Mad About Midd Getting all 40,000 worth

Author: Dave Barker

I have one question after last week's symposium on Tibet. Could the sixth floor of John McCardell Bicentennial Hall be transformed into a Tibetan monastery? High above the daily scurrying of students with white coat ambitions, the floor would offer a good base for a few monks who could continue making mandalas in the Great Hall. I hope you caught a glimpse of the monks constructing the sand mandala using metal funnels that when rubbed together, brought needed tranquility to the building.

The mandala might have been fleeting as Tibetan Buddhism dictates it be erased after completion, but the four-day symposium will have a lasting impact. From movie screenings to food tasting, the symposium made it hard to be free of Tibet.

Organizers Cheryl McClurg '08, Pema Tshomo '08 and Monica Balan '08 deserve credit for the promotional blitz that led to the symposium's impressive attendance. "Our main point of the symposium was to expose our College community to a unique international experience and it would have been all useless if no one showed up," Tshomo, a Bhutan native said. "We were extremely glad with the response," she added.

Opportunities for exposure to different cultures thanks to the presence of 200-plus international students make Middlebury unique, especially among rural liberal arts colleges. In addition to a yearly symposium, the International Students Organization (ISO) organizes six or seven political discussions a year, a cultural and fashion show, and other cultural nights. "The support shown during the Tibet symposium is a very good way of improving the international students' experience here and also one reason why it kept us positive and motivated," Tshomo said.

The College community should build on the energy created by the symposium to increase interactions between Americans and international students. A planned event doesn't have to be the only means to bring the two groups together. Here's a hint: The 22-person ISO board counts only one American.

ISO President Papa Faye of Senegal indicated that integrating more American students into the organization as a top priority. "We could be more present at this College," he said. Symposium organizer McClurg of South Africa cites a lack of time as a barrier to better ISO-American student interaction. "An important part of the international students' experience here is being able to share their culture, their ideals and their ideas. For many international students, the academic pressures of Middlebury often don't allow them to express these things."

The burden to increase interactions between Americans and international students should fall on Americans. Any American student who studies abroad knows about the challenges of befriending locals, especially when speaking a second language. A curiosity to meet people abroad often slackens once back amid the comfort of college. So, attend ISO events, but also chat up a group of international students over lunch or after an intramural basketball game. Often, learning that someone's father recently attempted a coup d'état proves more stimulating than "What did you do after ADP?"