Congratulations to our 2020 graduates who are stepping into the professional world at one of the most uncertain, unknown, and challenging times of the century. Graduates, you might feel most vulnerable and helpless given the responsibility on your shoulders to ensure we not only resolve this current crisis, but also to ensure that the world does not go back to “normal” as defined by our past. 

By Jeff Dayton Johnson

It is very good news for the Middlebury Institute that this new issue of The Black Mirror has appeared, even amidst the current, and ever more complex, global health crisis we are experiencing. It’s good news, to me, for two reasons. First, because The Black Mirror has, in its short start-up phase, become a lively and open forum for debates central to what we do at MIIS, as well as how we do it.

By Pushpa Iyer with Jason Buchanan

We received 72 responses from our most recent poll on student organizations and thanks to those of you who participated. No matter the number of responses, it is always interesting to see what people think, especially given our current context. 

In this issue, we hear about final Student Council events this semester, Poetry Week, Lavender Graduation, the Racism and Policy Workshop, some activities specific to degree programs, and some noteworthy community responses to the pandemic published elsewhere.

We typically present personal stories and experiences of community members in this section. In this issue, we hear from a variety of students, faculty, and staff about their experience during the pandemic. We feature responses from students Layisha Paerhati, Isabel Zaragosa, and Chetna Aggarwal; professors Wallace Chen, Jeff Knopf, and Scott Pulizzi; and staff members Rachel Christopherson, Patricia Szasz, and Carolyn Taylor Meyer.

This semester Allies at MIIS has continued research and work to launch a certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

By Jason Buchanan

The coronavirus pandemic has brought on a whole host of new ethical questions. Am I selfish for going outside? Is shopping at a local business that’s open a show of support or is it really putting workers at risk? Should I keep a mask on at all times or not? How do we balance trying to take care of ourselves versus caring for others? How can we strive to act more selflessly, instead of being selfish? 

It has been two years since we started publishing The Black Mirror. With two issues per semester, and this being our eighth issue, we wanted to take stock on how our community uses the newsletter.

News coming out of other higher education institutions is interesting for our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are looking at how universities have dealt with campus housing issues and changing recruitment tactics in the wake of the pandemic.

Here we offer some suggestions of things to read and watch that we think you might enjoy.

I hope 2020 has started well for everyone! There is something about starting a new year. A determination to use another opportunity for a fresh start, a conviction that if only we did more, took better care of ourselves and others, the world could be a better place. At least it is how I start a new year even if some degree of pessimism begins to set in fairly quickly.