MIDDBRIEFS

Author: KATHRYN FLAGG AND LISIE MEHLMAN

College admissions consider SAT errors

Early last week, the College Board disclosed that moisture damage on answer sheets had led to the incorrect scoring of 4,000 SAT tests of students throughout the Northeast. The admissions offices of Vermont's University of Vermont, St. Michael's College and Middlebury College have to reevaluate the applications of some 130 students as a result of this score report mishap. The College Board said the test scores were off by fewer than 100 points, out of a total possible score of 2,400, for the majority of affected students. According to Dean of Admissions Robert Clagett, this problem was "an easy one" for the College to solve "because it only affected about 11 applicants to Middlebury, and the score changes were usually only 10 points. So it did not have any impact on our decisions." The 4,000 northeastern students who were affected represent 0.8 percent of the total number of students who took the test in October, said Jacqueline Murphy, director of admissions at St. Michaels who also sits on the New England Regional Council of the College Board.



Middlebury hosts video conference on Katrina

On March 17, the College's American's For Informed Democracy chapter will host a videoconference entitled "More Than Six Months After Katrina: A Report Card for America." Held in Meeker House, the videoconference will enable Middlebury students to discuss the current state of the rebuilding effort with community leaders and residents of New Orleans. The sponsoring organization seeks to ensure that Americans continue to understand the changing situation in New Orleans as well as the ways in which they might offer aid and assistance. The videoconference is timed so as to coincide with President George W. Bush's most recent push to provide increased aid to the city, as he asked Congress for $20 billion more in aid on March 8. Emily Peterson '08, a Middlebury student who is helping to organize the videoconference, says that "The Gulf Coast still faces a long road to recovery, and it will be several decades before the region ever resembles the way it looked before." Americans for Informed Democracy is a non-partisan educational organization devoted to enaging Americans in discussions about the United States' role in the world.



ACTR adds biofuel bus to regional transit fleet

Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) announced last Thursday that, in taking another step towards enhancing the environmental health of the region, their newest bus is now running on B20 fuel. The first in their fleet to run on biodiesel, the bus is currently in service along the Middlebury College Snow Bowl route. In warmer weather, the bus will run on ACTR's Middlebury route.

Executive Director of ACTR Jim Moulton noted that, "We are fortunate to live in a state and region where environmental awareness and activism are so high." He continued, "That fact made using biodiesel possible."

The addition of this newest bus was facilitated in large part by recent studies and pilot projects conducted by the College, which has begun using biodiesel in some of its maintenance vehicles and smaller furnaces. ACTR's newest addition to their fleet will further contribute to the College's environmental initiatives, as Campus Sustainability Coordinator Jack Byrne noted in an ACTR press release.

"Partnering with ACTR to put a biodiesel bus into service that our students and others can ride to the Snow Bowl and around Middlebury helps us meet our goals of CO2 reduction from campus activities," he said.