Dear Friends of the Knoll:
It’s with sadness and frustration that we share that the Knoll was vandalized over the weekend of 3/29-30/2024. People gathered supplies– our tools, materials, and projects from around the Knoll– and burned them in a large unauthorized fire. While the fire took place in the campfire pit, it was unauthorized and grew to be much larger than is safe, especially since this early in the year there is no fire suppression system in place. We are fortunate that it did not grow larger than it did.
Items burned included an Adirondack chair, pallets, straw bales, birch logs, part of a garden cart, field stakes, bamboo trellis poles, and bed markers. To our dismay, people also broke live branches off the poplar and cherry trees (note: live green wood does not burn), and further, burned sheets of birch bark that we harvested with and have been charged with keeping safe for our partners of the School of Abenaki last June for covering the longhouse. There was specific signage, in Abenaki and English, instructing people not to disturb the birch bark. These materials are irreplaceable and this is a shame.
We love that everyone loves the Knoll. It’s a staple in students’ and our community’s experience, a key site of connection, learning, and retreat. There is no fence around the Knoll and we will keep it that way. But the meaning of the Knoll is in the 20 + years of dedication, loving labor, and care–not just feelings, but in the actions of thousands of people’s collective action and tens of thousands of hours of work. This is not just another space to party and let destruction take over.
We lament that the unthinking actions of an ignorant few impel us to employ surveillance of the site, but this cannot continue to happen. We have asked Public Safety to increase their visits to the Knoll. We also lament that this is part of the reason for limiting driving access to the Knoll, which has impacts for everyone’s accessibility.
We have a process in place to request to have events at the Knoll, posted out at the site and linked through our website, Instagram, blog, and via Events Management. To be clear, no one can have a campfire or use the pizza oven without written permission as described in our materials. Alcohol and other regulated substances are not permitted.
It’s our joy and a source of pride to care for this space and the life and connection it stewards. Please let’s work together to respect this space and one another.
Sincerely,
Lucy Pollitt ‘26
Andrés Oyaga ‘23
Lili Platt ‘2
Mary Nagy-Benson ‘24.5
Caitlin Sheen ‘26.5
Charlotte Xu ‘26.5
Samuel Medina ‘25
Sheila Camacho ‘25
Megan Brakeley
If you have information about the vandalism and fire, please contact Megan Brakeley (mbrakeley@middlebury.edu)
The Knoll at Middlebury College 