Lack of Media Outlets Leaves Students Unplugged

Author: Virginia Harper

Students at Middlebury College do not receive a thorough intake of news on a daily basis. Trapped in the "Middlebury Bubble," as it is so affectionately known, first-years and upperclassmen alike willingly acknowledge the lack of news outlets availabile on campus.

It seems a trend among students to make the conscious decision to ignore daily local, national and international news. Faced with the demands of schoolwork, sports and extracurricular activities, students have less and less time to be informed. Others deliberately chose to attend Middlebury - rather than similar academically prestigious but politically-oriented schools such as Georgetown, Columbia or Stanford - because of students' relaxed attitudes about politics and the focus on pure academics as opposed to current-event-based learning.

Students rarely watch television news because of the absence of cable in most dormitories. Televisions in dorm lounges, however, are accessible but are mainly used for entertainment viewing - sports games or weekly sitcoms. This leaves students with few options. Starr Library receives subscriptions to several national and international newspapers, notably The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Wall Street Journal. Kate Schmitt, circulation services support supervisor, said that most students fail to take advantage of this resource. "I wouldn't say the students are reading them in droves. I would think they read it more online. It definitely gets read," she said. On a bulletin boad outside of the Crest Room on the way to The Grille New York Times headlines are posted, but the print is small and the headlines vague.

In previous years, students were able to subscribe to the three national newspapers through a student employed by the actual newspaper company. While this is continuing with the Wall Street Journal, Mail Center Supervisor David LaRose said that about 40 students get the paper daily. The New York Times and The Boston Globe have been unable to find a student employee, thus the service is unavailable this year. "Paper subscriptions have gone down over the years because of the Internet," speculated LaRose. He estimates that eight years ago, there were about 100 subscribers to both The Times and The Journal, but that the necessity for a daily paper has decreased over the years. Some students subscribe to weekly news magazines. Interestingly, one student does receive The New York Times through U.S. Mail, but as LaRose points out, he receives it several days after its printing.

The major source of news on campus seems to be various Web sites that grant students a quick and accessible way to check the news and also allows them to read the headlines which interest them. CNN.com and nytimes.com are the most heavily trafficked by Middlebury students, probably because of the reputable nature of their publications. Others listen to NPR in the car or via online stream.

While access to news is limited, it is still present. But are students using the sources? Most seem to think that the limitations are such an obstacle to overcome that they fail to make an effort, due to large quantities of schoolwork every night and during the weekend.

"I'm not informed at all. I didn't even know about Ben and J.Lo," said Allison Kennedy '07. Most first-years have enough trouble balancing academic stress and a new social life while getting adjusted to college in general that they forget to check in on what is happening in the world.

Brainerd Commons Residential Advisors, Lindsay Ladd '03 and Jason Vrooman '03 identify with the problems of overstretched students that lack time to stay informed. While they stay busy with their obligations to the College and to residential life, they do not have such a strenuous academic setting, and with in-room cable offered, they find more time to stay in the know. Vrooman, however, does question the effect that the "Middlebury Bubble" has on students and academics: "I've always found it odd that a college campus, a place dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, doesn't engender a greater awareness of current events. It certainly seems paradoxical to me," he said.

Upperclassmen acknowledge this typical first-year problem, and while the situation improves over a student's four years at Middlebury, many are still uninformed. Shelia Seles '05 keeps up-to-date with Web news and NPR online. "I make an effort. You have to." Some even find that students enjoy the "ignorance is bliss" mindset when it comes to world issues. Seles added, "The majority of people like to be in oblivion and like to think that news doesn't touch them here. Sometimes it shocks me. There are a lot of people who really care. But others don't seem very interested."

Life did, of course, change during and after Sept. 11, 2001, the first Tuesday of classes Seles had as a first-year. The College made an effort to make information more available to students by adding televisions to many spots frequented by students, even in Proctor. "But then it sort of fizzled out and people stopped being as informed," noted Seles. Katrina Uhl '05 acknowledges that the same "'need to know' has faded for most students. Life at Middlebury didn't change too much."

Nevertheless, Seles remains concerned with the lack of student response to the war in Iraq. Whether people were supportive or not, few students publicly spoke out about what was happening and Seles had a hard time convincing friends and other students to attend demonstrations. They said they had too much schoolwork.

"As people who are academically involved, I think it's important to look at things critically. With all of these really intelligent people, something could really come of it," Seles said.