Middbriefs

Author: Kelly Janis and Scott Greene

Midd adds masters degree in Chinese to Language Schools

This summer, the College's Language Schools will enjoy a much-lauded addition as fifteen students pursue a Master of Arts degree in Chinese, widely considered one of the most increasingly useful focuses of language study. Students have the option of acquiring their degree either during four summers at Middlebury, or two summers on the Vermont campus coupled with an academic year in between spent at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Michael E. Geisler, dean of Language Schools and Schools Abroad, was enthusiastic about the first new masters' degree program adopted by the College in 23 years.

"We had been considering the introduction of a Chinese graduate program for some time, but recent events - increased importance of China as an economic power and an important geostrategic partner of the United States - make a powerful case for moving ahead with this now," Geisler said. "Chinese is one of the 'critical' languages identified by President Bush as one of the areas in which we need to invest more educational resources."

"The Middlebury Language Schools, with their reputation for excellence in language education, are in a better position to address this need than anybody else," Geisler added. "We already have an excellent intensive undergraduate language program in place. We can build on this infrastructure to move quickly in addressing a pressing national need."


Admissions begins talks to select early class of 2011

The Admissions Office has begun deliberations on 678 received Early Decision 1 (ED 1) applications, a five percent rise from a year ago, according to Dean of Admissions Robert Clagett.

"I'm not positive that is a final figure yet, but it is probably close," Clagett said, adding that applications from international students may arrive soon.

As admission officers sit down to deliberate, Clagett reaffirmed the College's commitment to individualized admissions policies. A recent civil rights suit filed against Princeton University by Yale first-year Jian Li has sparked debate about the role race plays in admissions. Li, who is Asian, is claiming that Princeton did not admit him because of his race. Clagett is skeptical of the suit.

"This suit detracts from the all-important recognition that selective colleges admit students, not groups," he said. "In addition, it is impossible for us to know anything about the details of this student's candidacy to Princeton. To me, the fact that the same student was admitted to Yale provides further evidence that selective college admissions remain an art, not a science, and that is as it should be."

While some colleges may have specific policies regarding race, Clagett urged that its important to evaluate applicants on a case-by-case basis, rather than applying different standards across the board.

"Our approach to this at Middlebury is very much on an individualized basis, as it is for any applicant, regardless of skin color," said Clagett.


Symposium explores issue of wrongly imprisoned

From Nov. 16 to Nov. 19, the student organization Incarceration in Question hosted the symposium "Double Standards of Justice: A Weekend Workshop on Race, Class and the Death Penalty." The workshop was inspired by the belief that the nation's criminal justice system is imbued with innumerable inequities, functions as an inappropriate bandage for a variety of social ills and is concerned more heavily with economic gain than with veritable justice. Each of the symposium's events was intended to provoke thought and spark dialogue pertaining to issues of race and class and their relevance to wrongful imprisonment.

The workshop kicked off with a screening of "The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison, USA," a film which tracks the trials and tribulations of six inmates in an infamous Louisiana prison. On Nov. 17, the organization sponsored a discussion entitled "A Structural View of Race in the Criminal Justice System," followed by a keynote address by Darby Tillis - a man who spent over nine years on death row prior to his exoneration from a crime of which he was not guilty - and an art show and silent auction. Nov. 18 consisted of a flurry of workshops and panel discussions with sponsors like the Prison Moratorium Project and The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement.

The workshops on Nov. 19 included an exercise exploring a hypothetical world devoid of prisons and police. The symposium concluded with a candlelight vigil on the steps of Mead Chapel as a show of solidarity with the unjustly imprisoned. In publicizing the event, organizers drew upon a quotation from Aboriginal artist and activist Lilla Watson: "If you have come to help me, then you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."