campuscharacter A conversation with king of the Utilikilts, Livingston Burgess '10

Author: Tess Russell

Even if you do not know him by name, you probably recognize Livingston Burgess '10 when you see him. He is the guy not wearing any pants.

Now, I do not want to give you the wrong impression - he is attired quite properly. It is just that he prefers to wear a kilt.

While Burgess's style of dress may be the most striking thing about him, he is also notable for his participation in a veritable laundry list of activities around campus≠ - indeed, he is one of those Middlebury students (I am finding there to be many) who seemingly exists to make me feel about as worthwhile as a brick of cheese.

His many duties on campus include being in active player on the Ultimate Frisbee squad and on the stage - he will be assuming the role of Joe in the Middlebury College Musical Players' upcoming production of Merrily We Roll Along. You might also have come across one of his cross-country articles in the Sports section of this publication, or perhaps you have seen him running around campus on an otherwise quiet weeknight with Mchakamchaka, the College's African chanting group.

So how does he balance all of this with his demanding schedule as a Biochemistry major with minors in French and Teacher Education? (See what I'm saying about the cheese now?)

"It's just a matter of constantly reevaluating your priorities," said Burgess, who also plays in the recently-founded College Pep Band that plans to get us all, ahem, peppy at the football and hockey games with rousing renditions of old favorites like "Louie Louie" and "Build Me Up Buttercup."

The Walla WallaWash.-native maintains that if you keep your head on straight, you will be shocked at how many different things you can accomplish.

"You just have to be willing to blow something off when that is the best thing to do," conceded Burgess. "Sometimes, that thing is sleep, and other times it is a practice, but everything tends to work out, and it is absolutely worth it in the end."

One of Burgess' main outside interests is doing set construction, and much of his summer was spent working on a community college theater production near his hometown. Next year, he plans to study in Poitiers to perfect his language fluency, which he will need to fulfill his dream of joining the Peace Corps as a volunteer in North Africa.

And he might just start a revolution there - a clothing revolution, that is. When I asked what the deal was on the skirts he sports, he had a simple answer. "They are simply miles more comfortable than pants," Burgess pointed out.

Burgess, who has no Scottish heritage, had always toyed with idea of wearing a kilt but had been put off by the high prices and overly traditional appearance of classic Highlander kilts.

"I am not sure if I could pull off the tartan," Burgess deadpanned.

When he read a story in his local paper about a Seattle-based company making modern versions of the garment from sustainable materials and promoting all sorts of good corporate values like fair trade and paying their employees livable wages, everything just clicked.

The company is Utilikilts, and upon visiting their kooky but charming Web site I came across helpful safety tips, such as leaf-blower duels while wearing your Utilikilt* brand utility kilt and your "SUBMIT" t-shirt in front of the Michigan Womyns Festival are not encouraged.

Burgess owns a half dozen of their products, including a stylish denim model, a shiny purple athletic kilt that gives him maximum comfort when playing Frisbee and a durable black cotton duck variety that is well suited for hiking. He actually has two of the "Mockers" office kilt, which contains no cargo pockets and gives off a more professional vibe, because he bought one for his father, who gave the lifestyle a try but could not commit indefinitely.

"I have made a few other low grade attempts at conversion," admitted Burgess. "The company doesn't advertise, so I definitely feel some responsibility to help get the word out."

And though not all of the returns are in, it seems his efforts may be paying offÖ Burgess said that he recently lent the black one to a friend and did not get it back for six weeks.

So what is Campus Character?

We hope you enjoyed the inaugural edition of Campus Character this week. This new featurette wil appear bi-monthly in the Features Section. A more indepth version of our 15 Minutes, Campus Character delves into the quirks of different individuals in and around the College, providing an interesting an unique perspective on someone new. Do you know of someone who would be interesting to profile? Give us a shout at trussell@middlebury.edu, and we'll be sure to look into it.