Plastic, Paper, Cups...Shoot

A few weeks ago, I had a wonderful back and forth with a student and it came to both of us that perhaps the e-mail should be put in the paper. It asks a simple question but it is laced with tongue in cheek humor. I took that lead and gave more back. In the answers and fun, there is truth to how the dining program here works and perhaps many students may have the same style question that Alex asked, but they may not be as bold as to ask.

From: Alex Wright [mailto:debatehate@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 3:03 PM
To: Biette, Matthew R.
Subject: Of Cups and Dining Halls

Dear Mr. Biette,

It has come to the attention of myself and several peers at Middlebury College that there is a discrepancy in the sizes of the paper cups between Proctor and Ross Dining Halls. The paper cups at Ross are at least 50% larger by volume than those at Proctor, as well as being both taller and wider at the apex. This wrong must be righted. It is disheartening to think that we could presumably drink up whichever beverage “runneth over” by the time we arrive back to our dorm. These meagerly portioned to-go cups severely limit our ability “to-go”. These logistical implications speak nothing of the moral implications of having significantly larger cups in Ross. What message does this difference in sizes send to the student body? Is it acceptable to equip the older dining hall of Proctor with lesser supplies? Is it acceptable to send our elders into subpar retirement homes? I see a direct correlation.

Indeed, it is little wonder that Ross suffers from such long lines when the Middlebury administration has taken such a pro-Ross stance. Perhaps a reapportionment of cup size would even lead to the long-awaited integration of the north and south sides of College Street. Yet, if you are not interested in being the heroic leader who finally allays the age-old issue of segregation, imagine instead the uprising which would ensue if our demands are not met. Once this difference in cup sizes becomes public knowledge, the proletariat of Proctor will revolt against the evils of the bourgeois dining in their ivory towers in Ross. Proctor must be outfitted with the larger cups, so that those who prefer Proctor to Ross may bask in the blessings that their goblets provide. Should these outrages not be met, the rage of a thousand students will thunder through the campus, all of one voice — the voice of justice.

Sincerely,
Alexander Thomson Wright, Christian Keane Holmes & Charles Eugene Stone. Class of 2014

From: Biette, Matthew R.
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 3:58 PM
To: ‘Alex Wright’
Subject: RE: Of Cups and Dining Halls

Alex,

While I can enjoy the tongue in cheek note, I do have a problem with the subject matter.

As a leading environmental college, not only should the administration be focused on the environment but so too should the students. When I arrived here in 1997, there were C.U.P.P.S. mugs around campus — you may still see them today. That acronym stood for “Can’t Use Paper, Plastic or Styrofoam.” The use of Nalgenes, Stainless Steel and other personally owned beverage vessels made the purchase of these cups overkill. However, the meaning still should be living strong today. Each student probably owns at least one of this style drinking cup and they should be using it each day for either hot or cold beverages on their way across campus.

Secondly, though paper is a renewable resource, it still costs money and takes time to grow. We should not have ANY of the paper cups in the dining rooms — no matter the size — as we provide china which can be used over and over again. Somehow, in some bio-science genetically modified laboratory experiment, not only the coffee cups but many other kinds of dishes have managed to sprout legs and feet. The science is not all together pure as the freak of nature with this project is that all the appendages fall off the china when they reach the furthest points from the dining room. Not to be confused with global warming, but the snowball effect is that you, the “common student-based life form” thinks only in the immediate and reaches for the environmental and budget depleting alternative — THE PAPER CUP!

Think back to when you were applying to schools and many people had various kinds of living arrangements. Some had multiple meal plans, some didn’t have any meal plans, some were commuter schools and others were residential schools. You chose Middlebury College — a residential-based comprehensive fee institution. What that actually means is that we are a throwback to days of old and we actually expect you to eat in the dining room! Imagine that! Actually taking time out of the day to get nourishment, conversing with fellow students and once satiated, you set off to resume your activities — that is the way it is planned. We think of the immediate gratification rather the larger picture. And your pictures are very good mind you.

The way I actually look at the puzzle is that I have your money and 2449 other student’s money in which I get to purchase food, supplies, fix equipment, pay wages and benefits deal with inflation and hope that at the end of the year, I have money to make sure you eat on graduation day. All that and no budget increase in years and an actual decrease this year.

Now, as really smart people and the future leaders in the world, you have recognized the difference between an 8, 12 and 16 ounce cup. Unfortunately for me, you think of it as short, tall, Grande and Venti……I digress. You could actually have even more of a beverage if you took your own container (portable drinking cup, not gallon jug) and always have it with you ready for the next time. I bet it would be insulated with a handle so that you wouldn’t need to take two cups so you don’t burn your hand. The other take away should be that a meal is not just a fuel stop but a time when you let your body re-charge its batteries. It is healthier!

Yet one more take away is thinking about the solid waste that the various cup sizes make in our landfills. Not only does it take up valuable land and then leach “nasties” into water sources — it costs big money to haul it away and process the waste. Our green mountain state’s hilltops would be rivaled by the size of some of these “dumps”. Then, when you are successful and build your retreat and dig your well, you find that the aquifer you were hoping to tap has all kinds of heavy metals and suddenly, you’ll think back to that long winded response and say, “I guess I could have done something about that” as you fish in the stream for Blinky the three eyed guppy…

What do you say that you take your disheartened peers and “runneth over” the campus and exclaim “Eureka!” as you have found out that every community is made up of a group of individuals who when they work together have a valuable and sustainable future? And YOU can be the leader! Thunder all in one voice as you wake up the catatonic and break everyone’s individual bubbles and collectively figure it out for the generations that will follow. They will look to you in excitement wondering how you ever came to these conclusions. And you will be great. And you don’t have to thank me.
But if you want to talk about how you can be the next Pied Piper of Middlebury I would be more than happy to help.

Drink up!

Matthew

From: Alex Wright [mailto:debatehate@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 4:59 PM
To: Biette, Matthew R.
Subject: Re: Of Cups and Dining Halls

So does that mean we aren’t getting the cups?

From: Biette, Matthew R.
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 5:01 PM
To: ‘Alex Wright’
Subject: RE: Of Cups and Dining Halls

Nor the pony.
But you could ride off into the sunset a hero!