E-mail Roundup

Author: Tess Russell

Subject: All Student Email Procedures - Cutting the Crap

Looks like the guys in charge want to put us out of a job. As part of President Bobby Joe Smith's promise to streamline communications at the College, the SGA recently admonished student organizations to "respectfully cut down on the amount of crap (albeit interesting and informative crap) that we get in our inboxes." Instead, event coordinators were advised to post their events on the highly trafficked "MIDDCAL," or to send Facebook messages to interested students. Because everyone loves to get crap - albeit interesting and informative crap - on Facebook.

Subject: Speakers Survey and Info

Buried at the bottom of a survey from the MCAB Speakers Committee was an announcement of the upcoming Food Symposium, scheduled for Oct. 20-25. Apparently, "there's more to food than juice at dinner." Blasphemy! Soon they are going to tell us that other hot button issues at the College from the past couple of years - e.g., the security of Midnight breakfast and the metamorphosis of ADP into Delta - are equally trivial.

Subjects: Got a great idea that would benefit the Middlebury Community? and Student Contest

This week, students were informed of two different opportunities to heed the words of N.W.A. and start "expressin' to [their] full capabilities." (We get it, Liebs, you advocate intellectual risk-taking.) First up was an invitation to apply to the Middlebury College Tree House Fund, which has made available a total of $1800 to support "one or several creative student projects that benefit Middlebury students, the environment, or the community." Suggestions need not focus on enlivening the stark Palmer Tree House, though we think they should. In addition, the Project on Creativity and Innovation encouraged students to use their "Middlebury-inspired creativity" to answer the question "What does Middlebury mean to you?" in any format that "can be viewed on a computer and online." As much as we enjoy watching interpretive dance routines in streaming video, the Project might want to consider awarding the $300 first prize to whichever entrant can devise a name for their intiative that does not make it sound like something affiliated with the Cultural Revolution.