CAPA News

Bennington College hosted a public meeting on PFOA on Thursday, April 27, 2017. At this meeting, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) updated the community about ongoing negotiations with Saint Gobain and reviewed the state’s current analysis of the nature and scope of PFOA contamination in our region. ANR Secretary Julie Moore applauded the “very active” work of Bennington College in responding to this nearby environmental problem.

Bennington College faculty David Bond and Tim Schroeder also provided an update of their ongoing research into PFOA in our environment.

The Mellon Foundation recently awarded $135,000 to the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement and Education—a group comprised of Bennington, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, and Bard colleges—to explore innovative ways to engage with urgent issues of displacement and forced migration.

On the eve of the presidential inauguration, a top journal in American anthropology has published a collection of essays, co-edited by Associate Director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action David Bond, which raises new questions about the rise of Trump and the current state of American politics. The collection features work from leading anthropologists who offer provocative reflections on the culture of Trump and popular misconceptions of class and race today. These wide-ranging essays offer bold new interpretations of solidarity, hate and the future of American democracy.

Representatives from a class gave a report to the Village Board of Trustees on Tuesday about their ongoing research to generate a feasibility study on local dams and waterway privileges. 

On Thursday, October 6, Bennington College welcomed EPA Senior Health Scientist Joyce Donohue. In May 2016, the EPA issued a new guidance level of 70 ppt for PFOA in drinking water. Dr. Donohue gave a public lecture on the background and significance of the new EPA health guidance level for PFOA in drinking water.