. Rowland said, “Especially this season, I’ve been trying to work on being more explosive, which means working on speed and strength. For me, this extends beyond throwing and into my general fitness. This has really improved my mindset when throwing because I feel like I’m preparing myself as best I can. That being said, I have a lot of room to improve on technique!”The men were able to get first place with a score of 237 points while facing three other teams. In the 60-meter dash, Conor Banky ’19 captured first place with a time of 7.12, while Nick Hendrix ’20 got second with a time of 7.16. In the 200-meter dash, Hendrix won first place with 22.37, while Jimmy Martinez ’19 came in behind him with a time of 22.39. Martinez also won first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.87. Jon Perlman came in first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.53, while Theo Henderson ’20 came in first place in the one-mile run. Harrison Knowlton ’19 came in first in the 500-meter run. The Middlebury “C” team was comprised of Michael Wasserstein ’21, Graham Rainsby ’21, Thomas Tarantino ’21, and Nate Evans ’20. They were able to capture first in the 4X400-meter relay. The men also had an impressive outing in the pole vault event, as they captured the top four spots. John Natalone ’19 came in first with a vault of 4.45 meters. Nate Albers ’20, Will Behm ’22, and Robert Cassidy ’19 got second, third, and fourth place, respectively. Other important finishers at the meet included Jack Litowitz ’20, Jonathan Fisher ’20, Dylan Mortimer ’19, Nathaniel Klein ’21, and Minhaj Rahman ’19. When asked about his performance, Litowitz said, “I was pretty happy with my race yesterday overall. It was a small personal best by about two seconds, and I was able to beat some Amherst runners in the process as well. It was definitely my best performance of the indoor season thus far.”The team will be competing in the Division III New England Championships on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23. The women will be at Bowdoin, while the men will be at MIT. “As far as preparation goes for DIIIs, I think the team will focus on ‘quality over quantity,’ bringing down the mileage and resting up more this week while also focusing on getting comfortable at race pace and working on top-end speed,” said Litowitz. “We will also have a few pre-race meetings with both the coaches and the captains to get us pumped up and excited for the weekend. Our captains this year have been especially good at generating a lot of energy across the team, so I would expect a pep talk from them for sure.”“This next weekend is looking to be really competitive with many talented athletes from around New England,” said Klein. “Our senior captain Minhaj Rahman wrote a new team pump-up speech and cheer, so hopefully we can feed off of that energy and bring the noise this weekend. We’ve been training hard all winter, and this is the weekend to go all out.”

Poet and Painter: Connections Between Chopin and Debussy

(02/21/19 10:58am)

The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) once glumly wrote to a friend, “It is dreadful when something weighs on your mind, not to have a soul to unburden yourself to. You know what I mean. I tell my piano the things I used to tell you.” Such emotional power was put on full display on Sunday, Feb. 17, when Natasha Koval Paden, an Affiliate Artist with the Music Department of Middlebury College, hosted a piano recital in Robinson Hall at the Mahaney Arts Center. The free concert, “Connections: A Musical Journey With Debussy and Chopin,” had an audience of about 60 attendees, including locals and college students.The concert was comprised of two halves, one for each of the eponymous composers. The half devoted to the music of Frédéric Chopin was spectacularly Romantic with rich melodies and unbridled zeal. Paden then swept the audience into a forty-minute daydream with the concert’s enchanting Debussy portion.“My favorite pieces were spread throughout,” Jonah Edelman ’20.5 said. “(The music) made me want to let my mind wonder and imagine something different than the typical monotony of Sunday studying.”Assistant Professor of History Rebecca Mitchell, whose research explores musical metaphysics, illuminated the connections between the two composers.“Many of the musical textures that Debussy explores develop out of Chopin’s compositional style,” Mitchell said. “Chopin was a master of piano composition and helped to develop the full range of its expressive possibilities, something that Debussy continues to explore in his preludes for piano.”Paden began the Chopin segment with the Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23. Composed in 1831, Ballade No. 1 is often considered a masterpiece, rivaled perhaps only by Chopin’s Ballade No. 4 in F Minor. Ballade No. 1 in G Minor is not for the timid. Paden delicately controlled the Ballade, accentuating the gloomy countermelodies in the opening “heartbeat” sections. Her controlled pace allowed the music to breathe.In the viruostic last sections of the Ballade, however, Paden shined with pyrotechnic glee. Her fingers zinged across the keyboard and lashed out the final, jaw-droppingly tricky coda of the piece. There are videos on Youtube of even Vladimir Horowitz, one of the greatest pianists of all time, struggling a little with the Ballade’s final bars. Paden held her own and conquered this pianistic Mount Kilimanjaro.Paden next played Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66. The pianist played the composition’s first and last sections with gusto, using soft dynamics to highlight the tenderness of the song’s middle. Fantasie-Impromptu is a dark and rebellious piece. Mitchell commented on the revolutionary aura of Chopin’s music: “Chopin left Warsaw just before the November Uprising of 1830 in which Polish nationalists tried to regain independence from the Russian Tsar. He never returned to Poland, but remained close to other Polish emigres. He glorified Polish nationalism in his compositions for piano.”The crowd heard Chopin’s exiled loneliness at the end of the concert’s first half; the final chords died softly.The music of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is an enigma of otherworldly grace and polish. Paden expressed the strangeness of Debussy through subtle dynamic shifts and delicate color choices. She first played three preludes: “Bruyéres” (“Heather”), “Ondine” (“Mermaid”) and “Feux d’Artifice” (“Fireworks”).“Heather” offered a calm look at the titular flowers. Paden demonstrated a careful pith in coloring the musical landscape, offering fresh purples and exciting blues through each chord she played. If the first prelude was a pleasant detour into the French countryside, “Mermaid” was a splashy thrill-ride through Les Champs-Élysées. Paden nailed the work, cranking out Art Tatum-esque glescendos that rollicked up and down the Steinway D-274 in Robison Hall. The 2.74 meters-wide instrument is worth noting. The massive Steinway’s unrivaled power worked perfectly with these preludes: a listener first heard a Debussy arpeggio then its pedaled echoes, then a mixing lilt from the piano’s soundboard that floated through the hall like a ghost.The audience began to see why Debussy is often called an Impressionist in the vein of Monet. Paden melted and changed the sonic landscapes of these preludes, questioning the very form of classical music itself. The last prelude, “Fireworks,” if not a literal showstopper, certainly earned its explosive title. The pianist highlighted Debussy’s influence of Japonisme through her speedy rendering of the pentatonic scale in the her final prelude. Paden finished the evening with Debussy’s “L’isle joyeuse” (“The Isle of Joy”). Debussy might have found this piece joyful, but it is first and foremost spectacularly weird. Abrupt shifts of time and tone abound. The sensation of listening to the piece is like reading Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness:” mysterious and draining, but often fun. “The Isle of Joy” ended with Paden crashing a tsunami of chords onto the archipelagos of the piece’s beginning, rejecting any sense of structure that the Chopin half tried to make.On the performance as a whole, Paden’s interpretation of Debussy and Chopin highlighted the two composers’ similarities in color and technique, but also their stark differences — Chopin’s restlessness, Debussy’s obliqueness. A proverb of classical music goes, “Bach is God’s word; Mozart, God’s laughter; Beethoven, God’s fire.”Mitchell expanded this analogy: “I think that you could add that Chopin is God’s poet and Debussy is God’s painter.”

(02/21/19 10:56am)

The women’s swimming and diving team competed at Wesleyan in the 2019 NESCAC Championship from Thursday to Sunday, Feb. 14 to 17, where they placed eighth. Williams took the winning title for the sixth consecutive year, scoring 1,873 total points. Finishing second was Tufts with 1,439.5 points, followed by Amherst (1,322 points). The Panthers amassed 730 points, many of which came from Frances VanderMeer ’20.VanderMeer claimed gold by .04 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, sprinting to a victorious time of 23.55. Last winter, she was runner-up with a school-record-breaking performance. VanderMeer made the NCAA “B” standard for the second year in a row. She also earned All-NESCAC honors in the 50 backstroke, where she placed third and narrowly missed the school record.The Panther relay teams acquired solid scores on Thursday and Friday. The 800-yard freestyle quartet of Kristin Karpowicz ’19, Audrey Hsi ’22, Angela Riggins ’19, and Grace Stimson ’19 secured eighth (7.43.32). Also scoring eighth was the 200 free relay of VanderMeer, Maddie McKean ’22, Stimson, and Erin Kelly ’21 (1:36.84), in addition to the 400-yard medley relay of VanderMeer, Kelly, McKean, and Hsi (3:57.83).Notable individual performances included Hannah Wander ’22, who took 10th in the 50-yard breaststroke (30.82), and Karpowicz, who claimed seventh in the 500-yard free (5:01.47).The Panthers continued their feats on Saturday, showing strong efforts in many of the individual events. The 200-yard medley relay team of Hsi, VanderMeer, Kelly, and McKean finished eighth in 1:46.7. Wander also took eighth in the 100 breastroke (1:07.1), stopping the clock just before Kelly, who swam to 13th in 1:07.83. In the 1,000 freestyle, Riggins touched the wall 10th (10:28.51). Karpowicz scored 11th in the 200 free (1:53.22), while Sarah McEachern ’21 swam the 400 individual medley in 4:42.38, earning 16th.Ending her individual events on a high note, VanderMeer scored third in the 100 free, achieving another NCAA “B” cut mark with a time of 51.46. Runner-up in 2018, she made All-NESCAC honors for the second time in this event. Indicative of her impressive season as a whole, VanderMeer’s performance provided the Panthers with momentum heading into the rest of Sunday.Riggins took 13th in the 1,650 freestyle, completing the 66 laps in 17:38.01. In the 200 breastroke final, Hannah Wander and Kelly took 11th (2:26.74) and 12th (2:26.88), respectively.On the diving boards, Olivia Rieur claimed ninth in both the one- and three-meter events, accumulating 343.85 points. Following closely behind in 10th place was Mary Cate Carroll ’21, scoring 335.15 points.Closing out the final day of competition, the 400 freestyle relay quartet of VanderMeer, Stimson, Hsi, and Karpowicz finished eighth in 3:30.74.Overall, the Panthers uncapped the majority of their potential in this year’s NESCAC Championship, conquering record-breaking times, attaining personal successes, and winning several individual titles. This weekend, Feb. 22–24, the men’s team host their half of NESCACs in the Natatorium.

Men’s Hockey Falls to Amherst

(02/21/19 10:55am)

Men’s hockey finished up its regular season with a tough 4-1 loss at Amherst this past Saturday, Feb. 16. Just the day before, the Panthers went into overtime away at Hamilton to end up with a tie at three-all.Though this weekend marks a discouraging end to the regular season, what’s in the past is in the past as the Panthers gear up for a postseason surge. The NESCAC quarterfinals, which will be held next Saturday, Feb. 23, brings a new beginning and a fresh chance for the Panthers to show their stuff. Middlebury will begin its run for a conference title on the road against Wesleyan.“The playoffs [are] a new season. The regular-season history has no real implications now that we are in the playoffs. We have been playing really good hockey and are peaking at the right time, ” said captain Jimmy McKee ’19.However in preparing for the big game, the Panthers are looking to not repeat the same mistakes made earlier this season, as the past two times Middlebury faced Wesleyan both ended in losses.“The first two games against Wesleyan did not go the way we wanted. A couple tough bounces did not go the way we wanted,” acknowledged McKee. “Like I said, we are playing good hockey, and I hope that they underestimate our ability. We will be ready to come out and play on Saturday afternoon.”Wesleyan also holds a 15-7-2 record while Middlebury stands at 8-12-4, thus getting a home advantage. Although it’s possible this could impact Middlebury’s play, the team has been more or less equally consistent both home and away, with a difference of only one more win at home.Growth throughout the course of the season is also in the Panther’s favor. The squad “[has] made significant improvements because of their efforts with training and building team chemistry last spring, in the fall, and throughout the season,” recognized coach Neil Sinclair. “We are looking forward to playing Wesleyan in the playoffs.”Wesleyan may have the record, but Middlebury has the drive to stay alive in this competition.

Women’s Squash Captures Third Place in NESCAC

(02/21/19 10:52am)

Following a third-place finish at NESCACs earlier this month, the women’s squash team finally had a weekend off after a long and well-fought three-day tournament hosted by Trinity. The Panthers, entering the tournament as the third seed, clinched out a 5-4 win over Bates in the first round. In the semifinals, Middlebury fell to Williams in a tough 6-3 loss but proceeded to blank Amherst 9-0 in the third-place playoff. The 14th-ranked Panthers look forward to the CSA Team Championships this February 22-24 at Trinity, hoping for a shot at winning the Kurtz Cup.In their first victory over sixth-seeded Bates, the Panthers posted a narrow victory of 5-4. In the quarterfinal, Bates started with a 1-0 lead, but the Panthers followed close behind and rattled off three wins for a 3-1 advantage. Mira Chugh ’20 defeated Katie Bull at No. 9 (11-6, 13-15, 11-2, 11-7), while Alexa Comai ’19 won in the third spot (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10) and Natasha Lowitt ’20 was victorious against Molly Brooks at No. 8 (12-10, 11-6, 11-1). The Bobcats leveled the playing field at 3-3 with five-game triumphs at No. 5 and No. 2. In the seventh position, Gwen Davis ’22 made it 4-3 with a three-game win over Natalie Bachman (11-5, 11-5, 11-5). Virginia Schaus ’21 clinched the match with a three-game victory at No. 4 against Katie Manternach (11-5, 11-3, 11-0).Against the Ephs (14-9) in the semifinals, Williams moved out to a 2-0 advantage with victories at No. 3 and No. 6. Chugh ’20 made the score 2-1 with an impressive 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 win over Adrienne Conza in the ninth slot. The Ephs regained their two-point advantage with a three-game victory at No. 2. Lowitt improved to 2-0 for the day, outlasting Alex Pear in five games at No. 8 (9-11, 15-13, 5-11, 11-5, 11-4). Williams clinched the match behind a five-game victory in the middle of the ladder, followed by a four-game triumph in the top spot. Davis tallied the third point for the Panthers, earning a five-game win at No. 7 against Kathryn Wright (8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2). The Ephs recorded the last point, a five-game victory at No. 4, for the final 6-3 score.In their sweep over the Mammoths, the Panthers only gave up five games for their 9-0 victory. Chugh tallied the first point with a win at No. 9, followed by Anne Glassie ’20 at No. 6, Comai at No.3, and Ideal Dowling ’22 at No. 2. For the match-clinching fifth point, Natasha Lowitt fought for an 11-3, 3-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 victory against Margaret Werner in the eight position.With this past weekend to recover from a long and strenuous NESCAC tournament, the women’s squash team will head into the CSA Team Championships fresh and ready to go.

Men’s Squash Triumphs

(02/21/19 10:51am)

The Middlebury men’s squash team concluded the CSA Team Championships Summers Cup with a 5-4 triumph over 17th-ranked Williams to claim third place in their bracket. To start the match off, freshman Teddy Best won a point for the Panthers at No. 6 in a swift three games and junior captain William Cembalest won another at No. 3 in four games. After Williams took a point to make the score 2-1, junior Jacob Ellen advanced the score to 3-1 in a three-game win at No. 2. With the score at 3-3 after two more points went to the Ephs, the Panthers responded with a win by first-year Justin Ghaeli at No. 1 and a match clinching three-game victory by junior John Epley at No. 7.This match marked the third time the Panthers faced the Ephs this season. The Middlebury squad embraced the challenge with open arms, eager for redemption after the Ephs won the previous encounter by a 4-5 margin during the NESCAC semifinals. Epley commented, “It feels great to finish the season with a winning record against Williams. We view them as perhaps our biggest rivals and always enjoy beating them. This win will give us confidence going into next year, as we aren’t losing any seniors”.Prior to Williams, the Panthers faced 23rd-ranked Bowdoin in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, sending the Polar Bears home with a blistering 9-0 defeat. Returning the following day for their semifinals match, the squad slipped to 19th -ranked Brown by a 6-3 margin. Alex Merrill ’21 scored one point for Middlebury at No. 9 in a four-game victory, and the other two Panthers points were won by Nick Bermingham at No. 5 and John Epley at No. 7, both in five sets.A select few will return to the courts from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Saturday, March 2 to compete at the CSA Individual Championships hosted by Brown University and Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.

PiaContreras-4

(02/14/19 11:34am)

Divestment Makes Us Proud

(02/14/19 11:00am)

On Jan. 29, Middlebury announced it will begin divesting from fossil fuels over a fifteen year period through the Energy2028 initiative. As a board of students, we are excited and incredibly proud of the collaborative work between student activists, Middlebury administrators, staff, faculty and the Board of Trustees, who unanimously agreed to the proposal. We share in our community’s excitement that our institution is living up to its reputation as an environmental leader.Student activism surrounding divestment has persisted through multiple presidents and has been passed down through generations of students. A 2012 article written by Scholar in Residence Bill McKibben for Rolling Stone brought the issue into public focus. In 2013, however, the Board of Trustees voted against divestment. But student activists persisted.We are grateful to the students of the Sunday Night Environmental Group (SNEG) who continued to push for divestment, often writing in our Opinion pages. We applaud the trustees for being willing to rethink their initial stance on divestment, and we hope that other institutions who are disinclined to divest take note that change is possible. Divestment is a complex issue, but this agreement shows that when everyone works together we can find solutions.We were pleasantly surprised to see that Energy2028 encompasses goals larger than divestment of the 4 percent of our $1.124 billion endowmentdirectly invested in fossil fuels. It promises to transition to 100 percent renewable energies by 2028, to reduce consumption on campus, and to expand environmental educational opportunities. While we know that this plan won’t completely eliminate the school’s indirect investments in fossil fuel companies if they are included in general equity funds, we are still pleased that Middlebury is using a broader definition than most for what constitutes a fossil fuel company in its direct investments.We are proud of all that Middlebury has promised and recognized that there is a lot of work to be done to ensure that all of these promises come to pass. We hope that students continue to be climate activists and pass down the knowledge and importance of this agreement to the next generation of students.As a paper, we will continue to support student activists in holding Middlebury accountable. Through continued reporting on the history of divestment and on Energy2028 as it unfolds, we want to do our part in giving this initiative its best chance of succeeding by staying invested in its progress. We hope students will continue to write opinion pieces about their activist work.Those who are skeptical of this announcement have every right to be. Some student activists were dismayed in 2016, when Middlebury reached carbon neutrality only by purchasing carbon offsets from its Bread Loaf campus. But we hope that Energy2028 is the next step of a truly more progressive Middlebury in all realms. We hope the college will continue to practice transparency, detailing how exactly the goals of Energy2028 will be met, and continue soliciting student opinion.We are grateful for the leadership of Laurie Patton and the Middlebury students, professors, community members and administrators who helped make divestment a reality. We are excited to traverse this new frontier and see how Energy2028 unfolds.