MiddBriefs

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College in battle to save oldest tree on campus

Efforts are being made to prolong the life of a Norway spruce believed to have been struck by lightning this past summer. Located in front of the new library, the tree is the oldest on campus, with a plaque attesting to its origin circa 1860.

Signs of stress first appeared over the summer in the form of a large section of peeling bark and a crack in the trunk. Lab results indicated the damage is not due to a pest and the pattern is consistent with what a storm could do.

College horticulturist Tim Parsons has been watching the tree closely. This fall he and several associates prepared a special fertilizer to compensate for the lost bark. Gaps in this outer layer interfere with water's upward flow.

Parsons also oversaw a process known as "vertical mulching" wherein holes were bored into the ground and filled with nutritious material aiming to promote root growth.

Despite the current heroic efforts, the tree's health has continued to decline. While Parsons has not conceded yet, he is "very aggressive about replacing trees, as large campuses like [Middlebury's] need to be continually planting trees to compensate for normal decline." He encourages students to visit the landmark while they still can.


Hepburn elevator traps student after malfunction

Eri Nosaka '08 rode an elevator up and down Hepburn's five floors last week - against her will. Nosaka's destination was to be MiddXpress and she did not give a second thought to using the building's elevator. It had served her well in the past.

This time, it failed her. The elevator rose and fell from floor to floor without bothering to pause and open its doors. Imprisoned in a machine designed for convenience, Nosaka had to wait out a half-hour of mobile malfunction. Luckily, she is not claustrophobic, though the repeated motion did make her "a little nauseous."

Although alone in the elevator, Nosaka had a cell phone with her.

"I called a good friend of mine who talked to me for the majority of the time and kept my spirits high," she said. "My friend also called Public Safety to make sure they were doing something about it."

Nosaka was liberated before long but is concerned that something similar may happen again. While repairs have been made to this particular elevator, the elevator's inspection expired in March of 2006 and has not been updated. Facilities could not be reached for comment.