The Concerned Students of Middlebury have deliberated to find the most equitable ways to make an endorsement of candidates in this election cycle. We have made the following endorsements for candidates based solely on their platforms and their record at Middlebury College for supporting marginalized communities and uplifting voices that have been underrepresented. The CSM Executive Board is excited to endorse:
CSM Executive Board* *In this endorsement process, our Executive Board acted impartially and required all candidates to recuse themselves from the formation of the endorsement committee, formulation of all endorsement procedures, and vote on endorsement.
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To Our Middlebury Community,
Black lives still matter. We started our first message with these words and unfortunately, approximately a year later, we still are faced with the same issues that require the reiteration of the phrase. The recent murder of yet another Black human, Daunte Wright, a twenty-year-old Black man, represents another piece of evidence supporting unfortunate truth of the fabric of the United States of America: pervasive systemic racism, and specifically anti-blackness, continues to exist and will persist until we as a society take action to dismantle the structures that contribute to it. This is a heavy statement, but one that needs to be said, without apology or pause. When we as a community speak about being allies and practicing anti-racism, it’s equally important we address the fact that these issues will not go away overnight, especially without tangible action. It takes work and effort from all of us as a community to ensure tragic atrocities such as this can be prevented. When people demonstrate a refusal to take action to support marginalized people, they aid in the perpetuation of these systems. As individuals in a small college community, it can sometimes feel difficult to find ways to be involved. We have compiled a list of things you can do to work against these systems right now:
To the Wright family, although we know you likely will not see this, we will never know the grief that your family is feeling right now; however, we feel indescribable pain alongside you and want to work to dismantle the systems that allowed this to happen. It is the least we can do. In solidarity, Myles Maxie, CSM Co-President with permission from The CSM Executive Board To Our Middlebury Community,
The last few months have marked a potential turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. The release of multiple vaccines and continued progress towards greater public access works to grant all of us a great deal of hope in making it through a difficult time, one in which many of us have dealt with great loss and grief. We want to take a moment to acknowledge that. Unfortunately, inequities continue to present a threat to our collective community truly moving forward. The recent statements of Governor Phil Scott as it pertains to restricted access to college students not originating from the state of Vermont not only threaten the way in which we consider ourselves as a collective Vermont community, but also the health of the said community. Unvaccinated students living in close quarters, interacting with each other and community members, and receiving only inequitable solutions for a sense of relief is a description of a recipe for disaster. It disregards the simple fact of the matter that— contrary to what Governor Scott seems to suggest— we are still active members of the local community meaning we will continue to influence the community prevalence and spread of COVID-19 if left without true assistance. With basic consideration, it is clear that all students, including those not originating from Vermont, should be vaccinated in the same mode as any other Vermont resident while actively residing in Vermont; however, the most important corollary of this that requires even more attention is our sub-populations who are at higher risk of infection. A college student not originating from the state of Vermont is not immune to COVID-19 nor any of the ailments that exacerbate the illness. They are equally at risk as vulnerable populations who happen to have been an official resident of Vermont for a longer period of time. They deserve equitable access and treatment as their susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus is a reality and their official residency does not change the fact that they deserve treatment and protection. COVID-19 poses a threat to each and every one of us. Living in a small residential community with communal housing only exacerbates the threat posed by the virus alone Simply put: COVID-19 does not show exception to an individual based on the state they originate from. We are all able to contract the virus and unfortunately spread it. Delaying vaccination of thousands of students for thirty days can be detrimental to the collective community health. We urge Governor Scott to treat the students of the colleges in this state— who were counted in the census and thus played a role in dictating the number of vaccines Vermont received to begin with— equally to all other residents as it pertains to vaccinations, given we are held to the same expectations in terms of other obligations (taxes, local statutes, interaction with the economy). If you agree, please consider reading our recent suggestion to the state of Vermont and Middlebury College and signing on here. We will be delivering this to the proper channels by Sunday for further consideration and action. We want to end this by taking the time and space to acknowledge that regardless of the verbiage of Governor Scott, you are as much an integral part of Vermont as anyone else. When you shop here, work in the state, pay taxes, attend school, and contribute to the very fabric of what we have come to know as Vermont life, you belong here and should consider yourself to be a Vermonter if you so choose. In solidarity, Concerned Students of Middlebury To Our Middlebury Community,
Community is predicated on ensuring all people are not only included but are safely incorporated into the society we are aiming to create. Racial tensions in this country have undoubtedly highlighted the fact that we have significant work to do to create the community we all would like to see. The blatant hatred and violence being enacted against Asian American and Pacific Islander folks in recent months has only worsened and has largely been overlooked. The racist, hate-filled crime occurring last week in Georgia, in which eight humans were senselessly murdered on the sole basis of their race and gender, is only the most recent instance underscoring the need for us to work towards dismantling structures that work against an anti-racist society. As we consider what we can do as a community to instill the ideals of anti-racism, we must also look at tangible actions we can take. We have compiled a list of potential resources for community members across backgrounds to potentially use to practice introspection as well as community action. Take a look below: Direct Possible Action:
We would like to conclude this email by acknowledging humans who were lost in this attack:
We thank you for reading this and hope you can use some of the above resources to promote anti-racism in our shared communities. In solidarity, Concerned Students of Middlebury Words have power.
Even with the best intentions it is still possible to cause harm to even those we aim to represent and provide space for. We at Concerned Students of Middlebury find personal accountability to be important. As we examine ways to combat the systemic oppression and marginalization of underrepresented and underserved communities, we must also turn this critical lens on ourselves and analyze ways we may contribute to this cycle. While there are certainly instances we may have missed, we do want to address two of our previous transgressions.
We want to be held accountable.. We all have a responsibility to learn and grow as conscious community members. We implore all of you to do the same and join us in our mission to both grow and support our campus community as a whole. In solidarity, The CSM Founders |
AuthorsThe views expressed in these updates are that of the overall CSM Board as an entity, not necessarily as individuals. Additionally, it is our position that these updates should be an official record of the statements of CSM as an organization as it has to do with our operations. Categories
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