New tenants see if they can ‘cut’ it at OSM

Heard of the Old Stone Mill? If the current board members have anything to say about it, you will.

With the spring term comes a new set of voices for the future of the Old Stone Mill (OSM), as three new students join its team. Each semester, students have the opportunity to apply for open positions on the board as three of six members end their two-semester terms. This semester, Kyle Hunter ’12, Hilary Platt ’12.5 and Annie Makela ’11.5 were selected to join the group after submitting applications and interviewing with Ron and Jessica Liebowitz. They join incumbent members Jake Moritz ’11, Cate Brown ’12 and George Heinrichs ’11.

The fresh faces of the board hope to further publicize the OSM and, in doing so, encourage their fellow students to foster creativity. For Hunter, the ingenuity of his peers is inspirational in itself.

“I decided to get involved with the OSM because so many students at Middlebury are incredibly creative,” said Hunter. “I feel strongly that, as a campus, we need to work on encouraging and promoting the innovative work that students do outside the classroom.”

One myth the OSM board members would like to clear up: the space is not limited to use by visual artists. Current tenants include (but are not limited to) writers, musicians, bloggers, entrepreneurs, clothing designers and hosts of the somewhat self-explanatory “Dinner with Strangers.”

The group agrees that this type of thinking is essential to success beyond the mental and temporal confines of the academic world.

“It’s very important for students to have space to be creative and think outside of the essay-writing, problem-set lifestyle,” Platt said.

The group’s current priorities are the new Web site and the upcoming launch of a blog where visitors will be able to read posts by tenants and board members alike. They have also been discussing potential future events open to all students. Ideas include an Earth Day project and regular discussions that might begin at the OSM and then move to another informal setting such as 51 Main at the Bridge.

In general, the board members plan to create a more integral presence for the OSM in the college community. “We’re hoping to make it more a part of campus, not just a little house by the creek,” Platt said.

Interested students are encouraged to visit the OSM, which is located above the Storm Café on Mill Street, or the additional spaces in the Annex at 75 Adirondack View. Alternatively, they can visit the Web site — go/OSM — where they can view a mission statement, the list of current tenants, an application for workspace next semester, contact information and upcoming events.

The relatively new group has a great deal of collaborative ambition for the semester, but it cannot overstate the importance of involvement and interest from the student body.

“Our small student board of six has already become a small family with the support of many faculty,” Makela said, “but the real inspiration of OSM does not come from the board members, but rather, from the tenants themselves.”

“The possibilities for OSM are endless.” Hunter said. “We are really excited to see how the future of both the building and the innovation for creativity at Middlebury takes off.”