Letters to the editor

Author: [no author name found]

To the Editor:

This week, Brown University did away with tuition for students whose families make less than $60,000 a year and increased financial aid, and most importantly replaced student loans with grants across the board. This is an impressive commitment to socio-economic diversity considering Brown's endowment sits at around $2.2 billion, much less than that of Harvard, Princeton and Stanford, who have made similar moves recently. Furthermore, Brown's endowment is only slightly more than twice the endowment of Middlebury College, not a huge leap. With a $500 million capital campaign underway and elite institutions across the country increasing financial aid packages and even doing away with tuition altogether, I think it's time we seriously reconsider what it takes to be a student at Middlebury. For years I have heard the grumblings of students about socioeconomic diversity and financial aid at Middlebury. Unfortunately, not much has changed since when I matriculated and Middlebury was generally ill-reputed among elite liberal arts colleges for its financial packages and generally difficult financial aid office.

Sincerely,
Austen Levihn-Coon '08


To the Editor:

In response to last week's editorial "Why 'Let's Talk About Sex' succeeds where symposia fail," MCAB Speakers Committee would like to clarify our role in bringing speakers to campus. When MCAB was restructured for the 2007-2008 academic year, a Speakers Committee was created in order to fund student and club-sponsored lectures and to select and fund symposia.

As clarification the MCAB Speakers Committee does not propose symposia - it is a group that helps students navigate the logistics of organizing and planning a symposium. The Speakers Committee is a resource for students as it helps students bring speakers to campus. We have supported many diverse events including film screenings, lectures and panels.

Symposia, by their very nature, must draw on the College's academic resources. "Let's Talk About Sex" focused on social and health related concerns, and the result was an informative month that encouraged students to talk about important issues. MCAB Speakers Committee is proud of "Let's Talk About Sex's" success and recognizes the importance of supporting events that facilitate dialogue between students, student groups and the community at large.

We hold open meetings on Monday at 5:45 in the Crest Room Conference Room in McCullough. We encourage all interested students to attend, and are currently taking speaker requests and applications for those who want to take part in diversifying speakers on campus. Look out for the upcoming spring symposium on water conflicts and issues, beginning March 31.

Sincerely,
MCAB Speakers Committee