In Support of Delta

To whom it may concern,

As Delta alumni, we are writing to express our collective concern over the potential disbandment of the Delta student organization at Middlebury College. To a significant portion of campus, Delta represents a welcoming and inclusive environment where students may gather to enjoy themselves and decompress after a stressful week of rigorous academic and extracurricular pursuits. To us, Delta represents home.

Delta is a manifestation of all that we hold so dear about our time at Middlebury. It is an organization that we have been involved in since we first set foot on campus. For many of us, it was the first place where we truly felt welcome. It is no secret that the initial adjustment to college life can be stressful and plagued by growing pains. We soon came to know and love Delta because it provided a convivial environment that greatly eased this transition for us.

When we finally had the opportunity to become official members of Delta, and reside in the house, we did not hesitate. We were eager to repay all that Delta had done for us and excited to deepen and expand Delta’s role on campus. We strove to make our home an inviting place where every Middlebury student, resident or otherwise, would be genuinely welcomed and embraced in friendship. Our prerogative was to instill our own feelings of school spirit and camaraderie into a Middlebury community that, to this day, remains desperate for social unity and direction.

Admittedly, it quickly became apparent that overseeing the daily function of a social house was not as simple as our predecessors had made it appear. We had difficulty finding willing party hosts and vastly underestimated the amount of physical damage the house would incur. At times, this became a source of internal frustration. We acknowledge that our relationship with the administration was tenuous and that current members of Delta have had a similar experience.

But like any relationship, the relationship between Delta and the administration requires constant adjustment. A positive, healthy relationship calls for tireless effort and compromise from both sides. For the sake of productivity, it is imperative that both sides take a myriad of viewpoints into account and maintain a high degree of mutual respect.

It is from this shared respect that we hope to convey our genuine concern for the long-term welfare of Delta, and for our alma mater as a whole. We believe that the disbandment of Delta will have an irreversibly detrimental effect on the well-being of current students, and alienate a considerable number of proud and loyal alumni. The signees below cherish their memories of Middlebury fondly and hope that the impending action will not tarnish these feelings.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Bostwick, Matthew Cawley, Phil Cutler, Emma Gardner, Michael Bilodeau, Hannah Clarke, Sarah DeCamp, Elissa Goeke, Maria Bourdeau, Caroline Cordle, Patrick Downey, Steve Hardin, Paul Carroll, Alyssa Crews, Jeff Everson, Jane Handel, Jamie Harisiades, Ken LeStrange, Caroline Regan, Karina Van Houten, Eric Kamback, Donnie McKillop, Julianne Seo, Tyler Wark, Peter Kinchley, Maddie Moreau, Becca Shaw, Grace Water, Roy Langley, Josh O’Neill, Taylor Shepard, Silas Wong