College to fund new town bridge – News: “In a campus-wide e-mail issued on Nov. 29, President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz announced the College’s commitment to donate $18 million to the Town of Middlebury in the form of 30 annual $600,000 installments, beginning in early 2011. The money will allow the town to borrow the $9 million necessary for the construction of a bridge spanning Otter Creek from Cross Street to Main Street at its intersection with College Street.In a campus-wide e-mail issued on Nov. 29, President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz announced the College’s commitment to donate $18 million to the Town of Middlebury in the form of 30 annual $600,000 installments, beginning in early 2011. The money will allow the town to borrow the $9 million necessary for the construction of a bridge spanning Otter Creek from Cross Street to Main Street at its intersection with College Street.”
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Middlebury physics professor helps discover cosmic cannonball: “One of the fastest moving stars ever seen has been discovered with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This cosmic cannonball is challenging theories to explain its blistering speed. Astronomers used Chandra to observe a neutron star, known as RX J0822-4300, over a period of five years. During that span, three Chandra observations show the neutron star moving away from the center of the Puppis A supernova remnant. This remnant is the stellar debris field created during the same explosion in which the neutron star was formed about 3700 years ago.”
Collegiate Quidditch takes off figuratively, at least – USATODAY.com: “MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — The broomsticks they hold between their legs can’t help them fly. The Snitch is not a winged golden ball but a young man who sprints across the field at lightning speed. And at times, the game looks like the mongrel offspring of rugby, dodge ball and soccer. But somehow it all works.
“The first intercollegiate Quidditch match was held [at Middlebury College] this month, and though this version of the game is earthbound, it’s taking off. Originally played by wizards darting about on broomsticks in the Harry Potter novels, the game is now taking root on college campuses.”
Ron on Middlebury: Military recruitment on campus (again): “The Marines came to campus to recruit on November 13. The visit and the protest that ensued were covered in The Campus newspaper, but even with the extensive coverage, there remain some fundamental issues about recruiting on our campus that seem to get lost whenever the issue comes up, as it has with the Marines’ recent visit.
“I should mention that I shared with the campus community in September my position in formulating the College’s policy regarding military recruiting in a detailed memorandum. That said, I will highlight here some areas of controversy, offer my position once again, and hopefully generate some discussion for us all to consider. …”
Men’s Soccer Wins NCAA Championship: “The Middlebury men’s soccer team won its first NCAA Championship with a 1-0 win over Trinity of Texas in the title match in Florida. The game finished in a scoreless tie through two overtimes, but the Panthers won the shootout, 4-3. The title is the 28th for Panther teams since the College began competing in NCAA post-season competition in 1994, and men’s soccer is the eighth sport to capture a title.”
Cup of Joe: Faster Than Cup of Jane? [from the Harvard Crimson]: “How long does it take to grab a cup of coffee? If you happen to be a woman, plan on adding 20 seconds to your morning ritual. That’s how much longer women wait to get their coffee compared to men, according to a study by Middlebury College economics professor Caitlin Knowles Myers.”
Men’s Soccer Headed To First Final Four: “Middlebury (17-2-1) will make its first appearance in the NCAA final four after earning a 2-0 win over York in a sectional final contest in Vermont. The Panthers improve to 11-0 at home with just one goal allowed this season. The Spartans finish their season with an impressive 21-3-1 mark. Middlebury will play Loras (Iowa) in an NCAA semifinal contest on Friday, November 23rd at Disney’s Wide World of Sports – Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Trinity of Texas will meet Messiah in the other semifinal contest.”
Field Hockey Falls In NCAA Title Game: “Middlebury saw its hopes of a second NCAA field hockey title come to an end as they fell 4-3 to Bowdoin in the title game at Ursinus. The Panthers scored as many goals in the game as the Polar Bears had allowed all season. The national championship was the first-ever for Bowdoin College, as they finish the year with a perfect 20-0 mark. Middlebury ends the season at 17-5.”
The Campus: Muggles fly to Quidditch pitch – News: “As the sun rose on a crisp, fall day, students took to Battell Beach, otherwise named ‘the pitch,’ with the goal of leaving the Muggle world. On Nov. 11, college students from all over entered the world of ‘Harry Potter’ during the first annual Intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup Festival.”
The Lessons of Butch – The Boston Globe: “Lasting relationships can begin in an instant. Planets align and people meet and, after a glance or a few words, you can extrapolate 40-some years down the line and, behold, you know you’ll still be talking and meeting and helping each other.
“In the case of Richard ‘Butch’ Varno, that instant came in 1961, when a football player at Middlebury College in Vermont named Roger Ralph asked Butch and his grandmother if they needed a ride. It was snowing, and they had just been to the Middlebury football game. Butch, who has cerebral palsy, was snowplowing along in his wheelchair when Roger helped the pair into his car and drove them home. It would be the beginning of a most remarkable friendship – between Butch and the Middlebury community.”
Burlington Free Press.com Wizards, mount your brooms: ” ‘Hermione,’ says Harry Potter, the eponymous hero of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding stories, ‘you’re good on feelings and stuff, but you just don’t understand about Quidditch.’ And who can blame Hermione? She was, after all, the daughter of Muggle, or non-magical, parents. And Quidditch is the most popular sport in the wizarding world. Plus, Hermoine didn’t attend Middlebury College, one of the few spots in the Muggle world where Quidditch seems to be finding a foothold. “
Snow Bowl to offset emissions again, and feature new scoreboard: From First Tracks Online: “Renewing is as important as creating new in the case of Vermont’s Middlebury College Snow Bowl. After becoming the first totally carbon neutral ski area in the country in 2006-07, the Snow Bowl will offset all of its carbon emissions again this year as a new state-of-the-art ski racing scoreboard will adorn the slopes and cross-country ski trails are being recontoured.”
Middlebury men’s soccer team wins NESCAC championship: “Middlebury won its second NESCAC Championship and its first since the inaugural tourney in ’00 as the Panthers defeated Amherst, 1-0. The victory avenges a mid-season 3-1 loss to Amherst, as the Panthers improve to 14-2-1. Middlebury earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will find out their fate when the pairings are announced on Monday.”
Middlebury one of Sierra Club’s top 10 “Cool Schools”: “Middlebury College, the school that spawned the national Step It Up protests against global warming is all about energy—in both senses of the word. Students lobbied hard for the $11 million biomass plant now being built, which will be a big player in making Middlebury College carbon neutral by 2016. They’ve also convinced residence halls to lower their thermostats two degrees in the winter; exchanged more than 2,000 incandescent lightbulbs for energy-efficient ones; and worked with the college’s ski facility, the Snow Bowl, to offset its carbon dioxide emissions.”
Note: Middlebury is #6 on the list.