notes from the desk Auspicious weather for prospies?

Author: Tamara Hilmes

It was Sunday evening, and I was trudging across slush-covered sidewalks from Allen to the CFA to listen to a reading of 10-minute plays that a friend of mine was participating in. I was complaining bitterly to myself with every cold, wet step that drenched my feet in icy water. I thought that wearing flats in April would be appropriate, but apparently not at Middlebury, or should I say, the arctic tundra.

But hey, I'm just a first-year from the Midwest, so I have a lot to learn. As my miserable trek came to an end and I neared the CFA, I noticed a bright, cheerful blue sign through the haze of sleet. "Welcome New First-Years" it read. I stood puzzled for a moment near that funky grate that shoots up clouds of steam at random moments. New first-years. I thought that the Febs were the final additions to our freshman class, but perhaps, I surmised, we were gaining some "Apes" as well (short for April, of course). It took a moment before I finally found a reasonable explanation: Prospies.

It was then that it hit me--although it is only April of my freshman year, I am already being phased out. A new class of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Middkids are on their way to taking our financial aid and our favorite study room in Allen Hall. I suppose this happens every year, but I cannot help feeling like the forgotten middle child now that the new babies are here.

While my initial reaction would be to focus all of my bitter hatred at the prospective students, I have to say that those I have encountered have been really cool. Sean Dennison, for instance, a 16 year-old senior from Helena, Montana who can quote Mitch Hedberg and the facebook like no other is perhaps the coolest kid that I have ever encountered. In fact, I almost feel sorry that Sean's and the other prospective students' visits have been spoiled by cold, wet, miserable weather. After all, I do not think that they are getting to see the true Middlebury, the place that I have grown to love since I first arrived in September. Walking behind windblown tour guides while the rain drizzles down over a grey campus does not really capture the essence of our school, especially when you factor in the sullen-faced students who pass by each tour group murmuring things like "Save yourself!" and "Get out while you still can!" Seriously, I have witnessed both.

I suppose that we, as current students, cannot be blamed for our less-than-thrilled attitudes, what with the stress of end-of-semester work. But when Atwater Dining Hall chooses to serve our prospies "Asian Explosion" for dinner, it makes me wonder: are we really making our best effort to show the prospective students what Middlebury is truly about? Perhaps Chicken Parmesan or even Burger Day would have better shown the true potential of Middlebury's dining services.

Looking back, I cannot compare the new prospies' experiences to my own because, the truth is, I never visited the campus before I arrived on Orientation day. While it seems like a risky choice to never visit a college before deciding to attend, I wonder now if it was actually a smart choice. After all, I do not know that I would have fallen in love with Middlebury in its current state, especially after leaving a sunny, springtime Kansas.

Even if the prospies have not received the best welcome in terms of weather or dining experience, perhaps the people they have encountered have more than compensated for an otherwise sub-par visit. Then again, thinking back to the welcome that my friends gave to the most recent prospie to stay in Allen, maybe not. From getting "flapped," (a series of quick, successive slaps between the legs - very awkward, but surprisingly amusing) immediately when she walked in the room, to her extremely confusing introduction to the six people standing in the hall when she arrived (all of whom decided to introduce themselves as either Greg or Molly), I'm sure that the poor high school senior from Maine was more than a little freaked out.

I suppose this could be considered some sort of weeding-out process. If this latest batch of prospies can manage to endure the terrible weather and our strange sense of humor, I think it displays a tremendous level of endurance and strength of character that will be a great addition to our school. Although I may still be jealous of these younger, cooler and smarter prospies, I'm willing to make room and welcome them as the "New First-Years." But they still cannot have the Allen Study Lounge. That is mine.

Tamara Hilmes is a Local News Editor

from Lawrence, KS.