MiddShift Neutral

Way back in early November, MiddBlog reported sightings of "MiddShift" scrawled across black and white boards throughout the school. Now, it's finally coming together:

MiddShift is about leading the movement toward a carbon neutral future. What is carbon neutrality? It is the process of eliminating our contribution to global warming. ... We are challenging Middlebury to become carbon neutral by the year 2017. To do this, the college will undergo massive carbon emission reductions and efficiency projects. What we cannot reduce we will offset by investing in renewable energy projects.

With the tag line, "Let's Shift Into Neutral," this is yet another powerful environmental movement on the collegiate level. Middlebury really eats this stuff up. With a spring symposium and a lot of support, it would be momentus to have the college adopt such a plan to go carbon neutral by 2017. That said, there is a growing number of those discontent with the amount of attention the environment gets on campus. Other orgs and students with various other causes feel pushed out by the big environmental agenda. Sound a lot like Congress?

Event: Discussion of Carbon Neutrality
Date: Friday, Jan 12
Time: 4:30-6
Venue: Carol's Hungry Mind Cafe (in town next to Alpine Shop and around the corner from Ben Franklin's)


EDIT: MiddShift has got their act together with their web presence. Check out their main Segue site. The "It's Getting Hot in Here" Blog has picked it up too along with the Sierra Student Coalition.

International Poetry Night

Coming up on ISO's big show this weekend, ISO is getting the party started with International Poetry Night this Wednesday at 9PM at the Juice Bar. Come hear a variety of poems in different languages. Some may get explained in English, some might not. Who cares? The beauty of the spoken word.

Date: Wednesday, November 15th, 2006
Time: 9PM
Venue: Juice Bar

Gamut Opens Part 2

Gamut Room opening was a smashing success. It was standing room only as the Otters poked continual fun at Rehnquist lecture by impersonating President Liebowitz inviting "Jesus" to come speak about his good friend "John the Baptist." More skits and improvisations followed. Brownies and hot cider were the hot items on sale.

Chaos on the Message Boards!

So Election Day proved very prosperous for the liberal students with the Democrats taking the House. The senate is still up for grabs with it all bearing down on the state of Virginia.

In semi-unrelated news, College Republicans President Stefan Claypool ('09) is trying to track down the vandals that took over the College Republicans board (by the mailboxes) which resulted in this photo appearing in The Campus. He suspects the College Democrats or the school newspaper itself!

Gamut is Back in Business

Rumors are that the beloved Gamut Room will finally open its doors sometime next week after a seveal month run-in with financing troubles. Run by new management, the Gamut Room will feature the same atmosphere with a few new change-ups. First, the food will probably cost a bit more. Okay, we're not talking The Grille prices so a dollar here and a few cents there shouldn't dent your pocket book too much. That said, Gamut will likely have an improved menu tweaked to your liking. Also changing is the staff: all volunteers. An email was circulated asking for volunteers to work in the Gamut Room under the pretense that it would be a trial semester before becoming a possibly paying job in the future. Also the idea of Gamut staying open on weekends has been circulating. Stay tuned to see if you will now have an alternative for you drunken 1:55AM trips to the Grille. Gamut will be throwing an opening celebration with Otter Nonsense. So look out for that soon!

MiddShift - A Viral Campaign in Progress

Hallie Gammon ('10) tipped us off that the Sunday Night Group (SNG) has launched a large-scale viral marketing campaign around the tagline: "MiddShift." Sightings of the chalking/dry-erase-markering can be seen in a variety of locations from the blackboards in BiHall to whiteboards in a few dorms. No one is quite sure what MiddShift means or what the campaign signifies (SNG won't be telling for a few weeks) but alas, isn't that all just part of good viral campaigns? Okay, okay, so it's not quite as good as last year's "Everything Glowed" which really stirred the pot. That prompted the classic comic with the line: "Everything Glowed, No One Understood."

Any other ideas of what is going on here?

You Know a Nunowa

Although very little information exists on the origin of the name "Nunowa," tomorrow evening should be a feast. Voices of Indigenous People (VIP) is hosting a Native American Harvest Feast in Atwater Dining Hall from 5PM-7:30PM. And they have awesome posters. So go check it out!

Food Glorious Food

Just can't stand the dining hall food any longer? Two student orgs are mixing things up today:

South Asian Student Association (SASA) is hosting a Diwali Dinner tonight. Come check out the real "taste of India." 7PM-onward at Carr Hall (PALANA).

Middlebury Asian Student Organization (MASO) is hosting a dinner tonight to welcome back some alumni who come bearing asian foodstuffs from the big city. Come wrap dumplings and then eat them. Cooking starting at 3PM with dinner at 5ish. Japanese House.