The day a campus faced its fate
On Wednesday, President Lee Pelton announced that Emerson College acquired the endowment and land holdings of Marlboro College through means of a merger. Immediately, we knew as a paper that we needed to hear from the students and faculty of Marlboro, and that a phone interview would not suffice. So we packed our car, grabbed our munchkins, and began the two and a half hour journey to Marlboro, Vermont.
During the ride we talked about what we would find once we arrived. We knew for certain we would see grief, sadness, and most of all confusion amongst the students and staff. However, what we did not expect was the community that greeted us with open arms.
During a tour of the quaint campus, students and administrative staff showed us some of the many spaces they hold dear to their hearts. The spaces, that in seven months will lie mostly dormant.
Hidden in the school’s library was a small climate controlled room, which can only be opened by one of the librarians. Lining the walls of this room were black, leather bound books containing the final projects of all of the senior students who have attended Marlboro in its 73-year history.
While speaking with Erelyn Griffin, a current senior at Marlboro, we learned that some seniors on campus can occupy a personal studio space. After inviting us to hers, I realized the camera strapped around her neck was not merely for passion, but for profession.
A lone basketball rests on the lawn of Marlboro’s student rec. center.
As a testament to the warmth we received during our visit, President Kevin Quigley insisted that we share a meal with the students before taking the long trek back to Boston.
A major component of what makes Marlboro stand out from all other liberal arts colleges in the country, is the degree of student governance on campus. Hung on the wall of the dining hall, is a large bell which is rung by the “town crier” to make announcements during all meals held on campus. Once we arrived for dinner, a proclamation was made that three Emerson students were in attendance, and would be able to answer any questions they may have had. Initially, I expected an air of hostility, or at least resentment. But instead, what I experienced was an overwhelming sense of community. The students who came to sit with us made me realize that while we are worlds apart; one campus residing upon a mountain top and the other situated in the middle of downtown Boston, we are united through our commonalities. While I understand the immense pain facing the students who live there, it’s hard not to admit that I hope the students will join us in our urban cityscape. If not, we’ll always remember the special trip that we took this Wednesday afternoon. One filled of grief and confusion, but one which was overshadowed by love.
The passion I have for journalism stems from my need and desire to help illuminate the stories that spend most of their time in the shadows.My work focuses predominantly on human interest stories, as I've found that those are the stories that mean the most not only to the reader, but to the subjects themselves too. I take great pride in upholding the ethics of journalism, but also realize that there are facets of those standards which have long stigmatized...
Another marlbs student 😯 / Nov 19, 2019 at 8:35 pm
It upset me that you came to do this story on a day when most of the campus was grieving. Real actual grief. Then you stuck your camera all over us and painted us to look like empty and sad. Of course we were sad that day, most of us are still very sad, but you showed our community inaccurately. It is upsetting how much of a story it is to you that our campus is closing. It feels like you don’t really care about the sadness this closure has caused us because it gives you a great opportunity for a story.
Elisabeth / Nov 19, 2019 at 1:52 pm
I graduated from Marlboro a few years ago, and I want to say I keep revisiting these photos and words as a source of comfort. It’s been a strange few weeks.
David Golann / Nov 10, 2019 at 10:09 am
1) Word choices here are embarrassing. “faced it’s fate” and “quaint” are silly.
2)The narrative approach in this article is very much centered on the internal thought process of the photographer as they go on a “road trip” getting “munchkins” and mulling over what they think they will find at Marlboro. There aren’t many quotes from or pictures of actual marlboro community members, the real subjects of the story.
3) Taking sombre black and white photos of a basketball on a field or an empty classroom? Come on man. Such a cheap way to communicate sadness without engaging with real people and their lives. Take photos of people and talk to them.
David Golann / Nov 10, 2019 at 8:43 am
I wrote for the student newspaper at Marlboro and wrote some silly stuff sometimes, so I don’t want to be judgmental, but this is an insensitive photo essay. The use of black and white to convey sadness is heavy handed. The use of terms like “faced it’s fate” is melodramatic and over the top. The use of the term “quaint” for a small community that has been small for decades is condescending.
The main failure of this piece is that it does not include many photos of or quotes from Marlboro students and faculty. Instead it makes the piece about the road-trip of the photographer and their speculative thought process and their purchasing of “munchkins” on a car trip. It’s self-indulgent. It’s great you had a change of heart at the end as members of the Marlboro Community were willing to talk to you constructively, so where are the quotes from those members? Where are the pictures of them? Journalists use the first person sparingly as a tool to situate the viewer in a new situation, not as a way to engage in speculation and make a journalism about the journalist. You keep writing about what you “realized.” It’s not about your realization, it’s about the community you are covering.
Also we don’t know what will happen to the campus yet, so saying these spaces will “lie mostly dormant” is speculation. The spaces will be used for the famous Marlboro Music Festival at the least, and may find many other uses, if for no other reason than it’s economically smart to use them.
Anonymous Marlboro Student / Nov 8, 2019 at 9:09 am
As Marlboro students, we find your use of imagery in this article to be inaccurate. We feel like you tried to paint the college as a sad, empty and somber place, when in actuality it is still full of life. Yes, the day you arrived we were all mourning, however we are trying to lift ourselves up as a student body despite the situation we find ourselves in.
It feels like you took a voyeuristic approach to this story, when as a community we would have taken you in with open arms to show you the Marlboro we know and love.