CAMPUS STAFF EDITORIAL

Author: [no author name found]

Prolonging the Lockdown



A compromise has been reached between Middlebury College administrators and representatives of the student body in the debate over the decision to lock all residence halls at night. Following the Student Government Association's (SGA) student referendum, which revealed overwhelming opposition to the current locking policy, as well as meetings between the Community Council and SGA subcommittees on public safety and the Department of Public Safety, all main entrances of residence halls will remain open until 1 a.m., with side entrances locked at 11 p.m.

Although the administration has taken strides to work with students on extending the hours that residence halls are open, and continues to develop possible alternatives to the current policy, it has yet to fully and succinctly explain its rationale behind the locking of the residence halls. As an overwhelming majority of students do not support any form of locking, the Department of Public Safety and the administration must present a compelling reason to the student body as to why they have decided to continue the 'lockdown,' even in its shortened form.

The Department of Public Safety and the Community Council have discussed how to use Facilities Management employees and night watchmen as well as Public Safety officers to ensure that the halls are locked uniformly at the correct times, a welcome short-term solution to the initial problems surrounding of locking residence halls. But the current system is not the ultimate answer.

The Middlebury Campus insists that the College take the appropriate steps to create a universal access swipe system that can be unlocked by each student's identification card. This action must be taken as soon as possible so that the infrastructure of this system can be implemented to allow free access to all residence halls to students in a timely fashion.



Choephel's Release a Time for Celebration and Refelction



Middlebury College's Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) and influential Vermont legislators saw years of their efforts come to fruition last week, as Ngawang Choephel, a former Fulbright scholar who taught at the College in the early 1990s, arrived in the United States after spending six years in prison in China.

Following Choephel's arrest in 1995, SFT has focused on making his release a priority, holding countless events to raise awareness about Choephel's plight, including fundraising campaigns, petition signings and cultural events to celebrate the Tibetan culture that Choephel strove to preserve. It also worked in conjunction with U.S. Senators Jim Jeffords and Pat Leahy and U.S. Representative Bernard Sanders, who collectively took a strong interest in Choephel's case, staying involved throughout the years of international debate surrounding the protest for his release. Their continued pressuring of the American and Chinese governments played a major role in Choephel's release.

The work of SFT to publicize the plight of Choephel serves as an inspiration to other students groups that hope to enact similar changes in the world. Choephel's release is a powerful reminder that grassroots organizations can bring about positive outcomes.

While Choephel is no longer a political prisoner, the plight of countless others in his situation around the world must not be forgotten. A call for awareness about the living conditions of political prisoners, as well as the reasons for their imprisonment in many nations, must continue to be sounded at Middlebury, even more so after the actions of Middlebury students aided in Choephel's release.