Walk From Everett Mansion to Dorms was No Fun During Mud Season (Southern Vermont College Before Shuttle)

Lumbering down the hill on a muddy day. SVC Fieldhouse in sight.

Bennington weather isn't exactly shrouded in mystery. Those of us who attended Southern Vermont College are painfully aware of the hot summers (third floor dorms, anyone?), bone chilling winters, and muddy springs. Such is life on the mountain.

Trudging up the hill to attend class in the Everett Mansion was generally a pleasant affair. The benefits were numerous: fresh air, exercise, and the satisfaction that we were singlehandedly reducing mankind's carbon footprint. 

Having said that, Vermont weather posed frequent challenges. During bouts of rain or snow, SVC faculty, staff, and non-traditional students all pitched in by offering dorm dwellers a ride up the hill. Perhaps the most generous motorist was President Barbara Sirvis herself, who never failed to offer students a lift in her glorious Buick Rendezvous.

With the advent of President Karen Gross, a shuttle was introduced to whisk students from the dorms to the Everett Mansion in record time, and a newly paved road ensured they traveled in comfort. While these embellishments improved the quality of life for on campus students, there was something to be said for the old system of Vermont ingenuity. 

Often times, disparate members of the SVC community met and got to know one another while on the short ride up the hill. Willingness to lend a hand was a small part of why SVC was special. Attending a college where everyone was a familiar face made for a nurturing and supportive learning environment. Try as they may, University of Phoenix and Southern New Hampshire University will never be able to recreate what SVC had so masterfully curated - the tight-knit culture of a small college.