First, I would like to issue a correction from our last issue. In an article about the tuition increases, I incorrectly stated that last May, the Board of Trustees had said that tuition would only be increasing 1% for the 20-21 academic year. In fact, they were actually restating an earlier increase that would affect this current year, 19-20. I apologize for any confusion this caused, and I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Hindes on behalf of the Trustees for reaching out to me for clarification.

I’d like to address what I think is an important issue that we don’t like to talk about: campus apathy.
It’s very easy to just not care about what’s going on, and I think sometimes we slip into it altogether too quickly. It’s easy on a hilltop campus, because we aren’t embedded in a town or city area. It’s just comfortable to go to class, eat dinner and go back to our res halls. Maybe we participate in roller derby, but precious few of us make it off campus for things like town or development meetings.

I’m guilty of this, too. I can stand on my soapbox all I want, but at the end of the day I have to admit that sometimes it’s easier to eat chips and watch “X-Files” on my couch than care about what’s happening in the world.

We have to work towards a greater sense of community again, by making a conscious effort. This stuff doesn’t happen overnight.

If you live on campus, get involved. Try on new ways of thinking. Maybe show up to an event that you don’t think you’ll like; you might be surprised.

Each school has hosted meetings– if you’re part of the Business and Leadership or Arts and Communication schools, please go to your meeting next week.

If you’re a Vermonter, get registered to vote. Take advantage of local elections. If you’re from out of state, make sure to get your absentee ballot.

See those little plastic composting cans across campus? Those are there because we want to be better as a community, campus and state.

Something else that troubles me is the rumor mill that seems to churn out a new wrong thing every day. If you think something sounds suspect, it generally is. If you’re worried, reach out. We can help you find the truth.

It’s easy to fall into our apathetic habits and choose not to care about which professor is retiring or which team is doing the best. I get it. With so much work (especially during junior/senior years) it can be hard to remember what we care about other than the next assignment. However, we can reinvigorate ourselves to, as Margo says, “Do the good work.”

This happens when the newest students inspire us upperclassmen, showing us just how much energy we could have, too.

I encourage everyone to read Adriana’s article on page four, about a First Year Seminar that’s doing really great work towards a cause we can all understand: climate change. Those freshmen are empowering themselves to be better, do better.

We as a campus should take a page out of their book. Show up. Be there. Take that survey or opportunity, and you might have some interesting experiences to show from it.

If staying informed, ie reading the news, feels overwhelming, just simply being kind or holding the door is enough. We can all contribute towards a more active, more kind community.

Thank you always for your readership and your support. Come say hi sometime.

Rebecca Flieder,
Editor-in-chief