The Grid Presented to College

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Wilson Hall, three administrators — Katy Smith Abbott, Andi Lloyd and Miguel Fernández — unveiled a plan they developed over the summer to remedy student stress. This was the first time that the plan, which they termed “The Grid,” was available to the student body. About seventy students and faculty were in attendance at the forum.

At their May meeting the Board of Trustees charged the administration with addressing stress and inclusivity on campus. The resulting plan outlines short-term and long-term solutions that are broken down into three categories: building community and resilience, promoting mind–body well-being and fostering diversity and inclusivity. Each objective has its own chart and associated time agenda.

“It seems to me like the administration is very desperate for some kind of concrete action,” Prasanna Vankina ’18 said. “It is clear that the administration cares a lot, but a lot of the proposals they suggested seemed reactive.”

During the presentation, Smith Abbott described intensive brainstorming sessions over the summer between herself, Lloyd, and Fernández, in a room on the second floor of Old Chapel, with a white board, “a great deal of snacks,” and diagrams and buzz-words of stressors for today’s college students.

“I don’t know how much interaction there actually was with students,” Vankina said.

SGA President Ilana Gratch ’16 said that the SGA’s main goal in holding this stress forum was to create an opportunity for students to enter the conversation. Last week, the Campus editorial board called for administrators to base their solutions on student input rather than on their anecdotal or outdated perceptions of student stress.

“I am encouraged that three senior level administrators spent the entire summer addressing issues relating to stress in the student body,” Gratch said.

At the forum, Gratch gathered responses and suggestions from student attendees, which she will compile in a briefing and send to Smith Abbott, Lloyd and Fernández. She said the SGA will also conduct a survey during winter term asking about perspectives and experiences related to stress at Middlebury.

“I look forward to compiling the student input we received at the forum for administrators so the proposals can incorporate students’ ideas, too,” she continued.

Some commented on the low number of student attendees at the forum. One student suggested that students were too stressed about their academic work to show up. When the attendees broke into small groups to reflect on the presentation, many were dismayed that few solutions in the plan dealt with academics.

“Almost everyone in my small group was frustrated that ‘slow learning’ came up once in the presentation,” Vankina said. “The other prevalent issues of diversity and inclusivity and health are piled onto an already existing issue in the classroom, this rapid form of learning. No one is internalizing anything they learn.”

During a question-and-answer period, one student stood up and said that if he received one extension on a paper, “that would do more to solve his stress than any of these proposals combined.”

Marie Vasitas ’18 said that stress is largely self-imposed by students.

“We need to learn how to deal with the stresses of the real world, because the world is not going to adapt to us,” she said. “Once we leave Middlebury, there won’t be opportunities to have conversations about how we can make the world less stressful. I think that’s something that you have to do on your own, and that’s part of the learning experience.”

One student suggested that students and faculty “take breaks for what they are,” specifically fall and Thanksgiving breaks. “Not having work over break, not piling up work before and after break, and actually reevaluating what a break means would help so much.”

Another student lamented the lack of traditions on campus.

“There are traditions within certain groups on campus, but there’s no one unifying tradition,” she said. “Even a homecoming dance. How many people actually go to Winter Carnival?”

Kathryn Morse, chair of the history department, said the conversation that occurred at the stress forum was thoughtful and showcased multiple points of view.

“The overall bottom line seemed to be that there is too much to do with too little time,” she said. “Students have been saying there’s too much academic work here for years. In response, faculty often suggest that students might be overcommitting themselves beyond the classroom. The question might be, How does our culture pressure students to want to do so many things at once?”

Morse also said that there are too many talks offered each day.

“Perhaps limiting the number of talks across the institution to one per day would reduce stress. Students and faculty seem to have too many talks and obligations to go to — there’s just too much going on.”

Tiffany Chang ’17.5, co-chair of Community Council, expressed excitement for Gratch’s work with the forum and with the upcoming survey. “It will be beneficial to the conversation to hear the opinions of students en masse.” she said. “I would also like to see the solutions focus more on faculty and staff stress, which Community Council has been discussed this semester. All of us — students, faculty, and staff — live and work on campus together, and all our stresses affect one another.”

Matthew Gillis ’18 expressed concern about the way Middlebury markets itself.

“People feel deceived about having come here when they see institutional and social forms of racism and classism” he said. “It is disheartening to realize how many students are accepted from similarly privileged areas each year and how the way you present yourself in admissions can, in many cases, immediately divide, shape and burden your experience. When the college annually boasts how each class is more brilliant, more diverse, and ultimately more ‘perfect’ each year, you internalize the surrounding imperfections you see—and begin to doubt the ability to be perfect yourself.”

“I think being honest, sharing why you feel a certain way, why you hold a certain view or why you’re having a tough time is so important. Many times I stay silent instead of admitting ignorance or slap on a smile when I’m feeling down. We can’t be afraid of making mistakes, appearing vulnerable, revealing ignorance, or showing that we aren’t perfect people, because this is how will eventually help us learn and reform ourselves and our stress,” he concluded.