campus character Torch sets first-year nightlife on fire

Author: [no author name found]

I have probably had as many conversations about this week's Campus Character, Lauryn Torch '11, as I have had with her.

Last weekend, I again found myself discussing the Bronxville, N.Y.-native, this time with one of my housemates in Homestead who is a member of the men's soccer team. Our interaction went something like this:

"So, I heard you know my friend Lauryn. She was over here last night."

"Who?"

"Lauryn,"

"What?"

"Lauryn! She's a goalie on the girls' soccer team."

"Oh, you mean Torch."

Indeed, Torch insists that her surname has blessed her with a popularity that she might not otherwise enjoy.

"I seriously think half the people I meet would never remember me if it weren't for my last name," she joked. "No, really - I wouldn't have any friends."

All kidding aside, Torch's sense of humor and social prowess are immediately apparent upon meeting her. She leaves playful notes, often with visual accompaniments, for her roommate, Victoria Vogel '11. The girls have proudly displayed on their bulletin board a Post-It that reads, "Don't ever let me do your laundry," which Torch placed on Vogel's desk along with a toddler-sized wool sweater.

Torch is also an unabashed champion of festive dance parties, particularly those held in the Freeman International Center Shangri-La known to Middlebury students simply as "The Bunker." Attendees of January's Girl Talk concert may recognize her as the energetic reveler who snagged the coveted stage spot right next to DJ Greg Gillis. (In fact, Torch got close enough to Gillis to snag his flask, which has since been retired to a shelf in her room because - as she rightfully pointed out - "it's honestly not very quality.")

To further spice up her nights out, Torch has been known to sport eclectic yet striking ensembles that incorporate everything from Hanes tighty-whities to a recently acquired sheer, skeleton-printed bodysuit that, according to Torch, "may be due for its first Bunker appearance soon."

But Torch's endeavors reach far beyond her own personal enjoyment of a particular evening - she has charged herself selflessly with enhancing the College's nightlife for all Middlebury students. Nowhere is this dedication more apparent than in her and Vogel's final project for their student-led Winter Term class, Middlebury Entrepreneurs.

While classmates proposed business ideas ranging from a College speakers' series to a boat-cleaning service to an architecture firm, Torch and Vogel kept their scope decidedly narrower, establishing a "Midnight Munchies" service that - for one glorious Wednesday evening - brought delicious Flatbread pizza and other goodies directly to the doors of Ross denizens via shopping cart. ("Listen for the cart … NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE," announced the posters they spread around the Commons.)

The profit margin gained by the business is questionable - Torch noted that the majority of the cart's contents were stolen when they pulled into a party and "people got belligerent" - so Torch has since refocused her energies on less labor- and capital-intensive pursuits, most notably the proliferation of a game she calls "Dynamite," which she hopes will become a Middlebury phenomenon.

Dynamite may bear some resemblance to existing forms of contest, but Torch insisted that her preferred version came to her as a "vision in a dream" - much like Coleridge's mythical realm of Xanadu, but without the impetus of medicinal opium.

Torch explained that Dynamite enhances the social dynamic of a gathering by allowing for increased participation among all partygoers.

"Instead of 20 people standing around and waiting to play, you can have everyone involved in one lively game," she said.

Given Torch's dedication, Dynamite could easily become the next big thing on campus - fortunately, the upcoming break should provide you with ample time and opportunity to hone your skills.