January 2005

MIDDNEWS

a monthly update of news and events on the Middlebury campus

An article by Caldwell Titcomb in the autumn issue of The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education discusses new research that shows that the first black female to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa was Mary Annette Anderson, who graduated from Middlebury College in 1899. Anderson was valedictorian of her class, which comprised 10 male and eight female students.

Titcomb's article also considers the claim that Alexander Twilight, who graduated from Middlebury in 1823, was the first black to graduate from an American college. According to Titcomb, a Washington and Lee University student named John Chavis is listed as the first college-educated African American in the United States, but there are no records showing that Chavis, who would have been a member of the class of 1799, graduated.

Thus, concludes the article, "Middlebury enjoys the distinction of having produced both the first black college graduate and the first black female Phi Beta Kappa member."

Last year, Middlebury College got involved in the American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" in a big way, raising more than $80,000 through the event. Organizers Ross Lieb-Lappen and Meg Young have set a date for this year 's relay of April 29, starting at 3 p.m. and going into April 30, ending at 9 a.m.

There will be a parent's relay team this year, whose captain will be Pam Corbett, pcorbet@vdh.state.vt.us. Get in touch with her if you are interested in participating. For more information about the event, see www.acsevents.org/relay/vtmiddlebury.

Marta Hofstrom '05 and Charles MacCormack '63 are two Middlebury people working together with an organization that has been centrally involved in relief efforts for victims of the December tsunami that has affected millions of people. MacCormack is president of Save the Children based in Westport, Conn., and Hofstrom is doing an internship with him for winter term. Save the Children has been in Aceh Province, Indonesia, for 30 years. The organization lost aid workers to the disaster. For information about the tsunami's impact on Save the Children, see http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1344&dept_id=433785&newsid=13695615&PAG=461&rfi=9).

Hofstrom has helped with disaster relief efforts, but her work has focused primarily on the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. With many staff members diverted from that effort to work on the crisis in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other countries in the region of the tsunami, Hofstrom's help is very much welcomed.  "It's wonderful to see the amount of work that the staff of Save the Children is doing as a response to this disaster," said Hofstrom. "I am truly impressed with their relentless effort and dedication to their work."

Karen Heath '83, an elementary school teacher in Barre, Vt., was named Vermont teacher of the year by the state board of education this month. She will travel the state and country, visiting schools and working with teachers. Heath has been teaching language arts for 20 years. She designed "Renaissance Readers," an accelerated language arts program for students in grades three through six.

Some interesting data are reported in the College's fall 2004 student profile. Total enrollment is 2,362 full and part time students, making a full time equivalent tally of 2,345. Of U.S. students, approximately 21 percent are students of color (African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, Native American, other). The Middlebury student body comprises 52 percent female students and 48 percent males overall. The ratio reverses among international students where 53 percent are male and 47 percent female. There are many more women than men among domestic students of color. Women represent 54 percent of the total numbers of African American students, 60 percent of Hispanic students are women, and women make up 61 percent of the numbers of Asian American students at Middlebury.

Data also show gender differences in preference for certain majors. For example, 7.9 percent of men intend to major in economics versus 5.7 percent of women. Political science is the intended major of 8.7 percent of men and 5.4 percent of women, and 5.3 percent of men intend to major in history, versus 3 percent of women. Twice as many women as men say they are likely to major in English and international studies, and 12.8 percent of women versus 3.8 percent of men say they are likely to major in psychology.  Non-Middlebury international programs enroll 129 of the College's students, while Middlebury international programs enroll 135 students.

Food is a prominent topic of discussion in today's public discourse. It assumes a central cultural role in the lives of people of all cultures. As such, it has become an increasingly important part of academic inquiry. Witness this year's winter term curriculum where several courses and workshops focus on food. Two examples are Environmental Studies 1005, "Eating Locally, Thinking Globally" and Sociology/Anthropology 1002 "Eat Your Words: Food, Culture, & Communication."

The latter course, taught by Shannon Finch '96—a doctoral candidate in Linguistics, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, and an accomplished cook—explored how food communicates social messages and meanings, including individual and group identities and ideologies. The course examined the intersection of food, culture and communication in a variety of contexts. At the end of the course, film director Chris Elley came to campus for a screening and discussion of his award-winning documentary film "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story." (Visit the Web site at www.bbqfilm.com.) Students sampled a full Texas barbecue dinner following the film.

A panel discussion on Jan. 19 featured winter term faculty and visiting instructors who provided perspectives about food in different cultures and regions as well as local sustainably-produced food. Titled "Food for Thought," the discussion was hosted by the office of environmental affairs and moderated by Bill McKibben, visiting scholar in environmental studies.

An update listing recent scholarly activity by Middlebury faculty members is circulated by e-mail each month following the faculty meeting. A complete listing for the 2004/05 academic year is available at /offices/dofac/faculty_publications.htm.