Author: Joseph Bergan
While Middlebury boasts a degree of international flair, with world-class academics and programs that reach far beyond our little town, the fact remains that the College is itself small. Although students revel in its intimate size, which seems to serve as a point of pride, another well known fact about life at a small school is that people tend to talk. Rumors and hearsay, repeated often enough, become common facts, unsupported by actual evidence. How does one separate fact from fiction? Fear not, The Campus has posed popular myths to some of the most powerful administrators on campus, to debunk, clarify and support the rumors that cloud the minds of Middlebury students.
Myth #1: Middlebury Can't Touch DKE House
Homecoming weekend perpetuates this myth about the strange fraternity house at the heart of campus. As students gathered round for the annual DKE party, one could not help but ask - why does this occur? Is DKE some kind of secret society?
"The College has an agreement (over 20 years old) with the DKE Alumni Association to provide a ground lease upon which the DKE House is located for as long as the DKE Alumni Association remains active," said the College's Treasurer and Excecutive Vice President Bob Huth. Yet, rumors continue to fly about whether the College plays any role in the house, considering its central location.
"The relationship between the College and the DKE Alumni Association is cordial and symbiotic as the College rents space in the house for several offices," said Huth. Although the details of this agreement are a bit nebulous, it can be said for the most part, this myth is fact. While the College rents rooms in the house, it is still very much the DKE house.
Myth Status: True
Myth #2: Public Safety can read "party" Emails
A common myth circulates on this campus that if a student creates and sends an e-mail to over a certain number of people with the word "party" or "keg" in the subject field, Public Safety will read it and somehow manage to break the party up. "I have heard this a lot," said Dean of Library and Information Services Barbara Doyle-Wilch. However, most administrators respond to this question with an incredibly puzzled look. Public Safety was shocked to ever field this question because the Office of Public Safety has no power to access any student's e-mail account. Doyle-Wilch corroborated this fact, "We keep e-mail 60 days and the only time we would ever check an e-mail is with a subpoena." So take comfort in knowing that if there is a keg at your house and your roommate invites 300 people via Outlook, the College does not have the legal right to filter your e-mail.
Myth Status: False
Myth #3: College Deans are active on Facebook.com
Ever since Dean of Students Ann Hanson and Dean of the College Tim Spears promulgated a guide to Facebook.com this summer, rumors have been swirling about what professionals actively scan profiles, searching for those incriminating photos from the debaucherous weekend at the Atlantis. While some students remain unphased, others edit and revise out of fear. But, perhaps Middlebury students are acting on poor information. " I do not use Facebook.com at all," said Dean of Wonnacott Commons Matthew Longman.
"I would not rule out the possibility of consulting Facebook if I felt it could shed light on a significant, pending issue that could have disciplinary consequences. I am registered on Facebook and have consulted it on occasion," said Dean of the College Tim Spears. With over 100 adminstrators and faculty at the College, it is hard to determine for sure if this myth is true or false. It is advisable to leave out photographic evidence of your past felonies.
Myth status: Uncertain
Myth #4: Commons are organized by personality
The division of the College into Commons continues to be one of the more polarizing issues on campus, and the manner in which students are assigned to specific Commons has created much speculation. Is there some kind of "Sorting Hat?" Do admissions officers and Commons Deans spend their summer months analyzing applications, hoping to match personalities within commons? "There is no link between student personality/interests and Commons placement," said Dean Longman. However, Dean Spears offered his own take. "Each Commons is meant to be a microcosm of the larger College, and we try to maintain a balance of interests and backgrounds when housing first year students in the five Commons." To achieve this, students are housed in a Commons according to their first-year seminar choice. In this way, "those class groupings no doubt have effect on the residential community," said Spears. This does not mean, however that all literature seminars get housed in Ross, or all arts seminars go to Brainerd. "We also try to distribute the Commons-based seminars so that all the seminars about science (for instance) don't end up in the same Commons," said Spears. When discussing the personalities of the Commons, the key word is a balance of interests, perhaps the opposite of this myth.
Myth Status: False
Myth #5: Custodial Staff Reports your drinking habits
The scene is common - Monday morning rolls around and you are awoken by the custodial staff clearing out those now empty beer cans from your trash bin in the bathroom. By next Friday, Public Safety is knocking on your door, something they have never done before, just to see what you are up to. Is this a coincidence or are those friendly faces who clean our messes acting as double agents? "The custodial teams may choose to bring to our attention any concerns that they feel we should be made aware of, but they are by no means expected to report to us," said Dean Longman. Therefore, the person cleaning your mess is not paid extra if he or she leads to some alcohol citations. So, they are not double agents, but instead guardian angels, more concerned with your safety than with getting you in trouble.
Myth Status: True
Middlebury's most mystifying myths... busted
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