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ll-F-M-T-F B-I-ll-Ii-0
WEST BRATTLEBORO — The
second annual Bingo, an evening
of camp, candor, and fabulous
prizes to benefit Vermont
Freedom to Marry Task Force,
will be held on May 29 at the
West Village Meeting House in
West Brattleboro.

This fundraiser will help to
offset costs of Vermont Freedom
to Marry Task Force’s education-
al work in southern Vermont and
throughout the state. The group
regularly provides speakers and
panelists to forums and panels
across the state.

Callers Mark Herman (aka
Mama) and Bill McDanie|s

wrru FILES FROM
CAROLYN ASHBY

long—awaited and contro-
Aversial report on diversity
at Middlebury College is

garnering mixed reactions from
students, faculty, and stafi.

On March 29, the President’s
Office at Middlebury College
released the Human Relations
Committee Diversity Report. The
Committee, which met twice
weekly from September I998
through January I999, examined
issues brought up by student
protests in April I998.

The report discusses and
makes specific recommendations
in [2 areas of college life, includ-
ing admissions and financial aid,
curriculum, faculty recruitment,
housing, spiritual life, and admin-
istrative leadership.

Based on interviews with indi-
viduals, student organizations and
other colleges, and previous
College reports, it calls for the cre-
ation of both an office and a dean
handling diversity matters, curric-
ular changes, and non-permanent
‘special interest’ suites in student
residences.

German professor Roman Graf
was “very confident that the report
will be received and responded to
in a positive and active way.”
Spanish instructor Miguel
Fernandez told the Middlebury
campus paper on April 20 that
feedback so far has been positive.
“The recommendations in the
report are ‘do-able.’ What we have
suggested has real substance.”

Not everyone agrees. Mary
Duffy, Women’s Studies
Coordinator, felt “it is a strong
document and address many
important issues frankly,” but “the
effect may seem muted, certainly

some criticisms could be made in ,.

stronger terms.”

Former Middlebury student
Russell Plato believed that instead
of making powerful recommenda-
tions and facilitating change, the
HRC succumbed to political pres-
sure and narrow focus.

His specific criticisms included

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S — 001‘ IN THE MOUNTAINS i—iIi\-/l'AY 

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(Kitty) will combine camp and
quick wit to create a fun-filled
evening for everyone. Many
folks will recognize them from
their shows at the Rainbow Cattle
Co. as well as from their help
with Bingo last year.

Area business have donated
prizes including overnight stays
at the Saxtons River Inn and
Chester House Inn, office visits
at Brattleboro Naturopathic
Clinic and Saxtons River Family
Chiropractic, windshield wiper
blades, seedling flowers and veg-
etables and gift certificates to‘
many local stores and service
providers.

Doors open at 7pm.
Admission is $10 and includes 10

lack of effort by some committee
members to include GLBT issues
in the process, “snobbish” neglect
of socioeconomic issues except in
cases of students of color, and
tactless and unnecessary accom-
modation of the administration.
“It lies when it talks about
Middlebury’s past progress and
commitment to diversity.”

Although an acknowledged
active participant in the process,
Plato was not appointed to the
committee. Neither was Kevin
Moss, Professor of Russian and
faculty advisor to the GLBT stu-
dent group for the last decade. “I
was one of the first to hear [the
HRC] was being reconstituted,
and one of the first to submit an
application [but was] not appoint-
ed to the core group.”

In fact, many felt those who
were more outspoken were passed
over for “people who wouldn't stir
things up too much,” and were
instead placed on the secondary
‘resource’ committees.

College President McCardell
maintained tha “this committee
must be broadly representative of
the student, faculty, and staff, if its
recommendations are to have
credibility. Thus, I did not limit
appointments to those who
expressed an interest.”

The primary demand at the
April 29, I998 -protest was a
diversity affairs ofiice “dedicated
to addressing the needs of students
of color; gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender students; non-tradi-
tional students; international stu-
dents; students from differing eco-
nomic and cultural backgrounds;
and differently-abled students.”

Consulting schools such as

. Williams, Amherst, Dartmouth,

and Swarthmore, the committee
found that Middlebury was the
only one without such an ofiice or
cultural center. The report accord-
ingly recommends “an Office of
Diversity Affairs‘ in the new
Student Center with a staff to
work with cultural organizations
[and] be the hub of the wheel of
diversity programs and activities

occurring across campus.”

chances at prizes. There will be
light snacks and beverages avail-
able. All are welcome, but
advised to come early, as seating
is limited. ‘

Ileln Throw
the lifeline

CONCORD, NH — The Gay Info
Line of New Hampshire is seek-
ing distribution help with its
directory of resources for the
GLBT community of VT and NH.

The Gay Lifeline directory, the
result of more than a year’s work,
will be available in late May.
More than 400 social groups,
accommodations, therapists,
lawyers, intemet sites, and gay

bars are listed and described in
the volume.

Because the information in the
directory is time sensitive, the
GIL is looking for individuals
and groups to distribute directo-
ries at events and bars.
Alternative retail outlets are also
encouraged to participate.

Boxes of directories will be.

available at discounts off the $5
cover price, and the GIL will
cover shipping and handling.

For more information, contact
the organization at 603-224-1686
or email gayinfonh@a0l.c0m.

EIIGS on the Prize
HINESBURG — The Samara
Foundation of Vermont received

to Iliuersitv llenort

Noting that “the administration
does not mirror the composition of
the community” a fact that “pre-
sents a visual contradiction to its
stated values,” the report also pro-
poses creation of a new position.
The dean of institutional diversity
would possess full faculty creden-
tials, oversee diversity matters
regarding faculty and curriculum,
work to resolve politically

' charged events, and visibly repre-

sent the administration’s commit-
ment to and understanding of
issues of race, class, ethnicity,
gender, sexuality, and disabilities
Calling this “the most radical
proposal in the report,” Graf
emphasized its, importance in
implementing visual strategies to
create a diverse campus.
“Diversity has to be integral to the
campus, not just the Campus
Center. Walking onto campus, one
should immediately feel one is in
a multicultural environment.”
Student David Gramling also
believed these points to be key.
“Diversity of students is fast out-
pacing the administration’s ability
to interpret and serve that diversi-
ty on a policy level,” he said.
“We’re doing better in demo-

graphics, but that is maskedtby a »
«lack of public representation of

those cultures.” »

In response to complaints fro
students — mostly female and/or
GLBT —— who feel unsafe in resi-
dence halls, recommendations
advocate considering a way to
gauge openness to having a GLBT
roommate, providing more single
rooms for freshmen, and provid-
ing on-request non-permanent
‘special interest’ suites within the
dorms.

This last recommendation dis-
appointed ‘advocates of the
Gender Studies House as a penna-
nent residential and educational
space for the GLBT community.
Former Student Government
Association President and
Community Council member
Bryan Stratton wanted something
“more positive toward the Gender
Studies House. [‘Special interet’

suites within dorms] isn’t the

letters of inquiry from 18 GLBTA
organizations requesting a total of
$120,000 in grants this spring.

Eleven of those organizations
have received invitations to sub-
mit full grant proposals to the
committee by May 10.

The foundation was pleased
by the response to the request for
letters of intent for its first com-
petitive grant cycle, but can’t ful-
fill all the requests. “We have
between $15,000 and $20,000 to
grant this year, so the process is

still competitive,” says Bill
Lippert, ‘Samara’s executive
director.

They hope to announce the
results of the selection process by
July 1, 1999.7

Committee (HRC)

on difference of all kinds

Affairs Office

McCardell

Spring l998...The Controversy Begins

April 1 April Fool’s Day issue of The Campus contains
racially offensive ad, which also contains the word “pansy”

April 8 President McCardell sends letter to community
announcing the ad hoc reconstitution of the Human Relations
April 13 Rally held to protest “silencing” of students based A
April 19 Rutland Herald prints front-page article
“Middlebury Struggles with Gay Issues”

April 29 Protest organized by Student Coalition for

Community to demand the establishment of Diversity

May 11 Appointments to HRC announced by President

answer. Creating an atmosphere
which allows for group identity
while maintaining a str“ong sense
of community is what is needed.”

There were also strong criti-
cisms of the curricular, faculty
recruitment, and student and fac-
ulty retention recommendations.
Despite assertions by Dean of the
Faculty Robert Schine and HRC
Chair Arlinda Wickland that “the
curriculum is the most potent tool
at our disposal for teaching about
[diversity], ” none of the 20 offi-
cial recommendations and sugges-
tions specifically address GLBT
cunicular content in the, gay and
lesbian studies, or ways to attract
and retain GLBT faculty and staff.

Chaplain Laurel Macaulay
Jordan pointed out that time kept
the committee from accomplish-
ing everything it might have.
“There were always more things
that we thought about doing or
including...but we had to recog-
nize how long the document was
getting and how close to the dead-
line we were.”

Perhaps the strongestconcem
is not about the report’s content,
but its use.

Student Kate Landis worried
that “it’s under the rug in the sense
that now it’s on paper, and to

Middlebury, that’s as good as
gone.”

Similar reports in 1968, 1982,
1987, and I991 made the same
recommendations regarding racial
diversity, but despite ‘significant
steps in 1992, enough continuing
discomfort was felt to put it on the
table again in 1999. The report
itself acknowledges tha “many
god ideas, innovative programs,
and valuable reports are generated
at the College, but we seem to lose
track of them.”

Many, including Leroy Nesbitt,

_,«Special Assistant to the President
for Minority Affairs, have echoed
Mary Duffy’s sentiment that “the
most important element in this
process now is the College’s com-

mitment in terms of resources, ‘

personnel and willingness to open
various systems  to a strong
shot of diversity and prejudice
reduction training.”

In a letter to the community
accompanying the report,
President McCardell vowed that it
would “not gather dust on a shelf
of interesting institutional histori-
cal documents. Rather, I mean for
it to shape our actions on matters
of diversity in the years to come.”

So far, that promise is intact.
The committee has held three

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