Final update: The Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee is found guilty of violating some college policies, but no official college discipline will result. Check out MiddBlog’s detailed account of the trial.
Update 7:19PM: A lot has happened so far. MiddBlog is going take a little bit to come out with more comprehensive coverage, but here are some themes that have come out so far: Accountability, intent, and the fine line between fraud and satire.
Update 5:06PM: So far both parties have made their opening statements. In her opening statement, complainant Dean Collado emphasized the importance of separating the moral issues and freedom of speech from the infraction of college policies in the college handbook. She also said that during an important time in the College’s history (referring to the Dalai Lama’s visit), “unfortunately this email turned [the administrations]‘s energy to managing a great deal of confusion [within and beyond the college community].”
The Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee responded that the moral issues they aim to confront cannot be separated from the action itself, as the action is their message. They also cited a satirical issue of the Campus released on April Fool’s Day.
Original Post: Ten minutes and counting until the beginning of Middlebury’s first open Community Judicial Board hearing in recent memory. Five Middlebury students are on trial for their involvement in a satirical press release claiming Middlebury College divested from war and fossil fuels in honor of the Dalai Lama’s visit. Every seat in Dana, the school’s largest auditorium, has been filled and people have been turned away.
All cell phones and electronic devices are prohibited, but we’ll be posting updates during scheduled breaks, as long as this doesn’t violate judiciary procedure. Stay tuned for more comprehensive coverage after the hearing.
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Whether you know him as the National Anthem singer at the Middlebury Men’s Basketball games or as Officer Clemmons on the children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, it is unarguable that our Twilight Artist-in-Residence, Dr. François Clemmons, has one of the brightest personalities and most powerful voices on our Campus. For the past 15 years, he has taught the popular J-term class on the American Negro Spiritual, as well as proudly directed the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir: a talented group of community members, faculty members, and students that each January perform “A Celebration of the American Negro Spiritual and the words of Dr. Martin Luther King”.
