While it’s generally alright with me that the majority of Middlebury students remain blissfully ignorant of the College’s disciplinary processes, I can think of a couple of ways in which this lack of knowledge is problematic for the entire community.

First of all, I would argue that students who know nothing about the judicial process probably don’t know much about other College policies either. In other words, the “problem” is not that students don’t understand the judicial process, it’s that the College’s Handbook is a long, cumbersome document that is not easily accessible to students. Yes, the Handbook is available online, but in that format and with all those regulations, it is more consulted than read. We would do well to streamline the Handbook, and make it available in hard copy.

Another more concerning aspect of this lack of knowledge has to do with how volatile, high-profile infractions play out on campus. Because our judicial/disciplinary processes are confidential (indeed, the boards take an oath not to discuss the cases they hear) administrators struggle to meet the community’s understandable desire to know how particular incidents have been resolved. In the absence of concrete information, rumors circulate, students wonder whether they can trust the judicial system, and the climate on campus deteriorates. Here the problem has less to do with student ignorance of the judicial system than with a judicial process that precludes the sharing of information.

There are good reasons why the College treats disciplinary outcomes with discretion. For the most part, confidentiality enables the students involved in a case—victims, witnesses, and even perpetrators—to resume their lives in the college community without prejudice. On the other hand, we can and should apprise the community of judicial outcomes—without attribution, of course—so that students understand how particular infractions have been resolved. We can also do more to explain the workings of our judicial process, how and why boards hear the cases that come before them, and what role the Department of Public Safety plays in investigating cases.

By the beginning of Winter Term, the Office of the Dean of the College plans to mount a web site that includes all such information and anything else we think will help students understand how our judicial system works. We look forward to your response to this site, and your suggestions for improving it.

What’s striking about WRMC is the amount of freedom that students have to follow their passions and interests. I have limited on-the-ground exposure to other student organizations, but know that several groups have a long tradition at Middlebury of fostering student independence and creativity. The Middlebury Mountain Club, which was founded in 1931, is the oldest and, apparently, the largest student organization on campus. The acapella singing groups—for instance, the Dissipated 8 and the Mischords—have also been around for a while and enjoy great support on campus. The D8 just celebrated their 55th anniversary this fall, while the Mischords are coming up on their 45th.

Linking current students to the history of these organizations—and their alumni—is an effective way of deepening students’ awareness of what they can accomplish on this campus and beyond. It might also be a way-by fund-raising-of enhancing the resources available to students, The majority of student orgs depend on funding from the Student Activities Fee, which is funneled to them through the SGA finance committee. However, if student orgs were encouraged to connect to their alumni bases, build affinity groups, and raise money, there could be even greater options for students. Yale, Harvard, and other Ivy League schools are renowned for their heavy-weight, heavily-endowed student organizations (Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Club is just one example). Why not right here in the Champlain Valley?

Ah well, life is strange, and it’s hard to control for irony. Twenty years later, many college students continue to fight for their right to party, and if they are not winning the war—the drinking age is still 21—they are definitely getting their licks in, and the results are not that pretty. Year in and year out, administrators at liberal arts colleges like Middlebury struggle with the reality of extreme drinking. By extreme drinking, I mean enough liquor to send young men and women alike to health centers and hospitals—enough alcohol in some cases that drunken students require intravenous fluids.

The statistics around such hospital visits are not widely shared, and for good reason. Any information related to health care is treated with confidence, and we believe—reasonably, I think—that students are more likely to avail medical services for themselves or inebriated friends if they know the information will not be shared with college officials. The safety of students must be paramount. A secondary concern is the poor publicity this info can generate.

The collateral effects of such alcohol use are well known—and the war metaphors all too apt—and don’t need bear repeating here. When dean types get together to discuss this topic, they often say that the alcohol problem cannot be solved, only “managed.” I’d like to throw this issue to students—who might be reading this blog—and ask for their thoughts on the subject.

I should be clear about my own assumptions and expectations in this discussion. I recognize, as students often say, that the drinking age will not stop underage students from drinking. But the topic I mean to encircle in this post is not about the drinking age (though I recognize this law is on the outskirts of any discussion of alcohol on college campuses) or the need to bring responsible drinking into public venues (which I support), but rather the fundamental, existential question of why students drink beyond even conventional notions of excess.

You may ask what exactly do I mean by excess, and I could cite BAC levels or tell you that I recently got an email from a peer institution asking for information about our “bio clean-up” protocols. But that’s only one side of the discussion. I’d like to know how this matter—or fight—looks and feels from the inside, from the student perspective.

Feel free to respond anonymously.