Senior in Waiting

In 38 days, the senior class graduates. To say the least, it is bittersweet. As I now apply for jobs, I am often asked why I chose to attend Middlebury. My response is the same each time: the students. While academically driven, they do more than spend time in the library. We are passionate about athletics, the arts and the environment, to name a few. I am proud to call myself a Midd Kid, and as such, I must address two points of contention — the printers and the treadmills. I have become a senior in waiting, waiting to print and waiting to run.

At the semester’s start, each student quickly finds his/her “go-to study spot.” I frequent the library and have bonded much with the seven others in my thesis carrel pod. The eight of us unanimously agree that I constantly complain about one thing: Papercut. I have stopped counting the number of times I am cued in Position 325 and no longer calculate how long it takes to simply “render my job.” Another 50 percent of the time, the Internet is too slow to even upload my document. Suffice to say, I am at my Papercut breaking point.

The system did not exist my freshman year, so yes, cheers to that. This, though, does not explain why Papercut has not worked properly for months. I bombard the students at the Help Desk, and they repeatedly assure me “someone” is looking into the issue. What does this mean? Who is this “someone?”

While my relationship with Papercut was severed long ago, and there is little hope of us ever getting back together, I am nonetheless begging, asking and pleading with this “someone.” Please, if for nothing else than the sake of the seniors attempting to print their year-long theses, help me understand why Papercut cues me at over 350 on a weekly basis and why this has been the case for three months now.

I also promise you I am not alone in this battle. Earlier this month, I Instagramed a screenshot of Papercut. I was cued at 296. Progress? The picture received a solid 18 likes, another 18 distraught Papercut users.

Despite my printing dilemmas, fortunately I do not spend all waking hours in the library. As mentioned, this is why I believe Middlebury ranks high in athletics, arts and the like. The statistics speak for themselves. Twenty-seven percent of the student body plays a varsity sport, and I would argue many others are regulars at the gym. Exercise offers students freedom from exams, papers and lab reports. While I applaud the summer renovations, a gym with six working treadmills is problematic, especially at this school.

Our campus is submerged under snow for the better part of the year, and I know firsthand that wind chill and icy roads are not ideal running conditions. Exercising outside, therefore, is not always possible. If I seek to run, the gym is the answer. However, unless you arrive at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning (has anyone, ever?), you wait a minimum of 20 minutes for a treadmill. While you stand, watching six other people run, you of course begin to think about the time you are wasting, time that could be spent working in the library. So much for the momentary academic escape. Our student body is active and our Vermont winter extends for months, so it is crucial we buy additional treadmills now.
I want to run. I want to print. Please fulfill a senior’s last wish.