“I am interested in looking at how environmental policy changes when entities influence development and management of resources in a geopolitical or geographical setting that is different from their own,” says junior Leni Charbonneau. She spent last summer in the Republic of Georgia to carry out her Plan research, while contributing her efforts to development groups in the former Soviet nation. “I worked with a number of government-supported groups and agencies to learn about the state of environmental policy in the country and how this interacts with the boom of foreign interest and activity. Georgia is at a fascinating stage in which to study questions related to that frame of interest.”
Reference and technology librarian Amber Hunt and technical services librarian Stephanie Sopka presented at the November meeting of the Vermont Library Association’s College and Special Libraries Program. They led a discussion titled “Weekly Team Meetings for Library Student Workers: A Not So Revolutionary Idea,” reflecting on their positive experiences working with student workers in the Rice-Aron Library. “We are fortunate to have such a responsive and responsible group of workers, and we all benefit from meeting together to review procedures, discuss new ideas, and just feel like we’re all in it together,” said Stephanie.
In October, senior Chris Lamb and philosophy professor William Edelglass presented at the International Association of Environmental Philosophy annual meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Their paper “Rights, Culture, and Land: Theorizing Politics, Ecojustice, and Ceremony in Contemporary Native Environmental Activism” was based on collaborative research funded by an Aron Grant. “Among the 30 or so people in the audience was one of the contemporary scholars most influential in Chris’s thinking, Ed Casey, who agreed to read Chris’s paper and give him feedback,” said William. “It was a great experience for him and for me.”
World Studies Program senior Amelia Fanelli (pictured, in Marlboro sweatshirt) was enrolled in a course called Conflict and Identity at the School for International Training (SIT) last fall, when she was joined for one class by students in the World Studies Colloquium. Together they made human sculptures in an attempt to illustrate conflicts in different countries. “The Marlboro and SIT students collaborated in creating these ‘sculptures,’ discussing the conflicts, and sharing ideas on possible resolutions,” says Jaime Tanner, biol-ogy professor and director of world studies. “It was a truly rewarding experience, and we hope to facilitate more meaningful exchanges between the institutions.”
On behalf of Marlboro College, President Kevin signed a statement issued in September to the Vermont congressional delegation, decrying the decision to revoke the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Signed by all independent colleges in Vermont, the statement says the decision “threatens to disrupt the lives of students in our state and across the country who, through no fault of their own, have known no other home than the United States.” “Vermont has a long tradition of welcoming and embracing immigrants, and the state’s colleges are an important part of upholding that tradition,” said Kevin. See the full statement.
In November, dance students and faculty from colleges all around Vermont gathered at Marlboro College for the fourth annual Vermont College Dance Festival. During the two-day festival, dancers participated in performances and workshops including Senegalese dance, Brazilian dance, improvisation, contemplative dance, and Skinner releasing, as well as student-centered discussions. The emphasis was on encouraging artistic sharing, exchange of ideas, and a close community among higher education dance programs in Vermont. A highlight was the premier of Voice and Vessel, a performance by Delaney McDonough and Hanna Satterlee, funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts.
In September, Brooklyn-based dancer, choreographer, and current Marlboro student Ricarrdo Valentine led a free Afro-Cuban dance workshop to get community members’ inner dancers moving to the rhythm. Ricarrdo uses art as a vehicle for activism, and his education before studying dances at Marlboro includes Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute, the Bates Dance Festival, and Earl Mosely’s Institute of the Arts. He has collaborated and worked with Christal Brown/INSPIRIT, Edisa Weeks/Delirious Dances, Paloma McGregor, Danté Brown/Warehouse Dance, and many others, and is the co-founder of Brother(hood) Dance!
“I really appreciated some of the more sustainability- minded norms and practices in Germany,” says Kristen Thompson, who was the first Marlboro student to attend Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany, last fall, part of a new international exchange program. She was able to take some classes that were directly related to her Plan in environmental studies, particularly one on Restoration Ecology. “It was a seminar including a lot of fieldwork in a traditional orchard, and we had the opportunity to continue work that previous students had done,” says Kristen. “I also met a lot of lovely students from Germany and all over the world.”
Junior Clayton Clemetson spent most of the fall semester on tour with Northern Harmony, a Vermont-based world-music choir, while maintaining a full course load through long-distance tutorials. “On any given day we were either teaching one-to-three workshops for schools or local choirs, performing a concert, playing a ceilidh, or doing all three, not to mention driving to a new town each day. I could feel myself being shaped by this experience, pushing my limits in a way that nurtured personal and musical growth.” The two-month tour brought the group through England, France, Switzerland, Italy, and the U.S., culminating with a performance in Ragle Hall.
Outstanding in His Field
President Kevin joins students and other volunteers for the United Way Day of Caring in September, where they gained some “in-the-field” experience gleaning kale at Harlow Farm, Putney, to support the Vermont Foodbank. Photo by United Way of Windham County
Debating Power
Students Charlie Mahoney, Riley Wicks, Amelia Fanelli, and Annalise Guidry debate whether the Supreme Court has too much power, in a celebration of Constitution Day presented by Meg Mott’s Debating the Constitution class.
Digging Autumn
Senior Helen Pinch cultivates the community garden in October before planting a winter cover crop, one of the activities performed by faculty, staff, and students in honor of Marlboro’s founder on Hendricks Community Service Day.
Hogwarts Dinner
Students ham it up with the goblet of fire during the annual Hogwarts dinner, where community members and local families enjoyed quidditch, wand-making, and chocolate frogs for all.
Sunbursting with Pride
Sophomore Della Dolcino wins top prize in the King Arthur baking contest at the Marlboro Town Fair in September, wowing judges with her spectacular, braided chocolate yeast bread.
