Letters to the Editor

Author: [no author name found]

To the Editor:

Recently, Middlebury first-year and senior students received e-mail invitations to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The NSSE is a questionnaire that is being given to students at hundreds of colleges and universities. Results from Middlebury students will allow the College's faculty and staff to evaluate and compare experiences at Middlebury College with those of students throughout the country. In other words, you can help the faculty and staff further demonstrate the value of a Middlebury education. The results are also covered by major media as a measure of national trends in higher education.

If you have received a survey, please complete it as soon as possible. The Dean of Student Affairs Office and the Alliance for Civic Engagement are offering five $50 gift certificates for local restaurants to be awarded by lottery to students who complete the survey by Friday, March 17.

If you have any questions about this project on our campus or our interest in using the results, please contact Jane Kimble at jkimble@middlebury.edu or at x5351. Thank you for your participation!

Sincerely,

Jane Kimble

Institutional Research



To the Editor:

As a student who attended the forum on the cartoon controversy, I was insulted when a professor as knowledgeable as Justin Stearns said that we aren't tolerant enough of Islam. I suppose that by "we" Professor Stearns meant to suggest that the Danish cartoonists abused freedom of speech. And the immediate "we" of the forum, that is, those of us listening to Professor Stearns, are already far more tolerant than the people who rioted in Pakistan.

It's freedom of speech that was on trial, as Uzair Kayani and Professor Murray Dry pointed out. And yet our school's party of "tolerance," led by Professor Stearns, persisted in asking us to be at once tolerant of Islam and to be intolerant of the Danish cartoonists: an intolerable double standard.

As for the controversial cartoons, they didn't make me laugh. But I respect an individual's right to risk being humorless, especially if one is trying to speak on behalf of us all. So when Professor Stearns said that these cartoons could not have come at a worse moment, I had to ask myself, What would have been the right moment? A year ago? Next week? Freedom of speech exists so that we can speak out when the worst moment imaginable has lasted too long.

Sincerely,

Aaron Strumwasser '06

Mercer Island, Wash.



To the Editor:

Last week's editorial asks "the College" to take a "proactive role" in communicating about racially charged incidents, but it says very little about the majority of people who constitute the College - the students. The editors ask for candid and open exchange, so let's start here: the administration can sponsor any number of public forums about diversity, yet until students take these matters into their own hands and affirm the importance of living civilly among one another in order to learn from their differences, no real change can take place. The role of the faculty, staff and administration is to provide the framework and resources for this education to take place and, when necessary, to enforce the policies of the College, but the responsibility of self-governance ultimately rests with students. Several years ago, the Student Government Association (SGA) considered adopting a Social Honor code that, like the Academic Honor Code, would hold students to a level of conduct consistent with the College's values. That proposal failed, but given recent events, I believe it is time to reconsider the concept.

Racism, intolerance, gender inequities and uncivil behavior -these are real world problems that occasionally pierce the Middlebury bubble. The challenge of eradicating these problems is a collaborative process that involves everyone in this community. The administration is committed to dealing firmly with racial intolerance and to building a more diverse campus. But the administration does not hold exclusive rights to moral authority in this area. That belongs to all of us.

Sincerely,

Tim Spears

Professor of Am. Lit. and Civ.

Dean of the College



To the Editor:

What do you think you'll appreciate most about your Middlebury education when you leave? How to take integrals? Interpret literature? Tune your bike? Write a resume? Important skills like these helped me find a great job. But what really helped me in the "real world" are the most essential skills that Middlebury will send you off with; curiosity and the ability to critically assess information.

Last week I read the Opinion article: "Think about it, global warming does not exist." I don't doubt the legitimacy of the statistics cited, but they aren't enough to base any overarching statement upon. The best way to determine what to believe about any issue is research. Don't stop when you find statements that support your opinion. Dig deeper. Get past the analysis of data, which is often laced with rhetoric. I encourage you to look at scientific journals and read methodologies. You'll find that scientists aren't just spouting off theories for kicks-a lot of very intense, and heavily scrutinized research is being done. Very few scientists still say that climate change is not anthropogenically caused; fewer believe the climate is not changing at all. Their theories aren't published in peer-reviewed journals because of questionable science, but don't take my word for it, browse their papers too. Looking for a comprehensive overview of climate science to start with? Check out the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, at www.ipcc.ch. Your education will only continue to be valuable if you remember how to educate yourself.

Sincerely,

Nicole Grohoski '05

Farmington, Maine



To the Editor:

I write to commend Michael Jou on his opinion piece in last week's The Middlebury Campus, in which he dealt a serious blow to the misguided adherents of the so-called "global warming" myth.

I wish to bring the reader's attention to another commonly held fiction and the nefarious powers behind it. Danielle Steele's riveting latest opus, "The House," is unlikely to receive the critical acclaim it deserves, because in her work Steele takes issue with the popular myth of "rainshowers."

Think about it. Do "rainshowers" really exist? When was the last time you were soaked by water propelled from the sky by some mysterious force? If "rain" is heavier than air, how did it get up there? Science cannot answer these questions.

Consider these true facts:

-San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, has seen no serious "rainshowers" in its recorded history. In some regions surrounding San Pedro, no "rain" has been reported in over 400 years!

-In Rothera, Antarctica, incidents of falling water occur on average once every five years. Evidence points to the splashing of nearby waves as the likely culprits.

-Meteorologists in Alert, Canada, haven't seen "rainshowers" since the station was established in the 1950s.

-Finally, an overwhelming majority of the Earth's surface lacks any tangible evidence of "rainfall." Most of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans do not have permanent meteorological centers which could lend credence to the myth of "rainshowers."

Given these facts, perhaps it is time we ask ourselves: who wants us to believe in "rainshowers?" Could it be the global umbrella industry, which is increasingly controlled by a few ultra-powerful Chinese firms? Could the Chinese government be responsible for the myth of "rainshowers" as a means of accelerating its mysterious, malevolent plans? Think about it. Sincerely,

David
Murphy Haglund '06

Kingston, Ontario