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Posts by Robert

Sep 27

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College to create Task Force on Alcohol and Student Life

Earlier tonight, I attended a mini-forum on alcohol and student life at Middlebury.  The meeting was a follow-up to the issues raised by the student body during the well-attended May 3, 2011 alcohol forum held in McCullough.

Eleven other students and four deans were in attendance.  The deans present were Katy Smith Abbott (Dean of Students), Shirley Collado (Dean of the College and Chief Diversity Officer), Ian Sutherland (Cook Commons), and Lisa Boudah (Associate Dean of the College and Director of Public Safety).

The primary announcement at the forum concerned the soon-to-happen creation of a Task Force on Alcohol and Student Life that will be co-chaired by Dean Katy Smith Abbott and a member of the faculty (to be determined).  There will be twelve people on the task force in total, including five student representatives and several other representatives from College faculty, Public Safety, and Custodial Services. Read more

Nov 11

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Middlebury Quidditch Set to Defend World Cup Title

Middlebury Quidditch will attempt to defend its title this Saturday (11/13) and Sunday (11/14) in the Fourth Annual Quidditch World Cup at DeWitt Clinton Park in New York City. Sixteen players will be representing the College: Matt Engel, Phil Gordon, Ben Silton, Dan Glanz, Zach Doleac, Phil Palmer, Ryan Scura, Andy Hyatt, Max Odland, Ben Wessel, Leah Nagle, Kat Nagle, Lara Andrade, Laura Budd, Adrienne Losch, and Kate Olen.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format on Saturday, allowing all 48 teams in attendance to play three games each.  Half of the teams will advance to Sunday’s single-elimination format based on their record and scoring differential in Saturday’s matches. Middlebury is scheduled to play Michigan State University (12:30 pm), Franklin Marshall College (2:00 pm), and Johns Hopkins University (7:00 pm) on Saturday in the hopes of advancing to the second day of the tournament.  A full list of competing teams can be found here.

It does not appear that the World Cup will be broadcast live on the IQA (International Quidditch Association) website, as it has been in years past.  Instead, people hoping to see the matches will have to make the long trip from Middlebury via car.  The Quidditch Club has helped to subsidize a fan bus, meaning that Middlebury students also have the option to pay $20 for round-trip fare if they don’t mind getting up early on Saturday morning.

[Edit 11/11 1:15 pm: As Ryan's comment has pointed out, some live video is likely, and scoring updates will be provided.  Follow the action here over the weekend if you can't make it to NYC.]

At the risk of a MiddBlog jinx, I should also mention one striking statistic: Middlebury has never lost a Quidditch match!

Nov 3

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Dubie concedes VT Gubernatorial Race to Shumlin

The race for Vermont governor remained exceedingly close as of 11pm last night, at which time Peter Shumlin (D-Putney) declared to his supporters in Burlington that he was going to win the race.  “As results come in, you will become happier and happier,” Shumlin told his audience.

Courtesy, VPR

Shortly after Shumlin’s guarantee of victory, Republican Brian Dubie spoke to his supporters, saying, “I’m not here to declare victory…I’m here to declare, ‘Thank you.’” Judging by Shumlin’s optimism and Dubie’s tempered approach, it appeared that both candidates suspected that Shumlin’s slim margin of about 3,000 votes was going to be enough to carry the election with over 94% of the vote counted.

The Vermont legislature would have decided the winner of the race by secret ballot in January if no candidate had gotten more than 50% of the vote.  In part because the Vermont House and Senate are controlled by Democrats, Dubie had vowed previously to concede the race if he finished second, even if Shumlin did not get the requisite 50% to win the election outright.

According to WCAX, however, Shumlin has more than 50% of the total vote (115,395) to Brian Dubie’s 48% (111,591) with 96.5% of the vote counted.  Unable to catch up to Shumlin, much less win a majority of the vote, Dubie conceded the race to Shumlin this morning. “The voters have spoken,” Dubie said.

As the Burlington Free Press notes,

Shumlin, who becomes the state’s 81st governor, will be Vermont’s first native-born governor in 39 years. The last native of the state to win the governorship was Republican Deane Davis, who retired in 1973 after two terms.

Shumlin received huge boosts from Burlington, Bennington, Brattleboro, Middlebury, Montpelier, and Norwich en route to victory, offsetting Dubie’s gains in towns like Essex, Milton, Rutland, and St. Albans.

Oct 5

The IQA, Quidditch, and Another World Cup Video

The IQA (International Quidditch Association) just released Photographer Stephen Mease just released a video in anticipation of the Intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup that is going to be held in New York City on Nov 13-14.  Check it out:

The transition of the World Cup from Middlebury to New York City has not been without some controversy.  Largely, the appeal made by Alex Benepe and the Middlebury Quidditch Club to take the sport’s growing popularity into consideration has quelled most of the discontent.  Moving the World Cup to New York City is a good idea for at least three other reasons: 1) It allows Benepe’s non-profit organization, the International Quidditch Association, to gain publicity; 2) It is a closer venue for some teams to travel to than Vermont; and 3) It allows teams to compete on a neutral site, meaning that Middlebury no longer has the advantage of the home field.

I see a few interesting trends that followers of Quidditch might want to keep in mind.  First, Quidditch is becoming increasingly institutionalized.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, since Quidditch needs a central governing body to organize events and to keep the rules of the game consistent.  But these institutional developments might lead some people to take Quidditch a bit too seriously.  See, for example, this Op-Ed that argues that Quidditch ought to seek admission into the NCAA.

Along with this increased institutional organization, there are important questions about how decision-making power will be distributed between the IQA and its member schools.  In the future, who will get to decide where the World Cup will be played?  The IQA’s executive board?  The IQA and delegates from Middlebury? The IQA and delegates from all of its member schools? Maybe the team that wins one year should host it the next?  As the overall parity of the league increases, the answers to these questions will become more contested and less obvious.

That’s not to say that I would change any of Benepe’s decisions up to this point.  The IQA is currently in very good hands. But it will be interesting to see what direction Quidditch takes in the post-Middlebury era (that is, once Middlebury finally gets eliminated in a World Cup), and who will get to chart that course.

Edit: This post previously asserted that the IQA made this video.  In fact, the IQA did not produce or release it.  Credit for the video should instead go to Quidditch fan and photographer Stephen Mease. [10/11, 2:45 PM] –RL

Sep 15

VPR Gubernatorial Debate, Wednesday, September 15

This evening featured the second radio debate between Vermont’s gubernatorial contenders.  Brian Dubie, who served as Lieutenant Governor under Governor Jim Douglas, won the Republican primary uncontested.  Peter Shumlin, who is currently serving as President Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate, meanwhile, won the Democratic primary by the slimmest of margins (203 votes) after defeating Doug Racine in a recount.

Picture of the first debate, by Glenn Russell / Burlington Free Press

Earlier this week, Dubie was criticized by his Democratic opponent for an apparent verbal slippage.  As the Burlington Free Press reported,

Shumlin, meanwhile, made the most of a gaff Dubie made when Shumlin pressed him to offer specifics on how he would achieve $100 million in budget savings next year. In the course of his answer, Dubie said, “We are going to have to look at our programs and target the most vulnerable.”

Dubie’s campaign manager said later that Dubie became tongue-tied and meant to say he would examine all programs, but protect the most vulnerable.

Shumlin pounced on the misstatement.

“This is a difference between me and Brian Dubie,” he said at a midday news conference. “While Brian will sacrifice the most vulnerable citizens in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest, I will continue to find the balance between fiscal responsibility and compassion.”

A Rasmussen opinion poll suggested that the two candidates are in a dead heat as the contest kicks off.

Vermont Public Radio hosted the debate, which can be heard below. For an overview of the debate, click here.

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