A Gadfly, A New Year: Notes on Politics and our Next Print Issue

Dear Friends,

This semester has been a slow one for the GADFLY. Please don't fret- we have many fine articles from our contributors on their way. Expect a hardcover print (Issue 2.1) to be out in the first half of J-term, which should include extensive commentary on OWS, Wikileaks, campus politics, college propaganda, and the ongoing discussions over Money at Midd. We are lucky to have a range of students who send us some outstanding material, however many students tend to be 'activists' in their own right, and this semester has (quite surprisingly) provided a load of distraction to this end. In the meantime, please note that past print issues are always available in PDF format (look to the blog's masthead) or a physical copy can be found in The Gamut Room.

Overall, we still maintain a belief in the necessity for continuing our printed medium, keeping materials and cost at an absolute minimum, while maintaining an accessible format which will (in theory) remain for perpetuity. Also, we know you love our dope graphic designers; shout-out to our fans in the Department of Public Safety (any likeness is entirely unintentional). 

Dean Collado may feel it necessary to remind us that there are people working in 'Old Chapel,' but here at the GADFLY we know (that you know?) that indeed, people also inhabit Foucault's panopticon, even if in the metaphorical sense. Such is Old Chapel's inclination- to "observe and normalize." A recent example is the new personal key-code entry on the Bike Shop? 

The administration likes to talk as if we don't all have a web-tracker installed on our laptops from the day we arrive here... how silly of them. We'll keep to our commentary on making this college a more just and unbiased placed to learn. It should go without saying that to achieve such ends, very little escapes critique!

Lastly, one cannot avoid addressing the controversy the GADFLY found itself at the heart of last week, which concerns quite serious accusations of racism and the behavior of armed police officers on campus. Thanks to a guest post on this blog, and persistent instigation of The Middlebury Campus editors, the controversy has been widely disseminated and is expected to appear in next Thursday's paper. While new details and counter-accusations have come to light, one shudders to think that the entire controversy could easily have remained undisclosed. That would have truly been a shame, regardless of one's perspective. 

We encourage you to visit a new blog setup in support of Barrett Smith '13, who was recently fired from his position as FYC of Stewart Hall over alleged misconduct in connection to the controversy. It truly is heartwarming to see students rally together when they perceive injustice- no matter how big or small. You can find the blog through our link here:
                                                                     http://blogs.middlebury.edu/keepbarretthere/

More updates to come later on this week. In the meantime, good luck with finals, work, or the celebration of false idols (Pleasant Saturnalia, Pagans). 


Keep fighting the good fight.

In Solidarity,

the GADFLY