Editorial

Author: [no author name found]

Student Victory?



Proctor is open on the weekend again. In fact, the compromise reached by Director of Dining Services Matthew Biette, President Ronald D. Liebowitz and students who advocated that Proctor remain open seven days a week adds only Sunday brunch to the dining hall's previously cut back schedule. Regardless of the dining hall's specific hours, however, the fact remains that student fervor has won out (if only partly) in the latest campus debate.

On the one hand, the College administration's willingness to recognize and act on student concerns is applaudable. The dining hall's new schedule is ready evidence that student voices do not go unheard on this campus.

On the other hand, it is troublesome that the College was forced to make a financially disadvantageous change because the din of student selfishness sounded so loudly. Proctor's weekend closure may be inconvenient for students who face a longer walk to Ross or Atwater and more crowding once they arrive in these locations, but it is obvious that these inconveniences are bearable. It is no surprise that students were initially annoyed and angered by the cut back schedule, but what is surprising is that these sentiments continued in the long run.

Many students seem entirely unwilling to recognize the financial and staffing constraints that informed Biette's initial decision to close Proctor dining hall on the weekend. Even when Biette attended an Student Government Association Senate meeting to explain his rationale and provide budget numbers to Senate members, Senators voted to support a bill that pushed to restore the old Proctor schedule.

It is mystifying that within Middlebury's intellectually minded community, students seem unable to critically extend their thinking to even entertain both sides of this debate. Such shortsighted stubbornness can only lead to the perception of an "us" vs. "them" dynamic between students and administration.

The College administration has partially given into students this time, but it is unfortunate that educated young adults seemed so unprepared to contemplate this issue from a practical perspective. Perhaps this is because students know too little about their College community and the nuances of its workings and operation. In any case, students' apparent unwillingness to listen earnestly to information furnished by the College points to disappointing state of affairs. There seems to be a greater need for students to engage this community. Proctor may not be a big deal in the scheme of things, but before students complain about its closing they might take a minute to brush up on the facts.

Do you know how much it costs to open the dining hall over the weekend? Do you know how many additional staff members are needed?

Students should at the very least ask these questions and contemplate their consequences before lamenting the walk to Ross next Saturday. Maybe students think it is worth the College's financial sacrafice to keep the Proctor dining hall constantly open, but until they even recognize that these kind of practical constraints are an essential part of the debate, it is impossible to claim anything but ignorance. The College administration has already demonstrated to students that they are willing to consider student concerns, it time students show that they can return the favor.