EDITORIAL A Troublesome Act of Vandalism; An Imperative to Act

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A Troublesome Vandalism

The destruction of the symbolic closet built by members and friends of the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance (moqa) proved that prejudice, however latent, is still a blight on this campus. Some argue that the closet, destroyed in darkness two weekends ago, is but another act of destruction committed by intoxicated students. Such thinking is erroneous, and inexcusable. The vandalism was a hate crime, and those guilty of it should be persecuted with a severity that mirrors the horrendous nature of their act.

Campus groups like moqa have fallen victim to such crimes before. Some of these have been met with justifiable anger; others with little more than a passing mention. It was refreshing, thus, to see such a wide response by members of the upper administration and student government, who reacted quickly and vociferously against the destruction of the moqa closet. Condemnation of the kind the College saw in numerous all-campus e-mails last week sends a clear message to not only the perpetrators of hate crimes, but also broadcasts a clear signal of tolerance to all members of our campus community.

But e-mails are not enough. Two years after the establishment of Middlebury's Office for Institutional Diversity, the time has come for a new dialogue on the changing shape and color of the College. This conversation must occur openly and honestly in forums, in the classroom, in residence halls and at the dinner table. Students, faculty and staff should confront and recognize their differences head-on, and temporarily lay aside the rhetoric of political correctness. Only once we have discovered the source of our differences can we move on to a broader, and more genuine, acceptance of the groups that make Middlebury thrive.

An Imperative to Act

Director of Service Learning and Student Employment Tiffany Sargent, the Student Government Association, Old Chapel administrators and student heads of the College's numerous community service organizations should make the rescue of programs like the Page One Literacy Project and Community Friends an imperative between now and November.

These groups and others find themselves in a precarious position these days. A national economic recession has dried up funding for volunteer programs, leaving Sargent and others scrambling to ensure the future — and continued success — of initiatives that have won the College much acclaim nationally and many friends locally.

Though finding funds will be difficult, these programs are too meaningful, and too important, to simply let fade into obscurity. If funds cannot be secured from outside sources, the College should make allotting a portion of its budget a priority to guarantee what for many — within and beyond Middlebury — has been a defining feature of their years on campus.