Editorial: A tradition to reemerge

This weekend marks the 87th annual Middlebury Winter Carnival, and, following the trend of the past few years, the weekend promises to be full of exciting opportunities — including ski races, a comedian, ice sculpting, ’80s music, a top-flight DJ and more. In addition to the tremendous efforts of the College, the town of Middlebury has become even more involved, contributing the immensely popular Chili Cook-Off on Saturday afternoon, and a Mardi Gras dance in the Town Hall Theatre on Saturday night. Without question, MCAB, the Winter Carnival Committee and the town have done an outstanding job of supplying the infrastructure necessary to make this Winter Carnival one of the best in recent memory.

Despite this undertaking, however, the Winter Carnival of today is a far cry from what it was in its heyday, when students and recent graduates from all over New England would travel to our idyllic campus for a weekend of sporting events, dancing and general recreation. A quick glance through the archives of The Campus highlights the palpable excitement that seemed to descend upon the region every year as Carnival weekend approached — a sentiment embraced by both the students and the administration and one that helped turn Winter Carnival into the strongest of Middlebury’s traditions.

While certain institutional changes, such as the raising of the drinking age, contributed to a decline in Winter Carnival’s popularity, students who bemoan the current state of Winter Carnival should look no further than themselves for blame. During the ’70s, each frat and organization on campus would host a party and students, regardless of athletic, academic or extracurricular affiliation, would throw themselves into the weekend with unbridled enthusiasm. What is missing from Winter Carnival is not institutional — it is this grass-roots excitement that made Carnival weekend the most sought-after ticket in the Northeast.

This year promises an incredible Carnival. With the events taking place in town and on campus, this weekend has the potential to live up to the tradition that we all hope can reemerge — but the onus is on us, the student body, to restore it.