Notes from the desk The Cameron Cup

Author: Joe Bergan

Here at Middlebury, we have a little thing called "the Commons" system. For the most part, this system is a lot of fun - students get a weekly newsletter, fondue on Fridays, an incredible support team and loads of funding for any good event idea. While the Commons system truly has shaped Middlebury in profound ways, there remains one small problem - a lack of Commons passion. In my four years, I have witnessed a lot of Commons switching, and also Commons loyalty. This loyalty revolves solely around housing. If you don't want to live in Hepburn, you switch somewhere else. Rarely do students feel bad when they are in line at Open draw, "Oh, I'm really gonna miss that Brainerd Commons video collection."

How do we make students passionate about their commons? The answer is simple and right in front of our fondue-covered noses - The Cameron Cup. If you ever go to the climbing wall and take a drink at the water fountain, you will see a small plaque lauding "The Cameron Cup."

Allegedly a trophy given to the Commons with the most intramural championships in a year, the little plaques displaying winners stop before 2006. If this was supposed to be some kind of spirited rivalry, maybe I missed the boat.

The Cameron Cup should be resurrected, and not just for intramural events - for all aspects of student life. Yes, the comparisons to Harry Potter will be clear, but bear with me. Why not make the Cameron Cup an actual cup, a trophy won by the best Commons during the academic year. Leadership positions in campus clubs and organizations could count as points, as could the number of College Scholars and Dean's List members in the respective commons. We can even hold a film and music festival between the commons for a huge amount of points. Yes, I bet even those Quidditch games could count. Behavior will also count. Alcohol citations and incident reports lose points for the final tally. At the end of the year, we add all these points up and determine a winner. What will all this hard work lead to? Campus wide pride. The winning commons wins pride in the fact that they are part of team that pulled together and emerged victorious over the other commons. The winning commons receives a large sum of money, given by the losing commons as well as a huge ball/bash/party to commemorate their superiority. Finally, there will be no more Commons switching. If you are unsatisfied with your status, win the Cameron Cup. Sure, this will foster jealousy, but we are no longer children. No one will be making sure everything is equal when we step into our first job. Let's make the Commons actually mean something and beef up the Cameron Cup.

Joe Bergan, 2007.5 is Features Editor. He majors in Film and Media Culture and hails from Middletown, Connecticut.