Editorial Missing the forest for the peas

Author: [no author name found]

Those at the College who lament the loss of Proctor on the weekends make valid points. The closure of the well-loved dining hall does mean that a significant portion of the student body will have to re-locate on Saturdays and Sundays. There will be the suspension of the signature-Proctor ambiance for 48 hours. Students will have to go without overstuffed paninis for a few meals. Yes, to some it seems like the new dining hall is inconveniently located. However there is nothing that can be done now about the placement of the new Atwater dining hall and those who are putting their efforts into petitions and protests over the closure would be well advised to recognize that the weekend closure of Proctor was prompted by reasons other than to deliberately insult students in Brainerd and Wonnacott.

Anyone who has been a witness to the production that goes into a meal at a Middlebury dining hall must realize that keeping one open is not cheap. As reported to the Student Government Association (SGA), it would cost $150,000 annually to hire the staff members needed to keep Proctor open seven days a week. But it is an issue about the Middlebury EXPERIENCE, right? It's not just about the price tag, right?

Right. So now students who live on the far north of campus are able to eat all meals seven days a week without having to walk distances comparable to that of someone on the south side. Stop pontificating about how unfair that is and consider that for the past two years the positions have been reversed. Freeman International Center (FIC) was closed on the weekends except for Sunday dinner. But it is not as far from Allen Hall to Ross Hall as it is from Starr Hall to Ross Hall, one might say. True, but while comparisons are being made, consider the size of this campus. Less than 3,000 students and there are three full dining halls, not to mention three different "restaurants," - four if you count the one at the golf course. Many significantly larger universities have less than that. As well, because of the comprehensive fee, meals at dining halls are all-you-can-eat buffets, definitely an underappreciated luxury. Also, to be accurate, Proctor is closed for dinner only one night of the week as Dolci now uses that space as its new headquarters. Students who fear the walk across College street should consider lining up for tickets to the Friday night student prepared meal - the fare will drive thoughts of paninis out of their minds.

There are two concerns that have been raised by Proctor aficionados that Dining Services should give special consideration to, over-crowding and vegetarian options. Both Atwater and Ross have smaller capacities than Proctor and it shows during the six o'clock crunch. Also, providing veggie options that require as much culinary effort as meat dishes is a Proctor-specialty that is not emulated at the other dining halls on a regular basis. Perhaps the answer then is to close Ross instead of Proctor, a move that would satisfy most - except for the residents of the Ross complex who right now can walk around in shorts and t-shirts when it is 15 degrees and snowing.

The closure of Proctor has stirred so many students that those who though Midd-kids had lost the activist spirit of old are now reconsidering their position. However, at the same time that south-side students picket Old Chapel, the anti-discrimination policy of Middlebury College is under review as an aftermath of the Marine Corps coming on-campus to recruit. Shouldn't students be more concerned about discrimination and diversity issues than about dining and deserts? One would hope so, but over 300 students signed the petition to keep Proctor open and only 139 people (including members of the faculty) signed the petition to prevent organizations that openly discriminate from recruiting on campus. It seems sometimes that too much emphasis is placed on the little details and not enough is placed on the larger issues. Apparently in a socially-conscious institution like Middlebury concerns are raised by growling stomachs instead of questioning minds grappling with moral dilemmas.

Perhaps students who live on the south side of campus should start looking at the walk to Ross and Atwater dining halls not as a trek of momentous proportions, but instead as a way to work up an appetite before a meal. There are more important things to get worked up about.