Despite the fact that my husband is employed by Middlebury College, our family has a fairly distant connection to campus life. The majority of our friends are not employed by the college; they’re our neighbors, members of our church, or people we’ve met through our daughters’ involvement in the homeschool community or other activities. That said, we do number some of my husband’s colleagues among our close friends. We have students over to dinner throughout the year. Our daughters have taken swim lessons from members of the Middlebury College Swim Team, and our eldest daughter is currently studying Latin with a student from the Classics Department.
All this to say: Every interaction our family has had personally with Middlebury College faculty, staff, or students has been positive.
Most of our friends are swamped with issues like how to survive the high cost of living in Vermont, how to keep their relationships healthy, or how to raise children and care for ailing parents. Just as Middlebury College is isolated geographically from the rest of the town, campus issues tend to be of little concern to most Middlebury residents, myself included.
Unless they’re really big issues. Which is what happened when my husband came home from work last week and said, “Well, there’s another brouhaha at the college.”
The Pickle Patch 
leighj
Hear! Hear! As a faculty member at a SLAC, I find your approach constructive and logical and kind.
Jane Kimble
Just reading this now, Faith. Thank you for your brave and wise words. As I’m not on social media, I wasn’t aware of the vitriol you write about. What a shame! I hope you post insights reflection and reconciliation. You are right on.
Take care, Jane
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