Middbriefs

Author: Akshay Khanna

College reports making strides on Strategic Plan

The College has made significant progress toward implementing more than half of the 82 numbered recommendations outlined last spring in the Strategic Plan, Dean of Planning John Emerson reported after returning from the Board of Trustees' fall retreat.

The plan, "Knowledge Without Boundaries," was unanimously endorsed by the Board of Trustees in May and aimed "to reflect the participation and the collective vision of hundreds of members of the Middlebury community - both on and off campus," according to Emerson.

Two of the Plan's 82 goals - the adoption of a new mission statement and the implementation of an academic rating system for applicants to the College - have already been accomplished. Specific steps needed to complete 20 other items were laid out at the Board's retreat last spring, and this fall's meeting saw the production of detailed recommendations for 20 more.

"A number of the recommendations will be implemented over many years - we can't just tackle them over one semester," said Emerson.

Other items, like "maintaining strength with our international student population in admissions," are of an ongoing nature and have no set date for completion.

The implementation of each proposal is being supervised by a member of President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz's staff.

Goals adopted this fall include phasing in a College-wide series of weekly convocations as a community-building tool, as well as the presentation of "Community Partners" awards to employers who take on student interns year after year.

"The people take students under their wings and give them a real professional experience," said Emerson. "We want to give some formal recognition to that."


Tomatoes go missing from College dining halls

With many students perplexed by the absence of tomatoes from the College's dining halls both this fall and last, Director of Dining Services Matthew Biette explained that budgetary constraints have kept the College from stocking the popular produce item.

Tomatoes, which are normally priced at $25 per box, are currently being sold for double that amount due to a supply shortage caused by seasonal weather disruptions.

The disappearance has occurred each fall for the last two years - bewildering students who frequent the salad bars of Proctor, Ross and Atwater dining halls.

"We just don't want to spend the money on tomatoes when they reach these astronomical prices," said Biette. "I wouldn't be doing a good job of stewarding the students' money if I wasn't spending it wisely."

Biette said students could expect tomatoes to return "as soon as conditions get better and the prices go down to normal levels."


Classics Dept. sponsors epic reading of Aeneid

A "marathon reading" of Virgil's Aeneid was held last weekend outside the New Library. The event gave both students and faculty the opportunity to participate in readings of the text, a Latin epic dating back to the 1st century B.C. that narrates a story about a familiar theme in pre-Roman Europe - the rise and fall of civilizations.

Aeneas, the epic's protagonist, escapes the ruins of Troy and travels to the shores of Italy where he tastes military victory and eventually succeeds in creating a dynasty of leaders that leads to the founding of the mighty Roman Empire.

Though described as a marathon, the reading in fact took place for two hours on Friday before resuming Saturday morning for an all-day performance.

Planned to coincide with Parents Weekend, the event was the second annual marathon reading sponsored by the College's Classics Department, which plans to feature a different text each year.

Assistant Professor of Classics Christopher Star, a faculty organizer of the event, said the goal of the reading was to "bring together members of the College community who have an interest in Greek and Latin epics and increase the visibility of the Classics Department on campus."

Open to the public, the event attracted mostly students and parents drawn to the surprising sight outside of the New Library. The largest audience turned out for the epic's conclusion, which coincided perfectly with Saturday night's clear sunset.