February 28, 2013
Middlebury protests pipeline
On Sunday, Feb. 17, 50 Middlebury students traveled to Washington D.C. to join the Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben at the “Forward on Climate” rally in Washington, D.C. It was the largest gathering on climate change in history. The main purpose of the march was to protest the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry carbon-heavy tar sands from Canada to Texas. President Obama needs to decide whether or not to approve the project. The attendees flaunted signs urging those involved in the decision making process to block the proposed pipeline.
McKibben thanked the crowd of some 40,000 people and urged them to continue their fight for action on climate change. Furthermore, he believes that Obama’s choice could become a landmark decision in the movement for action on climate change. “If Obama rejects it, he’ll be the first leader to turn down a project on climate grounds—that’s a legacy and also a way to convince other countries to do the right thing,” he said.
Hannah Bristol ’14.5 thought that their participation helped contribute to the success of the protest. “It was really cool to be a part of [the rally] and to just look back and see [thousands of] people behind you, all there for climate change. It felt like we were really making ourselves heard,” Bristol said.
Williams addresses sexual assault cases
Williams College Dean of the College Sarah Bolton recently gave the Williams student body an update on the Administration’s handling of sexual assault incidents. Via email, Bolton reported that there were 13 sexual assaults on the Williams campus during the 2011-12 academic year. Three of the occurrences were committed by individuals who do not attend the College, which prevents Williams from taking disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, six individuals chose to pursue disciplinary action against the perpetrators–all of whom were found guilty. As a result, five students have been suspended for a period of time ranging from one to five semesters.
The email was sent to the student body, delivering on the Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention group’s promise goal to achieve transparency with regard to the disciplinary process. While the group could report that these instances did indeed occur, Bolton’s email addressed the fact that nearly 90 percent of the College’s sexual assaults go unreported. The administration estimates that between 45 and 50 assaults happen on campus each year.
Bolton also announced the preventative measures the group is taking to stop future sexual assaults. The group has worked with the “Speak About it” organization to produce open discussion about sexual assault. Moreover, there has been an increase in bystander intervention training, and confidential services offered to victims of sexual assault. In addition, the group is looking to assess the effectiveness of the disciplinary process.
Finally, Bolton underscored that the Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention group is working diligently to address the situation regarding rape and sexual assault. Bolton went on to say there is more that needs to be done. “As an institution we still need to work on each of the key parts–prevention, awareness and response. There’s still work for me and my colleagues to do on all of this. I’m also really impressed with the work students are doing.”
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