Notes from the Desk Everybody has an opinion. Share it.

Author: Peter Baumann

The funny thing about a comfort zone is that it is exactly that - comfortable. You could be there because it is what you know, or what you are good at or simply where you find yourself most at home. For me, I was comfortable as editor of the sports section of The Middlebury Campus. During my year and a half I got to interview fascinating people, watch great games and work with a group of staff writers and co-editors that (sometimes) made spending the wee hours of the morning tucked away inside the Hepburn basement seem worth it.

So why did I shift sections? In a move that still is surprising even to myself, I decided following the graduation of that quintessential opinions editor, Alex Garlick '08.5, I would take over the reins of his section and embark upon a journey for which I, by any objective standard, am woefully unprepared.

I still don't know exactly what came over me, but I have a pretty good idea. You see, the problem with a comfort zone is that it is tough to really find out what makes you tick when you are inside of one. I moved to the opinions section of the newspaper because I wanted a new challenge - something that might cause me fits in the short term, but in the long term will emerge as an inherently positive experience.

I'm sure by now you're wondering what the point of this column is. Good question. The point of this column is to try to encourage you to step out of your own comfort zones, but before I get to that I need to first tell a few stories.

One of my best friends is leaving in three weeks to spend the spring semester in Havana, Cuba. If my move across the office was a step outside my comfort zone, her trip will be a gigantic leap. Over the past few months I have slowly started to see bouts of nervousness creep into her eyes when someone mentions her trip, but this morning an amazing thing happened. As the two of us were sitting at breakfast her BlackBerry beeped, indicating an e-mail from a mutual friend of ours who had just returned from spending his fall semester in Havana. As my friend spent five minutes reading the "to bring" and "to do" sections of his message, I could see a degree of relaxation and calm return to her complexion. She hasn't even gotten to Cuba yet and she is already establishing a new comfort zone. One that she would have never known existed had she not stepped outside the original.

My second anecdote comes from Erin Quinn '86, the College's Director of Athletics. In an interview last semester, I asked him what compelled him to give up his successful career as a lacrosse and football coach to move into an administrative position. He said that there was more he wanted to accomplish and that while he will always miss coaching he saw the position of Athletic Director as a chance to expand and enhance his influence and vision. Today, our Department of Athletics stands as a shining example of everything right with Division III athletics in large part because of the stamp that Quinn has placed upon it. He made the inherently terrifying decision to step outside of his comfort zone and anyone who has been touched by his vision can attest to his success.

Okay, I'm sorry. What's the point? The point is to encourage each of you to try something new. Join a club, take a new class, do something that would have seemed inconceivable to you mere months ago. You never know - you may be surprised by what you find.

In the same vein, take a moment to submit to the opinions section. Sure, that sentence was a shameless self-plug, but think of what these pages represent. This section is a place where the varying sentiments of the college community can congregate and be heard. Don't like an article you read? Write a letter to the editor and let us know how you feel. Disagree with something the administration has done? There exists no better place to air your grievance than here. My goal for the rest of the year is to cultivate the kind of dialogue that encourages debate within the College community. I need your help. Everyone has an opinion. Step outside your comfort zone. Share it.