Carnival tradition still in question

Author: Catherine Ahearn

This past weekend marked Middlebury College's 86th annual Winter Carnival, the
College's oldest tradition. The three-day event did not disappoint students with its usual salad bar of events aimed at widespread student participation and engagement. In light of the current financial crisis, however, the time away from classes and sizeable spending
did not go by without heavy criticism from
faculty and students alike.

Each year, Winter Carnival is looked
upon as a weekend when students are apt to
feel a deeper connection to the College by
attending and participating in events that
have existed through numerous generations
of Middlebury graduates. The events began
on Thursday evening with the beginning of
the snow sculpture contest, followed by an
acoustic performance by Chris Myers at The
Grille, a bonfire and fireworks on Ross Hill and a performance by Orange Crush in the McCullough Social Space.

After two full days of races on Friday and
Saturday, the Middlebury Ski Team came in
third place, just behind Dartmouth and UVM, with 834 points. Students gathered at the Snow Bowl and Rikert Ski Touring Center at the Bread Loaf School of English to watch their classmates and enjoy the sunny winter weather.

Unlike other programs on campus, it appeared that nothing about Winter Carnival was scaled back to account for the recent
drastic budget cuts. Center for Campus Activities and Leadership Director Doug Adams explained that Winter Carnival is funded by sources set aside for students' social events.

"[Winter Carnival] is completely student run," said Adams. "It's funded through a combination of sources like the student
activities fee and events fees. One of the reasons why they charge for the activities is that that's what's paying for them."

Taking account of students' possibly pre-
carious financial situation, tickets for Winter Carnival events were reduced to nearly half of what they were last year.

"I don't think we'll see Winter Carnival
go away because of budget cuts, we'll just
see it change to adjust for the times," Adams said.

Despite these precautions, both students
and faculty members on campus still have
very strong opinions for and against the status of Winter Carnival.

"I think students themselves are going to
have to face the question of perception here in the community - the moral burden that they might have," said Professor of Russian Thomas Beyer. "In spite of the economic crisis, we are not going to stop celebrating the fun things in our lives. But this financial crisis does touch people, and students, as members of the community, should be sensitive and aware of that."

One member of the faculty who appears
more concerned with this question of perception is C.A. Johnson Fellow in Political Philosophy Kateri Carmola.

"We're in an economic situation with the
College where we are trying to cut every little bit of our budget and it's affecting faculty who can't hire students over the summer," she said. "I just don't see the bigger benefit of things like fireworks."

Beyer, on the other hand, defended Winter Carnival, saying, "I think it's an important aspect of student life here. It's certainly a long-standing tradition and so I think it's something that through participation and memory really connects classes of Middlebury generations."

According to Adams, Winter Carnival was better attended in past years, but many
students still feel a connection toward the
event, even if it's just because of the long weekend.

"I like that the College has its own independent tradition to celebrate even if everyone celebrates it in their own way - even if they do nothing," Lark Nierenberg '11 said. Matthew Vukitch '11 agreed.

"The day off is really nice, but just the
fact that Winter Carnival is steeped in tradition makes it very important," he said.

The annual Friday off from classes is
something that has been under scrutiny in
recent years as well. Last year when buzz concerning the possible elimination of the three-day weekend spread around campus, administrators were faced with a sizable outcry of displeasure from the student body. However, due to steady decreases in student attendance at the races, this novelty may very well become a thing of the past.

Beyer attributed the possible decline of
student attendance to changes in student disposition.

"We do know that the students at the
College of this generation seem to be working harder, and so for many people, I'm sure it's a one-day sort of break that is used for studies," he said.

"Maybe just reminding the student body
that Winter Carnival exists because of the
skiing carnival would help," Vuckith added.
"It's not advertised as a ski race and more like just a day off."

To some, however, the extended weekend is an issue of academic irresponsibility.

"I didn't understand the need for a break
from academics two weeks into the semester," Carmola said.

Only two weeks after February break, the
day off from classes may appear disruptive to the academic calendar and would be better suited to a time when it might be more appreciated by students. "It's more about seeing it in the context of the whole semester and the academic mission of the College which has got to be its primary mission," she said.

It stands that qualms concerning the
time off have more to do with the day's placement than its purpose.

"Perhaps the second week of classes may
not be the ideal time to do it