Campus Character - Jyoti Daniere

The saying that “college is the best four years of your life” is a falsehood, according to Jyoti Daniere, director of Health and Wellness Education at Middlebury College.

“This doesn’t mean that time spent at college isn’t great,” she explained. “There are just so many other happy years in a person’s life.”

College is a time when young people enter a new stage of adulthood, and growing pains still exist.”

Having grown up in Boston and attended a small college like Middlebury, Daniere is relatively well versed on the trials and tribulations that students face daily during these “best” four years.

“Colleges, especially those elite schools like Middlebury, foster a culture of stress by placing great emphasis on achievement and performance,” said Daniere.

“Middlebury is an extremely difficult school to get into, and students should enjoy the spoils of their labor. Kids don’t know how to turn off that overachiever button.”

Some may find Daniere’s sentiments to be out of touch with the fast-paced world to which so many of us are accustomed, but in reality she is not trying to stifle Middlebury’s culture of success; instead, she hopes to encourage a healthier, happier route to excellence in all areas of college life.

“Students are so over-committed to so many extracurriculars that little time is dedicated to building close relationships,” said Daniere.

“Where is the time between hours of studying, meetings, and practices? It’s outrageous that clubs are holding meetings at 10 p.m. when people should be winding down.

“Building relationships and close friendships is an integral part of the college experience, and it seems that this experience is lost in the high-intensity environment of the school,” she said.

Daniere exposed the meat of her argument, presenting this question to the Middlebury community, “Do we want to be human doings or should we aim to be human beings?”

This difficult question of “being in the moment” is the chief motivation behind Daniere’s infamous e-mails advertising dating games and “meet-and-greets.”

“People seem to spend four years in their heads listening to their iPods, texting or e-mailing on their phones, never giving much time to just contemplating life and connecting with fellow students,” said a concerned Daniere.

“Communication is an essential part of success in all aspects of life, from relationships to career building.”

When asked to further discuss her expectations for the many publicized “dating games” at the Grille, Daniere cracked a smile and said,

“Through these ‘games,’ students are able to interact with real people stripped of their academic personas, where you can meet incredible people not exposed in class.”

Delving deeper into this passionate topic, Daniere explained, “There is a wonderful richness to the student body not easily seen during the workday — there are many people who are witty, charming and incredibly complex.”

Returning to the original topic of stress and over-commitment, Daniere worried that students are too heavily influenced by misinformation about grad schools and assumed prerequisites for résumés, chiefly the expectation that a student must join multiple clubs and be president of at least one organization.

“During their time in college, young adults must gain a different perspective on life contrary to their view of constant stress fostered during high school,” said Daniere.

“College students must become more balanced, because a life of peace and genuine joy develops during those four years.

“Priorities should be established, thereby balancing the pressure to achieve and excel with the necessity of joy in one’s life whether it comes from healthy relationships or pursuing an interest in depth,” Daniere said.

Concluding on a positive note, Daniere made it absolutely clear that “Middlebury students are some of the brightest and most eccentric around, but they must make a greater effort to expose themselves to the richness this community really has to offer.”